Tii'- ^l^^B^^	■'^V -'BBF^'IB
fESt	^3^P1
91

%MJ^'-^%
	1

•ir't .^

i:

ii

:Hi '^'

t, #

'Ml, J

u^

A =
A ^
A =	C/,'
^^5
0 ^
n =
n =	^^ JO
	^^E m -
H =	== C}
2 =	^^^ 1 —
6^	^^ 1 — :^= m
	li
8 —
o =	- J>
•?	: ;
	—1
	^■^ -C
8 ~

iSAVASYOPANISHAD

WITH THE COMMENTARY

OF

SRI SANKARACHARYA

Translated into English

BY

M. HIRIYANNA, M.A.

^

SRIRANGAM:

SRI VANI VILAS PRESS. 1911,

Copyright Registered.

mmM t * II:- ti ^ ^. rt. '5

*: t^

|;^^^Ht	pME	H		^1
^ijjBBSBi	1	1	yj	1
yoHHKr	H	1		i

'0' 'Ml				f 1
".-' " is^. ■ —	j|
	M		m\	1

»,a

fl' f,f 11 l-

'^f¥/h

M*

A
A	CO
0	r~
0	===^ 33
0	== JD
6	=^=^ CD
2	— :?■
6	^^"■^^3 ' —
	3)
8
5	^^^^ >
2
8

A /\ A

ISAVASYOPANISHAD

WITH THE COMMENTARY

OP

A A.

SRI SANKARACHARYA

Translated into English

By

M. HIRIYANNA, M.A.

^

SRIRANOAM :

SEI VANI VILAS PRESS. 1911.

Copyright Registered.

•• •.

1 !\

NOTE.

The rendering into English of a Sanskrit work of this kind presents many difiBculties, for the very moulds in which thoughts are shaped in the two languages are often different. But no pains have been spared to make the version given here, as far as possible, faithful to the original. The text followed is that of the Memorial Edition of the Works of Sri San- karacharya published by the Sri VanI Vilas Press, but two manuscripts have been through- out consulted and on them are based the few variations of reading mentioned in the foot-notes. The translation is preceded by a brief introduction which summarises the teaching of the Upanishad. Here and there have also been added notes taken from Anandagiri, and in this form has been incorporated in the book all that is valuable or interesting in his Tikd. It is hoped that these aids will increase the usefulness of the translation.

M. H.

2004889

I

INTRODUCTION.

The Isavasyopanishad— so called from its initial words — forms the concluding chapter of the Samhita of the Suklayajurveda The name of Samhitopanishad is also sometimes given to it, in order to distinguish it from the other Upaaishads which generally find their place in the Brahmauas. According to the commentary here translated, the eighteen verses of this Upanishad are to be under- stood as falling into four sections —

(i) Verse 1, which teaches that those who understand the Self and are fit for realising it should give up all world- ly desires and devote themselves ex- clusively to attaining final release;

(ii) verse 2, which enjoins the perfor- mance of karma on such others as do not comprehend the Self and are. consequently unable to realise it;

(iii) verses 3-8, which, having in view persons referred to in verse 1, de- scribe the real nature of the Self and

IV

indicate the consequences of real- ising or not realising it;

and(iv) verses 9-18, which commend the simultaneous practice of karma and tipdsand, to persons referred to in verse 2.

In commenting on this Upanishad, Sri San- karacharya, now and again touches on the following point which is of much importance in understand- ing his view aright. The Veda inculcates, he says, two independent lines of conduct — one of karma or activity and the other of jndna or withdrawal from the world. The first forms the subject-matter of the liturgical portion or the karmakdnda and the second, of the Upanishads or the jndnakdiida, of the Veda. The teaching of the jndnakdnda is whole in itself, and should not be considered as subsidiary, in any way, to the teaching of the karmakdTida. Nor should it be imagined that both these teachings can be concurrently followed by anybody, for there is a fundamental antithesis between them. The latter presupposes a belief in variety, as ordinarily experienced, while the former, denying all this variety, insists on the truth of only the unity underlying it. Thus the two paths of karma and jndna are opposed to each other. Only we should remember that there is a sense in which the first may be looked

upon as subsidiary to the second, for when the path of activity is followed without any selfish desire for rewards, it serves as a preparation for the path of withdrawal by producing that compo- sure of mind without which man cannot seek the highest truth. In this nobler sense karma is reckoned as an ' extrinsic' aid [hahiranga] to final release. But the ' intrinsic ' aid (antaranga) is jndna, and when a person once betakes him- self to it, it logically follows that all karma loses its significance to him. As has been well put by the Vdrtikakdra,

Satyantarang^ vijnan6 bahirangam na siddhyati

Samskarakam tu karma syat jnanattvajcananin-

hutih

Sambandha Vdrtika 368.

AAA *

ISAVASYOPANISHAD

WITH THE COMMENTARY

OF

SRf SANKARACHARYA.

