Chandogya Upanishad:

The Chanters' Teaching:

Book III Part II
III.10

1. The Sadhyas, with Brahma as their chief, live on the fifth of these nectars. Gods do not eat or drink: they are satisfied just by seeing the nectar.

2. They enter into this form and out of (his form they arise.

3. The one who knows the nectar in this way becomes one of the Sadhyas, with Brahma as his chief, and is satisfied just by seeing the nectar. He enters into this form and out of this form he arises.

4. Twice as long as the sun rises in the north and sets in the south, it will rise above and set below. I.e. in the zenith and in the nadir respectively. For so long he will encompass the overlordship and kingship of the Sadhyas.

III.ll

1. Then, when it has risen above, it will not rise and will not set, but will rest, solitary, in the middle. There is a verse about it:

2. 'It is not there: it has not set Nor ever risen. Gods, by that truth

May I not be parted from brahman

3. It does not rise or set for him: it is always daytime for the one who knows the inner teaching of brahman. Brahmopanisad

4. In this way Brahma taught it to Prajapati; Prajapati to Manu; Manu to his offspring. Or. To creatures In this way his father taught brahman to Uddalaka Aruni, his eldest son.

5. In this way a father should teach brahman to his eldest son or to a trustworthy student,

6. Not to anyone else at all, even if someone should give him this whole earth,'Earth' implied by 'this' (r.). surrounded by the waters, filled with riches: for this is greater than that. This is greater than that.I.e. this knowledge is greater than any wealth. The expression each time ends with iti, suggesting that this is what is (or should be) in the teacher's mind when he makes this choice.

III.12

1. The Gayatri is all this, whatever has come to be.Idam sarvam hhutam yad idam kimca, literally, 'all this [that has come into] being, whatever it is'. The universe seems to be pictured here as one great living thing (bhiila). Speech is the Gayatri: speech sings (gai-) and protects (trai-) all this that has come to be.

2. What the Gayatri is, this earth is. Whatever has come to be is established on the earth and does not go beyond it.

3. What the earth is, the body is in a person. The breaths are established in it and do not go beyond it.

4. What the body is in a person, the heart is within the person. The breaths are established in it and do not go beyond it.

5. The Gayatri is four-footed and six-fold. It is described in a re verse:

6. 'So far goes his greatness, And the person is greater than that. A foot of him is all beings:

Three-footed, he has immortality in the sky.'

7. What is called 'brahman' is the space that is outside a person. The space that is outside a person

8. is the space that is within a person. The space that is within a person

9. is the space that is within the heart. It is the full, the unmoving. The one who knows this wins glory which is full and unmoving.

III.13

1. The heart has five divine channels. Devasusi, suggesting both 'channels of the gods' and 'channels which are gods' Its eastern channel is the breath (prana); it is the eye; it is the sun. One should contemplate it as brightness {tejas), as good food. The one who knows this becomes bright (tejasvin), an eater of food.

2. Its southern channel is the diffused breath (vyana); it is the ear; it is the moon. One should contemplate it as glory, as fame. The one who knows this becomes glorious, famous.

3. Its western channel is the lower breath [apana); it is speech; it is fire. One should contemplate it as the radiance of brahman, as good food. The one who knows this becomes radiant with brahman, an eater of food.

4. Its northern channel is the central breath {samana); it is the mind; it is Parjanya. One should contemplate it as renown, as beauty. The one who knows this becomes renowned, beautiful.

5. Its upward channel is the up-breath (udana); it is air; it is space. One should contemplate it as power, as might. The one who knows this becomes powerful, mighty.

6. These five brahman-persons are the door-guardians of the heavenly world. A hero is bom in the family of the one who knows these five braman-persons as the door-guardians of the heavenly world. He attains the heavenly world-the one who knows these five brahman-persons as the door-guardians of the heavenly world.

7. The light which shines beyond the sky, behind all, behind everything, in the unsurpassed, highest worlds, is the same that is the light within the person.

8. This is what one is seeing when one experiences by touch the heat in the body. This is what one is hearing when one closes one's ears and hears a kind of noise, a roaring like that of a blazing fire. One should contemplate it as the seen and the heard. The one who knows this becomes someone worth seeing, someone heard-of-the one who knows this.

