PRASNOPANISHAD 4

                                                                      

After Kabandhi, Bhargava, Kausalya and Gargya ask their questions on Prana, Self, Life and sleep respectively, Pippalada explains in detail their nature and fu

nctions and origin. He says that everything is established in the Imperishable Brahman. Later, Satyakama raises a doubt and wants to know what will be the effect of meditation on AUM by a person till the end of his life. “The syllable AUM”, says the Teacher “is both the higher and the lower Brahman. One who meditates on that can reach either of the two. Upasana on one element brings him back to earth. The Rik verses take him to the world of men where he lives with faith, chastity and austerity and becomes great. Meditating on two elements, he is led by Yajus mantras to the space in between, to the lunar world. By meditating on the three elements of the syllable of AUM he becomes one with the light, the Sun. He is free from all his sins and is led by Saman mantras to the world of Brahman! He visualizes the person who dwells in the body! One who meditates on all the three elements together is not perturbed or shaken by anything! Chanting AUM with Rik verses he gains the world while doing so with Yajus mantras he gains inter space. Chanting with Saman the person reaches that which is “tranquil, undecaying, deathless, fearless and supreme.”

                Sukesa, another disciple then asked a very ticklish question. He said that one, Hiranyanabha by name came to him and asked who was the person with SIXTEEN parts.  Since he did not know who it was, Sukesa told the truth upon which Hirayanabha left on his chariot.  Sukesa now wanted to know the   whereabouts of that person. To the great surprise of his disciple Sukesa, the preceptor said that the person with Sixteen parts is in the body itself, not anywhere else. “He created  life, and from life, faith, space, air, light, water, earth, senses, mind, and food; and from food vitality, austerity, hymns,  worlds and in the world individuals!”

                 Similar to the streams flowing towards the sea disappear losing their identity and merge into it, the sixteen parts of this Seer lose their name and form in the person! “This one is without parts and immortal.” All the parts in him are well established as spokes in the center of the wheel. He is the person to be known to be free from death. Pippalada told Sukesa and the other disciples that that was the extent of his knowledge of the Brahman “There is nothing higher than that!” The disciples praised their preceptor and described him as the one who ferried them across the sea of ignorance!