* The next phrase was borrowed from § 3, without even changing the singular to the plural. As Indra only found out that it was Brahman, the original distinction between Indra and the other gods, who only came near to it, was quite justified. Still it might be better to adopt the var. lect. sa hy etat in § 2.
152 TALAVAKARA-UPANISHAD.
flashes forth in the lightning, and now vanishes again.
5. And this is the teaching of Brahman, with re-
gard to the body (psychological): It is that which
seems to move as mind, and by it imagination
remembers again and again?.
6. That Brahman is called Tadvana?, by the
name of Tadvana it is to be meditated on. All
beings have a desire for him who knows this.
7. The Teacher: ‘As you have asked me to tell you the Upanishad, the Upanishad has now
1 [ have translated these paragraphs very differently from San- kara and other interpreters. The wording is extremely brief, and we can only guess the original intention of the Upanishad by a reference to other passages. Now the first teaching of Brahman, by means of a comparison with the gods or heavenly things in general, seems to be that Brahman is what shines forth suddenly like lightning. Sometimes the relation between the phenomenal world and Brahman is illustrated by the relation between bubbles and the sea, or lightning and the unseen heavenly light (Mait. Up. VI, 35). In another passage, XA. Up. VIII, 12, 2, lightning, when no longer seen, is to facilitate the conception of the reality of things, as distinct from their perceptibility. I think, therefore, that the first simile, taken from the phenomenal world, was meant to show that Brahman is that which appears for a moment in the lightning, and then vanishes from our sight.
The next illustration is purely psychological. Brahman is proved to exist, because our mind moves towards things, because there is something in us which moves and perceives, and because there is something in us which holds our perceptions together (sankalpa), and revives them again by memory.
I give my translation as hypothetical only, for certainty is ex- tremely difficult to attain, when we have to deal with these enigma- tical sayings which, when they were first delivered, were necessarily accompanied by oral explanations.
* Tadvana, as a name of Brahman, is explained by ‘the desire of it, and derived from van, to desire, the same as vans.
IV KHANDA, 9. 153
been told you. We have told you the Brahmi
Upanishad.
8. ‘The feet on which that Upanishad stands are
penance, restraint, sacrifice; the Vedas are all its
limbs!, the True is its abode.
9. ‘He who knows this Upanishad, and has
shaken off all evil, stands in the endless, uncon-
querable* world of heaven, yea, in the world
of heaven.’
1 It is impossible to adopt Sankara’s first rendering, ‘the Vedas and all the Angas,’ i.e. the six subsidiary doctrines. He sees himself that sarvangani stands in opposition to pratish/ha and dyatana, but seeing Veda and Anga together, no Brahman could help thinking of the Vedangas.
* Might we read agyeye for gyeye? cf. Satap. Brahm. XI, 5, 7. 1.
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AITAREYA-ARANVYAKA.
AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
First Aranyaka
First KHanpa.
1. Now follows the Mahavrata ceremony.
2. After having killed Vyvztra, Indra became
great. When he became great, then there was
the Mahavrata (the great work). This is why the
Mahdavrata ceremony is called Mahavrata.
3. Some people say: ‘Let the priest make two
(recitations with the offering of the) A4gya (ghee) on
that day,’ but the right thing is one’.
4. He who desires prosperity should use the hymn, pra vo devaydgnaye (Rv. III, 13, 1).
5. He who desires increase should use the hymn, viso viso atithim (Rv VIII, 74, 1).
1 That it should be one only is proved from the types, i.e. from other sacrifices, that have to be followed in the performance of the Mahavrata. The first type is the Agnishfoma, where one sastra is enjoined as 4gyasastra, viz. pra vo devayagnaye. In the Visvagit, which has to follow the Agnish/oma, another hymn is put in its place, viz. agnim naro didhitibhiZ. In the Mahavrata, which has to follow the Visvagit, some people recommend the use of both these hymns. But that is wrong, for there must be in the sacri- fices which follow the Agnish/oma twelve sastras altogether; and if there were two here, instead of one, we should get a total of thirteen.
