Prashna Upanishad — Chapter 3

PrUp 3.1

Then Kausalya Âsvalâyana asked: "Sir, whence is that Prâna (spirit) born? How does it come into this body? And how does it abide, after it has divided itself? How does it go out? How does it support what is without, and how what is within?"

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.2

tasmai sa hovāca | atipraśnān pṛcchasi | brahmiṣṭho 'sīti | tasmāt te 'haṃ bravīmi

He replied: "You ask questions more difficult, but you are very fond of Brahman, therefore I shall tell it you.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.3

ātmana eṣa prāṇo jāyate | yathaiṣā puruṣe chāyaitasminn etadātatam | manokṛtenāyāty asmiñ śarīre

This Prâna (spirit) is born of the Self. Like the shadow thrown on a man, this (the prâna) is spread out over it (the Brahman). By the work of the mind does it come into this body.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.4

yathā samrāḍ evādhikṛtān viniyuṅkte | etān grāmān etān grāmān adhitiṣṭhasveti | evam evaiṣa prāṇa itarān prāṇān pṛthak pṛthag eva saṃnidhatte

As a king commands officials, saying to them: Rule these villages or those, so does that Prâna (spirit) dispose the other prânas, each for their separate work.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.5

pāyūpasthe 'pānam | cakṣuḥśrotre mukhanāsikābhyāṃ prāṇaḥ svayaṃ pratiṣṭhate | madhye tu samānaḥ | eṣa hy etad dhutam annaṃ samaṃ nayati | tasmād etāḥ saptārciṣo bhavanti

The Apâna (the down-breathing) in the organs of excretion and generation; the Prâna himself dwells in eye and ear, passing through mouth and nose. In the middle is the Samâna (the on-breathing); it carries what has been sacrificed as food equally (over the body), and the seven lights proceed from it.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.6

hṛdi hy eṣa ātmā | atraitad ekaśataṃ nāḍīnām | tāsāṃ śataṃ śatam ekaikasyāḥ | dvāsaptatir dvāsaptatiḥ pratiśākhānāḍīsahasrāṇi bhavanti | āsu vyānaścarati

The Self is in the heart. There are the 101 arteries, and in each of them there are a hundred (smaller veins), and for each of these branches there are 72,000. In these the Vyâna (the back-breathing) moves.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.7

athaikayordhva udānaḥ puṇyena puṇyaṃ lokaṃ nayati | pāpena pāpam | ubhābhyām eva manuṣyalokam

Through one of them, the Udâna (the out-breathing) leads (us) upwards to the good world by good work, to the bad world by bad work, to the world of men by both.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.8

ādityo ha vai bāhyaḥ prāṇa udayati | eṣa hy enaṃ cākṣuṣaṃ prāṇam anugṛhṇānaḥ | pṛthivyāṃ yā devatā saiṣā puruṣasyāpānam avaṣṭabhya | antarā yadākāśaḥ sa samānaḥ | vāyur vyānaḥ

The sun rises as the external Prâna, for it assists the Prâna in the eye. The deity that exists in the earth, is there in support of man's Apâna (down-breathing). The ether between (sun and earth) is the Samâna (on-breathing), the air is Vyâna (back-breathing).

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.9

tejo ha vā udānaḥ | tasmād upaśāntatejāḥ | punarbhavam indriyair manasi saṃpadyamānaiḥ

Light is the Udâna (out-breathing), and therefore he whose light has gone out comes to a new birth with his senses absorbed in the mind.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.10

yaccittas tenaiṣa prāṇam āyāti | prāṇas tejasā yuktaḥ sahātmanā yathā saṃkalpitaṃ lokaṃ nayati

Whatever his thought (at the time of death) with that he goes back to Prâna, and the Prâna, united with light, together with the self (the gîvâtmâ) leads on to the world, as deserved.

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.11

ya evaṃ vidvān prāṇaṃ veda | na hāsya prajā hīyate 'mṛto bhavati | tad eṣa ślokaḥ

He who, thus knowing, knows Prâna, his offspring does not perish, and he becomes immortal. Thus says the Sloka:

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)

PrUp 3.12

utpattim āyātiṃ sthānaṃ vibhutvaṃ caiva pañcadhā | adhyātmaṃ caiva prāṇasya vijñāyāmṛtam aśnute vijñāyāmṛtam aśnuta iti

He who has known the origin, the entry, the place, the fivefold distribution, and the internal state of the Prâna, obtains immortality, yes, obtains immortality."

— tr. F. Max Müller (SBE, 1879/1884) (public domain)