III.14

1. 'All this is brahman. Calming oneself, one should contemplate it as Tajjalan. tad+ja+la+an, traditionally said to mean 'born from (ja), absorbed back The person is made of intention: Kratu, the will or intelligence that leads to action.as is his intention in this world, so does the person become on departing from here. He should form his intention.

2. 'Made of mind, with breath as body, with light as form, of true resolve, Satyasamkalpa, 'having a will (samkalpa see CU VII.4.1. and note) which [invariably] comes true'. with space as self, doing all, desiring all, smelling of all, tasting of all, encompassing all this, unspoken, untroubled,

3. 'This self of mine within the heart is smaller than a rice grain or a barleycorn or a mustard-seed or a millet-grain or the kernel of a millet-grain. This self of mine within the heart is greater than the earth, greater than middle-air, greater than the sky, greater than these worlds.

4. 'Doing all, desiring all, smelling of all, tasting of all, encompassing all this, unspoken, untroubled, this self of mine within the heart is brahman. "Having gone forth from here, I shall be changed into Or 'attain' this." Truly he will, the one who has no doubt of this.' So said Sandilya, Sandilya.

III.15

1. Middle-air its interior, earth its base, The treasury is not exhausted. The directions are its comers, Sky the opening above. This treasury is the holder of wealth. All this rests in it.

2. Its eastern direction is called Juhu, its southern direction Sahamana, its western direction Rajni, its northern direction Subhuta. Air is their darling child. Whoever knows air as the darling child of the directions never makes mourning for a son. I know air as the darling child of the directions: may I never make mourning for a son!

3. I take refuge in the undamaged treasury with name, with name, with (name). The name of the son to be protected. The speaker prays that the four goddesses named in CU III.15.2. will dote on and protect his child as they would their own. I take refuge in the breath with (name), with (name), with (name). I take refuge in BHUH with (name), with (name), with (name). I take refuge in BHUVAH with (name), with (name), with (name). I take refuge in SVAH with (name), with (name), with (name).

4. When I said, 'I take refuge in the breath', I was saying, 'Breath is all this, whatever there is. I have taken refuge in it.'

5. And when I said, 'I take refuge in BHLH', I was saying, 'I take refuge in earth; I take refuge in middle-air; I take refuge in sky.'

6. And when I said, I take refuge in BHUVAH', I was saying, 'I take refuge in fire; I take refuge in air; I take refuge in the sun.'

7. And when I said, 'I take refuge in SVAH', I was saying, 'I take refuge in the Rgveda; I take refuge in the Yajurveda; I take refuge in the Samaveda.'

III.16

1. A person is a sacrifice. Twenty-four of his years are the morning pressing. For the symbolism in this chapter see 11.24 and notes. The Gayatri has twenty-four syllables:

the morning pressing is in Gayatri metre. The Vasus are associated with it. The breaths are the Vasus, for they cause all this to stay (vas-). Or, 'cause all this to shine'

2. If some illness afflicts him during this period, he should say, 'Breaths, Vasus, extend my morning pressing to the midday pressing. May I, the sacrifice, not be cut off in the middle of the breaths, the Vasus.' Then he gets over it and is cured.

3. Forty-four of his years are the midday pressing. The Tristubh has forty-four syllables: the midday pressing is in Tristubh metre. The Rudras are associated with it. The breaths are the Rudras, for they cause all this to weep (rud-).

4. If some illness afflicts him during this period, he should say, 'Breaths, Rudras, extend my midday pressing to the third pressing. May I, the sacrifice, not be cut off in the middle of the breaths, the Rudras.' Then he gets over it and is cured.

5. Forty-eight of his years are the third pressing. The Jagati has forty-eight syllables: the third pressing is in JagatT metre. The Adityas are associated with it. The breaths are the Adityas, for they take (a-da-) all this.

6. If some illness afflicts him during this period, he should say, 'Breaths, Adityas, extend my third pressing to a life span. May I, the sacrifice, not be cut off in the middle of the breaths, the Adityas.' Then he gets over it and is cured.

7, Knowing this, Mahidasa Aitareya once said: 'Why do you Addressing the disease afflict me like this? For I will not die from this.' He lived a hundred and sixteen years. The one who knows this lives a hundred and sixteen years.

