PRASHNA UPANISHAD.5 - by Rishi Pippalada

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Saturday, June 11, 2022. 21:00.

#6 Questions, 67 Mantras : “Questions from Disciples Answered”

##KABANDHI’S QUESTION : Query No 1: “Matter & Energy”

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Mantram 1.5 The Equality of Rayi & Prana – 1. All is Rayi

'Adityah ha vai pranah,  rayih eva chandrama;

rayih va etat sarvam,  yanmurtam cha amurtam cha

tasmaat moortih eva rayih."

Translation :

1 Adityah ha vai pranah,  rayih eva chandrama;  =  The Sun is, verily, Energy (or life); and the Moon is, verily, Matter.

2 rayih va etat sarvam,  yanmurtam cha amurtam cha = Indeed, Matter is all this, that which has form as well as the formless.

3 tasmaat moortih eva rayih. = herefore, form is indeed, Matter. 

Rayi & Prana: Aspects of Creation

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Commentary :

This mantram gives the first hint of the difference between the Vedic concept of

Rayi/Prana and the western science concept of Matter/Energy. Rayi and Prana are

considered to be partners on equal terms. Both (the form and the formless) are considered

to be manifestations from the standpoint of Prajapati, their originator. Both arise from the

Tanmatras or subtle elements. Western science has only recently begun to see their

equality, after Einstein’s discovery of relativity, described by the equation E = mc2

, which equates matter with energy. This was known to the Vedic Rishis thousands of years ago.

1a Aaditya: The student first meditates on the Sun as the symbol for the principle of

Prana. The Sun is only a symbol, not the orb in the sky.

1b Chandrama: Then he meditates on the Moon as the symbol for the principle of

Rayi. The Moon is only a symbol, not the orb in the sky.

Prajapati invested these two with some of His power to create. Anything that has

power will assert itself to express that power. So it is with these two, which asserted

themselves to create the numerous objects in this vast universe.

2-3 Rayi Sarvam: The student now meditates on both the above as Matter, trying to

see no difference between the two. Although they may have different responsibilities, as

partners in Life they are to be considered as equal. They are two sides of the same coin. One

cannot exist without the other. Although Science sees Matter as being inert and Energy as

life-giving, that is not the Vedic view.

The Vedic Rishi saw them both as equal and inseparable partners operating at two

different levels. At the unmanifest level we see it as Prana; at the manifest level, we see it as

Rayi. This is a concept that is not easily digested today due to the different culture that has

overtaken our thinking.

As Guruji explained, “The whole idea here is to drive into us the Sarvatma Bhava –

the feeling that the Lord pervades this entire universe, whether manifest or not.”

From one angle, everything is Rayi (this verse); from another angle, everything is

Prana (next mantram). This is the view the teacher is raising in his students.

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Next- Mantram : 6 The Equality of Rayi & Prana – 2. All is Prana

To be continued ...

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