Прашнопáнишад: Вопросы и Ответы о Происхождении Жизни и Познании Себя

One of the ancient Sanskrit scriptures of Hinduism

The Prashnopanishad (, Praśnopaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text, embedded inside Atharva Veda, ascribed to Pippalada sakha of Vedic scholars. The chapters end with the phrase, prasnaprativakanam, which literally means, "thus ends the answer to the question". The first three questions are profound metaphysical questions but, states Eduard Roer,

Prashna Upanishad is notable for its structure and sociological insights into the education process in ancient India. In some historic Indian literature and commentaries, it is also called Shat Prasna Upanishad. In ancient and medieval era Indian texts, the word had two additional context dependent meanings: "task, lesson" and "short section or paragraph", with former common in Vedic recitations. The Mundaka Upanishad, for example, writes Patrick Olivelle, is rather later era ancient Upanishad and is, in all probability, post Buddhist. The chronology of Prasna Upanishad, and other ancient India texts, is difficult to resolve because all opinions rest on scanty evidence, an analysis of archaism, style and repetitions across texts, driven by assumptions about likely evolution of ideas, and on presumptions about which philosophy might have influenced which other Indian philosophies. Olivelle states Prashna Upanishad "cannot be much older than the beginning of the common era". Mahony suggests an earlier date, placing Prashna along with Maitri and Mandukya Upanishads, as texts that probably emerged about early fourth century BCE. Phillips dates Prashna Upanishad as having been composed after Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya, Isha, Taittiriya and Aitareya, Kena Katha and Mundaka, but before Mandukya, Svetasvatara and Maitri Upanishads.

A year later, sage Pippalada is asked the first question, "whence are living beings created?" In verse 1.4 of Prashna Upanishad, the sage's answer is stated: Prajapati performed Tapas (heat, meditative penance, austerity) and created two principles, Rayi (matter, feminine), and Prana (spirit, masculine), thinking that "these together will couple to produce for me creatures in many ways". The sun is the spirit, matter is the moon. The sun ascends to the highest, alone in splendor, warming us and serving as the spirit of all creatures. He is Aditya, illuminates everything, as stated in the first Prashna, and has two paths the northern and the southern. Those who desire offspring follow the guidance of sun's southern path, while those who seek the Self take the northern path, one of knowledge, brahmacharya, tapas and sraddha. The first chapter includes several symbolic mythological assertions. For example, it states that the sun is ultimately the giver of rain and races in sky in the "chariot with seven wheels and six spokes". The six spoke symbolism refers to the Vedic practice of describing sun as having six seasons, in contrast to five seasons for earth. The first section ends with verses 1.15 and 1.16 asserting that ethical living is necessary to realize the Atman Brahman: Satya (truthfulness), Brahmacharya (chastity, celibacy if unmarried, fidelity if married), Tapas (austerity, meditation, perseverance), no Anrta (अनृत, falsehood, lying, deception, cheating) no Jihma (जिह्म, moral crookedness, ethical obliqueness with an intent to not do the right thing), and no Maya (माया, dissimulation, delusion, guile).

The second Prashna starts with three questions, "how many Deva (gods, deities, powers) uphold a living being? how many manifest their power thus? and who is the best?". The question is significant because it explicitly expresses gods to be residing in each living being and in nature, to support life. This is widely interpreted by scholars, given the context of answer that follows, to reflect the extant belief that deities express themselves in human beings and creatures through sensory organs and capabilities. The second significant aspect of the question is its structural construct, wherein the teacher is called Bhagavan, reflecting the Vedic culture of veneration and respect for teachers. The Upanishad thus suggests multiple contextual meanings of the word Bhagavan. Such use of the term Bhagavan for teacher is repeated elsewhere, such as in the opening lines and verse 4.1 of the Prashna Upanishad, as well as in other Upanishads such as in verse 1.1.3 of the Mundaka Upanishad. Sage Pippalada opens the answers to the three questions by listing five gross elements, five senses and five organs of action as expression of deities.

The Prashna Upanishad opens the fifth section with the question: if a human being sincerely meditated on the symbol "Om" (Aum) until his death, what would he obtain by it? The section then asserts that one meditates to know "Self" (Atman Brahman), then metaphorically presents the different levels of meditation, the levels of knowledge gained, and the consequent effect on the person of such meditation in this and after life. This leads to a quick rebirth, but with ethical strengths and consequently greatness. The intermediate level of self knowledge is akin to meditating on two letters of Aum, that is A and U. The Prashna Upanishad symbolically likens the three states of knowledge to sets of three: being awake, dream sleep, and deep sleep; three pronunciations tara, mandra, and madhyama. (true but high tone, unclear but pleasant base tone, perfect middle tone that is pleasant and true, respectively). The student asks sage Pippalada the same question. The sage answers, states the Upanishad, that he and every human being has sixteen parts. This answer is significant because more ancient texts of the Vedic era, such as the Samhitas, refer to Prajapati, the Lord of Creation, as Sodasin (Sanskrit: षोडशिन्) which literally means, the one with sixteen parts. Man, implies the sixth Prashna of the Upanishad, is created in Prajapati's image and innately lord of creation. The section states, Self is immortal.

Several Indian scholars reviewed and published their commentaries (bhasya) on Prashna Upanishad, including Adi Shankara and Madhvacharya. Both of them link the teachings in Prashna Upanishad to those in Mundaka Upanishad, another Upanishad that is embedded inside the Atharva Veda. The theosophist Johnston has compared quotes from Prashna Upanishad with those in Gospel of Matthew, in his examples of how there are parallels and similarities in Hindu and Christian theology. I. B. Horner quotes from Prashna Upanishad examples of how the teachings in Hindu Upanishads and early Buddhist Dhamma texts are similar. Halder includes Prasna Upanishad among the numerous ancient texts of India that is loaded with symbolism. Mlecko highlights Prashna Upanishad, among other Vedic literature, in his review of education system and the revered role of teachers (Guru) in Vedic era of Hinduism.