Prashna Upanishad (with commentary) · Chapter 2

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yathā gṛhasthānāmekaviruddhasaṃvyavahāraprayojanavattvājjihraṃ kauṭilyaṃ vakrabhāvo 'vaśyaṃbhāvi tathā na yeṣu jihram /
yathā ca gṛhasthānāṃ krīḍānarmādinimittamanṛtamavarjanīyaṃ tathā na yeṣu tat /
tathā māyā gṛhasthānāmiva na yeṣu vidyate /
māyā nāma bahiranyathātmānaṃ prakāśyanyathaiva kāryaṃ karoti sā māyā mithyācārarūpā /
māyetyevamādayo doṣā yeṣvadhikāriṣu brahmacārivānaprasthabhikṣuṣu nimittābhāvānna vidyante tatsādhanānurūpeṇaiva teṣāmasau virajo brahmaloka ityeṣā jñānayuktakarmavatāṃ gatiḥ /
pūrvauktastu brahmalokaḥ kevalakarmiṇāṃ candralakṣaṇa iti //16//
iti prathama praśnaḥ
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dvitīyaḥ praśnaḥ
prāṇo 'ttā prajāpatirityuktam /
tasya prajāpatitvamattṛtvaṃ ca asmiñśarīre 'vadhārayitavyamiti ayaṃ praśna ārabhyate -
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ata hainaṃ bhārgavo vaidarbhiḥ papraccha |
bhagavan katyeva devāḥ prajāṃ vidhārayante |
katara etat prakāśayante |
kaḥ punar eṣāṃ variṣṭha iti

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athānantaraṃ ha kilainaṃ bhārgavo vaidarbhiḥ papraccha /
he bhagavan katyeva devāḥ prajāṃ śarīralakṣaṇāṃ vidhārayante viśeṣeṇa dhārayante /
katare buddhīndriyakarmendriyavibhaktānāmetatprakāśanaṃ svamāhātmyaprakhyāpanaṃ prakāśayante /
ko 'sau punareṣāṃ variṣṭhaḥ pradhānaḥ kāryakaraṇalakṣaṇānāmiti //1//
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tasmai sa hovāca |
ākāśo ha vā eṣa devo vāyur agnir āpaḥ pṛthivī vāṅmanaścakṣu śrotraṃ ca |
te prakāśyābhivadanti |
vayam etad bāṇam avaṣṭabhya vidhārayāmaḥ

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evaṃ pṛṣṭavate tasmai sa hovāca ākāśo ha vā eṣa devo vāyuḥ agniḥ āpaḥ pṛthivītyetāni pañca mahābhūtāni śarīrārambhakāṇi vāṅmanaścakṣuḥśrotramityādīni karmendriyabuddhīndriyabuddhīndriyāṇi ca /
kāryalakṣaṇāḥ karaṇalakṣaṇāśca te devā ātmano māhātmyaṃ prakāśyābhivadanti spardhamānā ahaṃ śreṣṭhatāyai /
kathaṃ vadanti?vayametadbāṇaṃ kāryakaraṇasaṃghātamavaṣṭabhya pāsādam iva stambhādayo 'viśithilīkṛtya vidhārayāmo vispaṣṭaṃ dhārayāmaḥ //2//
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tān variṣṭaḥ prāṇa uvāca |
mā mohamāpadyatha, aham evaitat pañcadhātmānaṃ pravibhajyaitad bāṇamavaṣṭabhya vidhārayāmīti |
te 'śraddadhānā babhūvuḥ

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tānevamabhimānavato variṣṭo mukhyaḥ prāṇa uvācoktavān /
mā maivaṃ mohamāpadyatha avivekitayā abhimānaṃ mā kuruta yasmādahameva etadbāṇamavaṣṭabhya vidhārayāmi pañcadhātmānaṃ pravibhajya prāṇādivṛttibhedaṃ svasya kṛtvā vidhārayāmītyuktavati ca tasmiṃste 'kṣaddadhānā apratyayavanto babhūvuḥ kathametadevamiti //3//
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so 'bhimānādūrdhvamutkramata iva |
tasminn utkrāmaty athetare sarva evotkrāmante |
tasmiṃś ca pratiṣṭhamāne sarva eva prātiṣṭhante |
tad yathā makṣikā madhukararājānam utkrāmantaṃ sarvā evotkrāmante |
tasmiṃś ca pratiṣṭhamāne sarvā eva prātiṣṭhante |
evaṃ vāṅmanaścakṣuḥśrotraṃ ca |
te prītāḥ prāṇaṃ stunvanti

