When the third question had been answered in the Praśna Upaniṣad, Sauryāyaṇi Gārgya approached the revered sage and asked, “Venerable sir, within this person, what things sleep, what remain awake, who is it that sees dreams, whose happiness is this, and in whom do all these rest?” The sage replied, “Gārgya, consider the sun: when it sets, all its rays merge into its circle of light, and when it rises, they spread out again. In the same way, all faculties merge into the supreme deity—the mind. At this time, the person neither hears nor sees, nor smells, tastes, touches, speaks, grasps, enjoys, releases, nor moves. This state is called ‘sleep.’ Yet, in this city of the body, only the foremost life-breath remains awake. The downward-moving breath acts like the household fire, the diffusive breath like the fire for cooking, and from the household fire, the sacrificial fire is kindled, which is the upward-moving breath. The equalizing breath brings together the two offerings—exhalation and inhalation. The mind is the sacrificer, and the upward-moving breath is the fruit of the sacrifice. Day by day, it guides the sacrificer towards Brahman. In dreams, this deity experiences his own greatness. He sees again what has been seen, hears again what has been heard, and experiences again what has been experienced, whether in different places or directions. He perceives both the seen and unseen, the heard and unheard, the experienced and unexperienced, the real and the unreal—he sees everything. When the deity is overpowered by radiance, he does not see dreams; then, in this body, he experiences happiness. Just as birds gather upon a tree, so do all these faculties rest in the supreme self. Earth and its essence, water and its essence, fire and its essence, air and its essence, space and its essence; the eye and what is to be seen, the ear and what is to be heard, the nose and what is to be smelled, taste and what is to be tasted, skin and what is to be touched, speech and what is to be spoken, hands and what is to be grasped, the generative organ and what is to be enjoyed, the anus and what is to be excreted, the feet and what is to be moved, mind and what is to be thought, intellect and what is to be understood, ego and what is to be asserted, consciousness and what is to be contemplated, radiance and what is to be illuminated, life-breath and what is to be sustained—all these rest in the supreme self. He is the seer, toucher, hearer, smeller, taster, thinker, knower, doer—the self of knowledge, the person. He rests in the supreme, imperishable self. Whoever knows that which is without shadow, without body, colorless, pure, and imperishable, attains the highest imperishable. Such a one becomes all-knowing and all. There is a verse about this. The self of knowledge, together with all the deities, life-breaths, and beings, are established where one knows the imperishable. That one becomes all-knowing and enters into all. Thus the fourth question ended. Then Śaibya Satyakāma asked, “Venerable sir, if someone among men meditates on Om at the time of death, which world does he conquer by that?” The sage replied: “O Satyakāma, Om is both the higher and the lower Brahman. Therefore, the knower attains one or the other by this means. If he meditates on only one measure of Om, he is quickly reborn on earth. The hymns lead him to the world of men, and there, endowed with austerity, celibacy, and faith, he experiences greatness. If, by means of two measures, Om is merged in the mind, he is led to the world of the moon through the Yajur-veda; having experienced greatness in the world of the moon, he returns again. But whoever meditates upon the Supreme Person with Om in its three measures, is united with the brilliance of the sun. Just as a snake sheds its skin through the opening of its body, so is he freed from sin. He is led by the Sāma-veda to the world of Brahman, and from that mass of embodied souls, he beholds the Supreme Person, higher than the highest. Concerning this, verses are recited: The three measures, when applied to the mortal, are mutually connected and never separated. In actions—outer, inner, and intermediate—when rightly applied, the knower does not waver. With the Ṛg-veda, this is attained; with the Yajur-veda, the intermediate space; with the Sāma-veda, that which the wise discern. By Om alone as the means, the knower attains that which is peaceful, ageless, immortal, fearless, and supreme.” Thus ended the fifth question. Then Sukeśa Bhāradvāja asked, “Revered sir, Hiraṇyanābha, the prince of Kosala, once asked me: ‘O Bhāradvāja, do you know the person with sixteen parts?’ I replied, ‘I do not know this.’ For if I had known, how could I not have told you? Whoever speaks falsehood, its root dries up; therefore, I must not speak untruth. He mounted his chariot in silence and departed. Now I ask you: Where is that person?” The sage replied, “Here itself, within the body, O good man, is that person in whom these sixteen parts arise. He considered: ‘On departing from which shall I depart? On remaining in which shall I remain?’ He created the vital force; from the vital force, faith, space, air, fire, water, earth, the senses, and the mind; food, from food virility, austerity, Vedic hymns, actions, worlds, and in the worlds, names. Just as rivers, destined for the ocean, upon reaching the ocean are dissolved, their names and forms are lost and only the ocean is spoken of, so too these sixteen parts, destined for the person, upon reaching the person are dissolved, their names and forms are lost and only the person is spoken of. He becomes partless and immortal. There is a verse about this: Like the spokes in the hub of a wheel, the parts are established in him; know that person, so that death may not trouble you. The sage said to them, “Thus far alone do I know this Supreme Brahman; there is nothing higher than this.” The disciples worshipped him, saying, “You indeed are our father, who lead us beyond ignorance to the supreme beyond. Salutation to the great seers, salutation to the great seers.