Panchama Prashna — The Cosmic Elements and the Individual
Introduction
The Prashna Upanishad, belonging to the Atharva Veda and the Pippalada Sakha, presents six profound enquiries placed before the venerable Rishi Pippalada by six sincere seekers. Each Prashna, including the Essence of Prashna Upanishad Fifth Question, explores a distinct dimension of life, Prana, mind, or consciousness, guiding the aspirant gradually from the gross to the subtle and ultimately toward the Self.
For continuity, readers may revisit the earlier parts of this series:
-
Essence of Prashna Upanishad — First Question
https://arunsingha.in/2021/10/25/essence-of-prashna-upanishad-first-question/ -
Essence of Prashna Upanishad — Second Question
https://arunsingha.in/2021/11/08/essence-of-prashna-upanishad-second-question/ -
Essence of Prashna Upanishad — Third Question
https://arunsingha.in/2021/06/16/essence-of-prashna-upanishad-the-third-question/ -
Essence of Prashna Upanishad — Fourth Question
https://arunsingha.in/2025/11/15/essence-of-prashna-upanishad-fourth-question/
Through these four enquiries, the Upanishad has explained the origin of creation, the nature and functions of Prana, the connection between Prana and mind, and the three states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.
Furthermore, the Fifth Question is asked by Bhargava of Vidarbha, who seeks clarity on how beings are born, how they are sustained, and into what they ultimately dissolve. This enquiry explores the profound relationship between the five cosmic elements (Pancha Mahabhutas) and the individual being (Pinda), revealing the unity of the microcosm and the macrocosm.
Panchama Prashna — The Fifth Question
Mantra 5.1 — Bhargava’s Enquiry
Mantra 5.1
Bhargava, the son of Bhrigu, approached the sage and asked:
“O revered Master, from what are beings born?
By what do they live?
On what do they depend?
And into what do they finally enter?”
Thus, Bhargava’s enquiry covers the entire cycle of existence.
Commentary
Bhargava seeks to understand the full cycle of existence:
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Origin
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Sustenance
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Dependence
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Dissolution
This is a complete cosmological and existential enquiry that links the individual to the totality of creation.
Mantra 5.2 — All Beings Arise from Food
Moreover, the sage explains that all beings arise from food and are sustained by it
Mantra 5.2
“All beings are indeed born from food.
They live by food.
Food is the foundation of existence.
Into food they merge again.”
Commentary
Here “food” (anna) symbolizes the entire material cosmos — the five elements.
Everything arises from the elements and returns to them.
This prepares the ground for explaining the chain of elemental creation that leads to the human body.
Mantra 5.3 — The Origin of Food
Mantra 5.3
“Food arises from water.
Water arises from fire.
Fire from air.
Air from space.
Space arises from the Self.”
Commentary
Consequently, the Upanishad presents the subtle-to-gross sequence of creation.
This is the classical Vedic order of creation:
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Space (Akasha)
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Air (Vayu)
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Fire (Agni)
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Water (Apah)
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Earth / Food (Prithvi)
Creation proceeds from subtle to gross, culminating in the physical world.
Mantra 5.4 — Three Types of Birth
Mantra 5.4
The sage speaks of the threefold birth of beings:
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Womb-born (Jarayuja)
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Egg-born (Andaja)
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Born from moisture or earth (Svedaja / Udbhijja)
Commentary
This classification includes all life forms:
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Humans and mammals
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Birds, reptiles, and insects
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Plants, worms, organisms born from moisture
The Upanishad offers a comprehensive biological model.
In other words, the Upanishad includes every category of life within a single framework.
Mantra 5.5 — Growth Through Food
Mantra 5.5
“From food all beings grow.
Food nourishes the body.
Food becomes the subtle essence within.”
Commentary
In addition, the Upanishad teaches that food is not merely physical nourishment.
The Upanishad teaches that:
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The gross part of food nourishes the body
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The middle part becomes strength
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The subtlest part becomes the mind
This is echoed in the Taittiriya Upanishad:
“Mind is formed from the subtlest part of food.”
Note on the Upanishadic View of Food
The Fifth Question teaches that food (anna) nourishes not only the physical body but also becomes the very essence of vitality and mind.
For a deeper understanding of this profound idea — that food is sacred and is indeed Brahman, the sustaining principle of life — please read:
Annam is Brahman — The Upanishadic Theory of Food
Mantra 5.6 — The Five Sheaths (Pancha Kosha)
Mantra 5.6
The sage hints at the five layers of human existence:
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Annamaya — physical sheath
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Pranamaya — vital sheath
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ManoMaya — mental sheath
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Vijnanamaya — intellectual sheath
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Anandamaya — bliss sheath
Commentary
This shows how food becomes increasingly subtle, forming not only the body but also the energetic and psychological layers.
