The Living Prasna Upanishad

The Prasna Upanishad By Jayaram V	The Living Prasna Upanishad By The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
The Prasna Upanishad, as the name suggests, is a Upanishad of six questions, put forward by six seekers of truth to their master, sage Pippalapada on subjects concerning the origin of creation, who are the supporting and illuminating powers of manifest creation, from where does life come to the physical body, which powers are awake and which are dormant when a person is asleep, the benefits of chanting the sacred mantra Aum and the sixteen tattvas or principles of creation.	It is your right to ask questions. The more questions you ask, the more learn from the teacher. Children who ask questions should be encouraged to grow with the habit. Otherwise, many grow up dumb, unexercised and unenlightened. Jesus spent a lot of time answering questions, even questions that were not spoken out, but only mused in the hearts of people. The religions gradually subdued the spirit of asking questions (inquisitiveness) simply because the leaders were spiritually ignorant and could not contend with inquisitive minds. That development made humanity an unlovely mass, spiritually lazy and unprogressive.
From the Upanishad we learn that an enlightened master would not reveal the secrets of the higher knowledge unless he was satisfied that the recipients were qualified and disciplined. Pippalapada insisted that his disciples stayed with him for a year before he would answer them any questions they asked. The following translation is incomplete. I hope to complete it sometime in the near future.	In the past, many priests who had spiritual knowledge and wisdom considered such knowledge as a person property and as an advantage over others. That is why you find that in some churches, the masses are only introduced to the elementary teachings, while the juicy and powerful teachings were hidden from the public. Another thing that encouraged the concealing if sacred texts was persecution by tyrant leaders, who were spiritually blind and demon-possessed. Every one created by God is qualified to learn the things of spirit, because spirituality is his heritage and destination. But do not spend your time teaching those who are not ready to learn. First, convince them of he importance of spiritual knowledge and wisdom.
1. Aum, O gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious. O those who are qualified for worship, may we see with our eyes what is auspicious. May we enjoy the life given to us by gods, with bodies of strong limb, living for the sake of gods.	1. Oh God, let us hear with our ears what is auspicious. Let us see with our eyes what is auspicious. Let us enjoy the life given to us by God Almighty. Let us live with healthy body, mind and spirit, to the glory of our God.
2. May Indra, of ever increasing vigor, bestow upon us prosperity. May Pusan, the knower of all, bring to us prosperity. May Tarksya, the obstructer of misfortune, grant us prosperity. May Brihaspati, give us prosperity. Aum, peace, peace, peace.	2. Let God, the Unchanging One, bestow upon us prosperity. Let Almighty Love, Jesus Christ, bring to us spiritual attainment. Let the Almighty Presence, the Holy Spirit, obstruct misfortunes and give us empowerment. Let the peace and joy of the Father abide with us always. Peace, peace, peace.
Question I 1. Once Sukesa, son of Bharadvaja, Satyakama son of Sibi, Gargya grandson of Surya, Kausalya son of Asvala, Bhargava of the Vidarbha country, Kabandhi son of Katya, these, devoted to Brahman, their minds concentrated on Brahman, seeking the highest Brahman, approached the revered Pippalada with sacrificial fuel in their hands, thinking that he would explain all knowledge to them.	Question 1 1. Seek knowledge of the truth from those who actually know. Spiritually knowledge is not heard from the elders and not from religious leaders, for many of teach what they do not know. Learn spiritual knowledge and wisdom from the saints living in your midst. If they live in the cave, make the cave your school. If the stay in the wilderness, turn the wilderness into a place of rest. Should they abide on the mountain top, climb the mountain. Where they live in the same house with you, respect them for what they are – glorious and harmless representatives of God. And if they are far away, travel to the place to get what is precious.
2. The seer addressed them thus, "Live with me for one year, practicing austerity, chastity and faith. Then ask us whatever questions you desire to ask and if we know, we shall, indeed, give you the replies."	2. Become like the ever flowing spring. Do not wait for them to ask before you start teaching them. And when they ask you one question, answer seven questions for them. This is pleasing to the Lord, and it is the highest and noblest duty. Tell them the points and explain supporting details. Do not hide what you know, because the only power Devil has over the children of God is ignorance. This ignorance is darkness, and it is terrible.
3. Then Kabandhi, son of Katya, approached him and asked, "Venerable sir, from where have all these creatures come?"	3. "Venerable sir, from where have all these creatures come?"
