Concept of Oneness in the Upanishads (study)

by Chandra Shekhar Upadhyaya | 2015 | 52,584 words

This page relates ‘Concept of Oneness in Prashna Upanishad’ of the study dealing with the Concept of Oneness in the Upanishads—Spiritual teachings of ancient India in the form of Sanskrit literature. The Upanisads teach us the essential oneness of humanity and guide us to the truth that the whole world is a family.This concept of oneness is the very essence of spiritualism, which constitutes the solid structure of Indian culture.

Concept of Oneness in Praśna Upaniṣad

< Previous

Next >

The Praśna Upaniṣad belongs to the Atharvaveda. It is the one the most popular Upaniṣads among the principal ten Upaniṣads. The Praśna Upaniṣad contains six sections in the form of six questions put to a ṛṣi by six disciples searching the knowledge of Ultimate Reality, i.e., Brahman, which is the Ultimate Cause of the whole creation. That is why, this Upaniṣad is known as the Praśna Upaniṣad. This Upaniṣad guides the investigator from known to the unknown, manifest to the unmanifest and grossly material to the supremely spiritual.

The first section of the Praśna Upaniṣad deals with this question asked by Kabandhi Kātyāyana, the great grandson of Kātya to Pipplāda, the expert of spiritual knowledge, expecting that he will tell everything:

‘atha kabandhī kātyāyana upetya papraccha bhagavankuto ha vā imāḥ prajāḥ prajāyanta iti//’^[1]

[Trans: After completion of one year, Kabandhi, the son of Kātya approaches his guru Pippalāda and asks, ‘venerable sir, from whom all these creature, mobile and immobile come into view?]

In this mantra ṛṣi Kabandhī Kātyāyana asks his guru Pippalāda that how and where from the whole multiform creation has come?, i.e., from what particular cause these whole creation has come into existence and who controls it and how?

Hearing this interesting question from Kabandhī Kātyāyana, guru Pippalāda replies:

‘tasmai sa hovāca prajākāmo vai prajāpatiḥ sa tapo’tapyata sa tapastaptvā sa mithunamutpādayate / rayiṃ ca prāṇaṃ cetyetau me bahudhā prajāḥ kariṣyata iti//’^[2]

[Trans: To him he said: Prajāpati desired to have offspring; he performed penance. Performing penance, he produced the pair, namely, wealth and life, in the hope that these two would procure him variety of offspring.]^[3]

Pippalāda states that Prajāpati with a desire to make creation, performed tapas, and after performing penance Prajāpati created a couple of rayi and prāṇa thinking that these two, i.e., rayi and prāṇa will produce various types of creation. Rayi means power or energy and prāṇa means the vital principle of life; and it is only by the association of prāṇa and rayi that the creation runs smoothly. Ṛṣi Pippalāda states that this visible world, which surrounds the whole of us has been made through the alliance of rayi and prāṇa. They cannot be separated from one another.

Pippalāda states:

‘ādityo ha vai prāṇo rayireva candramā rayirvā etatsarvaṃ yanmūrtaṃ cāmūrtaṃ ca tasmānmūrtireva rayiḥ//’^[4]

[Trans: Prāṇa which is the vital principle of our life is actually the sun which is also the indispensable principle of all living beings; and rayi (which is the energy and shape) is moon indeed. All that is visible and non-visible is rayi indeed. Therefore, all the tangible or touchable are nothing but rayi itself.]

The directly manifesting principle sun is prāṇa, as only this contains excessively the consciousness that provides life to all. The sun is solidified form of that subtle living force. The moon is regarded as the rayi because it includes the tanmātrās of the elements, which cherish the gross elements. Therefore, the entire elements get their sustenance from this lunar energy. The sun (prāṇa) and moon (rayi) are always penetrating in every limbs of our body; and the life force or energy are directly related to the sun and the other blood, body, tissue, etc., are directly related to the moon.

