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Prashna Upanishad
The Prashna Upanishad is a 1st-millennium BCE Hindu text. Above: a manuscript page in Sanskrit,
Devanagari script.
The Prashnopanishad (Sanskrit: , ) is an ancient Sanskrit text, embedded
inside Atharva Veda, ascribed to Pippalada sakha of Vedic scholars. It is
a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 4 in the Muktika canon of
108 Upanishads of Hinduism.
The Prashna Upanishad contains six Prashna (questions), and each is a chapter
with a discussion of answers. The chapters end with the
phrase, prasnaprativakanam, which literally means, "thus ends the answer to the
question". In some manuscripts discovered in India, the Upanishad is divided into
three Adhyayas (chapters) with a total of six Kandikas (?, short sections).
The first three questions are profound metaphysical questions but, states Eduard
Roer, do not contain any defined, philosophical answers, are mostly embellished
mythology and symbolism. The fourth section, in contrast, contains substantial
philosophy. The last two sections discuss the
symbol Om and Moksha concept. Roer as well as Weber suggest that the last
two Prashnas may be spurious, later age insertion into the original Upanishad.
Prashna Upanishad is notable for its structure and sociological insights into the
education process in ancient India. The Upanishad is also known as the
Prashnopanishad (Sanskrit: , ). In some historic Indian literature and
commentaries, it is also called Shat Prasna Upanishad.
Etymology
Prashna () literally means, in modern usage, "question, query, inquiry". 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. In Prashna Upanishad, all these contextual roots are
relevant. The text consists of questions with lessons, and the sections of the
Upanishad are also called prashna.
Chronology
The Prashna Upanishad was probably composed in the second half of 1st
millennium BCE, likely after other Atharva Veda texts such as the Mundaka
Upanishad, but the precise chronology of Prasna Upanishad is unclear and
contested. 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. Ranade posits a view similar to Phillips, with slightly different
ordering, placing Prashna chronological composition in the fifth group of ancient
Upanishads but after Svetasvatara Upanishad.
Structure
The Prashna Upanishad consists of six questions and their answers. Except the
first and the last Prashna, all other sections ask multiple questions. The pupils
credited with the six questions are respectively Kabandhin Katyayana, Bhargava
Vaidarbhi, Kausalya Asvalayana, Sauryayanin Gargya, Saibya Satyakama and
Sukesan Bharadvaja. Sage Pippalada is credited with giving the answers.
The questions are not randomly arranged, but have an embedded structure.
They begin with macrocosmic questions and then proceed to increasing details
of microcosmic, thus covering both universals and particulars.
Contents
Ethics before education in ancient schools
The opening verses of Prashna Upanishad describe students who arrive at a
school seeking knowledge about Brahman (Ultimte Reality, Universal Soul). They
ask sage Pippalada to explain this knowledge. He does not start providing
answers for their education, but demands that they live with him ethically first, as
follows,
To them then the Rishi (sage) said:
Dwell with me a year, with Tapas, with Brahmacharya,
with Sraddha (faith),
Then ask what questions you will,
If we know, we will tell you all.
--Prashna Upanishad,
1.2
This preface is significant, states Johnston, as it reflects the Vedic era belief that
a student's nature and mind must first show a commitment, aspiration and moral
purity before knowledge is shared. Secondly, the method of first question by the
student and then answer is significant, according to Johnston, as it reflects an
interactive style where the student has worked out the question for himself before
he is provided an answer, in contrast to a lecture style where the teacher
provides the questions and answers regardless of whether the student
understands either. The three ethical precepts emphasized in this verse of
Prashna Upanishad are Tapas (austerity, perseverance,
fervour), Brahmacharya (chastity, self-discipline) and Sraddha (faith, purity,
calmness of mind).
The second interesting part of the answer is the implicit admission by the teacher
with "if we know", that he may not know the answer, and thus acknowledging a
sense of skepticism and humility into the process of learning.
Reception
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.
