The Upanishads, Part II — SBE Vol. 15 — trans. F. Max Müller (1884)
The translator’s English as printed. The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
IV PRAPATHAKA, 4. 301 rm Ss the other hand, no one who is not an ascetic brings his sacrificial works to perfection or obtains knowledge of the Highest Self!. For thus it is said: By ascetic penance goodness is obtained, from goodness understanding is reached, from understanding the Self is obtained, and he who has obtained that, does not return 2. 4. “ Brahman is,” thus said one who knew the science of Brahman; and this penance is the door to Brahman, thus said one who by penance had cast off all sin. The syllable Om is the manifest greatness of Brahman, thus said one who well grounded (in Brahman) always meditates on it. Therefore by knowledge, by penance, and by meditation is Brahman gained. Thus one goes beyond? Brahman (Hirazyagarbha), and to a divinity higher than the gods; nay, he who knows this, and worships Brahman by these three (by knowledge, penance, and meditation), obtains bliss imperishable, infinite, and unchangeable. Then freed from those things (the senses of the body, &c.) by which he was filled and overcome, a mere charioteer‘*, he obtains union with the Self.’
mas, but he must have obeyed them first, before he can become a real Tapasvin. 1 M. reads Asrameshv evavasthitas tapasvi sety udyata ity, etad apy uktam, &c. This would mean, ‘For it is said that he only who has dwelt in the 4sramas is also called a Tapasvin, a real ascetic; and this also has been said, that no one obtains self-knowledge except an ascetic.’ This is not impossible, but the commentator follows the text as printed by Cowell. M. reads 4tmagnanenadhigamad, karmasuddhi. 2 M. reads manas4 prapyate tv 4tm4 hy 4tmaptya na nivartata iti. * M. reads pura eta, which may be right. ‘ Rathitad is a very strange word, but, like everything else, it is
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5. The VAlakhilyas said: ‘O Saint, thou art the teacher, thou art the teacher’. What thou hast said, has been properly laid up in our mind. Now answer us a further question: Agni, Vayu, Aditya, Time (kala) which is Breath (prava*), Food (anna), Brahma’, Rudra, Vishzu, thus do some meditate on one, some on another. Say which of these is the best for us.’ He said to them: 6. ‘These are but the chief manifestations of the highest, the immortal, the incorporeal Brahman. He who is devoted to one, rejoices here in his world (presence), thus he said. Brahman indeed is all this, and a man may meditate on, worship, or discard also those which‘ are its chief manifestations. With these (deities) he proceeds to higher and higher worlds, and when all things perish, he becomes one with the Purusha, yes, with the Purusha.’
explained by the commentator, viz. as ratham prapito rathitvam ka prapita iti yavat. Nevertheless the reading of M. seems to me preferable, viz. atha yaih paripfirzo ’bhibhfito ’yam tathaitais ka, taih sarvair vimukta svatmany eva sayugyam upaiti. I should prefer vimuktas tv 4tmany eva, and translate, ‘But then, freed from all those things by which he was filled and likewise was overcome by them, he obtains union with the Self.’ ‘ M. reads the second time abhivady asmfti, which is no improvement. It might have been ativadyasiti. * M. reads Yamad prano. * This is, of course, the personal Brahma of the Hindu triad. To distinguish this personal Brahma from the impersonal, I sometimes give his name in the nom. masc., Brahm, and not the grammatical base, Brahman. * M. reads ya va asya. The commentator explains y4 vasya’ by vasayogyah ; or ya va yah by kAskit, admitting a Vedic irregularity which is not quite clear.
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eee
FirtH PrapArwakal.
1. Next follows Kuts4yana’s hymn of praise: ‘Thou art Brahma, and thou art Vishzu, thou art Rudra, thou Prag4pati 2, thou art Agni, Varuza, Vayu, thou art Indra, thou the Moon. Thou art Anna $ (the food or the eater), thou art Yama, thou art the Earth, thou art All, thou art the Imperishable. In thee all things exist in many forms, whether for their natural or for their own (higher) ends. Lord of the Universe, glory to thee! Thou art the Self of All, thou art the maker of All, the enjoyer of All; thou art all life, and the lord of all pleasure and joy‘. Glory to thee, the tranquil, the deeply hidden, the incomprehensible, the immeasurable, without beginning and without end.’
2. ‘In the beginning > darkness (tamas) alone was this. It was in the Highest, and, moved by the Highest, it becomes uneven. ‘Thus it becomes obscurity
1 At the beginning of the fifth Prapa/Aaka my MS. gives the Slokas which in the printed edition are found in VI, 34, p. 178, Atreme sloka bhavanti, yatha nirindhano vahnir, &c., to nirvishayam smritam. Then follows as § 2, Atha yathedam Kautsydyanistutis, tvam, &c. 2 The commentator explains Brahma by Hiramyagarbha and Pragapati by Virag. 8 M. reads tvam Manus, tvam Yamas 4a tvam, prethivi tvam athakyutah, which is so clearly the right reading that it is difficult to understand how the mistakes arose which are presupposed by the commentary. See Taitt. Up. II, 2. 4 M. reads visvakri¢drati# prabhu/, which seems better. 5 M. reads tamo v4 idam ekam Asta tat paro syat tat parezeritam. It may have been tat pare ’sthat.
