एषोऽग्निस्तपत्येष सूर्य एष पर्जन्यो मघवानेष वायुः एष पृथिवी रयिर्देवः सदसच्चामृतं च यत्
He is Agni who burns; he is the Sun; he is Parjanya, the rain-giver; he is Vāyu; he is the Earth, the Lord of wealth, the true and untrue, and that which is immortal.
अरा इव रथनाभौ प्राणे सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् । ऋचो यजूँषि सामानि यज्ञः क्षत्रं ब्रह्म च
As the spokes are fixed in the hub of a wheel, so is everything established in Prāṇa: the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, sacrifice, kingship, and priesthood.
प्रजापतिश्चरसि गर्भे त्वमेव प्रतिजायसे । तुभ्यं प्राण प्रजास्त्विमा बलिं हरन्ति यः प्रणैः प्रतितिष्ठसि
You, Prāṇa, move as Prajāpati in the womb; you alone are born again. To you, Prāṇa, these creatures bring offerings, for you are established in the prāṇas.
देवानामसि वह्नितमः पितृणां प्रथमा स्वधा । ऋषीणां चरितं सत्यमथर्वाङ्गिरसामसि
Among the gods, you are the most radiant; among the ancestors, you are the first offering; among the seers, you are the truth of their conduct; you are Atharvan and Aṅgiras.
इन्द्रस्त्वं प्राण तेजसा रुद्रोऽसि परिरक्षिता । त्वमन्तरिक्षे चरसि सूर्यस्त्वं ज्योतिषां पतिः
You, Prāṇa, are Indra by your brilliance; you are Rudra, the protector; you move in the mid-region; you are the Sun, lord of lights.
यदा त्वमभिवर्षस्यथेमाः प्राण ते प्रजाः । आनन्दरूपास्तिष्ठन्ति कामायान्नं भविष्यतीति
When you shower down, Prāṇa, then these creatures rejoice in happiness, thinking, 'Food will come as we desire.'
व्रात्यस्त्वं प्राणैकर्षरत्ता विश्वस्य सत्पतिः । वयमाद्यस्य दातारः पिता त्वं मातरिश्व नः
You, Prāṇa, are the wanderer, the single charioteer, the lord of all that exists. We are the givers of the first portion; you are our father, O Mātariśvan.
या ते तनूर्वाचि प्रतिष्ठिता या श्रोत्रे या च चक्षुषि । या च मनसि सन्तता शिवां तां कुरू मोत्क्रमीः
The form of yours that is established in speech, in hearing, and in sight, and that which is spread in the mind—make that auspicious for us; do not depart.
प्राणस्येदं वशे सर्वं त्रिदिवे यत् प्रतिष्ठितम् । मातेव पुत्रान् रक्षस्व श्रीश्च प्रज्ञां च विधेहि न इति
All this, whatever is established in the three worlds, is under the control of Prāṇa. Protect us like a mother her children; grant us prosperity and wisdom.
इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि द्वितीयः प्रश्नः ॥ अथ हैनं कौशल्यष्चाश्वलायनः पप्रच्छ । भगवन् कुत एष प्राणो जायते कथमायात्यस्मिञ्शरीर आत्मानं वा प्रविभज्य कथं प्रतिष्ठते केनोत्क्रमते कथं बह्यमभिधते कथमध्यात्ममिति
Thus ends the second question in the Praśnopaniṣad. Then Kauśalya, son of Aśvalāyana, asked him: 'Venerable Sir, from where is this Prāṇa born? How does it enter this body? How does it divide itself and establish itself? By what does it depart? How does it support what is outside and within?'
तस्मै स होउवाचातिप्रष्चान् पृच्छसि ब्रह्मिष्ठोऽसीति तस्मात्तेऽहं ब्रवीमि
To him he replied: 'You ask questions beyond the ordinary, and you are devoted to Brahman. Therefore, I will tell you.'
आत्मन एष प्राणो जायते । यथैषा पुरुषे छायैतस्मिन्नेतदाततं मनोकृतेनायात्यस्मिञ्शरीरे
From the Self, this Prāṇa is born. As a shadow is cast by a person, so is this spread in it. By the mind's action, it enters this body.