It is very remarkable that Prajāpati who created a couple named rayi and prāṇa, thinking that these two will produce creatures for him, but these two are one without a second. They are nothing but Prajāpati itself who has become the couple. They are looking two from the stand point of superiority and inferiority. That Reality, who presides the whole universe and who is pure consciousness in essence, that

Reality is one without a second. Swami Muni Narayana Prasad has remarked that,

“Our direct experience of that Reality is in the form of I-consciousness, the consciousness that is conscious of itself. The Real is called sat and consciousness cit; thus sat is cit in essence. Consciousness does not remain inert, it is always in some functional state, wanting to see for itself what potentials are hidden within itself. This urge incessantly transforms itself as everything, as all the world, actualising the contentment of self-expression (ānanda). This is comparable to the satisfaction felt by children in their play of creating and destroying many things for the sheer joy of it. Prajāpati’s desire for offspring is nothing but this inner urge.”^[5]

In this way, The Praśna Upaniṣad describes Prajāpati as the Ultimate Reality of this whole creation and that Prajāpati is non-dual. The sun and the moon which are the symbols of prāṇa and rayi are nothing but Prajāpati itself.

Pippalāda states:

‘saṃvatsaro vai prajāpatistasyāyane daksiṇaṃ cottaraṃ ca tadye ha vai tadiṣṭāpūrte kṛtamityupāsate te cāndramasameva lokamabhijayante/ta eva pūnarāvartante tasmādete ṛṣayaḥ prajākāmā dakṣiṇaṃ pratipadyante/eṣa ha vai rayiryaḥ pitṛyāṇaḥ//’^[6]

[Trans: Verily, Prajāpati is the year. It has two paths, the southern and the northern. Now those who dedicate themselves to deeds like sacrifices and public benefactions win only the world of the moon. The certainly return again. Therefore the ṛṣis desiring offspring resort to the southern path. This, which is called the path of the dead ancestors, is the wealth.]^[7]

Through the above mantra Pippalāda suggests that saṃvatsaraḥ, i.e., year is nothing but Prajāpati itself. It emerges from Prajāpati. It has two paths -dakṣiṇāyanam (southern) and uttarāyanam (northern). “The six months of southern solstice in which the sun moves in the southern hemisphere, are its south side portions and the other six months of northern solstice are his northern portions.”^[8] According to the Praśna Upaniṣad, the southern path is the material path where we perform acts with selfish desires. These are of two kinds, viz., iṣṭa and pūrta. The iṣṭa is related with the acts of ceremonial piety, observances of Vedic ritual and the later to acts of social service and public good.^[9]

Elaborating the nature of northern path guru Pippalāda states:

‘athottareṇa tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śraddhayā vidyayātmānamanviṣyādityamabhijayanta/etadvai prāṇānāmāyatanametadamṛtamabhayametatparāyaṇametasmānna punarāvartanta ityeṣa nirodhaḥ..//’^[10]

[Trans: But those who seek the Self by tapas, brahmacarya, faith and knowledge, they attain the world of the sun by the northern path. That verily is the abode of prāṇas; that is the immortal; that is fearlessness; that is the final goal from where there is no return.]^[11]

According to the Praśna Upaniṣad, month verily is Prajāpati.^[12] The dark fortnight is His rayi and brighter fortnight is His prāṇa. Therefore, the seers perform sacrifices in the brighter fortnight and other common people in the other fortnight.

Swami Muni Narayana Prasad suggests that,

“The brighter fortnight represents wisdom; actions performed in its span are those befitting this wisdom. A man of wisdom views himself, as a transient manifest form that appears and disappears in the beginningless and endless creative self-unfoldment of the one eternal Reality. He sees himself filled with this Reality, even as a wave is filled with ocean. Whatever he happens to do as a part of this self-unfoldment of Reality, which we called nature, will be for the benefit both of himself as well as the total flow of life. Those iṣṭa karmas natural to the wisdom context, are a reflection of the brighter aspect of life.”^[13]

It is found to be observed that in Praśna Upaniṣad, every month has been taken as an appearance of Parama Brahman, the Highest Reality, which is known as Prajāpati in Praśna Upaniṣad. The fifteen days of dark fortnight have been regarded as the right portion of Prajāpati known to be the rayi (the cause of gross elements); and the other fifteen days of the bright fortnight are known as the left portion of Prajāpati, which is the Ultimate Reality of this whole universe. The fifteen days of the bright fortnight, which is left portion of Prajāpati, is known to be the prāṇa, the main source of every living beings and indwelling form of Paramātman. Thus, prāṇa and rayi are nothing but Prajāpati itself.

