Prasna Upanisad | Prasnopanisad

Prasna Upanisad (Prasnopanisad)

The Prasnopanisad (from prasna, meaning “question”) belongs to the Atharva Veda. As its name suggests, it is structured around six profound questions posed by six earnest seekers to the sage Pippalada. Each question is answered in a separate section, making the Upanisad unusually systematic in its organization.

The frame story: Six brahmins — Sukesa, Satyakama, Sauryayani, Kausalya, Bhargava, and Kabandhin — approach Pippalada with fuel in hand, the traditional gesture of studentship. Pippalada asks them to remain with him for a year of austerity, after which they may ask their questions. This year of discipline (tapas) is itself part of the teaching: the answers to ultimate questions cannot be received by a mind unprepared.

The Six Questions

First Question (Sukesa): From what does all life originate? Pippalada answers that the Creator (Prajapati) created matter (rayi) and life-force (prana), and through their interaction, the entire universe came into being.

Second Question (Satyakama): How many powers sustain the body, and which is supreme? Pippalada explains that the five elements, the five senses, and the mind all serve the one supreme prana (vital force), which shines as the inner light of consciousness.

Third Question (Sauryayani): Where does prana originate? How does it enter the body? How does it sustain and finally leave it? Pippalada describes prana as being born from the Self (Atman), entering the body at birth, dividing into five functions (prana, apana, samana, vyana, udana), and finally returning to the Self at death.

Fourth Question (Kausalya): What are the states of sleep? What happens to the senses during sleep? Pippalada teaches that in dream sleep, the senses withdraw into the mind, and the mind ranges freely. In deep sleep, the mind itself dissolves into consciousness, and one rests in the Atman.

Fifth Question (Bhargava): What is the significance of meditating on Om? Pippalada explains that Om has three matras (sounds): a, u, m. Meditating on one matra leads to human birth; on two, to the heavenly world; on all three, to the supreme Self.

Sixth Question (Kabandhin): Where does the person who knows the Self go after death? Pippalada describes the path of the enlightened: the sixteen parts of the body dissolve into their sources, and the purified Self attains liberation.

Key Teachings

Prana as the bridge: The Prasna Upanisad’s most distinctive contribution is its detailed teaching on prana (vital force). Prana is not merely breath but the cosmic energy that sustains all life. Understanding prana is the key to understanding the connection between the Self and the body.

The hierarchy of powers: The Upanisad presents a clear hierarchy: the senses serve the mind, the mind serves the intellect, and the intellect serves the Self. The one who knows this hierarchy is no longer ruled by the senses but lives from the center of consciousness.

Sleep as a window: The teaching on dream and deep sleep is a precursor to the more elaborate analysis in the Mandukya Upanisad and the later Vedantic tradition. Sleep is not merely a biological function but a daily opportunity to experience the dissolution of individuality.

Important Passages

Question 3, Verse 3: Sa etam pranam prajayam atmanah praja patyamaya pariksyottamam | Tam evaikah pravisat tasya lokam sa evaiko na tatheti medhayah ||

“The Self, having examined the greatness of the Prana born of itself, entered it as the supreme. One alone enters its world; that alone is the reality — thus the wise know.”

Question 5, Verses 5-7: Om ity etad aksaram udgitham upanistam | Tasya vyakhyanam: atitam ca vartamanam ca… ||

“This syllable Om is the Udgitha and the Upanisad. Its explanation: the past and the future…”

Question 6, Verse 5: Yatha nadyah syandamanah samudre ‘stam gacchanti nama-rupe vihaya | Tatha vidvan nama-rupad vimuktah paramat-purusham upaiti divyam ||

“As flowing rivers disappear into the ocean, leaving behind name and form, so the wise one, freed from name and form, attains the divine Purusha who is higher than the high.”

Commentary Highlights

Samkara: In his commentary, Samkara notes that the Prasna Upanisad is particularly valuable for its systematic treatment of cosmology and psychology. The six questions, he explains, form a complete curriculum: they begin with the origin of the universe and end with the destiny of the liberated soul, covering along the way the entire structure of the human being and the practice of meditation.

Enduring Significance

The Prasna Upanisad is unique among the principal Upanisads for its question-and-answer format, which makes it unusually accessible as a teaching text. Its detailed treatment of prana has made it a foundational text for yoga traditions, while its inquiry into the nature of sleep and dream continues to be studied by philosophers of consciousness.