For readers wishing to deepen their understanding of how the physical body and subtle sheaths relate to the elements and vital forces, see: Understanding the Pancha Kosha Model — A Journey to the Self.
Mantra 5.7 — Food Becomes Body, Blood, and Mind
Mantra 5.7
“Food, when eaten, becomes threefold:
The gross becomes the body,
The middle becomes blood,
The subtlest becomes the mind.”
Commentary
The mind is nourished by the purest part of food.
This is why sattvic food promotes clarity and tranquility.
Note for Serious Readers — Vedanta and Modern Physics
The Upanishad teaches that food becomes body, vitality, and finally the mind itself — a subtle process that reveals how all living beings emerge from the essence of the elements.
Modern particle physics similarly examines how fundamental particles and fields give rise to everything we call “matter,” including the body.
For readers who wish to explore this connection from a scientific perspective, the following article provides a clear and insightful foundation:
The Particle Physics of You — Symmetry Magazine
https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/the-particle-physics-of-you?language_content_entity=und
Mantra 5.8 — Water Becomes Vital Energy
Mantra 5.8
“Water also becomes threefold:
The gross becomes urine,
The middle becomes vitality,
The subtlest becomes breath.”
Commentary
Similarly, water undergoes a threefold transformation within the body.
This is the physiology of prana:
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Waste
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Strength
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Life-energy
The Upanishad now connects the physical and subtle bodies.
Mantra 5.9 — Fire Becomes Bone, Marrow, and Speech
Mantra 5.9
“Fire becomes threefold:
The gross becomes bone,
The middle becomes marrow,
The subtlest becomes speech.”
Commentary
Hence, speech is treated as the most refined expression of fire.
Fire (Agni) represents:
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Transformation
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Heat
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Intelligence
Speech is the subtlest expression of fire — the first manifestation of thought.
Mantra 5.10 — Dissolution Into the Elements
Ultimately, the cycle of life returns all beings to the cosmic elements.
Mantra 5.10
“At death, beings return to the elements.
The gross merges with the gross.
The subtle merges with the subtle.”
Commentary
The cycle of life completes itself:
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From the elements → birth
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By the elements → sustenance
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Into the elements → dissolution
This is the wheel of existence governing all embodied beings.
Mantra 5.11 — The Fruit of Knowledge
Mantra 5.11
“He who understands this cycle —
the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of beings —
becomes firmly established,
gains strength,
and attains prosperity.”
Commentary
Therefore, knowledge of this cycle grants strength, stability, and prosperity.
Knowledge brings:
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Stability of mind
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Strength of prana
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Prosperity and fulfillment
To know the connection between the individual and the cosmos is to become free of fear.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Fifth Question brings together the entire chain of cosmic dependence.
The Fifth Question reveals the intimate relationship between the individual being and the cosmic elements:
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Beings arise from the five elements.
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Food, water, and fire nourish the body and mind.
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The subtlest essence becomes prana and mind.
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At death, all returns to the source.
Thus the microcosm (pinda) reflects the macrocosm (brahmanda).
To understand this unity is to stand firmly in truth.
Special Note to Readers
Moreover, the Prashna Upanishad is one of the most mystical and methodical texts in the Upanishadic tradition.
In fact, each question gradually leads the seeker from the visible to the invisible, and from the material to the subtle.
Furthermore, the Fifth Question particularly invites the reader to contemplate the relationship between the cosmic elements and the individual being.
Consequently, it becomes clear that the human body, mind, and life-force arise from the same universal principles that govern the entire cosmos.
Additionally, this enquiry shows that nourishment, vitality, and even thought emerge through the subtle transformations of food, water, and fire.
Thus, through carefully structured teachings, the Upanishad ultimately reveals the unity between the microcosm and the macrocosm.
In other words, by understanding the elements, we begin to understand ourselves.
Therefore, sincere students are encouraged to reflect deeply on these teachings, for they point toward the inner Self that is beyond all change.
For additional reference, see the Upanishads section at Advaita Ashrama:
https://advaitaashrama.org
The three states of consciousness introduced in the Fourth Question — waking, dreaming, and deep sleep — are examined in detail in the Mandukya Upanishad, the smallest of the Upanishads with just twelve mantras.
For deeper study, readers may refer to:
-
Mandukya Upanishad — The Nature of Om (Part 1)
https://arunsingha.in/2025/05/23/mandukya-upanishad-the-nature-of-om-part1/ -
Mandukya Upanishad — The Nature of Om (Part 2)
https://arunsingha.in/2025/05/23/mandukya-upanishad-and-the-nature-of-om-part-2/
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