References
1. ^ a b c d Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Oxford University Press, pages xlii-
xliii
3. ^ a b c d e Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic
Society of Bengal, pages 119-141
4. ^ Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of
Bengal, pages 138 with footnote 1
5. ^ a b c d e f Charles Johnston, The Mukhya Upanishads: Books of Hidden Wisdom, (1920-1931), The
Mukhya Upanishads, Kshetra Books, ISBN 978-1495946530 (Reprinted in 2014), Archive of Prashna
Upanishad, pages 46-51, 115-118
7. ^ a b c Stephen Phillips (2009), Yoga, Karma, and Rebirth: A Brief History and Philosophy, Columbia
University Press, ISBN 978-0231144858, Chapter 1
8. ^ P Olivelle, 'Contributions to the Semantic History of Samnyasa' (Journal of the American Oriental
Society, Vol. 101, No. 3, 1981, pp. 265-274)
9. ^ Patrick Olivelle (1996), The Early Upanishads: Annotated Text & Translation, Oxford University
Press, ISBN 978-0195124354, Introduction Chapter
10. ^ P Olivelle (1998), The Early Upanishads, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124354, page
13
11. ^ WK Mahony (1987), Upanishads, in Jones, Lindsay, MacMillan Encyclopedia of Religion (2005),
MacMillan, ISBN 978-0028659978, page 9483
12. ^ RD Ranade, A Constructive Survey of Upanishadic Philosophy, Chapter 1, pages 13-18
13. ^ a b c The Prasnopanishad with Sri Shankara's Commentary SS Sastri (Translator), pages 103-105
14. ^ a b Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press,
page 378
15. ^ CP Bhatta (2009), Holistic Personality Development through Education: Ancient Indian Cultural
Experiences, Journal of Human Values, Vol. 15, No. 1, pages 49-59
16. ^ a b MR Murty, Indian Philosophy: An Introduction, Broadview Press, Queens University, ISBN 978-
1554810352, pages 39-40
17. ^ Ronald Vale (2013), The value of asking questions, Mol. Biol. Cell, Vol. 24, No. 6, pages 680-682
18. ^ For meaning of the Sanskrit words in Upanishads, see also: zraddha Monier Williams Sanskrit
English Dictionary, Cologne Sanskrit Digital Lexicon
19. ^ RK Mishra (2000), Before the Beginning and After the End, ISBN 978-8171675012, Chapter 2
20. ^ Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Verse 1.4, Oxford University Press,
page 272
21. ^ Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, pages
378-379
22. ^ Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Verse 1.4, Oxford University Press,
verses 6, 9, 10 on pages 272-273
23. ^ a b Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Verse 1.4, Oxford University Press,
verses 6, 9, 10 on page 273
24. ^ Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, pages
380-381
27. ^ Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Verse 1.15 and 1.16, Oxford University
Press, pages 273-274
28. ^ The Prasnopanishad with Sri Shankara's Commentary SS Sastri (Translator), verses 15 and 16
at pages 115-116
29. ^ a b Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Second Question Verse 2.1, Oxford
University Press, page 274
30. ^ a b Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of
Bengal, page 127
31. ^ Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, pages
381
32. ^ The Prasnopanishad with Sri Shankara's Commentary SS Sastri (Translator), pages 118-119
35. ^ Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Second Question Verse 2.1, Oxford
University Press, pages 274-275
36. ^ The Prasnopanishad with Sri Shankara's Commentary SS Sastri (Translator), pages 118-125
37. ^ a b Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Third Question, Oxford University
Press, page 276
38. ^ a b Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press,
pages 383
39. ^ a b Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad - Third Prasna Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50,
Asiatic Society of Bengal, page 130
40. ^ a b Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Second Question Verse 2.1, Oxford
University Press, pages 276-278 with footnotes
41. ^ Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, pages
383-385
42. ^ a b Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad - Fourth Prasna Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50,
Asiatic Society of Bengal, page 133 with footnote 1
43. ^ a b Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Fourth Question, Oxford University
Press, pages 278-279
44. ^ a b Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press,
pages 385-386
45. ^ Garhapatya fire, Dakshinagni fire, Ahavanniya fire, Sabhyagni fire and Avasatyagni fire; see
pages 133-134 with footnotes in Roer, Prashna Upanishad - Fourth Prasna Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No.
41 and 50, Asiatic Society of Bengal
46. ^ a b c Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad - Fourth Prasna Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50,
Asiatic Society of Bengal, pages 133-135
47. ^ a b c The Prasnopanishad with Sri Shankara's Commentary SS Sastri (Translator), pages 135-147
48. ^ Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Fourth Question, Oxford University
Press, pages 280-281
49. ^ Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, pages
387
50. ^ The Prasnopanishad with Sri Shankara's Commentary SS Sastri (Translator), pages 148-149
51. ^ Charles Johnston, The Mukhya Upanishads: Books of Hidden Wisdom, (1920-1931), The
Mukhya Upanishads, Kshetra Books, ISBN 978-1495946530 (Reprinted in 2014), Archive of Prashna
Upanishad, page 116, Theosophy Quarterly
52. ^ a b c d e Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Fifth Question, Oxford University
Press, pages 281-283
53. ^ a b Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press,
pages 387-389
54. ^ Charles Johnston, The Mukhya Upanishads: Books of Hidden Wisdom, (1920-1931), The
Mukhya Upanishads, Kshetra Books, ISBN 978-1495946530 (Reprinted in 2014), Archive of Prashna
Upanishad, pages 117-118, Theosophy Quarterly
55. ^ Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of
Bengal, pages 137-139
56. ^ Max Muller, The Upanishads, Part 2, Prasna Upanishad, Sixth Question, Oxford University Press,
pages 283-284
57. ^ a b c Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press,
pages 388-390 with footnotes
59. ^ a b Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of
Bengal, pages 140-141
60. ^ C Johnston, The Kingdom of Heaven and the Upanishads, The Open Court, Vol. XIX, No. 12,
pages 705-716
61. ^ IB Horner, Early Buddhist Dhamma, Artibus Asiae, Vol. 11, No. 1/2 (1948), pages 115-123
62. ^ AK Haldar (1950), Symbolism in Indian Art and Religion, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art
Criticism Vol. 9, No. 2, pages 124-127
63. ^ Joel D. Mlecko (1982), The Guru in Hindu Tradition, Numen, Vol. 29, Fasc. 1, pages 33-61
Bibliography
External links
Prasna Upanishad Max Muller (Translator), Oxford University Press
Prasna Upanishad Robert Hume (Translator), Oxford University Press
Prasnopnishad with Adi Shankara Commentary SS Sastri (Translator)
Multiple translations (Johnston, Nikhil?nanda, Gambhirananda)
Prashna Upanishad Sanskrit PDF
Sri Aurobindo on Prashna Upanishad
The Prashna Upanishad with Shankara's Commentary Translated by S.
Sitarama Sastri, online ebook
Recitation
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