Prashna Upanishad 2.2 - Prashna 2

Various Rishis

Prashna Upanishad: Verse 2.2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

तस्मै स होवाचाकाशो ह वा एष देवो वायुरग्निरापः पृथिवी वाङ्मनश्चक्षुः श्रोत्रं च । ते प्रकाश्याभिवदन्ति वयमेतद्बाणमवष्टभ्य विधारयामः ॥२॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

तस्मै । सः । ह । उवाच । आकाशः । ह । वा । एषः । देवः । वायुः । अग्निः । आपः । पृथिवी । वाक् । मनः । चक्षुः । श्रोत्रम् । च । ते । प्रकाश्य । अभिवदन्ति । वयम् । एतत् । बाणम् । अवष्टभ्य । विधारयामः ॥२॥

Recitation with translationPrashna Upanishad 2.2

IAST Transliteration

tasmai sa hovācākāśo ha vā eṣa devo vāyuragnirāpaḥ pṛthivī vāṅmanaścakṣuḥ śrotraṃ ca | te prakāśyābhivadanti vayametadbāṇamavaṣṭabhya vidhārayāmaḥ ||2||

Translation

Academic Translation

To him [Bhargava Vaidarbhi] he [Pippalada] said: This deity, namely akasha, vayu, agni, apah, prithivi, speech, mind, eye, and ear—they, revealing themselves, declare: 'We, grasping this pillar/arrow, sustain it.'

Word by Word

tasmaito him

saḥhe

hovācasaid

ākāśaḥspace/ether

haverily

vāindeed

eṣathis

devaḥdivine being

vāyuḥair/wind

agniḥfire

āpaḥwaters

pṛthivīearth

vākspeech

manaḥmind

cakṣuḥeye

śrotramear

caand

tethey

prakāśyahaving shown forth

abhivadantithey say/speak

vayamwe

etadthis

bāṇamarrow

avaṣṭabhyahaving held/supporting

vidhārayāmaḥwe hold together

Sandhi Notes

hovācākāśaḥ → ho vāca ākāśaḥ (a+a sandhi)
vāyuragniḥ → vāyuḥ agniḥ (visarga before a)
agnirāpaḥ → agniḥ āpaḥ (r→r before a)
vāṅmanaścakṣuḥ → vāk manaḥ cakṣuḥ (k→ṅ before m, visarga→ś before c)
śrotraṃ ca → śrotraṃ ca (no change)
vayametad → vayam etad (m+e no sandhi in pause)
bāṇamavaṣṭabhya → bāṇam avaṣṭabhya (m+a)

Verse Context

Prana as the supreme sustaining force among all deities and faculties; the interdependence of cosmic elements and sense organs in supporting the bodyMahavakya: Not directly a Mahavakya, but thematically related to Prajnanam Brahma (Consciousness is Brahman) by establishing that Prana, the vital force, is the substratum of all faculties, pointing toward the unity of consciousness underlying multiplicityAtharva VedaPippalada ShakhaChandas: Prose (Gadya)

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