The verses beginning with hdvdsyam are not utilised in ritual\ since they explain the true

1. The doubt whether these verses are to be used in ritual arises beciuse this Upanishad forms part of a Samhitd and the verses in the Samhitd portion of the Veda are generally so employed. If these verses are at all to be utilised in ritual there should be an express statement to that effect in the Veda or there should at least be an indirect guidance afforded by their contents. We find no such express statement;, and the subject matter, so far from being connected with /carina, is direatly antagonistic to it. Further it is usual to classify whatever is subsidiary or supplementary to ritual in four ways as follows — that which is produced as e.g. a sacrificial cake which is newly made out of flour, that which is modified, as e.g. sovia juice which is extracted from soma leaves, that which is acquired as e. g. a mantra which is learnt by rote before being used in ritual and, lastly, that which is purified, as e. g. unhusked rice which is utilised after being ceremonially sanctified. The Self cannot be brought under

2

nature of the Self which is not subsidiary to karma. The true nature of the Self, as will presently be indicated, is purity, taintlessness, oneness, permanence, bodilessness, omnipresence and so forth, which being inconsistent with karma, it is only right that these (verses) are not used in ritual. The Self whose essence is thus described, moreover, cannot be produced, modified, acquired or purified; nor is it of the character of an agent or an enjoyer; in which case it would be subsidiary to karina. (x\nd its existence cannot be called in question) inasmuch as all the Upanishads purport only to unfold its nature. The Bhagavadglta and the Mokshadharma (in the Mahabharata) have also the same aim.

any of these classes. It is neither an effect, nor a modification. It is not external to us to be obtained anew; nor is it impure to require any purifioation. The only other way of connecting the Self with karma is to make it an agent or an enjoyer. Neither of these, however, can the Self be, as will hereafter be explained in the commentary. Hence the denial of all relationship between the Self and karma.

2. Compare —

Samam Sarveshu bhuteshu tishthantam parame.svaram Vinasyatsvavinasyantam yah pasyati sa panyati

— Bh: Gita xiii 27.

Eka eva hi bhiitatma bhute bhiite vyavasthitah. Ekadha bahudha chaiva drisyate jalachandravat.

Mahabharata — Mokshadharma.

3

(It has therefore to be presumed that) karma is prescribed taking (for granted) that, as recognis- ed by the intelligence of the average man, plurality, agency, enjoyment and so forth, as also impurity and sinfulness, are of the Self. Those that know who are eligible (for ritual) state that karma is prescribed only for him who is desirous of its fruit— whether that fruit be visible (i.e. attainable in this life) as spiritual lustre or invisible (i.e. attainable only in another life) as Svarga — and thinks "I am a twice-born, free from blindness, dwartishness and the like marks of disqualification"^. Therefore the following verses, removing this original nescience con- cerning the Self, from an explanation of its real nature, produce a knowledge of unity which is the means of eradicating sorrow, delusion and other similar features of mundane existence. We shall briefly comment on these verses, having thus indicated the persons entitled to study them, the subject-matter, aim and their inter-relation'*.

3. Desire, wbich is either for attaining happiness or for avoiding misery necessarily implies nescience. For the Self being in reality bliss itself, untouched by sorrow, cannot by its nature, be affected by any desire. Similarly, believing that the Self is fit for performing karma because its bodily adjuncts with which it is empirically connected are rit for it is also an indication of nescience.

4. In the beginning of a commentary it is customary

1. Ill the Lord is to be veiled all this — whatsoever moves on earth. Through such renuncia- tion do thou save (thyself); be not greedy, for wliose is wealth?

He who rules is (termed) It. Isd (means), 'by the Lord'. The Lord is the Ruler and the real Self of every creature^ By such a Lord, identical with oneself, is to be overspread i.e , covered. What? idam sarvam={^\\ this), yat kincha = whatsoever. jagatydm = on earth. jaciat = aM that (moves). By one's own Self, — the Lord, the supreme Self — which is the sole reality, all these unreal (things), both movable and immovable, have to be covered over, (perceiving) thus — ' I am the

to point out specifically the qualifications of persons entitled to study the treatise, its subject-matter, the aim of its teaching and their inter-relation, especially that between the last two. Deficiency in respect of any of these which are termed the Anubandhachatushtayam is understood to indicate the unworthiness of the treatise to be commented upon.