Illustrating the nature of Ultimate Reality, i.e., Prajāpati, the Praśna Upaniṣad says;

‘ahorātro vai prajāpatistasyāhareva prāṇo rātrireva rayiḥ prāṇaṃ vā ete praskandanti ye divā ratyā saṃyujyante brahmacaryameva tadyadrātrau ratyā saṃyujyante//’^[14]

[Trans: The pair of day and night is Prajāpati; the day thereof is Prāṇa and night is Rayi; those who copulate during daytime; they really weaken their vital force and those who copulate during night; this copulation is Brahmacarya itself.]^[15]

In this mantra, day and night, i.e., the period of one day and one night (one solar unit of time) is imagined to be the Supreme Reality, i.e., Prajāpati. It has been mentioned in the earlier mantras that Prajāpati, which is regarded as the Ultimate Reality of this whole universe is samvatsaraḥ, i.e., the year itself, Prajāpati is the month and here prajāpati is mentioned by day and night. The above mantra says that, day indeed is prāṇa (life) and the night verily is rayi (matter). The day is prāṇa, which is essential source and life giver to all, self shining, wholly pure in nature and the night is regarded as rayi, the form of gross enjoyments. According to the Praśna Upaniṣad, they who join in sexual intercourse during the day, do not reach the goal and waste this inestimable life. But those who join in sexual intercourse during the night, this copulation is Brahmacarya itself.

Elaborating the nature of Prajāpati, the Ultimate Reality of this whole universe, the Praśna Upaniṣad states in its fourteenth mantra of first adhyāya that:

‘annaṃ vai prajāpatistato ha vai tadretastasmādimāḥ prajāḥ prajāyanta iti/’^[16]

In this mantra, food (anna) is described as Prajāpati, the Ultimate Reality of this universe. From that food, i.e., anna, formed the semen, which is the origin of all creature. When these semen is deposited in a woman, all the beings are born from her. Therefore, food is nothing but Prajāpati itself, who is surrounding the whole.

According to the Praśna Upaniṣad, Prajāpati is Brahman understood in the context of creation. One who knows Prajāpati, becomes Prajapati itself and feels oneness with Prajāpati, the Ultimate Reality.

The second adhyāya of the Praśna Upaniṣad, deals with this question put by ṛṣi Pippalāda:

‘atha hainaṃ bhārgavo vaidarbhiḥ papraccha, bhagavankatyeva devāḥ prajāṃ vidhārayante, katara etatprakāśayante, kaḥ punareṣāṃ variṣṭha iti//’^[17]

[Trans: Then Bhārgava of the Vidarbha country asked him (Pippalāda): Venerable sir, how many powers support the created world? How many illumine this? And who, again, among them is the greatest?]^[18]

Hearing this question from Bhārgava, ṛṣi Pippalāda replies that:

‘tasmai sa hovācākāśo ha vā eṣa devo vāyuragnirāpaḥ pṛthivī vaṅmanaścakṣuḥ śrotraṃ ca/te prakāśyābhivadanti vayametadbā-ṇamavaṣṭabhya vidhārayāmaḥ//’^[19]

[Trans: The great Pippalāda spoke to him: decidedly the ether is that God; and then wind, fire, water, earth, speech (motor organs), eyes and ears (sensory organs) and lastly the mind (inner senses) also (are gods) they all started exhibiting their powers and saying; it is we who sustain this body through our support.]^[20]

Pippalāda states that prāṇa is the ultimate force and above from ether, wind, fire, water, etc., which maintains and illumines our body.

Narrating the glory of prāṇa, which is nothing but Prajāpati itself, Pippalāda states:

‘eṣo’gnistapatyeṣa sūrya eṣa parjanyo maghavāneṣa vāyureṣa/ pṛthivī rayirdevaḥ sadasaccāmṛtaṃ ca yat//’^[21]

This mantra says that prāṇa which is Prajāpati itself, burns as a fire, he is also the sun, again he is the cloud, he is verily the Indra (Maghavān) and also the wind, earth, rayi (the gross elements) and the Gods. This prāṇa is being and non-being and immortal too. According to Śaṃkarācārya, in this mantra, the term ṣad indicates murtam (formed) and aṣad means amūrtam (unformed).^[22] Pippalāda again says that as spokes are well fixed on the hub of a chariot wheel, similarly all mantras of Ṛg, Yajus and Sāma, the yajña (sacrifice), the Brāhmaṇas, the Kṣatriyas; during the time of existence of the world are established in prāṇa.^[23] In this way, everything apparent in this world originate from prāṇa, which is nothing but Prajāpati itself. He is the Ultimate Cause of all existing beings. According to the Praśna Upaniṣad, prāṇa is the only support of all beings.

