Prashna Upanishad
An Atharvaveda Upanishad structured as six questions (Prashnas) put to sage Pippalada by six students. Covers cosmic creation (Prana and Rayi), the five Pranas, the relationship of Prana to Brahman, the syllable OM as the means to all worlds, and the sixteen aspects of the Purusha.
Principal Upanishad·Atharvaveda — Pippalada Shakha·6 chapters (Prashnas), ~67 verses·Language: Sanskrit·Composed: 600–400 BCE
- The Prashna Upanishad belongs to the Pippalada branch of the Atharvaveda and is structured as six questions (Prashnas) asked by six students to the sage Pippalada.
- Pippalada first tests the students by asking them to live with him for a year in brahmacharya (spiritual discipline) before answering their questions.
- Question 1 (Kabandhi): From what are these creatures born? — Prana (life-force) and Rayi (matter) are the two fundamental principles of creation.
- Question 2 (Bhargava): How many gods sustain the body and which is supreme? — Prana is declared the supreme god among the five Pranas.
- Question 3 (Kausalya): From where does Prana arise? — Prana arises from Atman; it sustains the body like a mother; the five Pranas are described.
- Question 4 (Sauryayani): What sleeps and what remains awake in sleep? — Mind creates in the dream state; deep sleep is union with Brahman.
- Question 5 (Shaibya): What are the fruits of meditating on OM? — OM leads to different worlds and ultimately to Brahman-realisation.
- Question 6 (Sukesa): What is the Purusha of sixteen parts? — The individual has 16 aspects that dissolve one by one until only the infinite Brahman remains.
Structural Organization
PrashnaQuestion / Chapter — 6 total, each a complete teaching→MantraVerse within each Prashna
Example: Prashna Upanishad 5.2 → Question 5, Mantra 2 (OM leads to Brahman-realisation)
Key Topics
Prana & Rayi
The two primordial principles of creation — Prana (active, masculine, life-force) and Rayi (passive, feminine, matter) — from which all creatures are born (Q1)
Five Pranas
Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana, Udana — the five vital forces that sustain the body; Prana is their master (Q2, Q3)
OM as the Path
Meditation on OM: single syllable leads to earth; two syllables to mid-space; three syllables (AUM) to Brahma-loka and ultimately to Brahman (Q5)
Sixteen Aspects of Purusha
The individual soul has 16 attributes (limbs) — Prana, faith, space, wind, fire, water, earth, senses, mind, food, strength, austerity, mantra, karma, worlds, and name; at death they dissolve into Brahman (Q6)
Key Figures
Pippalada
The teacher — tests students with a year of brahmacharya before answering; his answers cover the entire range of Vedantic cosmology and meditation
Kabandhi Katyayana
First student — asks about the source of creatures; receives the Prana-Rayi creation doctrine
Sukesa Bharadvaja
Sixth student — asks about the Purusha of sixteen parts; receives the most profound metaphysical answer
Key Texts & Works
Shankaracharya's Bhashya
Advaita commentary interpreting all six Prashnas in terms of Nirguna Brahman and the non-dual Self