1. The difference between the controller and the controlled is not to be understood as real. Ic is merely apparent and is based on an illusion. In the same sense, we may, for example, say that a person standing before a number of mirrors controls the several reflected images of himself.

inner Self of all'.^ Just as adventitious bad odour in a piece of sandal, arising froco moisture, is overcome by true fragrance when the (sandal) piece is rubbed^, so indeed, will all the congenital variety of the world, such as being an agent or an enjoyer, superimposed on the Self, disappear at the perception (everywhere) of the (one) really existent Self. Since jagatydm is (here used) in an indicatory sense, all kinds of effects differentiated as name, form and action (are to be understood as connoted by it). What a person, that is so full of the conception that the Lord is the Self of all, ought to do is to renounce the three-fold desire for offspring etc., and not (be engaged in) karma. In tena tyaktena, tyakta means renunciation (being used as an abstract noun). (It is not to betaken here as a past participle in the sense of ' given up ' because) a son or a servant (for example) who has been abandoned or is dead, cannot save one since all connection is severed between them. Therefore (the word) can only mean 'renunciation'.

2. The sense is that one should realise that all is Self and that there is no variety in the Universe. This is the chief teaching of the present Upanishad and corresponds, in its significance, to the v?ell-known tattvamasi of the ChandogyApanishad.

3. The object of this illustration is to suggest that •when conviction regarding the unity of all existence does not spring directly from faith in the teaching, reasoning or enquiry will generally lead to it.

bhunj I thdh= do save*. Having thus renounced desires, be not greedy (md gridhah) i.e., do not long for wealth. A;a.st/a swi = (of anybody). (The meaning is)— Do not long for the wealth of any- body— i.e., yourself or another. (In this inter- pretation) svit is a mere expletive. Or (we may say as follows)— Be not greedy. Why? (The answer is) — kasyasvit r^^rt?ia?jj= Whose is wealth? — imply- ing a denial. If wealth could belong to anybody it might be sought; (but) everything having dis- appeared through the discovery of the Lord (every- where), all this is of the Self, and all this is the Self. Thus it means — 'Do not seek an unreality.'^

Thus the purport of the text is that after renouncing the three- fold desire for offspring etc., the knower of Self should save himself by devotion to true knovvledge. And to the rest who not being knowers of Self, are unable to realise it, the (next) verse states as follows—

4. This statement is not to be understood literally for the Self does not, in reality, require to be saved. It is only intended to extol renunciation by ascribing final release to its influence.

5. The third 2;4da of this verse enjoins renunciation on such as can discriminate between what is Self and what is not. Such withdrawal from the world is the only course for Self-realisation. By removing the ordinary distractions of life it renders easy the attainirent of final release. The fourth pdda prescribes a rule of conduct and prohibits the acquisition by such persons of wealth of any description beyond what is necessary for bare maintenance.

2. Always performing karma here, one should desire to live, for a hundred years. So long as thou (seekest to live) a mere man, no other ( path ) exists (where) activity does not taint thee.

Kurvanneva = Sblwa^ys performing. iha = {heve) karnidni = rites such as agnihotra. jijivishet = one should desire to live. satam=one hundred in number. sa7?ia/i= years. For thus much is known to be the maximum age of man- Since (this is) a (mere) iteration (of an empirically known fact) what should be taken as enjoined (here) is that, if one should desire to live a hundred years, he should live only performing karma, evam^m this manner. tva'yi=[iu regard to you), nare i.e. when you live content to be a mere man. itah i.e., from this present course of performing karma like agnihdtra. anyathd—& different course. 7ia asti=does not exist; in which course evil action does not stain; i.e., you do not get tainted by sin. Wherefore if one should desire for life Cone should live) throughout performing karma such as agmhotra prescribed by the ^astra.

How is it to be understood that the former

8

verse assigns to a sannydsin devotion to knowledge and the latter, only devotion to karma to one incap- able of it (Self-realisation) ? We reply— Do you not remember the aforesaid antithesis between jndna and karma which remains unshakable as a mountain ? Here also the same has been expressly stated in verses 1 and 2, — (that he who seeks to live must perform karma and that he who does not, must give up all desire. The same conclusion may be arrived at) from the (following) directions to sannydsins — " He should desire neither for life, nor for death ; he should enter a forest. This is the law." "He should not thence return". The difference in result between the two will also be pointed out later on. (Another statement of the like import is) "These two paths only appeared in the beginning — the path of activity and (the path) of withdrawal." Of these two, renuncia- tion is higher, cf. Taittirlya Aranyaka "Renun- ciation alone excelled". And Vyasa, the great Vedic teacher, after much reflection, taught his son definitely as follows — " The Vedas aim at inculcat- ing these two paths — one termed the path of activity and the other, of renunciation." We shall indicate ( in the sequel ) the distinction between these two (paths).

And now the (next) verse is begun in dispraise of the ignorant —

3. Malignant are those worlds and enveloped in blinding dark- ness, into which })ass, after death, whatsoever peo])le slay the Self.