Having shown the importance of prāṇa the Praśna Upaniṣad states:

‘devānāmasi vahnitamaḥ pitṛṇām prathamā svadhā/
ṛṣīṇāṃ caritaṃ satyamatharvāṅgirasāmasi//^[24]
indrastvaṃ prāṇa tejasā rudro’si parirakṣitā/
tvamantarikṣe carasi sūryastvaṃ jyotisāṃ patiḥ//^[25]

Pippalāda says that prāṇa is the sacredmost fire for Gods. Again it is prāṇa, which is the very first svadhā for fathers. This prāṇa is the truth (Reality) and eternal wisdom of the seers. Pippalāda again says that this prāṇa is Indra (the king of heaven, this prāṇa is the Rudra, the universal destroyer at the time of dissolution, and also he is Surjya, the jyotisāṃ patiḥ. It is the prāṇa, who preserves the creation in a proper way and this prāṇa is the lord of luminous bodies, such as moon, stars and fire. In this way, the prāṇa is seen as chief among all the Gods and it is the basic vital function that keeps all other functions alive. Thus, this prāṇa is the chief of all, whose apparent but unreal forms constitute this world.

Explaining the majesty of prāṇa Pippalāda asserts:

‘prāṇasyedaṃ vaśe sarvaṃ tridive yatpratiṣṭhitam/ māteva putrānrakṣasva śrīśca prajñāṃ ca vidhehi na iti//’^[26]

[Trans: Whatever there appears in the world; whatever there is in the heaven; is all under the control of Prāṇa; O Prāṇa, protect us as mother protects her sons; bestow upon us the splendour and the talent.]^[27]

The Upaniṣad announces that all things in this earth as also all things that exist in heaven are under the control of the prāṇa. This prāṇa is protecting us as the children are protected by the mother. Therefore, it is verily the prāṇa which maintains the body. Apart from this prāṇa, there is no other power or energy which can be able to carry the body. All the sense organs are effective only for the command of prāṇa.

Swami Muni Narayana Prasad says in the this context—

“Everything in this world, and in all the worlds, is not merely animated by prāṇa but is a manifest appearance of prāṇa. Heaven, or a world hereafter, if any, also has existence derived from prāṇa.”^[28]

The third chapter of the Praśna Upaniṣad deals with this question asks by Kausalya Āśvalāyana:

‘atha hainaṃ kausalyaścāśvalāyanaḥ papraccha vagavankuta eṣa prāṇo jāyate kathamāyātyasmiñśarīra ātmānaṃ vā pravibhajya kathaṃ prātiṣṭhate kenotkramate kathaṃ bāhyamabhidhatte kathamadhyātmamiti//’^[29]

[Trans: O’ Lord what is the source of prāṇa, which is the ultimate source of all, how does it enter into this body, how again does he dwell by dividing himself, in what way does it depart, how does it maintain itself outside the body, how does it maintain itself inside?]

Here in this mantra we find six questions put by Āśvalāyana to sage Pippalāda -(i) How the prāṇa is born? (ii) How does it enter into this body? (iii) How again does he dwell by dividing himself? (iv) While migrating from one body to the another how does it go out? (v) How does it maintain itself outside the body and (vi) how does it maintain itself inside? Pippalāda replies that, just as the shadow exists only because of the puruṣa, in the same way, this prāṇa is also inseparable from Brahman, the Highest Reality.^[30] While answering the third question of the disciple, the teacher cites an example that as a king appoints his entrusted persons to look after the affairs of various villages, towns, and regions and accordingly appointed persons also perform their activities, similarly prāṇa also propels the apāna, vyāna and samāna, etc. and sends those to various parts of the body to do their respective functions.

