Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 1 — The Upanishads, Part I (Muller, page scans)

The style of the commentator differs in so marked a manner from that of Sankarafarya, that even without the fact that the author of the commentary on the Kaushitaki- upanishad is called Sankarananda, it would have been difficult to ascribe it, as has been done by some scholars, to the famous Sankaraarya. Sankardnanda is called the teacher of Madhavasarya (Hall, Index, p. 98), and the dis- ciple of Anandatma Muni (Hall, Index, p. 116).

I have had the great advantage of being able to consult for the Kaushitaki-upanishad, not only the text and com- mentary as edited by Professor Cowell, but also his excellent translation. If I differ from him in some points, this is but natural, considering the character of the text and the many difficulties that have still to be solved, before we can hope to arrive at a full understanding of these ancient philoso- phical treatises.

V. THE VAGASANEYI-SAMYHITA-UPANISHAD.

THE Va4gasaneyi-samhitaé-upanishad, commonly called from its beginning, fs4 or fsdvdsya, forms the fortieth and concluding chapter of the Samhita of the White Yagur-veda. If the Samhitas are presupposed by the Brahmamas, at least in that form in which we possess them, then this Upanishad, being the only one that forms part of a Samhita, might claim a very early age. The Samhita of the White Yagur-veda, however, is acknowledged to be of modern origin, as compared with the Samhita of the Black Yagur-veda, and it would not be safe therefore to ascribe to this Upanishad a much higher antiquity than to those which have found a place in the older Brahimawas and Aranyakas.

There are differences between the text, as contained in
the Yagur-veda-samhita, and the text of the Upanishad by
itself. Those which are of some interest have been men-
tioned in the notes.

In some notes appended to the translation of this Upanishad I have called attention to what seems to me

INTRODUCTION. Cl

its peculiar character, namely, the recognition of the necessity of- works as a preparation for the reception of the highest knowledge. This agrees well with the position occupied by this Upanishad at the end of the Sazzhita, in which the sacrificial works and the hymns that are to accompany them are contained. The doctrine that the moment a man is enlightened, he becomes free, as taught in other Upanishads, led to a rejection of all discipline and a condemnation of all sacrifices, which could hardly have been tolerated in the last chapter of the Yagur-veda- samhita, the liturgical Veda par excellence.

Other peculiarities of this Upanishad are the name Is, lord, a far more personal name for the highest Being than Brahman; the asurya (demoniacal) or asirya (sunless) worlds to which all go who have lost their self; Matarisvan, used in the sense of pravza or spirit; asnaviram, without muscles, in the sense of incorporeal; and the distinction between sambhiti and asambhiti in verses 12-14.

The editions of the text, commentarles, and glosses, and
the earlier translations may be seen in the works quoted
before, p. Ixxxiv.

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KHAN DOGYA-UPANISHAD.

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KHANDOGYA-UPANISHAD.

FIRST PRAPAZ7HAKA..

First Kuawnpa},

1. LeT a man meditate on the syllable? Om,
called the udgitha; for the udgitha (a portion of the
Sama-veda) is sung, beginning with Om.

The full account, however, of Om is this:—

2. The essence® of all beings is the earth, the essence of the earth is water, the essence of water

1 The AAandogya-upanishad begins with recommending medi- tation on the syllable Om, a sacred syllable that had to be pro- nounced at the beginning of each Veda and of every recitation of Vedic hymns. As connected with the Sdma-veda, that syllable Om is called udgitha. Its more usual name is prazava. The object of the Upanishad is to explain the various meanings which the syllable Om may assume in the mind of a devotee, some of them being extremely artificial and senseless, till at last the highest meaning of Om is reached, viz. Brahman, the intelligent cause of the universe.

* Akshara means both syllable and the imperishable, i.e. Brahman.

* Essence, rasa, is explained in different ways, as origin, sup- port, end, cause, and effect. Rasa means originally the sap of trees. That sap may be conceived either as the essence extracted from the tree, or as what gives vigour and life to a tree. In the former case it might be transferred to the conception of effect, in the latter to that of cause. In our sentence it has sometimes the one, sometimes the other meaning. Earth is the support of all beings, water pervades the earth, plants arise from water, man lives by plants, speech is the best part of man, the Rig-veda the best part of speech, the Sdma-veda the best extract from the Rié, udgitha, or the syllable Om, the crown of the Sdma-veda.

