Praśna Upaniṣad 3

PrU 3.1

अथ हैनं कौसल्यश् चाश्वलायनः पप्रच्छ । भगवन् कुत एष प्राणो जायते । कथम् आयात्य् अस्मिन् शरीरे । आत्मानं वा प्रविभज्य कथं प्रातिष्ठते । केनोत्क्रमते । कथं बाह्यम् अभिधत्ते । कथम् अध्यात्मम् इति

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?"

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.2

तस्मै स होवाच । अतिप्रश्नान् पृच्छसि । ब्रह्मिष्ठो ऽसीति । तस्मात् ते ऽहं ब्रवीमि

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.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.3

आत्मन एष प्राणो जायते । यथैषा पुरुषे छायैतस्मिन्न् एतदाततम् । मनोकृतेनायात्य् अस्मिञ् शरीरे

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

Sanskrit only: no published translation is held for this verse.

PrU 3.4

यथा सम्राड् एवाधिकृतान् विनियुङ्क्ते । एतान् ग्रामान् एतान् ग्रामान् अधितिष्ठस्वेति । एवम् एवैष प्राण इतरान् प्राणान् पृथक् पृथग् एव संनिधत्ते

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.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.5

पायूपस्थे ऽपानम् । चक्षुःश्रोत्रे मुखनासिकाभ्यां प्राणः स्वयं प्रतिष्ठते । मध्ये तु समानः । एष ह्य् एतद् धुतम् अन्नं समं नयति । तस्माद् एताः सप्तार्चिषो भवन्ति

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.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.6

हृदि ह्य् एष आत्मा । अत्रैतद् एकशतं नाडीनाम् । तासां शतं शतम् एकैकस्याः । द्वासप्ततिर् द्वासप्ततिः प्रतिशाखानाडीसहस्राणि भवन्ति । आसु व्यानश्चरति

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,000. In these the Vyâna (the back-breathing) moves.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.7

अथैकयोर्ध्व उदानः पुण्येन पुण्यं लोकं नयति । पापेन पापम् । उभाभ्याम् एव मनुष्यलोकम्

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.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.8

आदित्यो ह वै बाह्यः प्राण उदयति । एष ह्य् एनं चाक्षुषं प्राणम् अनुगृह्णानः । पृथिव्यां या देवता सैषा पुरुषस्यापानम् अवष्टभ्य । अन्तरा यदाकाशः स समानः । वायुर् व्यानः

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).

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.9

तेजो ह वा उदानः । तस्माद् उपशान्ततेजाः । पुनर्भवम् इन्द्रियैर् मनसि संपद्यमानैः

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.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.10

यच्चित्तस् तेनैष प्राणम् आयाति । प्राणस् तेजसा युक्तः सहात्मना यथा संकल्पितं लोकं नयति

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.

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.11

य एवं विद्वान् प्राणं वेद । न हास्य प्रजा हीयते ऽमृतो भवति । तद् एष श्लोकः

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:

Translated by F. Max Müller

PrU 3.12

उत्पत्तिम् आयातिं स्थानं विभुत्वं चैव पञ्चधा । अध्यात्मं चैव प्राणस्य विज्ञायामृतम् अश्नुते विज्ञायामृतम् अश्नुत इति

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."

Translated by F. Max Müller