यथा सम्रादेवाधिकृतान् विनियुङ्क्ते । एतन् ग्रामानोतान् ग्रामानधितिष्टस्वेत्येवमेवैष प्राण इतरान् प्राणान् पृथक् पृथगेव सन्निधत्ते पायूपस्थेऽपानं चक्षुःश्रोत्रे मुखनासिकाभ्यां प्राणः स्वयं प्रातिष्टते मध्ये तु समानः । एष ह्येतद्धुतमन्नं समं नयति तस्मादेताः सप्तार्चिषो भवन्ति
As a king appoints officers and commands them, 'Rule over these villages and those,' so does Prāṇa assign each function to the other prāṇas, arranging them separately. Apāna is placed in the organs of excretion and generation; Prāṇa itself is in the eyes, ears, mouth, and nostrils; Samāna is in the middle. It distributes the food that is offered equally. Therefore, these are the seven flames.
हृदि ह्येष आत्मा । अत्रैतदेकशतं नाडीनं तासां शतं शतमेकैकस्या द्वासप्ततिर्द्वासप्ततिः प्रतिशाखानाडीसहस्राणि भवन्त्यासु व्यानश्चरति
This Self is indeed in the heart. There, a hundred and one nāḍīs (channels) branch out; each of them has a hundred branches, and each branch has seventy-two thousand sub-branches. In these, Vyāna moves.
अथैकयोर्ध्व उदानः पुण्येन पुण्यं लोकं नयति पापेन पापमुभाभ्यामेव मनुष्यलोकम्
By one, Udāna rises upward; by virtue, it leads to the virtuous world; by vice, to the sinful world; and by both, to the human world.
आदित्यो ह वै बाह्यः प्राण उदयत्येष ह्येनं चाक्षुषं प्राणमनुगृह्णानः । पृथिव्यां या देवता सैषा पुरुषस्य अपानमवष्टभ्यान्तरा यदाकाशः स समानो वायुर्व्यानः
The sun is indeed the external Prāṇa; he rises and supports the Prāṇa related to the eyes. The deity on earth supports the Apāna in a person. The space between is Samāna; the air is Vyāna.
तेजो ह वा उदानस्तस्मादुपशान्ततेजाः । पुनर्भवमिन्द्रियैर्मनसि सम्पध्यमानैः
Indeed, the upward-moving energy is radiance; therefore, when the radiance is calmed, the senses, having merged into the mind, return again to rebirth.
यच्चित्तस्तेनैष प्राणमायाति । प्राणस्तेजसा युक्तः सहात्मना तथासङ्कल्पितं लोकं नयति
With whatever mind one departs, with that he goes to the life-breath; the life-breath, endowed with radiance and accompanied by the self, leads him to the world shaped by his intention.
य एवं विद्वान् प्राणं वेद न हास्य प्रजा हीयतेऽमृतो भवति तदेषः श्लोकः
Whoever thus knows the life-breath as described—his offspring do not perish; he becomes immortal. There is this verse.
उत्पत्तिमायतिं स्थानं विभुत्वं चैव पञ्चधा । अध्यात्मं चैव प्राणस्य विज्ञायामृतमश्नुते विज्ञायामृतमश्नुत इति
He who knows the origin, entry, place, pervasiveness, and the fivefold nature of the life-breath within himself attains immortality—having known, he attains immortality.
इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि तृतीयः प्रश्नः ॥ अथ हैनं सौर्यायणि गार्ग्यः पप्रच्छ । भगवन्नेतस्मिन् पुरुषे कानि स्वपन्ति कान्यस्मिञ्जाग्रति कतर एष देवः स्वप्नान् पश्यति कस्यैतत् सुखं भवति कस्मिन्नु सर्वे सम्प्रतिष्टिता भवन्तीति
Thus ends the third question in the Praśna Upaniṣad. Then Sauryāyaṇi Gārgya asked him: 'Venerable sir, in 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?'
तस्मै स होवच । यथ गार्ग्य मरीचयोऽर्कस्यास्तं गच्छतः सर्वा एतस्मिंस्तेजोमण्डल एकीभवन्ति । ताः पुनः पुनरुदयतः प्रचरन्त्येवं ह वै तत् सर्वं परे देवे मनस्येकीभवति तेन तर्ह्येष पुरुषो न शृणोति न पश्यति न जिघ्रति न रसयते न स्पृशते नाभिवदते नादत्ते नानन्दयते न विसृजते नेयायते स्वपितीत्याचक्षते
To him he replied: 'Gārgya, just as the rays of the sun, when it sets, all become one in its circle of light, and when it rises, they spread out again—so too, all this merges in the supreme deity, the mind. Therefore, at that time, this person neither hears, nor sees, nor smells, nor tastes, nor touches, nor speaks, nor grasps, nor enjoys, nor releases, nor moves; they say, "he sleeps."'
