Prashnopanishad - Question 5 - Grantha

The fifth question of 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌶𑍍𑌨𑍋𑌪𑌨𑌿𑌷𑌦𑍍 asks about the fruit of meditating on 𑌓𑌂 until the end of life. Pippalada answers by distinguishing meditation on one, two, and three matras, and by showing how complete contemplation of 𑌓𑌂 leads toward the supreme Person.

This question belongs to the Atharva Veda's deep 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌣𑌵 teaching. 𑌓𑌂 is described as both lower and higher Brahman, a support by which the seeker reaches the appropriate result according to the completeness of meditation. Partial meditation gives limited results; integrated meditation leads beyond fear.

𑌪𑌂𑌚𑌮𑌃 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌶𑍍𑌨𑌃

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
This title announces the fifth question of the Prashna Upanishad.

𑌅𑌥 𑌹𑍈𑌨𑌂 𑌸𑍈𑌬𑍍𑌯𑌃 𑌸𑌤𑍍𑌯𑌕𑌾𑌮𑌃 𑌪𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌚𑍍𑌛।
𑌸 𑌯𑍋 𑌹 𑌵𑍈 𑌤𑌦𑍍 𑌵𑌗𑌵𑌨𑍍𑌮𑌨𑍁𑌷𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌷𑍁 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌯𑌣𑌾𑌂𑌤𑌮𑍋𑌂𑌕𑌾𑌰𑌮𑌭𑌿𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌯𑍀𑌤 𑌕𑌤𑌮𑌂 𑌵𑌾𑌵 𑌸 𑌤𑍇𑌨 𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌂 𑌜𑌯𑌤𑍀𑌤𑌿 ॥1॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Satyakama asks what world is won by meditating on Om until the end of life.

𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌮𑍈 𑌸 𑌹𑍋𑌵𑌾𑌚 𑌏𑌤𑌦𑍍 𑌵𑍈 𑌸𑌤𑍍𑌯𑌕𑌾𑌮 𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌚𑌾𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌚 𑌬𑍍𑌰𑌹𑍍𑌮 𑌯𑌦𑍋𑌂𑌕𑌾𑌰𑌃।
𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌾𑌦𑍍 𑌵𑌿𑌦𑍍𑌵𑌾𑌨𑍇𑌤𑍇𑌨𑍈𑌵𑌾𑌯𑌤𑌨𑍇𑌨𑍈𑌕𑌤𑌰𑌮𑌨𑍍𑌵𑍇𑌤𑌿 ॥2॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Pippalada says Om is both the higher and lower Brahman, and the knower reaches either through this support.

𑌸 𑌯𑌧𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌕𑌮𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰𑌮𑌭𑌿𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌯𑍀𑌤 𑌸 𑌤𑍇𑌨𑍈𑌵 𑌸𑌂𑌵𑍇𑌦𑌿𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌤𑍂𑌰𑍍𑌣𑌮𑍇𑌵 𑌜𑌗𑌤𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌭𑌿𑌸𑌂𑌪𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌤𑍇।
𑌤𑌮𑍃𑌚𑍋 𑌮𑌨𑍁𑌷𑍍𑌯𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌮𑍁𑌪𑌨𑌯𑌂𑌤𑍇 𑌸 𑌤𑌤𑍍𑌰 𑌤𑌪𑌸𑌾 𑌬𑍍𑌰𑌹𑍍𑌮𑌚𑌰𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌣 𑌶𑍍𑌰𑌦𑍍𑌧𑌯𑌾 𑌸𑌂𑌪𑌨𑍍𑌨𑍋 𑌮𑌹𑌿𑌮𑌾𑌨𑌮𑌨𑍁𑌭𑌵𑌤𑌿 ॥3॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Meditating on one matra leads quickly back to the human world, where one gains greatness through austerity, celibacy, and faith.

𑌅𑌥 𑌯𑌦𑌿 𑌦𑍍𑌵𑌿𑌮𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰𑍇𑌣 𑌮𑌨𑌸𑌿 𑌸𑌂𑌪𑌦𑍍𑌯𑌤𑍇 𑌸𑍋𑌽𑌂𑌤𑌰𑌿𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌂 𑌯𑌜𑍁𑌰𑍍𑌭𑌿𑌰𑍁𑌨𑍍𑌨𑍀𑌯𑌤𑍇 𑌸𑍋𑌮𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌮𑍍।
𑌸 𑌸𑍋𑌮𑌲𑍋𑌕𑍇 𑌵𑌿𑌭𑍁𑌤𑌿𑌮𑌨𑍁𑌭𑍂𑌯 𑌪𑍁𑌨𑌰𑌾𑌵𑌰𑍍𑌤𑌤𑍇 ॥4॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Meditating on two matras reaches the mind and the lunar world through the Yajurveda, enjoys glory there, and returns.

