The Upanishads, Part II — SBE Vol. 15 — trans. F. Max Müller (1884)
The translator’s English as printed. The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
II QUESTION, IO, 275 as he went out, all the others went out, and as he returned, all the others returned. As bees go out when their queen! goes out, and return when she returns, thus (did) speech, mind, eye, and ear; and, being satisfied, they praise Praza, saying: 5. He is Agni (fire), he shines as Sfrya (sun), he is Parganya (rain), the powerful (Indra), he is V4yu (wind), he is the earth, he is matter, he is God—he is what is and what is not, and what is immortal. 6. As spokes in the nave of a wheel, everything is fixed in Prawa, the verses of the Azg-veda, Yagurveda, Sdma-veda the sacrifice, the Kshatriyas, and the Brahmans. 7. As Pragapati (lord of creatures) thou movest about in the womb, thou indeed art born again. To thee, the Praza, these creatures bring offerings, to thee-who dwellest with the other prazas (the organs of sense). 8. Thou art the best carrier for the Gods, thou art the first offering® to the Fathers. Thou art the true work of the Azshis*, of the Atharvangiras. 9. O Prdza, thou art Indra by thy light, thou art Rudra, as a protector; thou movest in the sky, thou art the sun, the lord of lights. 10. When thou showerest down rain, then, O Praza, these creatures of thine are delighted’, hoping that there will be food, as much as they desire.
? In Sanskrit it is madhukararaga, king of the bees. 2 When a sraddha is offered to the Pitrzs. ’ Explained as the eye and the other organs of sense which the chief Praza supports ; but it is probably an old verse, here applied to a special purpose. * Another reading is prazate, they breathe. Tae p. 276ee 11. Thou art a Vrdtya!, O Prama, the only Ashi’, the consumer of everything, the good lord. We are the givers of what thou hast to consume, thou, O Maitarisva?, art our father. 12. Make propitious that body of thine which dwells in speech, in the ear, in the eye, and which pervades the mind; do not go away ! 13. All this is in the power of Praza, whatever exists in the three heavens. Protect us like a mother her sons, and give us happiness and wisdom.’
THIRD QUESTION.
1. Then Kausalya Asvalayana asked : ‘Sir, whence is that Prdva (spirit) born? How does it come into this body? And how does it abide, after it has divided itself? How does it go out? How does it support what is without‘, and how what is within ?’ 2. He replied: ‘ You ask questions more difficult, but you are very fond of Brahman, therefore I shall tell it you. 3. This Préza (spirit) is born of the Self. Like the shadow thrown on a man, this (the prdza) is
? A person for whom the samsk4ras, the sacramental and initiatory rites, have not been performed. Sankara says that, as he was the first born, there was no one to perform them for him, and that he is called Vratya, because he was pure by nature. This is all very doubtful. ? Agni is said to be the Rishi of the Atharvamas. * Instead of the irregular vocative Matarisva, there is another reading, MAâtarisvanaf, i.e. thou art the father of MAtarisvan, the wind, and therefore of the whole world. * All creatures and the gods.
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spread out over it (the Brahman)". By the work of the mind? does it come into this body. 4. As a king commands officials, saying to them: Rule these villages or those, so does that PrAa (spirit) dispose the other prazas, each for their separate work. 5. The Apana (the down-breathing) in the organs of excretion and generation; the Praza himself dwells in eye and ear, passing through mouth and nose.
In the middle is the Samana? (the onbreathing); it carries what has been sacrificed as food equally (over the body), and the seven lights proceed from it. 6. The Self‘ is in the heart. There are the ror arteries, and in each of them there are a hundred (smaller veins), and for each of these branches there are 72,000°. In these the Vydna (the backbreathing) moves.
II QUESTION, IO, 275 as he went out, all the others went out, and as he returned, all the others returned. As bees go out when their queen! goes out, and return when she returns, thus (did) speech, mind, eye, and ear; and, being satisfied, they praise Praza, saying: 5. He is Agni (fire), he shines as Sfrya (sun), he is Parganya (rain), the powerful (Indra), he is V4yu (wind), he is the earth, he is matter, he is God—he is what is and what is not, and what is immortal. 6. As spokes in the nave of a wheel, everything is fixed in Prawa, the verses of the Azg-veda, Yagurveda, Sdma-veda the sacrifice, the Kshatriyas, and the Brahmans. 7. As Pragapati (lord of creatures) you movest about in the womb, you indeed art born again. To you, the Praza, these creatures bring offerings, to you-who dwellest with the other prazas (the organs of sense). 8. You are the best carrier for the Gods, you are the first offering® to the Fathers. You are the true work of the Azshis*, of the Atharvangiras. 9. O Prdza, you are Indra by your light, you are Rudra, as a protector; you movest in the sky, you are the sun, the lord of lights. 10. When you showerest down rain, then, O Praza, these creatures of your are delighted’, hoping that there will be food, as much as they desire.
? In Sanskrit it is madhukararaga, king of the bees. 2 When a sraddha is offered to the Pitrzs. ’ Explained as the eye and the other organs of sense which the chief Praza supports ; but it is probably an old verse, here applied to a special purpose. * Another reading is prazate, they breathe. Tae 276 PRASNA-UPANISHAD. ee 11. You are a Vrdtya!, O Prama, the only Ashi’, the consumer of everything, the good lord. We are the givers of what you have to consume, you, O Maitarisva?, art our father. 12. Make propitious that body of your which dwells in speech, in the ear, in the eye, and which pervades the mind; do not go away ! 13. All this is in the power of Praza, whatever exists in the three heavens. Protect us like a mother her sons, and give us happiness and wisdom.’
THIRD QUESTION.
1. Then Kausalya Asvalayana asked : ‘Sir, whence is that Prdva (spirit) born? How does it come into this body? And how does it abide, after it has divided itself? How does it go out? How does it support what is without‘, and how what is within ?’ 2. He replied: ‘ You ask questions more difficult, but you are very fond of Brahman, therefore I shall tell it you. 3. This Préza (spirit) is born of the Self. Like the shadow thrown on a man, this (the prdza) is
? A person for whom the samsk4ras, the sacramental and initiatory rites, have not been performed. Sankara says that, as he was the first born, there was no one to perform them for him, and that he is called Vratya, because he was pure by nature. This is all very doubtful. ? Agni is said to be the Rishi of the Atharvamas. * Instead of the irregular vocative Matarisva, there is another reading, MA&tarisvanaf, i.e. you are the father of MAtarisvan, the wind, and therefore of the whole world. * All creatures and the gods.
p. 277
spread out over it (the Brahman)". By the work of the mind? does it come into this body. 4. As a king commands officials, saying to them: Rule these villages or those, so does that PrAa (spirit) dispose the other prazas, each for their separate work. 5. The Apana (the down-breathing) in the organs of excretion and generation; the Praza himself dwells in eye and ear, passing through mouth and nose.
In the middle is the Samana? (the onbreathing); it carries what has been sacrificed as food equally (over the body), and the seven lights proceed from it. 6. The Self‘ is in the heart. There are the ror arteries, and in each of them there are a hundred (smaller veins), and for each of these branches there are 72,000°. In these the Vydna (the backbreathing) moves.
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