6. He (breath) guarded all this whatsoever from evil. Because he guarded (atrdyata) all this whatso-
1 The real ground for the name is that the poets of the first
Mandala composed on an average each about a hundred Ak
verses.
216 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
ever from evil, therefore there are (the poets of the
fifth Mandala of the Rig-veda, called) Atrayaz.
Therefore people call him who is really Prana
(breath), Atrayaz.
1. He (breath) is likewise a Bibhradvaga (bringer
of offspring). Offspring is vaga, and he (breath)
supports offspring. Because he supports it, there-
fore there is (the poet of the sixth Mamdala of the
Rig-veda, called) Bharadvaga. Therefore people
call him who is really Prava (breath), Bharadvaga.
2. The Devas (speech, &c.) said to him: ‘ He it
is who chiefly causes us to dwell on earth.’ Because
the Devas said of him, that he chiefly caused them
to dwell on earth, therefore there is (the poet of the
seventh Mazdala of the Rig-veda, called) Vasish¢ha.
Therefore people call him who is really Prawa
(breath), Vasishta}.
3. He (breath) went forth towards? all this what-
soever. Because he went forth toward all this what-
soever, therefore there are (the poets of the eighth
Mandala of the Rig-veda, called) the Pragathas.
Therefore people call him who is really Praza
(breath), the Pragathas.
4. He (breath) purified all this whatsoever. Be- cause he purified all this whatsoever, therefore there
* I translate in accordance with the commentator, and probably with the intention of the author. The same etymology is repeated in the commentary on II, 2, 4, 2. It would be more natural to take vasish/ha in the sense of the richest. |
* This is the interpretation of the commentator, and the pre- position abhi seems to show that the author too took that view of the etymology of pragatha.
It ARANYAKA, 2 ADHYAYA, 2 KHANDA, 8. 217
are (the hymns and also the poets! of the ninth
Mazdala of the Rig-veda, called) the Pavamanis.
Therefore people called him who is really Pravza
(breath), the Pavamanis.
5. He (breath) said: ‘Let me be everything
whatsoever, small (kshudra) and great (mahat), and
this became the Kshudrasfiktas and Mahdasiktas.’
Therefore there were (the hymns and also the poets
of the tenth Mazdala of the Rig-veda, called) the
Kshudrastktas (and Mahastktas). Therefore people
call him who is really Praza (breath), the Kshu-
drastktas (and Mahdasiktas).
6. He (breath) said once: ‘You have said what
is well said (su-ukta) indeed. This became a Sikta
(hymn). Therefore there was the Sukta. There-
fore people call him who is really Praza (breath),
Sakta *.
7. He (breath) is a Azké (verse), for he did
honour® to all beings (by entering into them).
Because he did honour to all beings, therefore there
was the Avé verse. Therefore people call him who
is really Praza (breath), Az2.
8. He (breath) is an Ardharfa (half-verse), for he
did honour to all places (ardha)*. Because he did
honour to all places, therefore: there was the Ar-
dharfa. Therefore people call him who is really
Praza (breath), Ardharéa.
‘ It seems, indeed, as if in the technical language of the Brahmans, the poets of the ninth Mamdala were sometimes called Pavamanis, and the hymns of the tenth Mazdala Kshudrasfktas and Mahiasfiktas (masc.). Cf. Arsheya-brahmama, ed. Burnell, p. 42.
* The poet also is called Sfiikta, taddrash/ipi siktanadmako ’bhit. Comm.
* I translate according to the commentator.
* Ardha means both half and place.
218 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
9. He (breath) is a Pada (word) ', for he got into
all these beings. Because he got (padi) into all
these beings, therefore there was the Pada (word).
Therefore people call him who is really Praza
(breath), Pada.
10. He (breath) is an Akshara (syllable), for he
pours out (ksharati) gifts to all these beings, and
without him no one can pour out puleneee gifts.
Therefore there was the Akshara (syllable). There-
fore people call him who is really Praza (breath),
Akshara ?.
11. Thus all these Azé verses, all Vedas, all
sounds* are one word, viz. Praza (breath). Let
him know that Praza is all Azé verses.
1. While Visvamitra was going to repeat the
hymns of this day (the mah4vrata), Indra sat down
near him‘, Visvdmitra (guessing that Indra wanted
food) said to him, ‘ This (the verses of the hymn) is
food, and repeated the thousand Brzhati verses °.