2 KHANDOGYA-UPANISHAD.

the plants, the essence of plants man, the essence
of man speech, the essence of speech the Rig-veda,
the essence of the Rig-veda the Sama-veda?, the
essence of the SAma-veda the udgitha (which is
Om).

3. That udgitha (Om) is the best of all essences,
the highest, deserving the highest place’, the
eighth.

4. What then is the Rz£? What is the SAman? What is the udgitha ? This is the question.

5. The 42% indeed is speech, Sdman is breath,
the udgitha is the syllable Om. Now speech and
breath, or Azé and Sdman, form one couple.

6. And that couple is joined together in the
syllable Om. When two people come together,
they fulfil each other’s desire.

7. Thus he who knowing this, meditates on the
syllable (Om), the udgitha, becomes indeed a ful-
filler of desires.

8. That syllable is a syllable of permission, for
whenever we permit anything, we say Om, yes.
Now permission is gratification. He who knowing
this meditates on the syllable (Om), the udgitha,
becomes indeed a gratifier of desires.

9. By that syllable does the threefold know-
ledge (the sacrifice, more particularly the Soma-
sacrifice, as founded on the three Vedas) proceed.
When the Adhvaryu priest gives an order, he
says Om. When the Hotvz priest recites, he says
Om. When the Udgatzz priest sings, he says Om,

1 Because most of the hymns of the Sama-veda are taken from the Rig-veda.

* Pardrdhya is here derived from para, highest, and ardha, place. The eighth means the eighth or last in the series of essences.

I Prapathaka, I Khanda, Io. 4

—all for the glory of that syllable. The threefold
knowledge (the sacrifice) proceeds by the greatness
of that syllable (the vital breaths), and by its essence
(the oblations) ?.

10. Now therefore it would seem to follow, that
both he who knows this (the true meaning of the
syllable Om), and he who does not, perform the
same sacrifice”. But this is not so, for knowledge
and ignorance are different. The sacrifice which
a man performs -with knowledge, faith, and the
Upanishad? is more powerful. This is the full
account of the syllable Om.

1 These are allusions to sacrificial technicalities, all intended to show the importance of the syllable Om, partly as a mere word, used at the sacrifices, partly as the mysterious name of the Highest Self. As every priest at the Soma-sacrifices, in which three classes of priests are always engaged, has to begin his part of the cere- monial with Om, therefore the whole sacrifice is said to be de- pendent on the syllable Om, and to be for the glory of that syllable, as an emblem of the Highest Self, a knowledge of whom is the indirect result of all sacrifices. The greatness of the syllable Om is explained by the vital breaths of the priest, the sacrificer, and his wife ; its essence by rice, corn, &c., which constitute the oblations. Why breath and food are due to the syllable Om is explained by the sacrifice, which is dependent on that syllable, ascending to the sun, the sun sending rain, rain producing food, and food producing breath and life.

* He who simply pronounces the syllable Om as part of his recitation at a sacrifice, and he who knows the hidden meaning of that syllable, both may perform the same sacrifice. But that per- formed by the latter is more powerful, because knowledge is better than ignorance. This is, as usual, explained by some comparisons. It is true that both he who knows the quality of the haritaki and he who does not, are purged alike if they take it. But on the other hand, if a jeweller and a mere clod sell a precious stone, the knowledge of the former bears better fruit than the ignorance of the latter.

8 Upanishad is here explained by yoga, and yoga by devatadi- vishayam updsanam, meditation directed to certain deities. More

4 KHANDOGYA-UPANISHAD.

SEcoND KHaAwpA}.

1; Whent he Devas and Asuras? struggled toge-
ther, both of the race of PragApati, the Devas took
the udgitha? (Om), thinking they would vanquish
the Asuras with it.

