THE PRASNA UPANISHAD (Contd)

CHAPTER - 5

 
p·m:   p#Æ:    Question    5 
 
AT    hWn|    SWÖy:    sÏykam:    pp#ÅC ,
s    yaE    h    vW    tìgvÓmn¤ÝyEx¤
p#ayNaÓtmaEÄðarma¢BÒyay£t      .
ktm|    vav    s    tEn    laEk|    jyt£¢t   tÞmW s haE vac     .     1     .
AT   thereafter
hWn|   him (Pippalada), truly
SWÖy:   son of Sibi
sÏykam:   Satyakama
pp#ÅC   sought information
s:   he
y:   who
h vW   indeed
tt¯   that
Bgvn¯   O ! Revered! Sir
mn¤ÝyEx¤   among men
p#ayaNaÓtm¯   till death
AaEÄðar|   the Om
A¢BÒyay£t   would meditate
ktmm¯   which
s   : he
tEn   by which
laEk|   world
jy¢t   attains
i¢t   thus
tÞmW   to him
s   he(Pippalada)
h                  indeed
uvac   said

Then  the   son   of   Sibi by name Satyakama   asked   him,   'Revered   Sir,
among   human beings  what in the  world   he   attains   by   that  meditation   on   Om , till he dies?  He   replied to him :
et¹W    sÏykam    pr|    capr|    c    b#'    ydaE|Äðar:      ,
tÞma¢¹¹anEtEnWva{{ytnEnWktrmÓvE¢t      .   2     .
ett¯   this
vW   verily
sÏykam   O ! Satyakama!
pr|   c   superior
Apr|   c   and inferior
b#'   Brahman
yt¯   what
AaE|kar:   Om
tÞmat¯   therefore
¢v¹an¯   the knower
etEn   by this
ev     only
AaytnEn   means
ektrm¯   one of these two
AÓvE¢t   begets

O !  Satyakama ! Om   is   really   the   higher   and   the lower   Brahman.   Thus,   the  one who  knows   begets one of   these two   by   this   method.
s  yïEkmaæOm¢BÒyay£t    s    tEnWv
s|vE¢dtÞt¥NImEv    jgÏyam¢BsØpïytE      ,
tm¦caE    mn¤ÝylaEkm¤pnyÓtE    s    tæO    tpsa
b#'cyIN    ½dqDya    sØp°aE    m¢hmanmn¤Bv¢t      .     3     . 
s:   he
y¢d   if
ekmaæOm¯   the one syllable (i.e. A)
A¢BÒyay£t   meditates upon
s:   he
tEn   by that
ev   alone
s|vE¢dt:   having known comprehensively
t¥NIm¯   fast
ev   truly
jgÏya|   into this world
A¢BsØpïytE   returns
tm¯   him
§c:   maæOa   the Rks (i.e. the first A)
mn¤ÝylaEkm¯   the world of humans
upnyÓtE   lead
s:   he
tæO   there
tpsa   by austerities
b#'cyIN   by continence
½dqDya   by faith
sØp°:   enriched
m¢hmanm¯   greatness
An¤Bv¢t   experiences

He who contemplates on   the   single   syllable,   returns to this   world  quickly   having well understood it. The first syllable leads him to the world of humans, where through austerities, continence and faith, he experiences greatness.
AT    y¢d    ¢¹maæOEN    mn¢s    sØpïtE
saE{Ót¢rX|    yj¤¢BIâ°£ytE    saEmlaEkm¯        ,
s    saEmlaEkE    ¢vB¥¢tmn¤B¥y    p¤nravtItE        .           4     .
AT   then
y¢d   if
¢¹maæOEN   by two syllables(A+U)
mn¢s   in mind
sØpïtE   gains
s:   he
AÓt¢rX|   to the ethereal regions
yj¤¢B :  by the Yajus
u°£ytE   is lead
saEmlaEkm¯   the lunar world
s:   he
saEmlaEkE   in that world of the moon
¢vB¥¢tm¯   opulence
An¤B¥y   having enjoyed
p¤n:   again
AavtItE   returns