The reference of this fact has been elaborated by R.G. Desai in the following manner—

“Just as a king directs his officer to look after designated regions, Prana delegates various functions to subdivisions. Main breath is seated in the eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The medial breath is located in the middle of the body and the lower breath is located in the lower organs. The Atman is seated in the heart there are hundred and one nerves, and each nerve has a hundred branches and each branch has seventy–two thousand sub branches through which Prana pulsates.”^[31]

Pippalāda states that knowing the origin of prāṇa (how and where from prāṇa comes), its entrance to the body, its omnipotent, omnipresence and its external and internal (i.e. physical and spiritual) appearance, one can achieve the immortality or liberation.

The fourth section of the Praśna Upaniṣad deals with this question put by Gārgya Sauryāyaṇī to ṛṣi Pippalāda:

‘atha hainaṃ sauryāyaṇī gargyaḥ papraccha bhagavannetasminpuruṣe kāni svapanti kanyasmiñ jāgrati katara eṣa devaḥ svapnānpaśyati kasyaitatsukhaṃ bhavati kasminnu sarve saṃpratiṣṭhitā bhavantīti//’^[32]

[Trans: Venerable sir, what are they that sleep in this person? What are they that keep awake in him? What god is it that sees dreams? Whose is this happiness? In whom are all these established?]^[33]

Pippalāda answers very beautifully of these esoteric questions that, when the sun sets, the rays of the sun get merged into it and become differentless from the sun, in the same way, all the sense organs become unified in the Supreme Being during the somnolent stage (svapnāvastā). At the same time Pippalāda says that just as several birds (in the evening) resting on the tree, in the same way, all the sense organs wing towards the Supreme Power. Pippalāda suggests that in the dream state the mind sees all that it has seen during wakefulness. It pictures all that it has heard, that all it has felt, it experiences the same objects perceived in different places. Seen and unseen, heard and unheard, perceived and non-perceived, the mind sees all when it is in the dreaming state.

R.G. Desai has explained this Praśna Upaniṣadic fact in a very beautiful manner—

“The five elements, ten senses, mind, ego, the manifest and the unmanifest, the sense objects like touch, taste, sight, smell and sound, intelligence and all it understands, the heart and what it feels, light and what it lights, and all that sustains it. All these are regulated by the supreme being.”^[34]

According to Pippalāda, the Ātman which is the seer (draṣṭā), the toucher (spraṣṭā), the hearer (śrotā), the smeller (ghrātā), the taster (rasayitā), the thinker (mantā), the ascertainer (boddhā) and the doer (kartā) is seated in the imperishable Supreme Soul or Paramātman.^[35] Pippalāda maintains that, he who knows the shadowless, the bodiless, the colourless, pure and imperishable Supreme Being, attains the immortality. Knowing the real nature of Brahman the seeker becomes one with Brahman the Ultimate Reality.

The fifth chapter of the Praśna Upaniṣad makes an attempt to deal with the term Om and it is considered as the symbol of Parabrahman. Pippalāda says that Oṃkāra is the imperishable term. It represents total Brahman. In this context Rohit Mehta has suggested that, “OM is a word of three letters. It covers a sound range starting from the root of the tongue to the closing of the lips. In this range, the three letters are uttered successively. But in this uttering of the word, the articulate sound is only between the first and the third-it is a range where the tongue moves between its root and the lips. Thus in the three letters of the word OM, A and M remain inarticulate–it is only the U which represents the articulate sound.”^[36] According to Pippalāda, Om is both para and apara Brahman. Brahman (the Ultimate Reality), the indestructible, everlasting, invisible, unconceivable principle of all the existing forms is regarded as Para Brahman, and Brahman as occurring in all the destructible, momentary and perceptible elements in this universe is known to be apara Brahman.

