Prashna Upanishad (with commentary) · Chapter 3

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asmiṃlloke prāṇasyaiva vaśe sarvamidaṃ yatkiñcidupabhogajātaṃ tridive tṛtīyasyāṃ divi ca yatpratiṣṭhitaṃ devādyupabhogajātaṃ tasyāpi prāṇa eveśitā rakṣitā /
ato māteva putrānasmān rakṣasva pālayasva /
tvannimittā hi brāhmyaḥ kṣātriyāśca śriyastāstvaṃ śrīśca śriyaśca prajñāṃ ca tvatsthitinimittāṃ vidhehi no vidhasva ityarthaḥ /
ityevaṃ sarvātmatayā vāgādibhiḥ prāṇaiḥ stutyā gamitamahimā prāṇaḥ prajāpatirattetyavadhṛtam //13//
iti dvitīyaḥ praśnaḥ
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tṛtīya praśnaḥ
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atha hainaṃ kausalyaś cāśvalāyanaḥ papraccha |
bhagavan kuta eṣa prāṇo jāyate |
katham āyāty asmin śarīre |
ātmānaṃ vā pravibhajya kathaṃ prātiṣṭhate |
kenotkramate |
kathaṃ bāhyam abhidhatte |
katham adhyātmam iti

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atha hainaṃ kausalyaścāśvalāyanaḥ papraccha /
prāṇo hyevaṃ prāṇairnirdhāritatattvairupalabdhamahimāpi saṃhatatvātsyādasyaḥ kāryatvamataḥ pṛcchāmi bhagavankṛtaḥ kasmātkāraṇādeṣa āyātyasmiñśarīre /
kiṃnimittakamasya śarīragrahaṇamityarthaḥ /
praviṣṭaśca śarīra ātmānaṃ vā pravibhajya pravibhāgaṃ kṛtvā kathaṃ kena prakāreṇa prātiṣṭhate pratitiṣṭhati kena vā vṛttiviśeṣeṇāsmāccharīrādutkrāmata utkrāmati /
kathaṃ bāhyamadhibhūtamadhidaivataṃ cābhidhatte dhārayati kathamadhyātmam iti, dhārayatīti śeṣaḥ //1//
evaṃ pṛṣṭaḥ -
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tasmai sa hovāca |
atipraśnān pṛcchasi |
brahmiṣṭho 'sīti |
tasmāt te 'haṃ bravīmi

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tasmai sa hovācācāryaḥ, prāṇa eva tāvaddurvijñeyatvādviṣamapraśnārhastasyāpi janmādi tvaṃ pṛcchasyato 'tipraśnānpṛcchasi /
brahmiṣṭho 'sītyatiśayena tvaṃ brahmavidatastuṣṭo 'haṃ tasmātte tubhyaṃ bravīmi yatpṛṣṭaṃ śruṇu //2//
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ātmana eṣa prāṇo jāyate |
yathaiṣā puruṣe chāyaitasminn etadātatam |
manokṛtenāyāty asmiñ śarīre

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ātmanaḥ parasmātpuruṣādakṣarātsatyādeṣa uktaḥ prāṇo jāyate /
kathamityatra dṛṣṭāntaḥ /
yathā loka eṣā puruṣe śiraḥ pāṇyādilakṣaṇe nimitte chāyā naimittikī jāyate tadvadetasminbrahmaṇyetat prāṇākhyaṃ chāyāsthānīyamanṛtarūpaṃ tattvaṃ satye puruṣa ātataṃ samarpitam ityetat /
chāyeva dehe manokṛtena manaḥ saṅkalpecchādiniṣpannakarmanimittenetyetat - vakṣyati hi"puṇyena puṇyam"(pra.u.3 / 7) ityādiḥ;tadeva"saktāḥ saha karmaṇā"(bṛ.u.4 / 4 / 6) iti ca śrutyantarāt - āyāti āgacchatyasmiñśarīre //3//
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yathā samrāḍ evādhikṛtān viniyuṅkte |
etān grāmān etān grāmān adhitiṣṭhasveti |
evam evaiṣa prāṇa itarān prāṇān pṛthak pṛthag eva saṃnidhatte

