Prashna Upanishad: Verse 2.3
तान् वरिष्ठः प्राण उवाच । मा मोहमापद्यथ अहमेवैतत् पञ्चधाऽऽत्मानं प्रविभज्यैतद्बाणमवष्टभ्य विधारयामीति तेऽश्रद्दधाना बभूवुः ॥३॥
तान् । वरिष्ठः । प्राणः । उवाच । मा । मोहम् । आपद्यथ । अहम् । एव । एतत् । पञ्चधा । आत्मानम् । प्रविभज्य । एतत् । बाणम् । अवष्टभ्य । विधारयामि । इति । ते । अश्रद्दधानाः । बभूवुḥ ॥३॥
tān variṣṭhaḥ prāṇa uvāca | mā mohamāpadyatha aham evaitat pañcadhātmānaṃ pravibhajyaitadbāṇamavaṣṭabhya vidhārayāmīti te'śraddadhānā babhūvuḥ ||3||
അവരിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠനായ പ്രാണൻ പറഞ്ഞു: 'മോഹത്തിൽ വഴുതരരുത്. ഞാൻ തന്നെ അഞ്ചായി വിഭജിച്ച് ഈ സ്തംഭഭേദി അമ്പിനെ പിടിച്ചു നിർത്തുന്നു.' എന്നാൽ അവർ അവനെ വിശ്വസിച്ചില്ല.
To them, the chief Prana said: 'Do not fall into delusion. I myself, dividing myself fivefold, support this pillar/arrow, holding it firm.' They did not believe him.
- variṣṭhaḥ prāṇa → variṣṭhaḥ prāṇa (visarga before p)
- mohamāpadyatha → moham āpadyatha (m+ā)
- aham evaitat → aham eva etat (m+e no sandhi)
- pañcadhātmānam → pañcadhā ātmānam (ā+ā sandhi)
- pravibhajyaitad → pravibhajya etad (a+e)
- bāṇamavaṣṭabhya → bāṇam avaṣṭabhya (m+a)
- vidhārayāmīti → vidhārayāmi iti (i+i)
- te'śraddadhānā → te aśraddadhānā (e+a → aśraddadhānā)
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Supremacy of Prana over all sense organs and elements; the fivefold division of the vital force; the delusion of individual faculties regarding their independent existence
- The mahavakyas
- While not a Mahavakya itself, this mantra anticipates the theme of Ayam Atma Brahma (This Self is Brahman) by showing that the singular Prana, dividing itself fivefold, sustains the entire embodied existence, mirroring how Brahman manifests as the multiplicity of the universe
- Veda
- Atharva Veda
- Shakha
- Pippalada
- Chandas
- Prose (Gadya)
Yoga and practice
This mantra is foundational for pranayama and prana-vidya practices. The yogi is taught to recognize the five pranas as manifestations of one vital force. Meditation on the fivefold Prana (prana, apana, vyana, udana, samana) leads to understanding the unity underlying all bodily functions. The warning against delusion (moha) applies to yogic practice: do not mistake individual experiences for the underlying reality of Prana.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Upanishads in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
