The Upanishads, Part I — SBE Vol. 1 (trans. F. Max Müller, 1879)

Open to allEdited by F. Max Müller; translated by Müller, Legge, Bühler, West, Darmesteter, Palmer, Telang, Thibaut, Jolly, Rhys Davids, Oldenberg, Jacobi, Bloomfield and others270 segments · 91 pp

The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.

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The translator’s English as printed (Georg Bühler & James Legge). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.

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6. ‘ That (name) which was the best and without a flaw ;—for this is the best and without a flaw.

7. ‘That which was hidden by their love, is made manifest ;\—for this was hidden in the body, viz. those deities (which enter the body, Agni as voice, entering the mouth, &c.); and that was manifest among the gods in heaven. This is what was intended by the verse.

Fourtuy Kuawpa}.

1. He begins with: ‘That indeed was the oldest in the worlds ?;’—for that (the Brahman) is verily the oldest in the worlds.

2. ‘Whence was born the fierce one, endowed with brilliant force ;’"—for from it was born the fierce one, who is endowed with brilliant force.

3. ‘When born he at once destroys the enemies;’— for he at once when born struck down the evil one.

4. ‘He after whom all friends rejoice;’—verily all friends are the creatures, and they rejoice after him, saying, ‘ He has risen, he has risen®.’

5. ‘Growing by strength, the almighty*;’—for he
(the sun) does grow by strength, the almighty.

6. ‘He, as enemy, causes fear to the slave;’—for everything is afraid of him.

7. ‘Taking the breathing and the not-breathing;' — this means the living and the lifeless.

8. ‘Whatever has been offered at feasts came to thee;’—this means everything is in thy power.

9. ‘All turn their thought also on thee®;’—thisp. 180 means all these beings, all minds, all thoughts also turn to thee.

* He now explains the first hymn of the Nishkevalya, which is called the Ragana,

* Rv. X, 120, 1. ® The sun and the fire.

* Rv. X, 120, 2. 5 Rv. X, 120, 3.

10. ‘When these two become three protectors ;'— i.e. when these two united beget offspring.

11. He who knows this, gets offspring and cattle.

12. ‘Join what is sweeter than sweet (offspring) with the sweet (the parents) ;"—for the couple (father and mother) is sweet, the offspring is sweet, and he thus joins the offspring with the couple.

13. ‘And this (the son, when married) being very sweet, conquered through the sweet ;’—i.e. the couple is sweet, the offspring is sweet, and thus through the couple he conquers offspring 3.

14. This is declared by a Réshi*: ‘Because he (Pragdpati) raised his body (the hymn tad id Asa or the Veda in general) in the body (of the sacrificer)’ (therefore that Nishkevalya hymn is praised); —i.e. this body, consisting of the Veda, in that corporeal form (of the sacrificer).

15. ‘Then let this body indeed be the medicine of that body;’—i. e. this body, consisting of the Veda, of that corporeal form (of the sacrificer).

16. Of this (the first foot of Rv. X, 120, 1) the eight syllables are Gayatrt, the eleven syllables are Trish¢ubh, the twelve syllables are Gagatt, the ten syllables are Virag. The Virag, consisting of ten syllables, rests in these three metres *.

17. The word purusha, consisting of three syllables, that indeed goes into the Virag*.

1 All these are purely fanciful interpretations.

The Virag, consisting of ten syllables, rests in these three metres *.

17. The word purusha, consisting of three syllables, that indeed goes into the Virag*.

1 All these are purely fanciful interpretations.

* Not to be found in our Sakha of the Rig-veda.

® These metres are obtained by a purely arbitrary counting of syllables in the hymn tadidâsa, which really consists of Trishfubh verses.

‘ If we simply count syllables, the first and second feet of the

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18. Verily, these are all metres, these (Gayatri,
Trish¢ubh, Gagati) having the Virag as the fourth.
In this manner this day is complete in all metres to
him who knows this.

FirtH KuHawpa,

-

1. He extends these (verses) by (interpolating) the sound’, Verily, the sound is purusha, man. Therefore every man when he speaks, sounds loud, as it were.

2. At the end of each foot of the first verse of the hymn tad id 4sa, he inserts one foot of the second verse of hymn Rv. VIII, 69, nadam va odatinadm, &c. Thus the verse is to be recited as follows :

Tad id 4sa bhuvaneshu gyesh¢sam pu nadam va odatindm,

Yato gagiia ugras tveshanrimzo ru nadam yoyuvatinam,

Sadyo gagiiano ni rivati satrin pati vo aghnyandm,

Anu yam visve madanti im4s sho dhenfinam ishudhyasi.

first verse consist of ten syllables only, the fourth of nine or ten. In order to bring them to the right number, the word purusha is to be added to what is a Virdg, i.e. to the first, the second, and fourth feet. We thus get:

tad id 4sa bhuvaneshu gyesh/Zam pu yato gagfia ugras tveshanrimzo = ru sadyo gagiiano ni rivAti satrin anu yam visve madanti mas shah. Cf. Ait. Ar. V, 1, 6.