2. They meditated on the udgitha® (Om) as
the breath (scent) in the nose‘*, but the Asuras
pierced it (the breath) with evil. Therefore we smell
by the breath in the nose both what is good-
smelling and what is bad-smelling. For the breath
was pierced by evil.

3. ‘Then they meditated on the udgitha (Om) as
speech, but the Asuras pierced it with evil. There-
fore we speak both truth and falsehood. For
speech is pierced by evil.

4. Then they meditated on the udgitha (Om) as the eye, but the Asuras pierced it with evil. There-

likely, however, it refers to this very upanishad, i.e. to the udgftha- vidya, the doctrine of the secret meaning of Om, as here explained.

1 A very similar story is told in the Brzhad-aramyaka I, 1, 3, r. But though the coincidences between the two are considerable, amounting sometimes to verbal identity, the purport of the two seemis to be different. See Vedanta-sfitra III, 3, 6.

? Devas and Asuras, gods and demons, are here explained by the commentator as the good and evil inclinations of man; Pra- gapati as man in general.

®’ Udgitha stands, according to the commentator, for the sacri- ficial act to be performed by the Udgatrz, the SAama-veda priest, with the udgitha hymns ; and as these sacrificial acts always form part of the Gyotishfoma &c., these great Soma-sacrifices are really intended. In the second place, however, the commentator takes udgitha in the sense of Udgatrz, the performer of the udgitha, which is or was by the Devas thought to be the breath in the nose. I have preferred to take udgitha in the sense of Om, and all that is implied by it.

* They asked that breath should recite the udgttha. Comm.

I Prapathaka, 2 Khanda, 9. 5

fore we see both what is sightly and unsightly. For the eye is pierced by evil.

5. Then they meditated on the udgitha (Om) as
the ear, but the Asuras pierced it with evil. There-
fore we hear both what should be heard and what
should not be heard. For the ear is pierced by
evil.

6. Then they meditated on the udgitha (Om) as
the mind, but the Asuras pierced it with evil.
Therefore we conceive both what should be con-
ceived and what should not be conceived. For
the mind is pierced by evil.

7. Then comes this breath (of life) in the mouth’.
They meditated on the udgitha (Om) as that breath.
When the Asuras came to it, they were scattered,
as (a ball of earth) would be scattered when hitting
a solid stone.

8. Thus, as a ball of earth is scattered when hit-
ting on a solid stone, will he be scattered who wishes
evil to one who knows this, or who persecutes him ;
for he is a solid stone.

9. By it (the breath in the mouth) he distinguishes
neither what is good nor what is bad-smelling, for
that breath is free from evil. What we eat and
drink with it supports the other vital breaths (i.e.
the senses, such as smell, &c.) When at the time
of death he? does not find that breath (in the

1 Mukhya prava ig used in two senses, the principal or vital breath, also called sresh¢ha, and the breath in the mouth, also called dsanya.

2 According to the commentator, the assemblage of the other vital breaths or senses is here meant. ‘They depart when the breath of the mouth, sometimes called sarvambhari, all-supporting, does no longer, by eating and drinking, support them.

6 KHANDOGYA-UPANISHAD.

mouth, through which he eats and drinks and lives),
then he departs. He opens the mouth at the time
of death (as if wishing to eat).

to. Angiras! meditated on the udgitha (Om) as
that breath, and people hold it to be Angiras, 1. e.
the essence of the members (anganam rasaZ) ;

11. Therefore Brzhaspati meditated on udgitha
(Om) as that breath, and people hold it to be Brz-
haspati, for speech is brzhati, and he (that breath) is
the lord (pati) of speech ;

12. Therefore Ayasya meditated on the udgitha
(Om) as that breath, and people hold it to be
Ayasya, because it comes (ayati) from the mouth
(asya) ;

13. Therefore Vaka Dalbhya knew it. He was
the Udgatrz (singer) of the Naimishiya-sacrificers,
and by singing he obtained for them their wishes.

14. He who knows this, and meditates on the
syllable Om (the imperishable udgitha) as the breath
of life in the mouth, he obtains all wishes by singing.
So much for the udgitha (Om) as meditated on with
reference to the body 2.