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yathā yena prakāreṇa loke rājā samrāḍeva grāmādiṣvadhikṛtānviniyuṅkte /
katham?etāngrāmānetāngrāmānadhitiṣṭhasva iti /
evameva yathā dṛṣṭāntaḥ eṣa mukhyaḥ prāṇaḥ itarānprāṇān cakṣurādīnātmabhedāṃśca pṛthak pṛthageva yathāsthānaṃ saṃnidhatte viniyuṅkte //4//
tatra vibhāgaḥ -
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pāyūpasthe 'pānam |
cakṣuḥśrotre mukhanāsikābhyāṃ prāṇaḥ svayaṃ pratiṣṭhate |
madhye tu samānaḥ |
eṣa hy etad dhutam annaṃ samaṃ nayati |
tasmād etāḥ saptārciṣo bhavanti

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pāyūpasthe pāyuścopasthaśca pāyūpasthaṃ tasmin, apānamātmabhedaṃ mūtrapurīṣādyapanayanaṃ kurvastiṣṭhati saṃnidhatte /
tathā cakṣuḥśrotre cakṣuśca śrotraṃ ca cakṣuḥśrotraṃ tasmiṃścakṣuḥśrotre, mukhanāsikābhyāṃ ca mukhaṃ ca nāsikā ca tābhyāṃ mukhanāsikābhyāṃ ca nirgacchanprāṇaḥ svayaṃ samrāṭsthānīyaḥ pratiṣṭhate pratitiṣṭhati madhye tu prāṇāpānayoḥ sthānayornābhyāṃ samāne 'śitaṃ pītaṃ ca samaṃ nayatīti samānaḥ /
eṣa hi yasmādyadetaddhṛtaṃ bhuktaṃ pītaṃ cātmāgre prakṣiptamannaṃ samaṃ nayati tasmādaśitapītendhanād agreraudaryāddhṛdayadeśaṃ prāptādetāḥ saptasaṃkhyākā arciṣo dīptayo nirgacchantyo bhavanti śīrṣaṇyaḥ /
prāṇadvārā darśanaśravaṇādilakṣaṇarūpādiviṣayaprakāśa ityabhiprāyaḥ //5//
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hṛdi hy eṣa ātmā |
atraitad ekaśataṃ nāḍīnām |
tāsāṃ śataṃ śatam ekaikasyāḥ |
dvāsaptatir dvāsaptatiḥ pratiśākhānāḍīsahasrāṇi bhavanti |
āsu vyānaścarati

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iti hyeṣa puṇḍarīkākāramāṃsapiṇḍaparicchinne hṛdayākāśa eṣa ātmātmanā saṃyukto liṅgātmā /
atrāsminhṛdaya etadekaśatam ekottaraśataṃ saṃkhyayā pradhānanāḍīnāṃ bhavatīti /
tāsāṃ śataṃ śatamekaikasyāḥ pradhānanāḍyā bhedāḥ /
punarapi dvāsaptatirdvāsaptatirdve dve sahasre adhike saptatiśca sahasrāṇi sahasrāṇāṃ dvāsaptatiḥ pratiśākhānāḍīsahasrāṇi /
pratipratināḍīśataṃ saṃkhyayā pradhānanāḍīnāṃ sahasrāṇi bhavanti /
āsu nāḍīṣu vyāno vāyuḥ carati vyāno vyāpanāt /
ādityādiva raśmayo hṛdayāt sarvagāminībhirnāḍībhiḥ sarvadehaṃ saṃvyāpya vyāno vartate /
sandhiskandhamarmadeśeṣu viśeṣeṇa prāṇāpānavṛttyośca madhya udbhūtavṛttirvīryavatkarmakartā bhavati //6//
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athaikayordhva udānaḥ puṇyena puṇyaṃ lokaṃ nayati |
pāpena pāpam |
ubhābhyām eva manuṣyalokam

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atha yā tu tatraikaśatānāṃ nāḍīnāṃ madhya ūrdhvagā suṣumnākhyā nāḍī tathaikayordhvaḥ sannudāno vāyurāpādatalamastakavṛttiḥ sañcaranpuṇyena karmaṇā śāstravihitena puṇyaṃ lokaṃ devādisthānalakṣaṇaṃ nayati prāpayati pāpena tadviparītena pāpaṃ narakaṃ tiryagyonyādilakṣaṇam /
ubhābhyāṃ samapradhānābhyāṃ puṇyapāpābhyāmeva manuṣyalokaṃ nayatītyanuvartate //7//
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ādityo ha vai bāhyaḥ prāṇa udayati |
eṣa hy enaṃ cākṣuṣaṃ prāṇam anugṛhṇānaḥ |
pṛthivyāṃ yā devatā saiṣā puruṣasyāpānam avaṣṭabhya |
antarā yadākāśaḥ sa samānaḥ |
vāyur vyānaḥ