158 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
6. The people (visa#) indeed are increase’, and therefore he (the sacrificer) becomes increased.
7. But (some say), there is the word aftithim (in
that hymn, which means a guest or stranger, asking
for food). Let him not therefore take that hymn.
Verily, the atithi (stranger) is able? to go begging.
8. ‘No,’ he said, ‘let him take that hymn.
9. ‘For he who follows the good road and obtains distinction, he is an atithi (guest) *.
10. ‘They do not consider him who is not so, worthy to be (called) an atithi (guest).
11. ‘Therefore let him by all means take that hymn.’
12. If he takes that hymn, let him place the
(second) tristich, 4ganma vvztrahantamam, ‘we came
near to the victorious,’ first.
13. For people worship the whole year (perform-
ing the Gavdmayana sacrifice) wishing for this day
(the last but one)—they do come near.
14. The (next following) three tristichs begin
with an Anushéubh‘. Now Brahman is Gayatri,
speech is Anush¢ubh. He thus joins speech with
Brahman.
15. He who desires glory should use the hymn, abodhy agnif# samidhé ganan4m (Rv. V, 1, 1).
’ The word visak, which occurs in the hymn, means people. The commentator says that because the Vaisyas or tradespeople increase their capital, therefore they are called increase.
2 Able, or liable; cf. Ait. Ar. Il, 3, 5, 7.
* Atithi is here explained by yo bhavati, and bhavati is explained as walking on the good road. One expects yo va atati. The obtaining of distinction is probably derived from ati, above, in atithi.
* In the first and second the Anush/ubh is followed by two Gayatris.
I Aranyaka, I Adhyaya, 2 Khanda, 5. 159
16. He who desires offspring and cattle should use the hymn, hotdganishéa #etanak (Rv. II, 5, 1).
1. He who desires proper food? should use the hymn, agnim naro didhitibhiZ (Rv. VII, 1, 1) 2.
2. Verily, Agni (fire) is the eater of food.
In the other (recitations accompanying the) offer-
ings of agya (where Agni is likewise mentioned) the
worshippers come more slowly near to Agni (because
the name of Agni does not stand at the beginning
of the hymn). But here a worshipper obtains proper
food at once, he strikes down evil at once.
3. Through the words (occurring in the second
foot of the first verse), hasta#yuti ganayanta, ‘ they
caused the birth of Agni by moving their arms,’ the
hymn becomes endowed with (the word) birth.
Verily, the sacrificer is born from this day of the
sacrifice, and therefore the hymn is endowed with
(the word) birth.
4. There are four metrical feet (in the Trish/ubh
verses of this hymn). Verily, cattle have four feet,
therefore they serve for the gaining of cattle.
5. There are three metrical feet (in the Virag verses of this hymn). Verily, three are these three-
? Annddyam is always explained as food, here as annam tad adyam ka. It must be so translated here and elsewhere (I, 2, 10), though it is often an abstract of anndda, an eater of food, a healthy man.
? This hymn is prescribed in the Visvagit sacrifice, and taken over to the Mahavrata, according to rule. It is used, however, both as obligatory and as optional at the same time, i.e. it is an essential part of the sacrifice, and at the same time to be used by those who wish for proper food.
160 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
fold worlds. Therefore they serve for the conquest of the worlds.
6. These (the Trish¢ubh and Virag verses of the
hymn) form two metres, which form a support (pra-
tish¢#4). Verily, man is supported by two (feet),
cattle by four feet. Therefore this hymn places the
sacrificer who stands on two feet among cattle which
stand on four.
7. By saying them straight on there are twenty-
five verses in this hymn. Man also consists of
twenty-five. There are ten fingers on his hands,
ten toes on his feet, two legs, two arms, and the
trunk (Atman) the twenty-fifth, He adorns that
trunk, the twenty-fifth, by this hymn.
8. And then this day (of the sacrifice) consists of
twenty-five, and the Stoma hymn of that day con-
sists of twenty-five! (verses); it becomes the same
through the same. Therefore these two, the day
and the hymn, are twenty-five ”.