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sa ca prāṇasteṣāmaśraddhadhānatāmālakṣyābhimānādūrdhvamutkrāmata ivedamutkrāntavāniva saroṣānnirapekṣastasminnutkrāmati yadvṛttaṃ tadddṛṣṭāntena pratyakṣīkaroti /
tasminnutkrāmati satyathānantaram evetare sarva eva prāṇāścakṣurādāya utkrāmanta uccakramire /
tasmiṃśca prāṇe pratiṣṭhamāne tūṣṇīṃ bhavati anutkrāmati sati sarva eva prātiṣṭhante tūṣṇīṃ vyavasthitā abhūvan /
tattatra yathā loke makṣikā madhukarāḥ svarājānaṃ madhukararājānam utkrāmantaṃ prati sarvā evotkrāmante tasmiṃśca pratiṣṭhamāne sarvā eva pratiṣṭhante prātitiṣṭhanti /
yathāyaṃ dṛṣṭānta evaṃ vāṅmanaścakṣuḥśrotraṃ cetyādayasta utsṛjyāśraddadhānatāṃ buddhvā prāṇamāhātmyaṃ prītāḥ prāṇaṃ stuvanti //4//
katham -
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eṣo 'gnis tapaty eṣa sūrya eṣa parjanyo maghavān eṣa vāyuḥ /
eṣa pṛthivī rayir devaḥ sadasac cāmṛtaṃ ca yat

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eṣa prāṇo 'gniḥ saṃstapati jvalati /
tathaiva sūryaḥ san prakāśate, tathaiva parjanyaḥ san varṣati /
kiṃ ca maghavānindraḥ sanā prajāḥ pālayati, jighāṃsatyasurarakṣāṃsi /
eṣa vāyuḥ āvahapravahādibhedaḥ /
kiṃ caiṣa pṛthivī rayirdevaḥ sarvasya jagataḥ sanmūrtamasadamūrtaṃ cāmṛtaṃ ca yaddevānāṃ sthitikāraṇaṃ kiṃ bahunā //5//
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arā iva rathanābhau prāṇe sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam /
ṛco yajūṃṣi sāmāni yajñaḥ kṣatraṃ brahma ca

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arā iva rathanābhau śraddhādi nāmāntaṃ sarvaṃ sthitikāle prāṇa eva pratiṣṭhitam /
tatharco yajūṃṣi sāmānīti trividhā mantrāḥ tatsādhyaśca yajñaḥ kṣatraṃ ca sarvasya pālayitṛ brahma ca yajñādikarmakartṛtve 'dhikṛtaṃ caivaiṣa prāṇaḥ sarvam //6//
kiṃ ca -
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prajāpatiś carasi garbhe tvam eva pratijāyase |
tubhyaṃ prāṇa prajās tv imā baliṃ haranti yaḥ prāṇaiḥ pratiṣṭhasi

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yaḥ prajāpatirapi sa tvameva garbhe carasi, piturmātuśca pratirūpaḥ sanpratijāyase;prajāpatitvādeva prāgeya siddhaṃ tava mātṛpitṛtvam /
sarvadehadehyākṛticchaṅmanaikaḥ prāṇaḥ sarvātmāsītyarthaḥ /
tubhyaṃ tvadarthaṃ yā isā manuṣyādyāḥ prajāstu he prāṇa cakṣurādidvārairbali haranti /
yastvaṃ prāṇaiścakṣurādibhiḥ saha pratitiṣṭhasi sarvaśarīreṣvatastubhyaṃ baliṃ harantīti yuktam;bhoktā hi yatastvaṃ tavaivānyatsarvaṃ bhojyam //7//
kiṃ ca -
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devānām asi vahnitamaḥ pitṝṇāṃ prathamā svadhā /
ṛṣīṇāṃ caritaṃ satyam atharvāṅgirasām asi