Then, if one contemplates on the two syllables, one is absorbed in the mind and is led to the lunar world. There in that state he enjoys opulence and returns (at the exhaustion of all merits ) to this world of humans.
y:    p¤nrEt|    ¢æOmaæOENaW¢mÏyEtEnWvaXrEN    pr|
p¤âxm¢BÒyay£t    s    tEj¢s     s¥yI     sØp°:        ,
yTa    padaEdrÞÏvca    ¢v¢nm¤IÅyt    ,   ev|
hvW    s    paÔmna    ¢v¢nm¤I³:    s    sam¢Bâ°£ytE
b#'laEk|    s    etÞmaÇj£vGnaÏpraÏpr|
p¤¢rSy|    p¤âxm£XtE    ,   tdEtaW    ÜlaEkaW    Bvt:    .   5   .
y:   who
p¤n:   however
et|   this (Om)
¢æOmaæOEN   with the three syllables (A+U+M)
i¢t   thus
etEn   by this
ev   verily
AXrEN   letter
pr|   the supreme
p¤âx|   Purusa
A¢BÒyay£t   contemplate upon
s:   he
tEj¢s   in the brilliance
s¥yI   in the sun
sØp°:   merges
yTa   as
padaEdr   serpent
Ïvca   from its skin
¢v¢nm¤IÅytE   is freed
ev|   in the same way
h vW   verily
s:   he
paÔmna   from sins
¢v¢nm¤I³:   being freed
s:   he
sam¢B:   by the Sama hymns
u°£ytE   is lifted up
b#'laEk|   the world of Brahma
s:   he
etÞmat¯   from this
j£vGnat¯   Hiranyagarba
praÏpr|   the Supreme
p¤¢rSy|   lying in the heart
p¤âx|   the Purusa
iXtE   sees
tt¯   about that
etaW   these
ÜlaEkaW   two verses
Bvt:   are

However, he who contemplates on the supreme Purusa with letter Om, into the three syllables, gets absorbed into the brilliance of the sun, freed from all sins, as a snake casts of its skin. He is led upto the world of Brahma by the hymns of Sama. In the Hiranyagarbha loka he sees the supreme being lying in the heart. There exist there two verses on it.
¢t*aE    maæOa    m¦Ïy¤mÏy:    p#y¤³a
    AÓyaEÓys³a    An¢vp#y¤³a:      ,
¢@yas¤    ba/a×yÓtrmÒymas¤  
      sØykp#y¤³as¤    n    kØptE    åO:      .     6     .
¢t*:   the three
maæOa:   syllables
ekWks:   individually
m¦Ïy¤mÏy:   impermanent
p#y¤³a:   used
AÓyaEÓys³a:   when attached to one another
An¢vp#y¤³a:   not wrongly used
¢@yas¤   acts
ba/a×yÓtrmÒymas¤   in the external, internal, and central
sØyk   comprehensively
p#y¤³as¤   when used
n   kØptE   does not fear
åO:   the realised one
 
These three syllables when contemplated upon individually makes for impermanence. When used in conjunction they are used rightly. Then they operate in the three fluxes  of deep sleep ( within ), dream (middle) and waking (outer) properly and the realised one has no cause for fear.
§¢ÂBrEt|    yj¤¢BIrÓt¢rX|       sam¢ByIäOÏkvyaE
vEdyÓtE    ,   tmaEÄðarENWvaytnEnaÓvE¢t
¢v¹aÓyäOÅCaÓtmjrmm¦tmBy|    pr|    cE¢t        .     7     .
§¢ÂB:   by the Rks(i.e.the first matra)
et|   this human world
yj¤¢BI:   by the Yajus (i.e. by the second matra)
AÓt¢rX|   the world of the moon
sam¢B:   by the Samans (i.e. by the third matra
yt¯   what
kvy:   the wise
vEdyÓtE   realise
t|   that
AaEmkarEN   by Om
ev   truly
AaytnEn   means
AÓvE¢t   attains
¢v¹an¯   knower
yt¯   what
CaÓtm¯   tranquil
Ajrm¯   undiminishing
Am¦tm¯   undying
ABy|   free from all fear
pr|   greatest
c   and
i¢t   thus
 
Through the first syllable is attained this human world, by the second is obtained the lunar world and by the third that obtained only by the wise. That which is tranquil, undiminishing, undying and rid of all fear - the greatest is attained by means of this OM.
i¢t     p·m:     p#Æ:            Thus ends the fifth question.

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