4. To him he gave this reply, "God, desirous of offspring, performed austerity, and having performed austerity, produced the pair of matter and life, thinking that they would produce manifold beings for him.	4. They came from God, who made all things possible. To every type of life, He gave the inherent ability to propagate, to reproduce, and to multiply. Glorious is His name and generousity is His character.
5. The sun is, indeed, the life. Matter is the moon. Whether formed or formless, all this is verily matter. Therefore, all that is formed is but a part of this matter only.	5. Both the sun and moon are matter. But God empowered the sun to generate FIRE and spread light. The moon He empowered to reflect light. God is spirit. The same spirit is life, and it is light, the light you see everyday. Everything you see on earth has both spiritual and physical part. Each part is exactly like the other. The spirit comes from God, while matter comes from matter. The spiritual part animates, dominates and controls the physical part. Te spirit and matter only co-exist, but do not mix.
6. Now, after the dawn, the sun enters this world from the eastern side. There he bathes in his rays all life that is in the east. He spreads his radiance in other directions also, namely the south, the west, the north, all that is below, above and in between, and bathes in his rays all living beings that are in these quarters.	6. The earth rotates on its axis. It is the rotation that causes the impression of sunrise and sunset. The sun radiates its ray to all the ends of the world, without discrimination. Thereby, it gives light, sustains life and empowers chemical reactions.
7. This is he, the Vaisvanara fire of innumerable forms, (verily) life and fire, who rises from the east. This is what is expressed in a verse of the Rg Veda.	7. God is spirit. The spirit is life. Also, it is light, and light is fire. Hence, God is a Consuming Fire.
8. Of innumerable forms, golden colored, the knower of all, the goal (of all), the one light, the producer of heat, with a thousand rays, of a hundred forms - thus rises the sun, the life force of all creation.	8. God is only one essence, but He takes various forms of manifestations. He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.
9. The year is indeed Lord Himself. It has two paths, the southern and the northern.	9. Time is an illusion. It does not exist. Eternity is the Eternal Now. It is the sequence of events that create the impression of time.
Now those, who perform works according to their desires or for some fulfillment, win only material gains and the human world. They certainly return again. The sages, who desire of offspring, take the southern route. This which is called the path of ancestors, is verily a material path.	True.
10. But the seekers of Self who practice austerity, chastity, faith and knowledge, reach the sun through the northern route. That is the support of all life. That is eternal and fearless - the final goal, the obstructer (of rebirth). No one ever returns from it. About it, we have this verse:	10. But the seekers of Self-knowledge who practice discipline, chastity, faith and knowledge, find God through selfless services and meditation. Those who attain God do not reincarnate again, except to teach and guide humanity heavenwards.
11. He is described by some as the father of five feet and twelve forms, who is seated in the upper half of the heavens, full of water, and by others as as the omniscient who rides (a chariot of ) seven wheels and six spokes.	11. God is spirit and His presence pervades the entire universe, just as the sun pervades the world by its light.
12 The month, verily, is God himself. Of this the dark half is matter and the bright half is life. That is why, the seers perform sacrifices in the bright half while others perform them in the other half.	12. Month is also an illusion, because month is time. Matter is not darkness. .
13. Day and night are, indeed, God himself. Of this, day is life and the night is matter. They who join in sexual intercourse during the day waste their life force while those who do it during the night remain chaste indeed.	13. Day and night are not God. Both day and night are in life. The night is the same with the day, except that sunlight is absent during the night time.
14. Food, indeed, is Lord himself; from it, verily, comes semen and from the semen are born all creatures of this world.	14. Food is not God. And life does not come from matter. Life comes from spirit, which is active, living and intelligent. In every creature, the body comes fro matter, while the animating soul comes from spirit.
15. Thus, those who practice sexual intercourse and produce children, following the rule of God, gain the right to enter the world of Brahman, with austerity, chastity and truth firmly established in them.	15. Thus, those who practice sexual intercourse and produce children, following the laws of holiness, gain the right to enter the kingdom of heaven. They have discipline, chastity and truth firmly established in them.
16. To them belongs that spotless world of Brahman, to those without any trace of crookedness, falsehood or delusion.	16. Celibacy is not holiness. There is no sacred text or holy book that stipulates that married people cannot see God. Great men of God in the past were married men with families. Among them were Abraham, who had 3 wives; Jacob, who had 4 wives; Moses, who had 2 wives; and David, who had 7 wives; Peter, who had a wife. The law of Holiness states that people who have had sexual intercourse should not enter the holy place until it is evening (for about 12 to 24 hours). For God to be present, people should abstain from sex for at least 3 days.
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