1 The sound, nada, is really a verse beginning with nadam, and which is interpolated after the syllables pu ru shat.

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In nadamw va odatindm (Rv. VIII, 69, 2), odati? are the waters in heaven, for they water all this; and they are the waters in the mouth, for they water all good food.

3. In nadam yoyuvatinim (Rv. VIII, 69, 2), yoyuvatt are the waters in the sky, for they seem to inundate ; and they are the waters of perspiration, for they seem to run continually.

4. In patim vo aghnya4ndm (Rv. VIII, 69, 2), aghnyé are the waters which spring from the smoke of fire, and they are the waters which spring from the organ.

5. In dhenfn4ém ishudhyasi (Rv. VIII, 69, 2), the dhenu (cows) are the waters, for they delight all this; and ishudhyasi means, thou art food.

6. He extends a Trish¢ubh and an Anusht¢ubh *. Trish¢ubh is the man, Anush/ubh the wife, and they make a couple. Therefore does a man, after having found a wife, consider himself a more perfect man.

6. He extends a Trish¢ubh and an Anusht¢ubh *. Trish¢ubh is the man, Anush/ubh the wife, and they make a couple. Therefore does a man, after having found a wife, consider himself a more perfect man.

7. These verses, by repeating the first three times, become twenty-five. The trunk is the twenty-fifth, and Pragdpati is the twenty-fifth’. There are ten fingers on his hands, ten toes on his feet, two legs, two arms, and the trunk the twenty-fifth. He adorns that trunk as the twenty-fifth. Now this day consists of twenty-five, and the Stoma hymn of that day consists of twenty-five: it becomes the same

' The nasal pluta on iti is explained as pddaprattkagrahane *tyantamAdararthak. Cf. Ait. Ar. II, 1, 4, 3.

* Tad id 4sa is a Trishfubh, nadam vahk an Anush/ubh.

5 Cf. I, 1, 2, 7; I, 1, 4, 21.

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through the same. Therefore the two, the day and the hymn, are twenty-five.

SixtH Kuawopa,

This is an exact repetition of the third khamda. According to. the commentator, the third khanda was intended for the glory of the first word tad, while the sixth is intended for the glory of the whole hymn.

SEVENTH KuHawpa.

1. He begins with the hymn, Tad id 4sa bhuvaneshu gyeshtham (Rv. X, 120). Verily, gyesh¢ha, the oldest, is mahat, great. Endowed with mahat the form of this day is perfect.

2. Then follows the hymn, T4m su te kirtim maghavan mahitva (Rv. X, 54), with the auspicious word mahitva.

3. Then follows the hymn, Bhfya id vavvzdhe viry4ya (Rv. VI, 30), with the auspicious word virya.

4. Then follows the hymn, Nvzz4m u tv4 nvztamam gobhir ukthai# (Rv. I, 51, 4), with the aus- Picious word uktha.

5. He extends the first two pddas, which are too small, by one syllable (Rv. X, 120, 1a, and Rv. VIII, 69, 2a)%, Into the small heart the vital spirits are placed, into the small stomach food is placed. It

1 The number is obtained as follows:

  • 1. Tad id 4sa (Rv. X, 120)= . . 9 verses 2, Tam su te kirtim (Rv. X, 54)= . 6 y»
  • 3. Bhfya id vavridhe (Rv. VI, 30)= 5»
  • 4. Nrinim u tva (Rv. I, 51, 4)= 3»

* Cf I, 1, 2, 9.

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serves for the attainment of these desires, He who knows this, obtains these desires.

6. The two feet, each consisting of ten syllables (Rv. X, 120, 1 a, b), serve for the gaining of both kinds of food’, of what has feet (animal food), and what has no feet (vegetable food).

7. They come to be of eighteen syllables each®. Of those which are ten, nine are the prazas (openings of the body)’, the tenth is the (vital) self. This is the perfection of the (vital) self. Eight syllables remain in each. He who knows them, obtains whatever he desires.

Eicutu Kuawpa.

1. He extends (these verses) by (interpolating) the sound‘. Verily, breath (praza) is sound. Therefore every breath when it sounds, sounds loud, as it were.

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