Verse 1
पञ्चमः प्रश्नः ।अथ हैनं शैब्यः सत्यकामः पप्रच्छ । स यो ह वैतद्भगवन्मनुष्येषु प्रायणान्तमोङ्कारमभिध्यायीत । कतमं वावस तेन लोकं जयतीति । तस्मै स होवाच ॥ ५.१॥
atha hainaṃ śaibyaḥ satyakāmaḥ papraccha . sa yo ha vaitadbhagavanmanuṣyeṣu prāyaṇāntamoṅkāramabhidhyāyīta . katamaṃ vāvasa tena lokaṃ jayatīti . tasmai sa hovāca .. 5.1..
Translation by Swami Sivananda1 Then Satyakama, the son of Sibi, asked Pippalada; Sir, if among men someone should here meditate on the syllable AUM until death, which world, verily, would he win thereby?Translation by Max Mueller1. Then Saivya Satyakâma asked him:–Sir, if some one among men should meditate here until death on the syllable Om, what would he obtain by it?
Verse 2
एतद्वै सत्यकाम परं चापरं च ब्रह्म यदोङ्कारः ।तस्माद्विद्वानेतेनैवायतनेनैकतरमन्वेति ॥ ५.२॥
etadvai satyakāma paraṃ cāparaṃ ca brahma yadoṅkāraḥ .tasmādvidvānetenaivāyatanenaikataramanveti .. 5.2..
Translation by Swami Sivananda2 He replied: O Satyakama, the syllable AUM is the Supreme Brahman and also the other Brahman. Therefore he who knows it attains, with its support, the one or the other.Translation by Max Mueller2. He replied: O Satyakâma, the syllable Om (AUM) is the highest and also the other Brahman; therefore he who knows it arrives by the same means at one of the two.
Verse 3
स यद्येकमात्रमभिध्यायीत स तेनैव संवेदितस्तूर्णमेवजगत्यामभिसम्पद्यते । तमृचो मनुष्यलोकमुपनयन्ते स तत्रतपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण श्रद्धया सम्पन्नो महिमानमनुभवति ॥ ५.३॥
sa yadyekamātramabhidhyāyīta sa tenaiva saṃveditastūrṇamevajagatyāmabhisampadyate . tamṛco manuṣyalokamupanayante sa tatratapasā brahmacaryeṇa śraddhayā sampanno mahimānamanubhavati .. 5.3..
Translation by Swami Sivananda3 If he meditates on one letter (matra), then, being enlightened by that alone, he quickly comes back to earth after death. The rik verses lead him to the world of men. By practising austerity, chastity and faith he enjoys greatness.Translation by Max Mueller3. If he meditate on one Mâtrâ (the A), then, being enlightened by that only, he arrives quickly at the earth. The Rik-verses lead him to the world of men, and being endowed there with penance, abstinence, and faith, he enjoys greatness.
Verse 4
अथ यदि द्विमात्रेण मनसि सम्पद्यते सोऽन्तरिक्षंयजुर्भिरुन्नीयते सोमलोकम् । स सोमलोके विभुतिमनुभूयपुनरावर्तते ॥ ५.४॥
atha yadi dvimātreṇa manasi sampadyate so’ntarikṣaṃyajurbhirunnīyate somalokam . sa somaloke vibhutimanubhūyapunarāvartate .. 5.4..
Translation by Swami Sivananda4 If, again, he meditates on the second letter, he attains the mind and is led up by the yajur verses to the intermediate space, to the Plane of the Moon. Having enjoyed greatness in the Plane of the Moon, he returns hither again.Translation by Max Mueller4. If he meditate with two Mâtrâs (A + U) he arrives at the Manas, and is led up by the Yagus-verses to the sky, to the Soma-world. Having enjoyed greatness in the Soma-world, he returns again.
Verse 5
यः पुनरेतं त्रिमात्रेणोमित्येतेनैवाक्षरेण परं पुरुषमभि-ध्यायीत स तेजसि सूर्ये सम्पन्नः । यथा पादोदरस्त्वचा विनिर्मुच्यतएवं ह वै स पाप्मना विनिर्मुक्तः स सामभिरुन्नीयते ब्रह्मलोकंस एतस्माज्जीवघनात् परात्परं पुरिशयं पुरुषमीक्षते । तदेतौश्लोकौ भवतः ॥ ५.५॥
yaḥ punaretaṃ trimātreṇomityetenaivākṣareṇa paraṃ puruṣamabhi-dhyāyīta sa tejasi sūrye sampannaḥ . yathā pādodarastvacā vinirmucyataevaṃ ha vai sa pāpmanā vinirmuktaḥ sa sāmabhirunnīyate brahmalokaṃsa etasmājjīvaghanāt parātparaṃ puriśayaṃ puruṣamīkṣate . tadetauślokau bhavataḥ .. 5.5..
Translation by Swami Sivananda5 Again, he who meditates on the Highest Person through this syllable AUM consisting of three letters, becomes united with the effulgent Sun. As a snake is freed from its skin, even so he is freed from sin.Translation by Max Mueller5. Again, he who meditates with this syllable AUM of three Mâtrâs, on the Highest Person, he comes to light and to the sun. And as a snake is freed from its skin, so is he freed from evil. He is led up by the Sâman-verses to the Brahma-world; and from him, full of life (Hiranyagarbha, the lord of the Satya-loka), he learns to see the all-pervading, the Highest Person. And there are these two Slokas:
Verse 6
तिस्रो मात्रा मृत्युमत्यः प्रयुक्ताअन्योन्यसक्ताः अनविप्रयुक्ताः ।क्रियासु बाह्याभ्यन्तरमध्यमासुसम्यक् प्रयुक्तासु न कम्पते ज्ञः ॥ ५.६॥
tisro mātrā mṛtyumatyaḥ prayuktāanyonyasaktāḥ anaviprayuktāḥ .kriyāsu bāhyābhyantaramadhyamāsusamyak prayuktāsu na kampate jñaḥ .. 5.6..
Translation by Swami Sivananda6 The three letters of AUM, if employed separately, are mortal; but when joined together in meditation on the total Reality and used properly on the activities of the external, internal and intermediate states, the knower trembles not.Translation by Max Mueller6. The three Mâtrâs (A + U + M), if employed separate, and only joined one to another, are mortal; but in acts, external, internal, or intermediate, if well performed, the sage trembles not.
Verse 7
ऋग्भिरेतं यजुर्भिरन्तरिक्षंसामभिर्यत् तत् कवयो वेदयन्ते ।तमोङ्कारेणैवायतनेनान्वेति विद्वान्यत्तच्छान्तमजरममृतमभयं परं चेति ॥ ५.७॥इति प्रश्नोपनिषदि पञ्चमः प्रश्नः ॥
ṛgbhiretaṃ yajurbhirantarikṣaṃsāmabhiryat tat kavayo vedayante .tamoṅkāreṇaivāyatanenānveti vidvānyattacchāntamajaramamṛtamabhayaṃ paraṃ ceti .. 5.7..iti praśnopaniṣadi pañcamaḥ praśnaḥ ..
Translation by Swami Sivananda7 The wise man, meditating on AUM, attains this world by means of the rik verses; the intermediate world by means of the yajur verses; and that which is known to the seers by means of the sama verses. And also through the syllable AUM he realises that which is tranquil, free from decay, death and fear and which is the Highest.Translation by Max Mueller7. Through the Rik-verses he arrives at this world, through the Yagus-verses at the sky, through the Sâman-verses at that which the poets teach,–he arrives at this by means of the Oṅkâra; the wise arrives at that which is at rest, free from decay, from death, from fear,–the Highest.