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devānāmindrādīnāmasi bhavasi tvaṃ vahnitamo haviṣāṃ prāpayitṛtamaḥ /
pitṛṇāṃ nāndīmukhe śrāddhe yā pitṛbhyo dīyate svadhānnaṃ sā devapradhānamapekṣya prathamā bhavati /
tasyā api pitṛbhyaḥ prāpayitā tvamevetyarthaḥ kiṃ carṣīṇāṃ cakṣurādīnāṃ prāṇānāmaṅgirasāmaṅgirasabhūtānāmatharvaṇāṃ teṣāmeva"prāṇo vātharvā"iti śruteḥ, caritaṃ ceṣṭitaṃ satyamavitathaṃ dehadhāraṇādyupakāralakṣaṇaṃ tvamevāsi //8//
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indras tvaṃ prāṇa tejasā rudro 'si saṃharañ jagat |
sthitau ca pari samantādrakṣitā pālayitā parirakṣitā |
tvam eva jagataḥ saumyena rūpeṇa |
tvam antarikṣe 'jasraṃ carasi udayāstamayābhyāṃ sūryas tvam eva ca sarveṣāṃ jyotiṣāṃ patiḥ

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indraḥ parameśvarastvaṃ he prāṇa tejasā vīryeṇa rudro 'si saṃharajjagat /
sthitau ca pari samantādrakṣitā pālayitā parirakṣitā tvameva jagataḥ saumyena rūpeṇa /
tvamantarikṣe 'jasraṃ carasi udayāstamayābhyāṃ sūryastvameva ca sarveṣāṃ jyotiṣāṃ patiḥ //9//
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yadā tvam abhivarṣasy athemāḥ prāṇa te prajāḥ /
ānandarūpās tiṣṭhanti kāmāyānnaṃ bhaviṣyatīti

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yadā parjanyo bhūtvābhivarṣasi tvamatha tadānnaṃ prāpyemāḥ prajāḥ prāṇate prāṇaceṣṭāṃ kurvantītyarthaḥ /
athavā prāṇa te tavemāḥ prajāḥ svātmabhūtāstvadannasaṃvardhitāstvadabhivarṣaṇadarśanamātreṇa cānandarūpāḥ sukhaṃ prāptā iva satyaḥ tiṣṭhanti kāmāyecchāto 'nna bhaviṣyatītyevamabhiprāyaḥ //10//
kiṃ ca -
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vrātyas tvaṃ prāṇaikaṛṣirattā viśvasya satpatiḥ /
vayam ādyasya dātāraḥ pitā tvaṃ mātariśva naḥ

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prathamajatvādanyasya saṃskartuḥ abhāvādasaṃskṛto vrātyastvaṃ svabhāvata eva śuddha ityabhiprāyaḥ /
he prāṇaikarṣistvamātharvaṇānāṃ prasiddha ekarṣināmāgriḥ sannattā sarvahaviṣām /
tvameva viśvasya sarvasya sato vidyamānasya patiḥ satpatiḥ /
sādhurvā patiḥ satpatiḥ /
vayaṃ punarādyasya tavādanīyasya haviṣo dātāraḥ /
tvaṃ pitā mātariśva he mātariśvanno 'smākam /
atha vā mātariśvano vāyostvam /
ataśca sarvasyaiva jagataḥ pitṛtvaṃ siddham //11//
kiṃ bahunā -
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yā te tanūrvāci pratiṣṭhitā yā śrotraṃ yā ca cakṣuṣi /
yā ca manasi saṃtatā śivāṃ tāṃ kuru motkramīḥ

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yā te tvadīyā sanūrvāci pratiṣṭhitā vaktṛtvena vadanaceṣṭāṃ kurvatī, yā śrotre yā ca cakṣuṣi yā ca manasi saṅkalpādivyāpāreṇa santatā samanugatā tanūstāṃ śivāṃ śāntāṃ kuru motkramīrutkramaṇena aśivāṃ mā kārṣīrityarthaḥ //12//
kiṃ bahunā -
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prāṇasyedaṃ vaśe sarvaṃ tridive yat pratiṣṭhitam /
māteva putrān rakṣasva śrīś ca prajñāṃ ca vidhehi na iti