Prashna Upanishad – I – Spiritual paths of the Moon and Sun – 4   «   »

Prashna Upanishad – I – Spiritual paths of the Moon and Sun – 4   «   »

तस्मै स होवाच प्रजाकामो वै प्रजापतिः स तपोऽतप्यत
स तपस्तप्त्वा स मिथुनमुत्पादयते । रयिं च प्राणं
चेत्येतौ मे बहुधा प्रजाः करिष्यत इति ॥ १.४॥
tasmai sa hovāca prajākāmo vai prajāpatiḥ sa tapo’tapyata
sa tapastaptvā sa mithunamutpādayate . rayiṃ ca prāṇaṃ
cetyetau me bahudhā prajāḥ kariṣyata iti .. 1.4..
Translation by Swami Sivananda
4 To him the teacher said: Prajapati, the Creator, was desirous of progeny. He performed austerities and having performed austerities, created the pair, the moon (rayi) and the sun (prana). He said to Himself: “These two should produce creatures for Me in manifold ways.” 

Translation by Max Mueller
4. He replied: Prajapati (the lord of creatures) was desirous of creatures (pragâh). He performed penance, and having performed penance, he produces a pair, matter (rayi) and spirit (prâna), thinking that they together should produce creatures for him in many ways.

deity_Prashna

Sri Shankara’s Commentary (Bhashya) translated by S. Sitarama Sastri

Com.—To him who thus interrogated, he replied for solving the doubt. Wishing to create creatures out of himself, the lord of creatures, the âtman of all thinking to create the universe, acting according to the word filled with the thought, being Hiranyagarbha born at the beginning of this Kalpa and being the lord of all created beings and things immoveable and moveable, revolved in his mind the knowledge acquired in the previous birth, the drift of which is revealed by the srutis. Having thus brooded over the knowledge, imparted by the srutis produced a pair, a couple—necessary for creation,—the moon, i.e., food and prâna, fire (sun), i.e., the eater. Thinking that agni (sun) and the moon, i e., (the eater and the food) respectively would create diverse creatures, he created the sun and the moon, in the order beginning with anda (globe).

Links
Various resources on the Prashnopanishad
Upanishad Series – Kena Upanishad Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Prashna Upanishad – 4 – Prashna-1-4-tasmai sa – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) – Prashna-1-4