Pravahana’s questions

Chandogya Upanishad tells the story of Svetaketu, son of

sage Gautama. Svetaketu went to the court of Pravahana,

who asked him if he had finished studying under his father.

Svetaketu said that he had. Pravahana then asked him some

questions to test his knowledge, said M.K. Srinivasan in a

discourse.

The first question was: “Where do people go when they

die?” Pravahana then asked if the dead returned to earth;

the third question was about the point at which the path of

gods and the path of pitrus separate; the fourth question

was why the other world did not get overcrowded with all

the souls that had left the earth. The last question was how

water was connected with the birth of man.

Svetaketu did not know the answers to Pravahana’s questions.

He went back to his father sage Gautama, who said

that he had not taught Svetaketu all these things because he

himself was unaware of them. Gautama then went to meet

Pravahana, who offered to give him many gifts. But Gautama

said that what he wanted was to be enlightened on the subjects Pravahana had spoken of to Svetaketu. Pravahana told Gautama that he would have to be prepared for a long

period of study to understand what he (Pravahana) was going to teach him.

Pravahana said that Panchagni Vidya, would answer all

the questions that he (Pravahana) had put to Svetaketu.

Pravahana said that so far it had been taught only to Kshatriyas and not to Brahmins.

It was a closely guarded secret of Kshatriyas. But Pravahana

said that since he had promised to grant Gautama a

boon, he would honour his word.

Pravahana then taught Gautama Panchagni Vidya — that

is knowledge of the five fires, which would answer all the

questions he (Pravahana) had put to Svetaketu.