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| Prashna | |
|---|---|
 A sample text of the Prashna Upanishad (Sanskrit, Devanagari script) | |
| Devanagari | प्रश्न |
| IAST | Praśna |
| Date | 1st millennium BCE |
| Type | Mukhya Upanishad |
| Linked Veda | Atharvaveda |
| Commented by | Adi Shankara, Madhvacharya |
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| Hindu scriptures and texts |
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The Prashna Upanishad (Sanskrit: प्रश्नोपनिषद्, IAST: Praśnopaniṣad) is an ancient Sanskrit text, embedded inside Atharva Veda, ascribed to Pippalada sakha of Vedic scholars.[1] It is a Mukhya (primary) Upanishad, and is listed as number 4 in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads of Hinduism.
The Prashna Upanishad contains six Prashna (questions), with each chapter discussing the answers.[2] The chapters end with the phrase, prasnaprativakanam, which literally means, "thus ends the answer to the question".[1] In some manuscripts discovered in India, the Upanishad is divided into three Adhyayas (chapters) with a total of six Kandikas (कण्डिका, short sections).[3]
The first three questions are profound metaphysical questions but, states Eduard Roer,[3] do not contain any defined, philosophical answers, are mostly embellished mythology and symbolism.The first question gives a detailed philosophical and logical idea about the origin of life on earth and the description is one of the earliest concepts on Matter and energy. The fourth section, in contrast, contains substantial philosophy. The last two sections discuss the symbol Om and concept of Moksha.[3] Roer as well as Weber suggest that the last two Prashnas may be spurious, later age insertion into the original Upanishad.[4]
Prashna Upanishad is notable for its structure and sociological insights into the education process in ancient India.[5] In some historic Indian literature and commentaries, it is also called Shat Prasna Upanishad.[1]
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
maxmullerintrowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Robert Hume, Prasna Upanishad, Thirteen Principal Upanishads, Oxford University Press, pages 378-390
- ^ a b c Raksha Bandhan, Raksha Bandhan{{|date=January 2018 }} Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of Bengal, pages 119-141
- ^ Eduard Roer, Prashna Upanishad[permanent dead link] Bibliotheca Indica, Vol. XV, No. 41 and 50, Asiatic Society of Bengal, pages 138 with footnote 1
- ^ Charles Johnston, The Mukhya Upanishads: Books of Hidden Wisdom, (1920-1931), The Mukhya Upanishads, Kshetra Books, ISBN 978-1495946530 (Reprinted in 2014), Archive of Prashna Upanishad, pages 46-51, 115-118