From the standpoint of Unity in the form of the supreme Self, even devas are (reckoned) as asuras. «swrj/a/i = belonging to demons, ndma is a mere expletive here. ^e = Cthose), ZoM/i = births (or lives), because therein the fruits of karma are perceived or enjoyed. andhena = oi blinding nature. tamasd = hY nescience. a'ynYa/i = enveloped. tdn = (those) viz. existences down to the immovable, prei|/a = having left this body. ab}ngochchanti = (attain) according to their past deeds and according to their devotional practices, ye ke c/ia = whosoever. dtmahanah=^ those who slay the Self. Who are they? People that are ignorant^. How can they slay the eternal Self ? Through their failing of ignorance they veil {i.e. forget) the ever present Self. The sign of (a belief in) its existence is the consciousness of its undecaying immortal nature. This becomes veiled {i e. forgotten), as if the Self has been slain, and the ordinary ignorant people are termed 'slayers of Self'^. By reason of this sin of slaying the Self, they transmigrate.

1. I read "ke te? Ye janaavidvamsah".

2. Ascribing impurity etc. to the Self is considered as equivalent to killing it ; just as imputing a false and serious

10

Now is explained of what nature this Self is, by slaying which the ignorant transmigrate and, as distinguished from them, the learned, by not slaying it, attain final release —

4. Uumoving, one, (and yet) s))eedier than the mind ; the senses reach it never; (i'or) it (Self) goes before. Standing, it outstrips others that run. In virtue of it, does mdtarisvd ahot functions (severally to all).

Ane3at = no\, shaking, from the root ejr to shake. Shaking is moving, i.e., lapsing from its real state. (The Self is) free from it, i.e., is always of the same form. It is also one in all beings, majzasd yavij/a/i= speedier than the mind which is characterised by desire &c. Wherefore these conflicting statements — that it is at once assuredly motionless and speedier than the mind ? This is not wrong, for it can be justified (on the basis of the Self) being conditioned or unconditioned. In its original unconditioned form it is stated to be unmoving and one. (It is also possible to

charge against a virtuous man is, in ordinary parlance, spoken of as " murder without a weapon." — asastravadha

11

predicate motion of the Self) because it reflects (the features of) its conditioning mind which is the inter- nal sense charaterised by desire and doubt. Since the mind, though residing here within the body can, in an instant, conceive of the distant Brahn<a- loka and the like, it is ordinarily taken as possess- ing great fipeed. When such mind, for instance reaches (in thought) Brahmaloka, with rapidity, the Self appears to have reached there already. Therefore it is said here 'speedier than the mind'. devdh = 9enses such as the eye — so called because they illuminate. enat^thh entity of the Self. 7ia dpnuvan = did not reach, the mind being speedier than they. Since mental operation (always) intervenes, not even the semblance of the Self becomes perceivable by the Senses.^ (And it is beyond the mind itself) because the Self is always in advance (of it) being all-pervading like space. (Now the verse) states that the Self, always^ free from all features of transmigration, in its own un- conditioned form and being altogether changeless, appears to the undiscriminating ignorant, as ex- periencing all the several modes of life due to limiting adjuncts and also as being many, i.e., one in each body. tat={thait). dhdvatafy = STpeedily

1. The action of the senses presupposes the operation of the mind. The Self being beyond mind, is necessarily beyond the senses as well.

2. I read sarvaddpi instead of sarvavydpi.

12

going. anyan. = mind, the organs of speech &c., which are all other than the Self. atyeti=seems to outstrip. The text itself indicates the sense of iva (seems) by tishthat which means 'itself re- maining immutable.' tasmin i.e. in virtue of the existence of the Self which is of the nature of eternal sentiency. McUarisvd = 'B.e who moves (svayati) in the heavens [mdtari); the Wind, the active principle in all creatures ; on which are dependent all the aggregates of causes and effects and into which they are woven like warp and woof and which is also termed 'the connecting thread' and is the support of the whole universe. Such is mdtarisvd. a;pa/i = functions^ of things, such as flaming and burning of Fire, shining of the Sun, raining of the Cloud and so on. dadhdti= allots^; or the word may mean 'directs' agreeably to texts like "Through fear of Him the wind blows &c." (Tait: Up : II, viii, 1). The idea is that all changes of the nature of cause and effect take place only when the Self, the eternal sentiency and substrate of all, exists.

Not weary of repeating, the Veda states

3. Apah in a secondary sense means 'Sacrificial acts' for most of them are performed with water, ghee and such other liquids. Hence, in what may be called a 'tertiary sense' the term may be taken to denote all kinds of activity.

4. This implies an argument for the existence of an all-controlling Lord of the Universe.

13

once again what has already heen said in the previous verse —

."). It moves ; and it moves

not : it is tar and it is near. It is

inside all this: it is jilso outside

all this.

