Upanishads · Praśna 3.11
॥
Devanāgarī
य एवं विद्वान् प्राणं वेद ।
न हास्य प्रजा हीयते ऽमृतो भवति ।
तद् एष श्लोकः
Transliteration (IAST)
ya evaṃ vidvān prāṇaṃ veda |
na hāsya prajā hīyate 'mṛto bhavati |
tad eṣa ślokaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एवम्evamthus; in this way
विद्वान्vidvānthe knower (vidvas); aware of; one who has understood
प्राणम्prāṇamthe prāṇa; vital force
वेदvedaknows; realises
न हna hanot indeed; truly not
अस्यasyait; his
प्रजाःprajāḥoffspring; beings
हीयतेhīyateis cut off (from √hā — 'to fall away'); is broken; dwindles
अमृतःamṛtaḥimmortal (a-mṛta); imperishable; not subject to death
भवतिbhavatibecomes; is
तत् एषः श्लोकःtat eṣaḥ ślokaḥon this, this verse; a śloka expresses this
Translation
"He who, knowing thus, knows prāṇa — his offspring is not cut off, and he himself becomes immortal. Of this, this verse."
Version
4ad08a979545 · published Jul 26, 2026, 8:35:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fruit of the third knowledge is twofold, on the two storeys of life. na hāsya prajā hīyate — "his offspring is not cut off": one who knows the constitution of life lives in accord with it — and his family line does not wither; the Upaniṣads never forget the earthly blessing: knowledge does not war against the continuance of life but keeps it. amṛto bhavati — "and he becomes immortal": the knowledge of prāṇa carried through to her Source, the Ātman (verse 32!), leads beyond what is born and goes out.
evaṁ vidvān — "thus knowing": the key word is "thus": not anatomically only (five breaths, channels, heat) but down to the root: prāṇa is the Ātman's shadow. He who knows the currents without the Source is a physiologist; he who knows the Source of the currents is immortal. One and the same knowledge either saves or remains a certificate — depending on whether the Shadow has been seen as a shadow.
tad eṣa ślokaḥ — "of this, a verse": by the Upaniṣad's custom the prose instruction is sealed with a verse — and it will sum up the whole third question.