THE PRASNA UPANISHAD (Contd)

CHAPTER - 6

x¿ :   p#Æ:    Question     6  

 
AT    hWn|    s¤kESa    Bar¹aj:    pp#ÅC ,
Bgvan¯    ¢hrÎynaB:    kaWsÚyaE    rajp¤æOaE    mam¤pEÏyWt|
p#Æmp¦ÅCt ,   xaEfSkl|    Bar¹aj    p¤âx|    vEIuml&;T ,
tmh|    k¤marmb#¤v|    nah¢mm|    vEd ,   yïh¢mmmvE¢dx|
kT|    tE    navßy¢m¢t ,   sm¥laE    va    ex    p¢rS¤Ýy¢t
yaE{n¦tm¢Bvd¢t ,   tÞma°ahaIØyn¦t|    v³| ,
s    t¥ÝN£|    rTmaâ/    p#vv#aj ,
t|    Ïva    p¦ÅC¢m    ÀvasaW    p¤âx    i¢t          .     1     .  
AT   next
en|   him (Pippalada)
s¤kESa:   Sukesas
Bar¹aj:   of descendant Bharadwaja
pp#ÅC   reverentially enquired
Bgvan¯   holy sir
¢hrÎynaB:   Hiranyanabha
kaWsÚy:   of Kosala
rajp¤æO:   the prince
mam¯   me
upEÏy   having come to me
et|   this
p#Æm¯   question
Ap¦ÅCt   asked
xaEfSkl|   of sixteen parts
Bar¹aj   O Bharadvaja
p¤âx|   Purusa
vEÏT   do(you) know
tm¯   that
Ah|   I
k&currewn;marm¯   Prince
Ab#¤v|   replied
Ahm¯   I
imm|   this
n vEd   not aware
y¢d   if
Ahm¯   I
imm¯   this
AvE¢dx|   knew
kT|   why
tE   to you
n   not
Avßym¯   will not tell
i¢t   thus
sm¥l:   from the root
va   verily
ex   this one
p¢rS¤Ýy¢t   withers
y:   who
An¦tm¯   falsehood
A¢Bvd¢t   tells
tÞmat¯   therefore
n   AhaI¢m   I do not deserve
An¦t|   falsehood
v³I   to tell
s:   he (the prince)
rT|   the chariot
Aaâ/   getting into
p#vv#aj   departed
t|   that
Ïva   to you
p¦ÅC¢m   I ask
AasaW   this
p¤âx:   Purusa
Àv   where
i¢t   thus

Thereafter, the descendant of Bharadwaa -Sukesa - reverentially enquired :
 Revered Sir! Hiranyagarbha, the Kosala prince came to me and asked me
" Do you know the Purusa of sixteen parts ? To that prince I replied that I
am not aware and had I known why I should not tell you. He who lies is
totally destroyed and why should I utter a lie ? Getting into his chariot,
he quietly departed. Where is this Purush, may I seek information from you ?

 
tÞmW    s    haEvac    ,   ihWvaÓt:    Sr£rE    saEØy    s
p¤âxaE    y¢Þm°Wta:    xaEfS kla:    p#BvÓt£¢t        .   2   .
 
tÞmW   to him
s:   he
h   verily
uvac   said
ih   here
AÓt:   Sr£rE   within this body
(vtItE)   (exists)
saEØy   one of pleasant appearance
s:   he
p¤âx:   the Purusa
y¢Þmn¯   in which
eta:   these
xaEfS kla:   the sixteen parts
p#Bv¢Ót   born
i¢t¯   Thus

He replied unto him : O! One of pleasant appearance ! That Purusa lies
 inside the body and from HIm are born the sixteen parts.

 
s    iIXa|c@E    ,   k¢Þm°hm¤Ï@aÓt    uÏ@aÓtaE
B¢vÝya¢m    k¢ÞmÓva    p#¢t¢¿tE    p#¢t¿aÞya¢m¢t      .     3     .  
s:   he
iIXa|c@E   thought
k¢Þm°   ut@aÓtE   who having gone out
Ah|   I having
uÏ@aÓt:   gone out
B¢vÝya¢m   shall become
k¢Þmn¯   p#¢t¢¿tE   who being established
p#¢t¿ Þya¢m   shall be established (in this body)
i¢t   thus

He thought : By whoever going out shall I be going out and by whoever
getting established I shall be getting established.

s    p#aNms¦jt    p#aNaÅC®dqDa|    K|    vay¤jaEI¢trap:
p¦¢Tv£¢Ód#y|    ,   mn:    A°m°¹£yI|
tpaE    mÓæOa:    kmI    laEka :     laEkEx¤    c    nam    c            .       4     .  
s:   Purusa
p#aNm¯   Hiranyagarbha
As¦jt   created
p#aNat¯   from him
½dqDa|   faith
K|   space
vay¤:   air
ÇyaE¢t:   fire
Aap:   water
p¦¢Tv£   earth
i¢Ód#y|   the sense organs
mn:   the mind
A°|   food
A°at¯   from food
v£yI|   vigour (strength)
tp:   austerities
mÓæOa:   the secret chants
kmI   all action
laEka:   the worlds
laEkEx¤   in the worlds
c   again
nam   name
c   and
 
