Prashna Upanishad – VI – The Purusha of 16 Kalas – 1   «   »

Prashna Upanishad – VI – The Purusha of 16 Kalas – 1   «   »

अथ हैनं सुकेशा भारद्वाजः पप्रच्छ । भगवन् हिरण्यनाभः
कौसल्यो राजपुत्रो मामुपेत्यैतं प्रश्नमपृच्छत । षोडशकलं
भारद्वाज पुरुषं वेत्थ । तमहं कुमारमब्रुवं नाहमिमं वेद ।
यद्यहमिममवेदिषं कथं ते नावक्ष्यमिति । समूलो वा एष
परिशुष्यति योऽनृतमभिवदति तस्मान्नार्हम्यनृतं वक्तुम् । स
तूष्णीं रथमारुह्य प्रवव्राज । तं त्वा पृच्छामि क्वासौ पुरुष
इति ॥ ६.१॥
atha hainaṃ sukeśā bhāradvājaḥ papraccha . bhagavan hiraṇyanābhaḥ
kausalyo rājaputro māmupetyaitaṃ praśnamapṛcchata . ṣoḍaśakalaṃ
bhāradvāja puruṣaṃ vettha . tamahaṃ kumāramabruvaṃ nāhamimaṃ veda .
yadyahamimamavediṣaṃ kathaṃ te nāvakṣyamiti . samūlo vā eṣa
pariśuṣyati yo’nṛtamabhivadati tasmānnārhamyanṛtaṃ vaktum . sa
tūṣṇīṃ rathamāruhya pravavrāja . taṃ tvā pṛcchāmi kvāsau puruṣa
iti .. 6.1..
Translation by Swami Sivananda
1 Then Sukesa, the son of Bharadvaja, said to Pippalada: Sir, Hiranyabha, the prince of Kosala, once came to me and asked this question: “O son of Bharadvaja, do you know the Person with sixteen parts?” I said to the prince: “I do not know Him; if I knew Him, why should I not tell you? Surely he who speaks what is not true withers away to the very root; therefore I should not speak untruth.” Then he silently mounted his chariot and went away. Now I ask you: Where does that Person dwell? 

Translation by Max Mueller
1. Then Sukesas Bhâradvâga asked him, saying: ‘Sir, Hiranyanâbha, the prince of Kosalâ, came to me and asked this question: Do you know the person of sixteen parts, O Bhâradvâga? I said to the prince: I do not know him; if I knew him, how should I not tell you? Surely, he who speaks what is untrue withers away to the very root; therefore I will not say what is untrue. Then he mounted his chariot and went away silently. Now I ask you, where is that person?’

deity_Prashna

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

Com.—Then Sukêsa, son of Bhâradvâja questioned him:

“It has been stated that all the universe in the nature of effects and causes, together with the knowing self, enters into the supreme, undecaying self, during sleep. It will be clear by necessary implication that the whole universe enters into that undecaying âtman alone, even in pralaya and that it is produced from thence. For, the absorption an effect into what is not its cause is inappropriate. It has also been said that this Prâna is born of the âtman. The settled meaning of all the Upanishads is that the highest consummation results from the knowledge of that which is the cause of the universe. It has also been subsequently said ‘he, all-knowing, becomes all.’ It should be stated where then that undecaying, true âtman, known as Purusha, is to be known; for that purpose, this question is asked.”

The recital of the anecdote is for the purpose of stimulating those, who wish for emancipation, to special activity, in attaining knowledge by proclaiming the difficulty of attaining it.

“Oh Bhagavan! the son of a king, warrior by caste, born in Kôsala, and named Hiranyagarbha approached me and asked me the following questions: ‘Oh Bhâradvâja, do you know the Purusha of sixteen kalâs, that is the Purusha in whom, the kalâs, i.e., parts as it were, sixteen in number, are superposed by ignorance.”

I told the prince who questioned me ‘I know not him of whom you ask.’ I told him the reason of my ignorance as he did not believe that I was ignorant, though I had thus replied. ‘If at all I knew the Purusha, whom you ask about, how should I not tell it to you, a supplicant, eminently possessing the qualities of a true disciple?’ Seeing again that he did not appear to believe, I said to make him believe, ‘he who making his âtman what it is not, speaks what is not true, is dried up, root and all, i.e., is destroyed both in this world and in the next. As I know this, I dare not, like an ignorant man, speak an untruth.’ The prince thus made to believe, silently touched with shame, got into the chariot and went back the way he came. Therefore, it is established that knowledge should be imparted by the knower to one who has approached him duly and is worthy of it (knowledge); and that falsehood should not be uttered under any circumstances. I ask you about that Purusha who is in my heart, as a knowable, i.e., (being unknown) like a shaft. Where is this Purusha who should be known?

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

Prashna Upanishad – 1 – Prashna-6-1-atha hainaṃ – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) – Prashna-6-1