1 It may also be intended for pada, foot of a verse. 7
* The Praza (breath) is to be meditated on as all hymns, all poets, all words, &c. Comm.
§ All aspirated sonant consonants. Comm.
* Upanishasasdda, instead of upanishasida. The mistake is probably due to a correction, sa for sha; the commentator, how- ever, considers it as a Vedic license. Sakaro ‘dhikas s4Aandasah.
®° These are meant for the Nishkevalya hymn recited at the noon-libation of the Mahdvrata. That hymn consists of ten parts, corresponding, as we saw, to ten parts of a bird, viz. its body, neck, head, root of wings, right wing, left wing, tail, belly, chest, and thighs. The verses corresponding to these ten parts, beginning with tad id 4sa bhuvaneshu gyeshtham, are given in the first Aranyaka, and more fully in the fifth Aranyaka by Saunaka.
11 Aranyaka, 2 Adhyaya, 3 Khanda, 4. 219
By means of this he went to the delightful home of Indra (Svarga).
2. Indra said to him: ‘ Azshi, thou hast com¢ to
my delightful home. Ashi, repeat a second hymn’.
Visvamitra (guessing that Indra wanted food) said
to him, ‘ This (the verses of the hymn) is food,’ and
repeated the thousand Brzhatt verses. By means
of this he went to the delightful home of Indra
(Svarga).
3. Indra said to him: ‘Azshi, thou hast come to
my delightful home. Azshi, repeat a third hymn.’
Visvamitra (guessing that Indra wanted food) said
to him, ‘ This (the verses of the hymn) is food,’ and
repeated the thousand Brzhati verses. By means
of this he went to the delightful home of Indra
(Svarga).
4. Indra said to him: ‘ Azshi, thou hast come to
my delightful home. I grant thee a boon.’ Visva-
mitra said: ‘May I know thee.’ Indra said: ‘I am
Prawa (breath), O Azshi, thou art Pravza, all things
are Praza. For it is Praza who shines as the sun,
and I here pervade all regions under that form.
This food of mine (the hymn) is my friend and my
support (dakshiza). This is the food prepared by
Visvamitra. I am verily he who shines (the sun).’
Though they consist of many metres, yet, when one counts the syllables, they give a thousand Brrhati verses, each consisting of thirty-six syllables.
1 Although the Nishkevalya is but one hymn, consisting of eighty trzkas, yet as these eighty trzAas were represented as three kinds of food (see Ait. Ar. II, 1, 2, 2-4), the hymn is represented as three hymns, first as eighty Gayatif trzkas, then as eighty Brehatt trzkas, lastly as eighty Ushnih trzkas.
220 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.,
FourtH KuHawnpa.
1. This then becomes perfect as a thousand of
Brzhati verses. Its consonants! form its body, its
voice? (vowels) the soul’, its sibilants® the air of
the breath.
2. He who knew this became Vasish¢ha, he took this name from thence ®.
3. Indra verily declared this to Visvamitra, and
Indra verily declared this to Bharadvaga. There-
fore Indra is invoked by him as a friend °.
4. This becomes perfect as a thousand of Brzhati
verses’, and of that hymn perfect with a thousand
Brzhati verses, there are 36,000 syllables* So
many are also the thousands of days of a hundred
years (36,000). With the consonants they fill the
nights, with the vowels the days.
5. This beéomes perfect as a thousand of Brzhati
verses. He who knows this, after this thousand of
Brzhatis thus accomplished, becomes full of know-
ledge, full of the gods, full of Brahman, full of the
immortal, and then goes also to the gods.
6. What I am (the worshipper), that is he (sun) ; what he is, that am I.
1 Vyafiganani, explained by kadini.
? Ghosha, explained by aspirated sonant consonants.
* Atma, explained by madhyasartram.
* SashasahasZ. Comm.
®° He became Prava, and because Praza causes all to dwell, or covers all (vasayati), therefore the Azshi was called Vasish/Aa. Comm. Cf. Ait. Ar. II, 2, a ies
° At the Subrahmavyé ceremony in the Soma sacrifices, the invocations are, Indra 4 gakkha, hariva a gakkha.