9. These twenty-five verses, by repeating the
first thrice and the last thrice, become thirty less
one. This is a Virag verse (consisting of thirty
syllables), too small by one. Into the small (heart)
the vital spirits are placed, into the small stomach
food is placed *, therefore this Virag, small by one,
serves for the obtainment of those desires.
10. He who knows this, obtains those desires.
11. The verses (contained in the hymn agnim naro didhitibhizZ) become the Brzhati* metre and
Y ChieAlt Ae Tie cas il in aa.
2 The plural after the dual is explained by the fact that the hymn means the twenty-five verses.
CE 1 ar os
* The hymn consists of eighteen Virag and seven Trish/ubh
1 Aranyaka, I Adhyaya, 3 Khanda, 2. 161
the Virag metre, (they become) the perfection which
belongs to that day (the mahdvrata). Then they
also become Anush/ubh', for the offerings of Agya
(ghee) dwell in Anushéubhs ?.
THIRD KHANDA 3,
1. Some say: ‘Let him take a Gayatri hymn for
the Pra-uga. Verily, Gayatri is brightness and glory
of countenance, and thus the sacrificer becomes
bright and glorious.’
2. Others say: ‘Let him take a Ushzih hymn for
the Pra-uga. Verily, Ushwih is life, and thus the
sacrificer has a long life.’
Others say: ‘Let him take an Anush¢ubh hymn
verses. Therefore the eighteen Virag verses remain what they are, only that the first is repeated three times, so that we have twenty Virdg verses. The seven Trish/ubhs, by repeating the last three times, become nine. We then take eight syllables away from each verse, thus changing them into nine Brzhat? verses. The nine times eight syllables, which were taken off, give us seventy- two syllables, and as each Brvhatf consists of thirty-six syllables, two Brrhatis.
1 The change of the first verse, which is a Virag of thirty-three syllables, into an Anush/ubh is produced by a still easier process. The first Virag consists here of thirty-three syllables, the Anu- shfubh should have thirty-two. But one or two syllables more of less does not destroy a metre, according to the views of native metricians. The Virdg itself, for instance, should have thirty syl- lables, and here has thirty-three. Therefore if changed into an Anush/éubh, it simply has one syllable over, which is of no conse- quence. Comm.
4 CE Ait. Ar, I, 1,1, 4.
* Thus far the hymn which has to be recited by the Hots? priest, after the eating of the rztugrahas, has been considered. What follows next is the so-called Pra-uga hymn, consisting of seven trikas, which the Hotr? has to recite after the Visvedeva- graha. Different Sakhis recommend hymns of different metres, our Sakha fixes on the Gayatri.
162 AITAREYA-ARANYAKA.
for the Pra-uga. Verily, Anush¢ubh is valour, and it serves for obtaining valour.’
Others say: ‘Let him take a Brzhati hymn for
the Pra-uga. Verily, Bvzhati is fortune, and thus
the sacrificer becomes fortunate.’
Others say: ‘Let him take a Pankti hymn for
the Pra-uga. Verily, Pankti is food, and thus the
sacrificer becomes rich in food.’
Others say: ‘Let him take a Trish¢ubh hymn for
the Pra-uga. Verily, Trish¢ybh is strength, and thus
the sacrificer becomes strong.’
Others say: ‘Let him take a Gagati hymn for the
Pra-uga. Verily, cattle is Gagati-like, and thus the
sacrificer becomes rich in cattle.’
3. But we say: ‘Let him take a Gayatri hymn
only. Verily, Gayatri is Brahman, and that day
(the mahAavrata) is (for the attainment of) Brahman.
Thus he obtains Brahman by means of Brahman.
4. ‘And it must be a Gayatri hymn by Madhu- kkhandas,
5. ‘For Madhuééfandas is called Madhuéshandas,
because he wishes (#/andati) for honey (madhu) for
the /zshis.
6. ‘Now food verily is honey, all is honey, all
desires are honey, and thus if he recites the hymn
of Madhué#sfandas, it serves for the attainment of
all desires.
7. ‘He who knows this, obtains all desires.’
This (Gayatri pra-uga), according to the one-day
(ekaha) ceremonial’, is perfect in form’. On that day
(the mahavrata) much is done now and then which