Prashnopanishad - Question 6 - Grantha

The sixth question of 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌶𑍍𑌨𑍋𑌪𑌨𑌿𑌷𑌦𑍍 asks about the purusha with sixteen parts. Pippalada answers that this purusha is within the body and that the sixteen parts arise from him and return to him, just as rivers lose name and form upon reaching the ocean.

This final question brings the Upanishad to completion. After teachings on creation, prana, the vital functions, sleep, and 𑌓𑌂, the sage now points to the inner purusha as the source and resting place of all differentiated powers. The sixteen parts include prana, faith, space, air, fire, water, earth, senses, mind, food, vigor, austerity, mantras, action, worlds, and name.

𑌷𑌷𑍍𑌠𑌃 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌶𑍍𑌨𑌃

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

𑌅𑌥 𑌹𑍈𑌨𑌂 𑌸𑍁𑌕𑍇𑌶𑌾 𑌭𑌾𑌰𑌦𑍍𑌵𑌾𑌜𑌃 𑌪𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌚𑍍𑌛 -
𑌭𑌗𑌵𑌨𑍍 𑌹𑌿𑌰𑌣𑍍𑌯𑌨𑌾𑌭𑌃 𑌕𑍌𑌸𑌲𑍍𑌯𑍋 𑌰𑌾𑌜𑌪𑍁𑌤𑍍𑌰𑍋 𑌮𑌾𑌮𑍁𑌪𑍇𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍈𑌤𑌂 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌶𑍍𑌨𑌮𑌪𑍃𑌚𑍍𑌛𑌤 -
𑌷𑍋𑌡𑌶𑌕𑌲𑌂 𑌭𑌾𑌰𑌦𑍍𑌵𑌾𑌜 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑌂 𑌵𑍇𑌤𑍍𑌥। 𑌤𑌮𑌹𑌂 𑌕𑍁𑌮𑌾𑌰𑌂𑌬𑍍𑌰𑍁𑌵𑌂 𑌨𑌾𑌹𑌮𑌿𑌮𑌂 𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌯𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌹𑌮𑌿𑌮𑌮𑌵𑍇𑌦𑌿𑌷𑌂 𑌕𑌥𑌂 𑌤𑍇 𑌨𑌾𑌵𑌕𑍍𑌷𑍍𑌯𑌮𑌿𑌤𑌿 ।
𑌸𑌮𑍂𑌲𑍋 𑌵𑌾 𑌏𑌷 𑌪𑌰𑌿𑌶𑍁𑌷𑍍𑌯𑌤𑌿 𑌯𑍋𑌽𑌨𑍃𑌤𑌮𑌭𑌿𑌵𑌦𑌤𑌿। 𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌾𑌨𑍍𑌨𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌹𑌮𑍍𑌯𑌨𑍃𑌤𑌂 𑌵𑌕𑍍𑌤𑍁𑌮𑍍। 𑌸 𑌤𑍂𑌷𑍍𑌣𑍀𑌂 𑌰𑌥𑌮𑌾𑌰𑍁𑌹𑍍𑌯 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌵𑌵𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌜। 𑌤𑌂 𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌾 𑌪𑍃𑌚𑍍𑌛𑌾𑌮𑌿 𑌕𑍍𑌵𑌾𑌸𑍌 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷 𑌇𑌤𑌿 ॥1॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Sukesha truthfully says he did not know the sixteen-part purusha when asked by prince Hiranyanabha, because falsehood dries a person up at the root.

𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌮𑍈 𑌸 𑌹𑍋𑌵𑌾𑌚 ।
𑌇𑌹𑍈𑌵𑌾𑌂𑌤𑌃𑌶𑌰𑍀𑌰𑍇 𑌸𑍋𑌭𑍍𑌯 𑌸 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑍋 𑌯𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌿𑌨𑍍𑌨𑌤𑌾𑌃 𑌷𑍋𑌡𑌶𑌕𑌲𑌾𑌃 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌭𑌵𑌂𑌤𑍀𑌤𑌿 ॥2॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Pippalada answers that the purusha from whom the sixteen parts arise is right here within the body.

𑌸 𑌈𑌕𑍍𑌷𑌾𑌂𑌚𑌕𑍍𑌰𑍇। 𑌕𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌿𑌨𑍍𑌨𑌹𑌮𑍁𑌤𑍍𑌕𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌂𑌤 𑌉𑌤𑍍𑌕𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌂𑌤𑍋 𑌭𑌵𑌿𑌷𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌮𑌿 𑌕𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌿𑌨𑍍 𑌵𑌾 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌤𑌿𑌷𑍍𑌠𑌿𑌤𑍇 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌤𑌿𑌷𑍍𑌟𑌸𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌮𑍀𑌤𑌿 ॥3॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
The purusha reflected: by whose departure shall I depart, and by whose establishment shall I remain established.

