Once it has been established that prāṇa — on account of its having origination and cessation—is not the Self (ātman), the subsequent section of the text begins with the purpose of determining the nature of the Self distinct from prāṇa. Thus it commences with “atha”.

Now then, following the questions posed by Kauśalya and Aśvalāyana, a certain Gārgya, descendant of the Garga lineage, approached the well-known sage Pippalāda—here referred to as Sauryāyaṇi, being descended from the solar lineage (with the affix -āyaṇi being Vedic usage)—and asked:

“Revered Sir, in this person, whose body endowed with head, hands, and other limbs is immediately perceptible to all people, which sense-organs become inactive during sleep—that is, which ones cease functioning due to the suspension of their activities?” (Question 1)

“Which organs, in this body, remain active during sleep, continuing to operate for the sake of maintaining the body in the waking state?” (Question 2)

“Which among the constituents of action and cognition is this entity who—manifesting directly through the notion ‘I see’—is the illuminating witness of dreams? That is, who sees the dream-objects such as elephants, chariots, and so on, that arise within the body due to impressions formed in the waking state, just as in waking experience?” (Question 3)

“When both waking and dream states have ceased, and all activity of the sense-organs is suspended, to whom does this experience of happiness in deep sleep belong? That is, this happiness, characterized solely by the absence of mental distraction, self-revealing, and apprehended as agreeable—whose is it?” (Question 4)

“And finally, in what singular support—given that even prāṇa, the supposed universal basis, is itself produced—do all faculties, sense-organs, and other such components become fully established, as sweetness is in honey?” (Question 5)

Thus, in this manner, he posed five questions—this completes the connection with the preceding section.