III.17

1. When one is hungry, when one is thirsty, when one takes no pleasure, that is one's initiation.

2. When one eats, when one drinks, when one takes pleasure, one takes part in the upasads.On the day of initiation (diksB), the patron and his wife keep a strict fast

3. When one laughs, when one feasts, when one makes love, one takes part in the hymns and recitations. StutaSastras. Stuta is the same as the sterna, sung by the Udgatr and his assistants. 'Sastra, praise, is recited by the Hotr and his assistants.

4. One's asceticism, giving, honesty, non-violence and truth-speaking (as they are called) are one's gifts to the priests. Duksina

5. So they say, 'She will give birth!' 'She has given birth!' This is one's resumption of the sacrifice.Or, 'He will beget!' 'He has begotten!', but also, 'He will press [Soma]! He has pressed [Soma]!' ('Of the sacrifice' is added for clarity.) Death is one's bath at the end. Avabrtha, the bath taken by the patron and his wife to end the yajfia.

6. Ghora Angirasa, having taught this to Krsna son of Devaki, This is perhaps the earliest mention of Krsna in literature. said-for he had become free from thirst-'At the time of death one should take refuge in these three recollections: "You are the unperishing. You are the unfallen. You are the subtlest part of the breath."' Pranasamsita, from sum-So-, to sharpen, so presumably the subtlest part of the breath. Each of these descriptions is in the neuter gender: 'You are [that which is] unperishing.' There are two re verses about it:

7. 'Yes, they see the day-like light Of the primal seed Which is kindled beyond in the sky.' Some texts include only part of this verse (SV.I.i.10, a variant of RV.VIII.6.30): 'Yes ... Of the primal seed . . ./ and run it together with the following one: 'Yes, seeing above darkness the highest light/Of the primal seed/Seeing, each for himself, the highest . . .'

8. 'Seeing above darkness the highest light, Seeing, each for himself, the highest, We have reached the sun, The god. among gods, The highest light- The highest light.790

III. 18

1. One should contemplate mind as brahman. That is regarding oneself. Now, regarding deities: space is brahman. Both are taught, regarding oneself and regarding deities.

2. Brahman has four feet. Speech is a foot, breath is a foot, eye is a foot, ear is a foot. That is regarding oneself. Now, regarding deities: fire is a foot, air is a foot, the sun is a foot, the directions are a foot.

3. Speech is a quarter, a foot of brahman. With fire as its light it shines and gives heat. The one who knows this shines and gives heat with fame, glory, the radiance of brah man.

4. Breath is a quarter, a foot of brahman. With air as its light it shines and gives heat. The one who knows this shines and gives heat with fame, glory, the radiance of brahman.

5. The eye is a quarter, a foot of brahman. With the sun as its light it shines and gives heat. The one who knows this shines and gives heat with fame, glory, the radiance of brahman.

6. The ear is a quarter, a foot of brahman. With the directions as its light it shines and gives heat. He shines and gives heat with fame, glory, the radiance of brahman, the one who knows this: the one who knows this.

III.19

1. The sun is brahman: this is the symbolic statement. To explain further: in the beginning this was not-being. That was Or perhaps, 'it became being', though the verb used is Ssit, not abhavat. being; it came into existence; it turned into an egg. It lay for the space of a year, then cracked open. The two halves of the egg-shell became gold and silver.

2. What was the silver half is the earth, and what was the gold half is the sky. What was the chorion is the mountains, and what was the amnion The chorion (jarayu) and the amnion (ulba) are the outer and inner sacs surrounding an embryo. The authors primarily seem to have in mind a mammalian birth, though comparable organs are found in a bird's egg. is the mist with the clouds. What were the blood-vessels are the rivers, and what was the amniotic fluid Literally, the water of the bladder (udaka vasteya). The blood vessels (dhamani) are presumably those which pass through the chorion and placenta and nourish the embryo. This interpretation would fit the symbolism, since we would then have the rivers running from the mountains to the sea. These organs would have been known even in ancient times, since traces of them are found in the afterbirth. is the sea.

3. What was bom is the sun. When it was being bom, sounds of ululation went up towards it, and all beings and all desires. So at its rising and at its setting, sounds of ululation go up towards it, and all beings and all desires.

4. Good sounds will come quickly to him-the one who, knowing this, contemplates the sun as brahman-and will fill him with joy: will fill him with joy.




| Links |

MantraOnNet.com, All Rights Reserved