प्राणाग्रय एवैतस्मिन् पुरे जाग्रति । गार्हपत्यो ह वा एषोऽपानो व्यानोऽन्वाहार्यपचनो यद्गार्हपत्यात् प्रणीयते प्रणयनादाहवनीयः प्राणः
Only the foremost life-breath remains awake in this city. The downward-moving breath is like the household fire, the diffusive breath is like the fire for cooking, and from the household fire, the sacrificial fire is kindled, which is the upward-moving breath.
यदुच्छ्वासनिःश्वासावेतावाहुती समं नयतीति स समानः । मनो ह वाव यजमानः । इष्टफलमेवोदानः । स एनं यजमानमहरहर्ब्रह्म गमयति
The equalizing breath brings together the two offerings—exhalation and inhalation. The mind is indeed the sacrificer; the upward-moving breath is the fruit of the sacrifice. Day by day, it leads the sacrificer to Brahman.
अत्रैष देवः स्वप्ने महिमानमनुभवति । यद्दृष्टं दृष्टमनुपश्यति श्रुतं श्रुतमेवार्थमनुशृणोति देशदिगन्तरैश्च प्रत्यनुभूतं पुनः पुनः प्रत्यनुभवति दृष्टं चादृष्टं च श्रुतं चाश्रुतं चानुभूतं चाननुभूतं च स्च्चासच्च सर्वं पश्यति सर्वः पस्यति
In dreams, this deity experiences his greatness; what has been seen, he sees again; what has been heard, he hears again; and what has been experienced in different places and directions, he experiences again and again. He sees both the seen and the unseen, the heard and the unheard, the experienced and the unexperienced, the real and the unreal—he sees all, he sees everything.
स यदा तेजसाऽभिभूतो भवति । अत्रैष देवः स्वप्नान्न पश्यत्यथ यदैतस्मिञ्शरीर एतत्सुखं भवति
When he is overpowered by radiance, this deity does not see dreams; then, in this body, he experiences happiness.
स यथा सोभ्य वयांसि वसोवृक्षं संप्रतिष्ठन्ते । एवं ह वै तत् सर्वं पर आत्मनि संप्रतिष्ठते
Just as birds gather on a tree, so indeed all these rest in the supreme self.
पृथिवी च पृथिवीमात्रा चापश्चापोमात्रा च तेजश्च तेजोमात्रा च वायुश्च वायुमात्रा चाकाशश्चाकाशमात्रा च चक्षुश्च द्रष्टव्यं च श्रोत्रं च श्रोतव्यं च ग्राणं च घ्रातव्यं च रसश्च रसयितव्यं च त्वक्च स्पर्शयितव्यं च वाक्च वक्तव्यं च हस्तौ चादातव्यं चोपस्थश्चानन्दयितव्यं च पायुश्च विसर्जयितव्यं च यादौ च गन्तव्यं च मनश्च मन्तव्यं च बुद्धिश्च बोद्धिव्यं चाहङ्कारश्चाहङ्कर्तव्यं च चित्तं च चेतयितव्यं च तेजश्च विद्योतयितव्यं च प्राणश्च विद्यारयितव्यं च
Earth and the essence of earth, water and the essence of water, fire and the essence of fire, air and the essence of air, space and the essence of space; 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—
एष हि द्रष्टा स्प्रष्टा श्रोता घ्राता रसयिता मन्ता बोद्धा कर्ता विज्ञानात्मा पुरुषः । स परेऽक्षर आत्मनि सम्प्रतिष्ठते
He is the seer, toucher, hearer, smeller, taster, thinker, knower, doer—the self of knowledge, the person. He rests in the supreme, imperishable self.
परमेवाक्षरं प्रतिपद्यते स यो ह वै तदच्छायमशरीरम्लोहितं शुभ्रमक्षरं वेदयते यस्तु सोम्य । स सर्वज्ञः सर्वो भवति । तदेष श्लोकः
He attains the highest imperishable who, O gentle one, knows that which is without shadow, without body, colorless, pure, and imperishable. He becomes all-knowing and all; there is this verse.