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IV PRAPATHAKA, 4. 301 rm Ss the other hand, no one who is not an ascetic brings his sacrificial works to perfection or obtains knowledge of the Highest Self!. For thus it is said: By ascetic penance goodness is obtained, from goodness understanding is reached, from understanding the Self is obtained, and he who has obtained that, does not return 2. 4. “ Brahman is,” thus said one who knew the science of Brahman; and this penance is the door to Brahman, thus said one who by penance had cast off all sin. The syllable Om is the manifest greatness of Brahman, thus said one who well grounded (in Brahman) always meditates on it. Therefore by knowledge, by penance, and by meditation is Brahman gained. Thus one goes beyond? Brahman (Hirazyagarbha), and to a divinity higher than the gods; nay, he who knows this, and worships Brahman by these three (by knowledge, penance, and meditation), obtains bliss imperishable, infinite, and unchangeable. Then freed from those things (the senses of the body, &c.) by which he was filled and overcome, a mere charioteer‘*, he obtains union with the Self.’
mas, but he must have obeyed them first, before he can become a real Tapasvin. 1 M. reads Asrameshv evavasthitas tapasvi sety udyata ity, etad apy uktam, &c. This would mean, ‘For it is said that he only who has dwelt in the 4sramas is also called a Tapasvin, a real ascetic; and this also has been said, that no one obtains self-knowledge except an ascetic.’ This is not impossible, but the commentator follows the text as printed by Cowell. M. reads 4tmagnanenadhigamad, karmasuddhi. 2 M. reads manas4 prapyate tv 4tm4 hy 4tmaptya na nivartata iti. * M. reads pura eta, which may be right. ‘ Rathitad is a very strange word, but, like everything else, it is
p. 302
5. The VAlakhilyas said: ‘O Saint, you are the teacher, you are the teacher’. What you have said, has been properly laid up in our mind. Now answer us a further question: Agni, Vayu, Aditya, Time (kala) which is Breath (prava*), Food (anna), Brahma’, Rudra, Vishzu, thus do some meditate on one, some on another. Say which of these is the best for us.’ He said to them: 6. ‘These are but the chief manifestations of the highest, the immortal, the incorporeal Brahman. He who is devoted to one, rejoices here in his world (presence), thus he said. Brahman indeed is all this, and a man may meditate on, worship, or discard also those which‘ are its chief manifestations. With these (deities) he proceeds to higher and higher worlds, and when all things perish, he becomes one with the Purusha, yes, with the Purusha.’
explained by the commentator, viz. as ratham prapito rathitvam ka prapita iti yavat. Nevertheless the reading of M. seems to me preferable, viz. atha yaih paripfirzo ’bhibhfito ’yam tathaitais ka, taih sarvair vimukta svatmany eva sayugyam upaiti. I should prefer vimuktas tv 4tmany eva, and translate, ‘But then, freed from all those things by which he was filled and likewise was overcome by them, he obtains union with the Self.’ ‘ M. reads the second time abhivady asmfti, which is no improvement. It might have been ativadyasiti. * M. reads Yamad prano. * This is, of course, the personal Brahma of the Hindu triad. To distinguish this personal Brahma from the impersonal, I sometimes give his name in the nom. masc., Brahm, and not the grammatical base, Brahman. * M. reads ya va asya. The commentator explains y4 vasya’ by vasayogyah ; or ya va yah by kAskit, admitting a Vedic irregularity which is not quite clear.
p. 303
eee
FirtH PrapArwakal.
1. Next follows Kuts4yana’s hymn of praise: ‘You are Brahma, and you are Vishzu, you are Rudra, you Prag4pati 2, you are Agni, Varuza, Vayu, you are Indra, you the Moon. You are Anna $ (the food or the eater), you are Yama, you are the Earth, you are All, you are the Imperishable. In you all things exist in many forms, whether for their natural or for their own (higher) ends. Lord of the Universe, glory to you! You are the Self of All, you are the maker of All, the enjoyer of All; you are all life, and the lord of all pleasure and joy‘. Glory to you, the tranquil, the deeply hidden, the incomprehensible, the immeasurable, without beginning and without end.’
2. ‘In the beginning > darkness (tamas) alone was this. It was in the Highest, and, moved by the Highest, it becomes uneven. ‘Thus it becomes obscurity
1 At the beginning of the fifth Prapa/Aaka my MS. gives the Slokas which in the printed edition are found in VI, 34, p. 178, Atreme sloka bhavanti, yatha nirindhano vahnir, &c., to nirvishayam smritam. Then follows as § 2, Atha yathedam Kautsydyanistutis, tvam, &c. 2 The commentator explains Brahma by Hiramyagarbha and Pragapati by Virag. 8 M. reads tvam Manus, tvam Yamas 4a tvam, prethivi tvam athakyutah, which is so clearly the right reading that it is difficult to understand how the mistakes arose which are presupposed by the commentary. See Taitt. Up. II, 2. 4 M. reads visvakri¢drati# prabhu/, which seems better. 5 M. reads tamo v4 idam ekam Asta tat paro syat tat parezeritam. It may have been tat pare ’sthat.
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