Prashnopanishad- Yoga Siddhanta Bhashya (An Old and Rare Book)

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Ancient India was once a very vast country covering Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Western region; Nepal, Tibet, some parts of western China and Asiatic Russia in the Northern region; Burma, Bhutan, Bangladesh etc. in the Eastern region; Sri Lanka and Gondwanaland, commonly known as the Lemurian Continent, in the Southern region.

In prehistoric times when man lived like a nomad and had not learned to adjust himself with nature, various great civilizations flourished in the equatorial belt. In the ancient Indian sub-continent various cultures existed. Iraq and Iran were known as Aranya Vraja and the Aranyak civilization developed there. Afghanistan was known as Gandhar Desh which gave birth to the Gandhar civilization. Beside the Indus river, the Indus Valley civilization developed, while the Dravidian race lived in the south-western region of the Indus river and the Magadhi culture flourished in the eastern region of the country.

These different civilizations belonged basically to the Aryan and Dravidian races. In the past, Aryans, Dravidians and other tribes had fought many bloody battles to settle in the land of their choice. The Aryans were viewed as invaders and oppressors who were trying to subdue and enforce their ideology on others. In the course of time, these warring tribes compromised amongst themselves, demarcated their boundaries, developed their empires, acquired social skills, a language, script and spiritual ideology, while maintaining their racial identity which was reflected in their customs, lifestyle and social conduct.

The basic drive towards spiritual enlightenment propelled some of them to dedicate themselves to the discovery of metaphysical truths beyond the realm of the senses, mind, matter and individuality. They became known as the Rishis or Seers, who in their enlightened state heard certain mantras which were later compiled as the Vedas. Veda means knowledge, wisdom. Just as gravity existed before Newton, but the credit goes to him for discovering and explaining it rationally and logically, in the same way, the Vedic mantras were heard and discovered in contemplative states by the Seers, who then later on described and explained them to their followers and people. Therefore the Vedas are known as "Shruti". Shruti means "hearing or heard". The process of committing to memory is known as "Smriti". I speak, you hear and memorize it. You speak and a third person memorizes it. Transfer of knowledge from mind to mind through speech is known as Shruti and Smriti.

Historians believe that although the Aryans had a language, they had not yet evolved a script of their own. It seems that the Vedas were written only after the Aryans came in contact with the Dravidian civilization which had a script of its own, possibly the Sharda script.

Some scholars speculate that it was the Sharda script which eventually changed into Sanskrit, while others hold the view that it was the Brahmi script which was the original. From Sanskrit, various other Indo-European languages emerged. In the meantime the other Aryan tribes which had settled in different parts of Europe developed their own form of language and script.

Prashnopanishad

In this Upanishad, six seekers of truth approach the Sage Pippalada, and each of them asks the Sage a question. His answers, which range from the gross to the subtle principles of life, form the Prashna Upanishad or the Upanishad of Questions.

The first question concerns the origin of living beings. It is explained how the Lord, or Creator, created Prana, the Sun (energy) and Rayi, the Moon (matter). Without prana there is no animation, no time, no seasons, no day or night, no life and no creation. Without rayi, there is no matter, no food to sustain life. Matter, energy, nourishment are related and have a common link.

The second question relates to the deities who are the helpers of all living beings, and are manifest in the entire range of senses and substance that constitutes the body. These represent the five gross elements, the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action. Prana is the Chief amongst them. Whatever is within and/or beyond this world is directed and motivated by prana.

The third question refers to the nature and origin of the transcendental prana. Prana originates from the Self (Atman) and just as a man and his shadow are inseparable, in the same way, prana and the Self are also inseparable. Prana sees that the organs of the body carry out their different activities smoothly with the help of sub-divisions of energy. He who knows the origin, place of entrance, location, the five-fold divisions of prana audits identity within the body, attains immortality. These first three questions are concerned with Apara Vidya, the lower or the gross knowledge.

The fourth question refers to sleep and dreams. In deep sleep, the senses become absorbed in the mind, all activity ceases except for that of the five pranas, which remain constantly active. In dream state the mind creates and experiences a separate world made up of different impressions received in the course of its wakeful activity. In this world, the mind sees both the seen and the unseen, hears the heard and the unheard, experiences the experienced and the unexperienced, the true and the untrue and sometimes a mixture of experiences from past births, as well as the present birth. But the mind becomes dreamless when it is overpowered by illumination, and then it enjoys bliss eternal.

The fifth question concerns Om or Pranava. Om is both the higher and lower Brahman. Those who know this truth will experience the lower Brahman, and those who have the living experience of this truth will attain the higher Brahman. He who meditates on Om as Omnipresent, Om-niscient, Om-nipotent, the Supreme Self residing in the hearts of all, becomes immortal.

The sixth and the last question refers to Purusha, who exists in the form of sixteen kalaas. Purusha created prana, action, desire, the five elements, the senses, mind, nourishment, vitality (seed), rites (karmas), the worlds, and the names within the worlds.

These last three questions relate to Para Vidya or Brahma Vidya (the supreme or transcendental knowledge).

Book's Contents and Sample Pages