7 Of MiArIIp a Bee.
* Each Brzhati has thirty-six syllables.
I1 Aranyaka, 3 Adhyaya, I Khanda, 4. 221
7, This has been said by a Ashi (Rv. I, rts, 1):
‘The sun is the self of all that moves and rests.’
8. Let him look to that, let him look to that!
Third Adhyaya1
First KHAnDA.
1. He who knows himself as the fivefold hymn
(uktha), the emblem of Prava (breath), from whence
all this springs*, he is clever. These five are the
earth, air, ether, water, and fire (gyotis). This is
the self, the fivefold uktha. For from him all this
springs, and into him it enters again (at the dissolu-
tion of the world). He who knows this, becomes
the refuge of his friends.
2. And to him who knows the food (object) and
the feeder (subject) in that uktha, a strong son is
born, and food is never wanting. Water and earth
are food, for all food consists of these two. Fire
and air are the feeder, for by means of them? man
eats all food. Ether is the bowl, for all this is
poured into the ether. He who knows this, be-
comes the bowl or support of his friends.
3. To him who knows the food and the feeder
in that uktha, a strong son is born, and food is
never wanting. Herbs and trees are food, animals
the feeder, for animals eat herbs and trees.
4. Of them again those who have teeth above
1 In this adhyaya some more qualities are explained belonging to the Mah4vrata ceremonial and the hymns employed at it, which can be meditated on as referring to Prama, life.
2 Because the world is the result or reward for Pevoraiiig a meditation on the uktha. Comm.
’ The digestive fire is lighted by the air of the breath. Comm.
222 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA,
and below, shaped after the likeness of man, are
feeders, the other animals are food. Therefore
these overcome the other animals, for the eater is
over the food.
5. He who knows this is over his friends.
SECOND KHawpa}.
1. He who knows the gradual development of
the self in him (the man conceived as the uktha),
obtains himself more development.
2. There are herbs and trees and all that is ani-
mated, and he knows the self gradually developing
in them. For in herbs and trees sap only is seen ’,
but thought (Aitta) in animated beings.
3. Among animated beings again the self de-
velops gradually, for in some sap (blood) is seen
(as well as thought), but in others thought is not
seen. 4. And in man again the self develops gradually,
for he is most endowed with knowledge. He says
what he has known, he sees what he has known °.
He knows what is to happen to-morrow, he knows
heaven and hell. By means of the mortal he desires
the immortal—thus is he endowed.
5. With regard to the other animals hunger and
thirst only are a kind of understanding. But they
do not say what they have known, nor do they see
? This treats of the gradual development of life in man, parti- cularly of the development of a thinking soul (Aaitanya).
* In stones there is not even sap, but only being, satta. Comm.
* What he has known yesterday he remembers, and is able
to say before men, I know this. And when he has known a
thing he remembers it, and goes to the same place to see it again.
Comm.
11 Aranyaka, 3 Adhyaya, 3 Khanda, 5. 223
what they have known. They do not know what
is to happen to-morrow, nor heaven and hell. They
go so far and no further, for they are born according
to their knowledge (in a former life).
Tuirp Kuanpa.
1, That man (conceived as uktha) is the sea,
rising beyond the whole world?. Whatever he
reaches, he wishes to go beyond®. If he reaches the
sky, he wishes to go beyond.
2. If he should reach that (heavenly) world, he would wish to go beyond.
3- That man is fivefold. The heat in him is fire ;
the apertures (of the senses) are ether; blood, mucus,
and seed are water; the body is earth; breath is air.
4. That air is fivefold, viz. up-breathing, down-
breathing, back-breathing, out-breathing, on-breath-
ing. The other powers (devatas), viz. sight, hearing,
mind, and speech, are comprised under up-breathing
and down-breathing. For when breath departs, they
also depart with it.
5. That man (conceived as uktha) is the sacrifice,
which is a succession now of speech and now of
thought. That sacrifice is fivefold, viz. the Agni-
hotra, the new and full moon sacrifices, the four-
monthly sacrifices, the animal sacrifice, the Soma
sacrifice. The Soma sacrifice is the most perfect of
sacrifices, for in it these five kinds of ceremonies
are seen: the first which precedes the libations (the
Diksha, &c.), then three libations, and what follows
(the Avabhvztha, &c.) is the fifth.