The Bhagavadgîtâ, with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ — SBE Vol. 8 (trans. K. T. Telang, 1882)
The translator’s English as printed (K. T. Telang). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
* The five organs of action, the five senses of perception, the mind and understanding make the twelve.
* Each current has its own honey regularly distributed to it under the supervision of the Deity, the Supreme. Honey=material enjoyment. Cf. Kaṭha, p. 126, where Sankara renders it by karmaphala, ‘fruit of action.’
* Who supervises. the distribution as stated. Cf. Vedanta-sûtra III, 2, 28-31.
* Bhramara,. which. the commentators interpret to mean ‘one who is given to flying about—the individual self”
* Le. in one life in respect of actions done in a previous life,
° Sankara says this is in answer to a possible difficulty that action performed here cannot have its fruit in the next world, as the fruit is so far removed in time from the action. The answer is, The Lord, the Supreme, can effect this, and taking his existence into account there is no difficulty. Oblation=food, &c., Sankara. The meaning of the whole passage, which is not very clear, seems to be that the Lord has arranged things so that each being receives some of this honey, this food, which is the fruit of his own action. Then the question arises, Do these beings always continue taking the honey and ‘migrating,’ or are they ever released? That is answered by the following sentence.
T7 The wings of knowledge,’ says Sankara, citing a Brâhmaṇa text, ‘those, verily, who have knowledge are possessed of wings, those who are not possessed of knowledge are devoid of wings.’ to the Asvattha of golden leaves!, there become possessed of wings, and fly away happily?. That eternal divine being® is perceived by devotees. The upward life-wind swallows up the downward life-wind ; the moon swallows up the upward lifewind; the sun swallows up the moon?; and another® swallows up the sun. Moving about above the waters, the supreme self ® does not raise one leg’. (Should he raise) that, which is always performing sacrifices , there will be no death, no immortality ®, That eternal divine being’ is perceived by devotees.
* The five organs of action, the five senses of perception, the mind, and understanding make up the twelve.
Each current has its own honey regularly distributed to it under the supervision of the Deity, the Supreme. Honey = material enjoyment. Cf. Kaṭha, p. 126, where Sankara renders it by karmaphala, 'fruit of action.'
* Who supervises the distribution as stated. Cf. Vedanta-sûtra III, 2, 28-31.
* Bhramara, which the commentators interpret to mean "one who is given to flying about—the individual self."
* That is, in one life with respect to actions done in a previous life.
Śaṅkara says this is in answer to a possible difficulty: that action performed here cannot bear fruit in the next world, since the fruit is so far removed in time from the action. The answer is that the Lord, the Supreme, can bring this about, and once his existence is taken into account the difficulty disappears. Oblation = food, etc., Śaṅkara. The meaning of the whole passage, which is not very clear, seems to be that the Lord has so arranged things that each being receives some of this honey — this food — which is the fruit of its own action. The question then arises: do these beings go on taking the honey and migrating forever, or are they ever released? That is answered by the following sentence.
T7 'The wings of knowledge,' says Sankara, citing a Brâhmaṇa text, 'those, verily, who have knowledge are possessed of wings, those who are not possessed of knowledge are devoid of wings.' To the Asvattha of golden leaves!, those who have wings arrive and fly away happily². That eternal divine being³ is perceived by devotees. The upward life-wind swallows up the downward life-wind; the moon swallows up the upward life-wind; the sun swallows up the moon⁴; and another⁵ swallows up the sun. Moving about above the waters, the supreme self⁶ does not raise one leg⁷. Should he raise that leg, which is always performing sacrifices⁸, there will be no death, no immortality⁹. That eternal divine being⁷ is perceived by devotees.