Tad = the Self in question. ejati=aioves. The sanae does not move {na ejati) i.e., in itself. In other words, being in truth motionless, it (only) appears to move. Moreover, tat = \t, cZ«re = (at a distance). It is distant, as is were, because the ignorant cannot get at it even in a thousand million years. tat z* = (it is also); antike = nQd,x. Absolutely so, to the wise for it is their very Self- It is not merely far and near ; it is (also) antah i.e. inside of all this. Compare— 'Which Self is inmost of all'— (Brib. Up. Ill, iv, 1). asya sarvasya = {oi this all) i.e., the universe consisting of name, form and action. It is outside all this, being pervasive; inside, being supremely subtle like space. (We should also remember) that it is without inter- stices from the teaching contained in passages like "wholly sohd sentiency &c." — (Brih. Up.IY, v, 13^

(>. And lie who sees all beings in himself and himself in all beings has no aversion thence.

14

Yah tu i. e., a sannydsin desiring final release. sarvdni bhfUdni= all beings (i.e., existences) from prakriti down to the immovable, dtviani eva a7iupasyati = { discovers in himself) i.e., does not understand as other than his own Self, sarva bhiUeshu cha i.e. and in the same (beings), dtmdnam = (himself) «. e., his own Self as the Self of all those beings as well. (The reference here is to him) who beholds himself, the same in all beings thus— 'Just as I, the cogniser of all notions, the perceiver, one and devoid of all attributes, am the Self of this my body, the aggregate of causes and effects, so also am I in the same form, the Self of all beings from prakriti down to the immovable. iafaA = through such perception, na vijugupsate = does not feel repelled. This is an iteration of what is (empirically) known. All aversion is from evil things other than one's own self, and if one recognises (everywhere) only the Self, absolutely pure and continuous, it is clear that (for such an one) there is nothing to excite repulsion. Hence the statement — He has no aversion thence'.

Another verse also expresses the same idea — 7. When to a kiiower dis- covering unity, all beings become his very Self, what delusion then (to him) and what sorrow?

15

Yasmin=^\vhen or in which Self, sarvdni bhu- tdni=the same (already mentioned) beings of all kinds, dtma eoa ab hut -=hec&me one's own self, through right perception, vijdnatah = (to the knower) of Eeality. ^a^ra = then or in such Self, ho mohah kassoka/j = (what delusion and what sorrow?) Sorrow and delusion are for one that does not understand the source of desire and activity but not to one that realises the unity of Self, pure and resembling space. The third pdda by calling in question and denying the possibility of sorrow and delusion which are the result of nescience, indicates (so far as the knower is concerned) the absolute cessation of worldly existence together with its cause.

The following verse (now) states of what description the Self — spoken of in the foregoing verses — in its nature, is — -

8. He (the self) is all pervad- ing, bright, incorporeal, scathe- less and veinless, pure, untouched by sin; a seer, all-knowing, superposed and self-begotten. (It is He that) has duly allotted to the eternal creators their (various) duties.

16

iSa/» = the aforesaid Self. paryac)dt= went round; i.e. he is pervading like space. .mkra7n= white, i.e. radiant, bright, akdy am = hodi\es& i.e. without the subtle body, avrana7n=not to be wounded, sndva = vein; therefore asndviram means 'veinless'. The last two (epithets) deny the gross hodiy; Kiiddham = without the stain of nescierjce. This denies the causal body. apdpaviddhain = \xn'Avn\ttQu by evil (which term is meant to include) both merits and demerits^ The words beginning with .mkram are to be changed to the masculine form, because the verse starts with sah ( a masculine form ) and ends likewise with kavih and manlshl (which also are masculine in form). kavih = %ee\ng what is past^, i.e. witness of all, according to the lext — " There is no seer other than He" (Brih. Up. Ill, vii, 23), manlshl = t\\e controller of the mind i.e., the all- knowing Lord, paribhuh means ' who is above {pari=iLpari,) everything'. svayambhuh = self-begotten. This signifies that what is above everything as well as what is everything are both

1. According to the view of Sankaracharya, it should be remembered, good and evil become reduced to the same level in the eyes of a knower of the Self, for both alike lead to a succession of births, although the one be of a higher kind than the other.

'2. This word literally means 'one that can see what is past'. Here it is to be understood in a secondary sense, the past indicatin all time — the present as well as the future. Hence it means " witness of all".

17

the Self. Such a Lord, always free, being all-knowing, has allotted duties (arthdn) according to past deeds which are instrumental in yielding fruit (in this life) i. e. has appropriately distributed (them). Ydthdtathyatah, being derived from yathdtathd, means 'according to facts'. xd.'<vatlbhyah = TpeYina.uent; Samdbhyah i.e. among Creators going by the name of 'Time"'

The first point taught here in Verse 1 is (exclusive) devotion to true knowledge after giving up desires of all kinds. The second point — taught in verse 2, — is that as this devotion to self-know- ledge is not possible to the ignorant who seek to live (in the ordinary way) they should devote themselves to karma. The distinctness of the two courses referred to in these verses (belonging to the Suklayajurveda Samhita) is also indicated in the Brhadaranyaka (which forms part of the Suklayajurveda Brahmana). (Thus we understand) from the passage beginning with "He desired, 'Let me have a wife' etc" (Biih. Up. I, iv, 17) that all karma is for the ignorant actuated by worldly desires. And the statement, (in the same passage) ' To him the mind is the