The  Purusa created   the   Prana and   from  it came   out the space, air,
   fire,   water,   earth,   the   sense organs,   the   mind,   and   food.  
Food gave rise to strength , austerities , the secret chants, all activities
and the worlds. In the worlds was created names. 
 
s    yTEma    nïy:    ÞyÓdmana:    sm¤d#ayNa:
sm¤d#|    p#aÔyaÞt|    gÅC¢Ót    ¢BïEtE    tasa|
namãpE    sm¤d#    iÏyEv|    p#aEÅytE ,
evmEvaÞy    p¢rd#¾¤¢rma:    xaEfS kla:
p¤âxayNa:    p¤âx|    p#aÔyaÞt|    gÅC¢Ót
¢BïEtE    tasa|    namãpE    p¤âx    iÏyEv|    p#aEÅytE ,
s    exaE{klaE{m¦taE    Bv¢t    tdEx    ÜlaEk:    .  5    .  
s:   that
yTa   like
ima:   these
nïy:   rivers
ÞyÓdmana:   flowing
sm¤d#ayNa:   coursing towards the ocean
sm¤d#|   the ocean
p#aÔy   having reached
AÞt|   gÅC¢Ót   disappear
¢BïEtE   are destroyed
tasa|   their
namãpE   names and forms
sm¤d#:   the ocean
i¢t   thus
ev|   alone
p#aEÅytE   is spoken of
evm¯   in the same way
ev   really
AÞy   of this
p¤âxÞy   of the Purusa
p¢rd#¾¤:   knower
ima:   these
xaEfS kla:   the sixteen parts
p¤âxayNa:   resting in the Purusa
p¤âx|   the Purusa
p#aÔy   having reached
AÞt| gÅC¢Ót   disappear
¢BïEtE   are destroyed
c asa|   of these also
namãpE   the name and form
p¤âx:   the Purusa
i¢t   Thus
ev|   alone
p#aEÅytE   is spoken of
s:   that
ex:   this (person)
Akl:   having no parts
Am¦t:   deathless
Bv¢t   becomes
tt¯   about that
ex:   the following
ÜlaEk:   verse
 
Just like the rivers course towards   the  ocean on merging with it lose all
their    names   and   forms   and   are   spoken   only  as   the   ocean,  
the   sixteen parts    of   the aspirant on merging with the   Purusa  are
lost   in   Him and is spoken of only as the Purusa. Thereafter, He
becomes rid of the parts and stays deathless. There is a verse on this.

 
 
Ara    iv    rTnaBaW    kla    y¢ÞmÓp#¢t¢¿ta:      ,
t|    vEïE|    p¤âx|    vEd    yTa    ma    vaE    m¦Ïy¤:    p¢rÛyTa    i¢t      .   6  .  
Ara:   spokes
iv   like
rTnaBaW   in the hub of the wheel of the chariot
kla:   the parts
y¢Þmn¯   in whom
p#¢t¢¿ta:   are firmly placed
t|   that
vEïE|   worth knowing
p¤âx|   the Purusa
vEd   know
yTa   so that
ma    not
v:   you
m¦Ïy¤:   death
p¢rÛyTa:   may trouble
i¢t   thus

Like  the spokes resting on   the   hub   of   the wheel of  the chariot, the
 parts stay firmly in the Purusa, who should be realised  and worthy of
realisation and then the seeker is no more troubled by death.

taÓhaEvacWtavdEvahmEtÏpr|    b#'     vEd   ,
nat:    prmÞt£¢t                                      .     7     .
tan¯   s:   to them ( he)
h   verily
uvac   said
etavt¯   up to this
ev   truly
Ahm¯   I
ett¯   this
pr|   Supreme
b#'   the Brahman
vEd   know
n   not
At:   beyond this
prm¯   superior
A¢Þt   there is
i¢t   thus
 
He   said to them :   'As   far as  I   know   the   Supreme are -  Brahman -
there   is   nothing  greater   than   this.'  
tE    tmcIyÓtÞÏv|    ¢h    n:    ¢pta yaE{Þmakm¢vïaya:
pr|    par|    tarys£¢t ,     nm:    prm§¢x×yaE
nm:    prm§¢x×y:        .     8     .  
tE   they
tm¯   him
AcIyÓt:   having paid obeisance
Ïv|   ¢h   verily you are
n:   our
¢pta   father
y:   who
AÞmak|   us
A¢vïaya:   of the ignorance
pr|   the supreme
par|   the other shore
tary¢s   help to cross
i¢t   thus
nm: prm§¢x×y:   we bow down to the best among sages
nm:   prm§¢x×y:   we bow down to the best among sages,

After paying the obeisance to him , they said : " Truly you are our father ,
 who makes us ferry across the ignorance to the other shore. Our
obeisance to the best of sages , our obeisance to the best of sages."
 
i¢t    x¾:    p#Æ:              Thus ends the sixth question.
                                           
i¢t    p#ÆaE¢nxd    smaçOa            Thus ends the Prasna Upanishad

RETURN TO CHAPTER - 5 OF THE PRASNA UPANISHAD
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