Pippalāda asserts that he who meditates on the first mātrā (A) or measure, is illumined thereby and comes quickly to this world after death. While explaining this view Keshoram Aggarwal has rightly observed that, “The person meditating upon Oṅkāra as one of its three aspects ‘bhūḥ, bhubaḥ and svaḥ’–is if attracted by ‘bhūḥ’ the worldly riches, worships the ‘bhūḥ’ aspect of Virāt, he after death comes directly to this world led towards its goal. The first Mantra of Oṅkāra is in the form of the Ṛgveda and has its connection with the earthly world. Therefore, through its meditation, the Mantras of Ṛgveda lead the striver to the human body.”^[37] Pippalāda maintains that, he who meditates on the first two mātrās, i.e., A and U, attains the region of the moon. Having experienced greatness in the lunar world, he returns again in this world.

Keshoram Aggarwal has explained this Praśna Upaniṣadic fact very beautifully and commented —

“If the striver worships the two syllable Oṅkāra, i.e., if he worships the ‘bhūḥ’ and ‘bhuvaḥ’ aspects of Virāt with a desire to achieve the luxury in these two regions then he goes to the lunar world pertaining to mind. The Mantras of Yajurveda lead him upwards to the lunar world in the intermediary region. He enjoys comforts in the perishable heaven and when the virtues of his worship come to an end, he again comes back to the mortal world.”^[38]

But, he who meditates on all the three letters (A, U, M) as a single being becomes unified in the sun. After that, through the mantras of Sāmaveda he uplift himself to the Brahmaloka. Then he perceives that the Ultimate Reality, i.e., Brahman resides in his own body. In this state he is non-different from Brahman, i.e., he becomes one with the Supreme Brahman.

In the sixth chapter of the Praśna Upaniṣad Sukeśā Bhāradvāja asks the great ṛṣi Pippalāda:

‘atha hainaṃ sukeśā bhāradvāja papraccha bhagavanhiraṇyanābhaḥ kausalyo rājaputro māmupetyaitaṃ praśnamapṛcchat/soḍaśakalaṃ bhāradvāja puruṣaṃ vettha, tamahaṃ kumāramabruvaṃ nāhamimaṃ veda yadyahamimamavediṣaṃ kathaṃ te nāvakṣyamiti samūlo vā eṣa pariśuṣyāti yo’nṛtamabhivadati tasmānnārhāmyanṛtaṃ vaktum/sa tūṣṇīṃ rathamāruhya pravavrāja/taṃ tvā pṛcchāmi kvāsau puruṣa iti//’^[39]

[Trans: Venerable sir, Hiraṇyanābha, the son of Kosala, approached me and asked ‘Bhāradvāja, do you know the puruṣa of sixteen kalās? I replied, I know him not. Now I ask you the same question, who is the puruṣa with sixteen kalās and what are these kalās?]

Ṛṣi Pippalāda explains the nature of puruṣa of sixteen kalās and says that this puruṣa is seated within our body. Pippalāda again states that the pañca-indriyas, i.e., ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose; the pañca-tanmātrās, i.e., sound, touch, form, taste and smell; and the pañca-mahābhūtas, i.e., space, air, fire, water and earth and the manas are the sixteen kalās of this puruṣa, who is the Ultimate Reality of this whole universe. According to Pippalāda those sixteen kalās are present in our body also, as the Supreme Reality resides in our body. The reference of this fact has been described by R.G. Desai thus -“Just as rivers that flow meet the ocean and merge into it and lose their identity, the individual being loses his identity in the universal spirit. The supreme spirit is like the nave of a wheel to which all the spokes are attached. Once one knows this fact, he becomes immortal.”^[40]

From the above discussion, perhaps it can be said that the Praśna Upaniṣad describes Prajāpati as the Ultimate Reality of this whole universe. As the one sun illumines the entire universe, in the sameway Prajāpati, the immanant and transcendent Reality illumines the whole. The Praśna Upaniṣad again and again suggests that brahmacarya or continence should be performed in human life for attaining the Absolute. Like the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, the Praśna Upaniṣad also gives attention to truthfulness of life. Because according to this Upaniṣad everything in this world is fully established in truth or satya, and by the path of truth or satya one can achieve the Ultimate Reality. According to the Praśna Upaniṣad all the things and beings surrounding us are the outcome of that Ultimate Reality. Therefore, there is no difference between man and other existing beings. The Praśna Upaniṣad advises us to think for other peoples also. One should think for the prosperity, happiness and success of others existing in the same society, which will help us to build a harmonic society, where the feeling of humanity will be found in each and every people.