Prashna 3

Verse 3.1

अथ हैनं कौशल्यश्चाश्वलायनः पप्रच्छ । भगवन् कुत एष प्राणो जायते कथमायात्यस्मिञ्शरीर आत्मानं वा प्रविभज्य कथं प्रतिष्ठते केनोत्क्रमते कथं बह्यमभिधते कथमध्यात्ममिति ॥१॥

Then Kausalya Ashvalayana asked him: 'O Bhagavan, whence does this Prana arise? How does it come into this body? Having divided itself, how does it establish itself? By what does it depart? How does it relate to the external? How does it relate to the inner self?'

Verse 3.2

तस्मै स होवाचातिप्रश्चान् पृच्छसि ब्रह्मिष्ठोऽसीति तस्मात्तेऽहं ब्रवीमि ॥२॥

To him he said: 'You ask exceedingly deep questions. You are deeply versed in Brahman. Therefore, I shall tell you.'

Verse 3.3

आत्मन एष प्राणो जायते । यथैषा पुरुषे छायैतस्मिन्नेतदाततं मनोकृतेनायात्यस्मिञ्शरीरे ॥३॥

This prana is born from the Atman. As this shadow falls upon a person, so does this (prana), spread by the mind, enter into this body.

Verse 3.4

यथा सम्रादेवाधिकृतान् विनियुङ्क्ते । एतन् ग्रामानोतान् ग्रामानधितिष्टस्वेत्येवमेवैष प्राण इतरान् प्राणान् पृथक् पृथगेव सन्निधत्ते ॥४॥

As a sovereign appoints officials, saying 'Govern these villages and those villages,' even so this prana assigns the other pranas, each one separately, to their respective positions.

Verse 3.5

पायूपस्थेऽपानं चक्षुःश्रोत्रे मुखनासिकाभ्यां प्राणः स्वयं प्रातिष्टते मध्ये तु समानः । एष ह्येतद्धूतमन्नं समं नयति तस्मादेताः सप्तार्चिषो भवन्ति ॥५॥

In the organs of excretion and generation dwells apana; in the eyes and ears, mouth and nostrils, prana itself dwells; in the middle is samana. This one distributes equally the food that has been eaten, and from it arise the seven flames.

Verse 3.6

हृदि ह्येष आत्मा । अत्रैतदेकशतं नाडीनां तासां शतं शतमेकैकस्या द्वासप्ततिर्द्वासप्ततिः प्रतिशाखानाडीसहस्राणि भवन्त्यासु व्यानश्चरति ॥ ६ ॥

Indeed, this Atman dwells in the heart. Here there are one hundred and one nadis (channels). Of these, each has one hundred branches, and each branch has seventy-two thousand sub-branches. Through these, vyana moves about.

Verse 3.7

अथैकयोर्ध्व उदानः पुण्येन पुण्यं लोकं नयति पापेन पापमुभाभ्यामेव मनुष्यलोकम् ॥ ७ ॥

Then, through one (nadi) going upward, udana leads (the soul) to the meritorious world by merit, to the sinful world by sin, and to the human world by both.

Verse 3.8

आदित्यो ह वै बाह्यः प्राण उदयत्येष ह्येनं चाक्षुषं प्राणमनुगृह्णानः । पृथिव्यां या देवता सैषा पुरुषस्य अपानमवष्टभ्यान्तरा यदाकाशः स समानो वायुर्व्यानः ॥ ८ ॥

The sun is indeed the external prana. It rises, sustaining this prana in the eye. The deity in the earth supports the apana of the person. The space between is samana. Air is vyana.

Verse 3.9

तेजो ह वा उदानस्तस्मादुपशान्ततेजाः । पुनर्भवमिन्द्रियैर्मनसि सम्पध्यमानैः ॥९॥

Tejas indeed is udana; therefore, when one's tejas is pacified, with the senses merging into the mind, [the soul goes to] rebirth.

Verse 3.10

यच्चित्तस्तेनैष प्राणमायाति । प्राणस्तेजसा युक्तः सहात्मना तथासङ्कल्पितं लोकं नयति ॥१०॥

Whatever the mind holds, by that this [soul with] prana departs. Prana, united with tejas, along with the self, leads to the world that was thus contemplated.

Verse 3.11

य एवं विद्वान् प्राणं वेद न हास्य प्रजा हीयतेऽमृतो भवति । तदेषः श्लोकः ॥११॥

He who, knowing thus, knows Prāṇa—his progeny does not diminish; he becomes immortal. Concerning this there is the following verse.

Verse 3.12

उत्पत्तिमायतिं स्थानं विभुत्वं चैव पञ्चधा । अध्यात्मं चैव प्राणस्य विज्ञायामृतमश्नुते विज्ञायामृतमश्नुत इति ॥१२॥

Origin, departure, abode, pervasiveness in five ways, and the adhyatmic aspect of prana — having known these, one attains immortality; having known, one attains immortality, so it is said.