𑌯𑌃 𑌪𑍁𑌨𑌰𑍇𑌤𑌂 𑌤𑍍𑌰𑌿𑌮𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰𑍇𑌣𑍋𑌮𑌿𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌤𑍇𑌨𑍈𑌵𑌾𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌰𑍇𑌣 𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑌮𑌭𑌿𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌯𑍀𑌤 𑌸 𑌤𑍇𑌜𑌸𑌿 𑌸𑍂𑌰𑍍𑌯𑍇 𑌸𑌂𑌪𑌨𑍍𑌨𑌃।
𑌯𑌥𑌾 𑌪𑌾𑌦𑍋𑌦𑌰𑌸𑍍𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌚𑌾 𑌵𑌿𑌨𑌿𑌰𑍍𑌭𑍁𑌚𑍍𑌯𑌤 𑌏𑌵𑌂 𑌹 𑌵𑍈 𑌸 𑌪𑌾𑌪𑍍𑌮𑌨𑌾 𑌵𑌿𑌨𑌿𑌰𑍍𑌭𑍁𑌕𑍍𑌤𑌃 𑌸 𑌸𑌾𑌮𑌭𑌿𑌰𑍁𑌨𑍍𑌨𑍀𑌯𑌤𑍇 𑌬𑍍𑌰𑌹𑍍𑌮𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌂 𑌸 𑌏𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌾𑌜𑍍𑌜𑍀𑌵𑌘𑌨𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌪𑌰𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑌿𑌶𑌯𑌂 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑌮𑍀𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌤𑍇 𑌤𑌦𑍇𑌤𑍌 𑌶𑍍𑌲𑍋𑌕𑍌 𑌭𑌵𑌤𑌃 ॥5॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Meditating on the three-matra Om as the supreme purusha leads through the sun, sheds sin like a snake's skin, and reaches Brahmaloka to behold the higher purusha.

𑌤𑌿𑌸𑍍𑌰𑍋 𑌮𑌾𑌤𑍍𑌰𑌾 𑌮𑍃𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍁𑌮𑌤𑍍𑌯𑌃 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌯𑍁𑌕𑍍𑌤𑌾 𑌅𑌨𑍍𑌯𑍋𑌨𑍍𑌯𑌸𑌕𑍍𑌤𑌾𑌃 𑌅𑌨𑌵𑌿𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌯𑍁𑌕𑍍𑌤𑌾𑌃।
𑌕𑍍𑌰𑌿𑌯𑌾𑌸𑍁 𑌬𑌾𑌹𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌂𑌤𑌰𑌮𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌮𑌾𑌸𑍁 𑌸𑌮𑍍𑌯𑌕𑍍𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌯𑍁𑌕𑍍𑌤𑌾𑌸𑍁 𑌨 𑌕𑌂𑌪𑌤𑍇 𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌃 ॥6॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
The verse teaches that the three mortal matras must be used together and properly in outer, inner, and middle actions; then the knower does not tremble.

𑌋𑌗𑍍𑌭𑌿𑌰𑍇𑌤𑌂 𑌯𑌜𑍁𑌰𑍍𑌭𑌿𑌰𑌂𑌤𑌰𑌿𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌂 𑌸𑌾𑌮𑌭𑌿𑌰𑍍𑌯𑌤𑍍𑌤𑌤𑍍𑌕𑌵𑌯𑍋 𑌵𑍇𑌦𑌯𑌂𑌤𑍇।
𑌤𑌮𑍋𑌂𑌕𑌾𑌰𑍇𑌣𑍈𑌵𑌾𑌯𑌤𑌨𑍇𑌨𑌾𑌨𑍍𑌵𑍇𑌤𑌿 𑌵𑌿𑌦𑍍𑌵𑌾𑌨𑍍 𑌯𑌤𑍍𑌤𑌚𑍍𑌛𑌾𑌂𑌤𑌮𑌜𑌰𑌮𑌮𑍃𑌤𑌮𑌭𑌯𑌂 𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌚𑍇𑌤𑌿 ॥𑍭॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Through Om as the support, the wise reach what the Vedas indicate: the peaceful, undecaying, immortal, fearless, supreme reality.

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