Upaniṣads · Praśna 3.3
॥
Devanāgarī
आत्मन एष प्राणो जायते ।
यथैषा पुरुषे छायैतस्मिन्न् एतदाततम् ।
मनोकृतेनायात्य् अस्मिञ् शरीरे
Transliteración (IAST)
ātmana eṣa prāṇo jāyate |
yathaiṣā puruṣe chāyaitasminn etadātatam |
manokṛtenāyāty asmiñ śarīre
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
आत्मनःātmanaḥfrom the Ātman; out of the Ātman; from the Very [Spirit]
एषः प्राणःeṣaḥ prāṇaḥthis prāṇa; this life-force
जायतेjāyateis born; arises
यथाyathāhow; like
एषा छायाeṣā chāyāthis shadow; the said shadow
पुरुषेpuruṣein a man; in the case of the person
एतस्मिन्etasminin It; upon It
एतत् आततम्etat ātatamthis is spread over; it is stretched out
मनोकृतेनmanokṛtenaby what the mind has wrought (manas-kṛta — by the will of the mind); according to the mind's act; by the mind's volition
आयातिāyāticomes; enters
अस्मिन् शरीरेasmin śarīreinto this body; in this body
Traducción
"From the Ātman is this prāṇa born. As a shadow beside a man, so is she spread out beside Him; and by the will of the mind she comes into this body."
Versión
978d8d59e468 · publicado 26 jul 2026, 20:35:21 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The answer to the "whence" is the summit of the whole teaching on prāṇa: ātmana eṣa prāṇo jāyate — "from the Ātman is prāṇa born". She whom the hymn hailed as father and mother of creatures is herself born; life is an energy, not a first principle. And the image of dependence is chosen to perfection: yathaiṣā puruṣe chāyā — "as a shadow beside a man": the shadow repeats the man in everything, is inseparable from him, moves with his movement — yet adds nothing to him and does not exist for an instant without him. So prāṇa is "spread out" (ātatam) beside the Ātman: all her royalty is borrowed, the royalty of the Lord cast as a shadow.
By this image the Upaniṣad settles a dispute before it begins: between life and Spirit there is no rivalry of two powers but the relation of light and shadow — incommensurability together with complete inseparability. He who honours prāṇa without knowing the Ātman honours a shadow, unaware of Him who casts it.
mano-kṛtena āyāty asmin śarīre — "by what the mind has wrought she comes into this body": embodiment is directed by the mind — by the sum of intentions, desires and resolves of the past life (the Kaṭha: yathā-karma yathā-śrutam). Prāṇa comes into the body that the mind has "ordered": life follows consciousness as a shadow follows the walker. Here in two words is the whole responsibility of conscious living: the mind's present movements draw the route of the future entry.