• For this sense of Samvatsara see Brh. Up. I, v, 14 and Pr. Up. i. 9. Like everything else Time also is born of the Creator. Hence ' Time ' is ' Creator ' taking the effect for the cause. 2

18

Self ; speech, wife ; &e "' makes it clear that ignorance and covetousness characterise the person devoted to karma. Its result is accordingly the creation of the seven kinds of food and (thereafter) identifying with them oneself (and one's interests)^. Again, as opposed to adherence to karma, exclusive devotion to the Self, in its reality, through renunciation of the three kinds of desire for wife &c., is taught to knowers of the Self in the passage beginning with "What have we to do with offspring — we to whom this Self is the desired end (world) ?" (Brh. Up. IV, iv, 22.)

In verses 3 — 8, by first showing, dis- paragement of the ignorant, the real nature of the Self has been explained to such as devote them- selves, after renunciation, to Self-realisation; for it is the knowers and not the worldly-minded that are qualified for it (Self-realisation). The same has been distinctly stated in the Sv6tasvatara Upanishad (vi, 21) — "To those in the highest religious stage, he well explained the sacred truth followed by many sages" The following verses are (now) addressed to the worldly-minded who, devoting themselves to karma, desire to live a life

1. Beleiving mind to be the Self is an indication of nescience.

2. See Brh. Up. I, v, 1.

19

of activity. How is it to be known (that they are addressed to such alone) and not to all ? The reply is — None but the deluded would associate with karma or with other kinds of knowledge, that knowledge of Self-unity, which arises from the destruction of all difference between end and means as taughc to the unworldly in verse 7. In what follows the dispraise of the ignorant is with a view to associate Karma with Vidyd. (Hence we should understand that) only such (knowledge) is meant here as can, with reason or in accordance with Kclstra, be combined with karma. That knowledge is knowledge of deities (updsa^id or meditation ), known as ' divine wealth' which is taught here as co-existent with karma, and not the knowledge of the supreme Self, for a specific result is known to follow (from a knowledge of deities) from the text — " The world of the gods through meditation" (Bih. Up. I, V, 16). The separate practice of medita- tion and karma is condemned here with a view to (inculcate their) simultaneous practice and not for altogether deprecating (either); for specific results are known (from the Veda) to follow from each. Compare — 'That, They ascend through meditation'; ' The world of the gods through meditation ' ' Those who take the southern path do not go there '; ' The world of the manes by karma'. Nothing that .^asira prescribes can possibly be blameworthy. —

20

9. Into blinding darknc^ss pass they ^vh() adhere to karma and into still greater darkness, as it were, they who delight in medi- tation.

andhavi towa/( = blinding darkness, pravis- anti={t\iey passj. Who ? yi avidydm upasate^they who practise karma, avidyd is wtiat is other than knowledge i.e. karma, because karma is opposed to- knowledge. wpasafe = devoutly practise i.e. perform only karma such as agnihotra. tatak i.e. than such blinding darkness. 6Mt/aiua= greater, as it were.^ te tamah i.e. they pass into darkness. Who ? ye %=those who, on the other band; vidydydm = in meditating on deities ; ratdh take delight i.e. who- engage themselves in it to the exclusion of karma.

Now follows a statement of the distinction between the respective fruits of meditation and karma, as an argument for their simultaneous practice. Otherwise, if of the two thus pi'oximately stated, one only is known to bear fruit and not the other, the relation between them would be (according to rules of interpretation, not one of co-ordination but) only that of subordination^ —

1. I read bahutaram iva.

2. I read angdngitaiva sydt.

21

10. Distinct, they say, is (the fruit borne) by meditation and distinct again, they say, is (that borne) by karma. Thus have we heard fn^ni sages who taught us that.

anyat eva=quite distinct. Vidyayd={hY meditation) i.e. the fruit borne by meditation is ■distinct. dhuh = they say; (the second pdda) means " karma yields a distinct fruit altogether"; as recorded in " The world of manes through karma ; the world of gods through meditation". iti=ih\xs. susriima = vje, have heard, dhlrdtidm ie. (the saying) of the wise, ye — i.e., which teachers. «aA = to us. tat i.e. karma d^nA medita- tion. v^c^ac/^afes/i^rc = explained well. The pur- port is that this their teaching has been handed down by tradition,

Since it is so,

11. Whoever understands meditation and karma as going together, (he) overcoming death through karma, attains immorta- lity through meditation.

