तद्ये ह वै तदिष्टापूर्ते कृतमित्युपासते ते चान्द्रमसमेव
लोकमभिजयन्ते । त एव पुनरावर्तन्ते तस्मादेत ऋषयः
प्रजाकामा दक्षिणं प्रतिपद्यन्ते । एष ह वै रयिर्यः
पितृयाणः ॥ १.९॥
tadye ha vai tadiṣṭāpūrte kṛtamityupāsate te cāndramasameva
lokamabhijayante . ta eva punarāvartante tasmādeta ṛṣayaḥ
prajākāmā dakṣiṇaṃ pratipadyante . eṣa ha vai rayiryaḥ
pitṛyāṇaḥ .. 1.9..
9 The year, verily, is Prajapati and there arc two paths thereof: the Southern and the Northern. Those who perform sacrifices and engage in pious actions, as duties to be done, win only the World of the Moon; verily they return hither again. Therefore the rishis who desire off spring travel by the Southern Path. This Path of the Fathers is rayi, food.
Translation by Max Mueller
9. The year indeed is Prajapati, and there are two paths thereof, the Southern and the Northern. Now those who here believe in sacrifices and pious gifts as work done, gain the moon only as their (future) world, and return again. Therefore the Rishis who desire offspring, go to the South, and that path of the Fathers is matter (rayi).
Prashnopanishad Invocation
Prashna I – Spiritual paths of the Moon and Sun
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Verse 16
Prashna II – Discussion of Devas
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Prashna III – Origin and Nature of Prana
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Prashna IV – Mental States and Bliss
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Prashna V – Meditation on OM
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Prashna VI – The Purusha of 16 Kalas
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Closing Prayer – Closing
Sri Shankara’s Commentary (Bhashya) translated by S. Sitarama Sastri
How the pair—the moon, having form, the food and the prana, the formless, the eater, the sun, could create all creatures is explained. This pair alone is time, the year is the lord of creatures, because the year is accomplished by the pair which together are the lord of creatures; the year being a combination of tithîs, days and nights accomplished by the moon and the sun, is said to be of the nature of the pair, food and eater being no other than they. How is that? Of the year the lord of creatures, are two paths, the southern and the northern. These are the two well-known paths, each extending over six months, by which the sun goes south and north, distributing worlds among those who perform karma alone and those who combine karma with worship. The second tadu, i.e., the tadu in ‘tadupâsate’ is an adverbial adjunct. Those among the Brâhmins and the rest who follow only what is done, as Ishtam (sacrifices) and pûrtam (pious acts) and not what is not made, i.e., nothing eternal, attain the world of the moon, i.e., the world of food, a portion of the lord of creatures, who is both food and eater, the worlds of the moon being in the nature of one made, i.e., not eternal. They, after consumption there of what has been done, return, i.e., enter this world or something worse, as is said. As these devotees, i.e., the house-holders, the seers of heaven, desirous of offspring achieve as the fruit by the sacrificial and pious acts, the moon, i.e., the lord of creatures in the form of food; therefore, they attain what was performed by them, i.e., the food, i.e., the moon to which the southern route leads. This is the food, the moon, to which the route of the manes leads.
Prashna Upanishad – 9 – Prashna-1-9-saṃvatsaro – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) – Prashna-1-9