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ādityo ha vai prasiddho hyadhidaivataṃ bāhyaḥ prāṇaḥ sa eṣa udayatyudgacchati /
eṣa hyainam ādhyātmikaṃ cakṣuṣi bhavaṃ cākṣuṣaṃ prāṇaṃ prakāśenānugṛhṇāno rūpopalabdhau cakṣuṣa ālokaṃ kurvannityarthaḥ /
tathā pṛthivyāmabhimāninī yā devatā prasiddhā saiṣā putrasya apānamapānavṛttimavaṣṭabhyākṛṣya vaśīkṛtyādha evāpakarṣaṇenānugrahaṃ kurvatī vartata ityarthaḥ /
anyathā hi śarīraṃ gurutvātpatetsāvakāśe vodgacchet /
yadetadantarā madhye dyāvāpṛthivyorya ākāśastatstho vāyuḥ ākāśa ucyate;mañcaśthavat /
sa samānaḥ samānamanugṛhṇāno vartata ityarthaḥ /
samānasyāntarākāśaśthatvasāmānyāt /
sāmānyena ca yo bāhyo vāyuḥ sa vyāptisāmānyād vyāno vyānamanugṛhṇāno vartata ityabhiprāyaḥ //8//
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tejo ha vā udānaḥ |
tasmād upaśāntatejāḥ |
punarbhavam indriyair manasi saṃpadyamānaiḥ

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yadvāhyaṃ ha vai prasiddhaṃ sāmānyaṃ tejastaccharīra udāna udānaṃ vāyumanugṛhṇāti svena prakāśenetyabhiprāyaḥ /
yasmāttejaḥ - svabhāvo bāhyatejo 'nugṛhīta utkrāntikartā tasmādyadā laukikaḥ puruṣa upaśāntatejā bhavati;upaśāntaṃ svābhāvikaṃ tejo yasya saḥ, tadā taṃ kṣīṇāyuṣaṃ mumūrṣu vidyāt /
sa punarbhavaṃ śarīrāntaraṃ pratipadyate /
katham?sahendriyairmanasi sampadyamānaiḥ praviśadbhirvāgādibhiḥ //9//
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yaccittas tenaiṣa prāṇam āyāti |
prāṇas tejasā yuktaḥ sahātmanā yathā saṃkalpitaṃ lokaṃ nayati

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yaccitto bhavati tenaiva cittena saṃkalpenendriyaiḥ saha prāṇaṃ mukhyaprāṇavṛttimāyāti /
maraṇakāle kṣīṇendriyavṛttiḥ sanmukhyayā prāṇavṛttyaivāvatiṣṭhata ityarthaḥ /
tadābhivadanti jñātaya uchvasiti jīvatīti /
sa ca prāṇastejasodānavṛttyā yuktaḥ sansahātmanā svāminā bhoktā sa evamudānavṛttyaiva yuktaḥ prāṇastaṃ bhoktāraṃ puṇyapāpakarmavaśādyathāsaṃkalpitaṃ yathābhipretaṃ lokaṃ nayati prāpayati //10//
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ya evaṃ vidvān prāṇaṃ veda |
na hāsya prajā hīyate 'mṛto bhavati |
tad eṣa ślokaḥ

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yaḥ kaścidevaṃ vidvānyathoktaviśeṣaṇairviśiṣṭamutpattyādibhiḥ prāṇaṃ veda jānāti tasyedaṃ phalam aihikamāmuṣmikaṃ cocyate /
na hāsya naivāsya viduṣaḥ prajā putrapautrādilakṣaṇā hīyate chidyate /
patite ca śarīre prāṇasāyujyatayāmṛto 'maraṇadharmā bhavati /
tadetasminnarthe saṃkṣepābhidhāyaka eṣa śloko mantro bhavati //11//
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utpattim āyātiṃ sthānaṃ vibhutvaṃ caiva pañcadhā |
adhyātmaṃ caiva prāṇasya vijñāyāmṛtam aśnute vijñāyāmṛtam aśnuta iti