22

The first pdda means 'meditating on deities and karma'. ya/i = (whoever.) tat =etat = this. uhhayam = (t-wo.) saha — i.e. to be practised by the same person. ve(ia = ( understands). (The second half of the verse) states that only a person, practising both together, will in due course, achieve the chief end* avidyayd = by karma like agnihotra. mrtyum — by this word are here meant usual activity and knowledge. tlrtvd=ha,ving overcome those two. vidyayd=hy meditation on deities. aw.r<a«i= (immortality); godhead. asmti« = attains. Becoming one with the deity (meditated upon) is termed 'immortality' here.

Now with a view to inculcate their simulta- neous practice, follows the condemnation of the separate meditation on the manifest and on the unmanifest —

12. Into blinding darkness pass they who are devoted to the unmanifest, and into still greater darkness, as it were, they who delight in the manifest

Sambhavanam means birth. That which is born and is an effect is sambhuti. asambhMi i»

* I read Samuchchayakdrina iva ikapurushdrtha- sambandhah.

23

what is other than sambhuti i.e., prakrti, the unditferentiated cause whose essence is nescience and which is the source of all activity and desire. They who devote themselves to such Cause enter (as may be expected) darkness which is corres- pondingly blind in its nature. SambhiUydm i.e., in the phenomenal Brahman known as Hiranya- garbha. They who delight only in Him enter darkness which is, as it were, more blinding still.

Now follows as an argument for their simultaneous practice, a statement of the distinc- tion between the respective fruits of the two kinda of meditation —

13. Distinct, they say, is (what results) from the manifest and distinct again, they say, is (what results) from the unmanifest. Thus have we heard from the sages who taught us that.

ant/ai eya = altogether distinct. dhufi = {they say). Saw6/ia^;ai = from that which has birth t.«., from meditating on the phenomenal Brahman, supernatural power such as assuming, at will, extreme subtlety is said to result. Similarly, they say that there is a (distinctive) fruit from meditat-

24

ing on the unmanifest, — viz, that, alluded to in pdda 1 of verse 12 and which is known as " absorp- tion into primal cause'^ to those versed in the Puranas. iii=thus. msruma dhirdndm — i.e., we have heard the saying of the wise. The last pdda means " who explained to us the results of meditating on the manifest and the unmanifest"

Since this is so, it is but right that medita- tion on both the effect and the cause should be practised together ; a further reason being the achievement (through such meditation) of the chief end.'

14. Whoever understands the manifest and the unmanifest as going together, (he), by overcom- ing death through the manifest, attains immortality through the unmanifest

The first half of the verse means "He who un- derstands that meditation on the manifest and the unmanifest should be practised together", vindsa here means an "effect" — that whose character is transitoriness; the abstract being put for the concrete, vindsena means "by meditating on

1. This state may be sought on account of the absence cf the ordinary excitements of life in it as in sleep.

2. I read yukta fva and ikapurusMrthatvdchcha.

25

such (Brahman)". mrtyum = death i.e., all kinds of deficiency arising from limited power, demerit, covetousness and soon. ^tr^m= (having overcome); for great supernatural power is attained by the contemplation of Hiranyagarbha. Having thus overcome death or limitation of power &c., asambhutya i.e, by meditating on the unmanifest. amrtam i.e. absorption into the First Cause. n^nuU (attains). It should be noted that samhhuU in the first pada is mentioned without the (initial) a (and is to be taken as equivalent to asambhilti) agreeably to the statement that the result is absorption into the First Cause.

The result derivable, according to mstra, through worldly and divine 'wealth'^ extends up to absorption into the First Cause. Thus far is metem- psychosis. Higher than that, is the realisation of the unity of Self spoken of in verse 9— the result of renouncing all desires and devoting oneself (exclusively) to true knowledge. Thus the two- fold teaching of the Veda, as relating to worldly activity and to withdrawal from it, has been explained here. And the (Satapatha) Brahma- na up to (the chapters on) Pravargya (purific- atory ceremonies described in Khanda xiv

1. Worldly wealth or means comprising cattle, land, money &c., all required for performing karma. 'Divine ■wealth' is knowledge of deities.

26

chapters 1—3) concerns itself with elucidating, in full, the Vedic teaching relating to the path of activity, consisting of injunctions and prohibitions. The succeeding portion, viz., the Brhadaranyaka, explains the path of withdrawal from the world. In verse 11 it has been stated^ that he who desires to live performing karma (in its entirety) from conception to death, and along with it, practises meditation on the lower (phenomenal) Brahman will attain immortality. It is now pointed out by what course, one so quali- fied becomes immortal. (We read in the Brh. Up. V, V, 2) " That is what is Truth; it is the Sun, the Person in this disc, as also the Person in the right eye". The worshipper of this two-fold Brahman — Truth — who has also been performing karma as prescribed, addresses thus, when the end is come. Brahman who is Truth, beseeching Him for entrance —

15. Truths face is covered

with a goklen lid ; remove that,

O Pushaii, that I, Truth's

devotee, may see It.