𑌸 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌣𑌮𑌸𑍃𑌜𑌤। 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌣𑌾𑌚𑍍𑌛𑍍𑌰𑌦𑍍𑌧𑌾𑌂 𑌖𑌂 𑌵𑌾𑌯𑍁𑌰𑍍𑌜𑍍𑌯𑍋𑌤𑌿𑌰𑌾𑌪𑌃 𑌪𑍃𑌥𑌿𑌵𑍀𑌂𑌦𑍍𑌰𑌿𑌯𑌂 𑌮𑌨𑍋𑌽𑌨𑍍𑌨𑌮𑌨𑍍𑌨𑌾𑌦𑍍𑌵𑍀𑌰𑍍𑌯𑌂 𑌤𑌪𑍋 𑌮𑌂𑌤𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌃 𑌕𑌰𑍍𑌮𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌾 𑌲𑍋𑌕𑍇𑌷𑍁 𑌚 𑌨𑌾𑌮 𑌚 ॥4॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
He created prana, faith, space, air, fire, water, earth, senses, mind, food, vigor, tapas, mantras, actions, worlds, and names.

𑌸 𑌯𑌥𑍇𑌮𑌾 𑌨𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌃 𑌸𑍍𑌯𑌂𑌦𑌮𑌾𑌨𑌾𑌃 𑌸𑌮𑍁𑌦𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌯𑌣𑌾𑌃 𑌸𑌮𑍁𑌦𑍍𑌰𑌂 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌪𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌸𑍍𑌤𑌂 𑌗𑌚𑍍𑌛𑌂𑌤𑌿 𑌭𑌿𑌧𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌤𑍇 𑌤𑌾𑌸𑌾𑌂 𑌨𑌾𑌮𑌰𑍁𑌪𑍇 𑌸𑌮𑍁𑌦𑍍𑌰 𑌇𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌵𑌂 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑍋𑌚𑍍𑌯𑌤𑍇।
𑌏𑌵𑌮𑍇𑌵𑌾𑌸𑍍𑌯 𑌪𑌰𑌿𑌦𑍍𑌰𑌷𑍍𑌟𑍁𑌰𑌿𑌮𑌾𑌃 𑌷𑍋𑌡𑌶𑌕𑌲𑌾𑌃 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑌾𑌯𑌣𑌾𑌃 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑌂 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌾𑌪𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌸𑍍𑌤𑌂 𑌗𑌚𑍍𑌛𑌂𑌤𑌿 𑌭𑌿𑌧𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌤𑍇 𑌚𑌾𑌸𑌾𑌂 𑌨𑌾𑌮𑌰𑍁𑌪𑍇 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷 𑌇𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍇𑌵𑌂 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑍋𑌚𑍍𑌯𑌤𑍇 𑌸 𑌏𑌷𑍋𑌽𑌕𑌲𑍋𑌽𑌮𑍃𑌤𑍋 𑌭𑌵𑌤𑌿 𑌤𑌦𑍇𑌷 𑌶𑍍𑌲𑍋𑌕𑌃 ॥5॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
As rivers flowing to the ocean lose name and form and are known as ocean alone, the sixteen parts return to the purusha and become known as purusha alone; he becomes partless and immortal.

𑌅𑌰𑌾 𑌇𑌵 𑌰𑌥𑌨𑌾𑌭𑍌 𑌕𑌲𑌾 𑌯𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌿𑌨𑍍 𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌤𑌿𑌷𑍍𑌠𑌿𑌤𑌾𑌃।
𑌤𑌂 𑌵𑍇𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌂 𑌪𑍁𑌰𑍁𑌷𑌂 𑌵𑍇𑌦 𑌯𑌥𑌾 𑌮𑌾 𑌵𑍋 𑌮𑍃𑌤𑍍𑌯𑍁𑌃 𑌪𑌰𑌿𑌵𑍍𑌯𑌥𑌾 𑌇𑌤𑌿 ॥6॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
The verse says that the parts are fixed in the purusha like spokes in the hub of a wheel; know that purusha so death may not trouble you.

𑌤𑌾𑌨𑍍 𑌹𑍋𑌵𑌾𑌚𑍈𑌤𑌾𑌵𑌦𑍇𑌵𑌾𑌹𑌮𑍇𑌤𑌤𑍍 𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌬𑍍𑌰𑌹𑍍𑌮 𑌵𑍇𑌦। 𑌨𑌾𑌤𑌃 𑌪𑌰𑌮𑌸𑍍𑌤𑍀𑌤𑌿 ॥𑍭॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
Pippalada concludes that this is all he knows of the supreme Brahman and that there is nothing higher.

𑌤𑍇 𑌤𑌮𑌰𑍍𑌚𑌯𑌂𑌤𑌸𑍍𑌤𑍍𑌵𑌂 𑌹𑌿 𑌨𑌃 𑌪𑌿𑌤𑌾 𑌯𑍋𑌽𑌸𑍍𑌮𑌾𑌕𑌮𑌵𑌿𑌧𑍍𑌯𑌾𑌯𑌾𑌃 𑌪𑌰𑌂 𑌪𑌾𑌰𑌂 𑌤𑌾𑌰𑌯𑌸𑍀𑌤𑌿।
𑌨𑌮𑌃 𑌪𑌰𑌮𑍃𑌷𑌿𑌭𑍍𑌯𑍋 𑌨𑌮𑌃 𑌪𑌰𑌮𑍃𑌷𑌿𑌭𑍍𑌯𑌃 ॥𑍮॥

Translation (𑌭𑌾𑌵𑌾𑌰𑍍𑌥):
The students worship him as father because he carried them beyond ignorance, and they bow to the supreme seers.

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