Hiranmay am = seeming golden, resplendent tena=hy such. pdtrena = \\d, as it were, satyasya i.e.

1. taduktam iti, tam pratyuktam mantrena vid- yamchavidyamchetyadina. — Anandagiri. One Ms., reads- tampratyetaduktam in place of taduktam.

27

of the Brahman residing in the Solar disc, apihitavi = covered. mwA;/iam = entrance. tat= (that); tvam= (you); he piishan= O Sun, apdt;nm = remove. satyadharmdya i.e., to me who am satyadharmd, through meditation on you who are Truth. Or this expression may mean " one that practises true piety " Drshtaye i.e., for reaching you whose esseace is Truth.

16 0 Pushan, sole traveller, Yaina, Sun, child of Prajapati, recall thy rays ; withdraw thy light that I may behold thee of loveliest form. Whosoever that Person is, that also am 1.

Pi'cshan = the sun, so called because he pro- tects the world. Ekarshe, because he traverses (the sky) alone. Yama, Death, because he controls all. Si'irya, because he sucks up rays, life and water. Prdjdpatya, because he is the son of Praja- pati, the Creator. vyuha = Yecao\e. rasni'm i.e. your rays. samuha = umte i.e. withdraw, tejas — your light, yat <0 = what is yours. r?2pam = form, kalydnatavmm = loveliest, tat ^e = that of yours pasydmi i.e. I may see by your grace. Further I am not entreating you as a servant, because who- ever is the Person in the Solar disc, composed of

28

vydhrtis* the same am I. He is known as punisha (person) because He is of the form of a person, or because this world is full of Him in His modes of activity and thought or, again, because He lies in the citadel of the body-

1 7. (May) this life (merge in) the immortal breath I And (may) this bodv end in ashesi Om! mind, remember, remember thy deeds; mind, remember, remember thy

deeds

Now that I am dying, may my life (Vdyu) abandoning the bodily adjunct assume the godly, in the immortal breath (amrtam anilam ) of the universal Self, the ' connecting thread * of all. pratipadyatdm ( "may reach" ) is to be understood. The meaning, agreeably to the prayer for entrance, is "May this subtle body purified by meditation and karma advance". .atha = {a.nd). idam={this),'^ariram = (hody), hutam= (burnt) in fire. bhasmdntam i.e., may it end in :ashes. Om — thus is addressed Brahman —as iden- tical with what is known as Agni the essence of

• Vydhrti is literally 'utterance' and is the term used to denote the three sacred syllables bhilh, bhuvah, suvah. See Brh. Up. V, v, .3.

2y

Truth — following the mode of merlitatiag on Him- through this symbol, kratd i.e., O mind, so called because it desires, smara i.e., remember what has to be remembered, for the time for it is now come. Therefore remember what has till now been meditated upon. Remember also what- ever karma you have done till now — since boyhood. The repetition of the third pdda indicates- earnestness.

By another verse also, entrance is prayed for —

18. 0 God Agiii, lead us uii to prosperity by a good path, judging all our deeds. Fake away ugly sin from us. We shall say many prayers unto thee.

Agne=(0 Fire), iiaya = lead, supathd^hy a good path. This qualifying word excludes the southern path. (The devotee means) — "I am tired of the southern path characterised by birth and death, and therefore do I repeatedly ask you to lead (me) by the good path free from birth and death". rdye = lor wealth i e. (here) for enjoying the fruit of karvia. asvidn=^ us, that are qualified for (the enjoyment of) the fruits of the prescribed practices. vi^vdiii = BX\. deva=0 God,

* I read agre in place of agne.

30

vayundni- karma or meditation. vi(Zvdn = know- ing. Further, yuyodhi i.e., separate or destroy. asinat=asmattah = lxova us. juhurdnam^ crookedi or deceitful. enah = %\n; so that becoming pure thereby we may obtain our wish. We are not, however, able now to serve you actively (as of old); we can but do obeisance again and again (bhtiyishthara) to you.

Some entertain a doubt (as regards the anti- thesis between karma and true knowledge) hearing the statements (contained in verses 11 and 14 j — " Overcoming death through avidyd, he attains immortality through vidyd" and "Overcoming death through the manifest, he attains immortality through the unmanifest". We shall therefore briefly consider (the matter now) in order to clear (this doubt.) Now then, what is the reason for the doubt? The answer is — Why should not true knowledge itself be understood by vidyd in the above passage ? and also (by amrtatva true) immortality ? Well, are not this knowledge of the supreme Self and karma mutually exclusive on account of the antithesis between them ? True ; but this anta- gonism is not known (through s^dstra) for anta- gonism or the reverse should be based on sdstraic authority only. Just as the performance of karma and the practice of Vidyd are known through i^dstra alone, so also should their opposition or agreement be. As the

31

sdstraic prohibition " No creature should be hurt" is annulled by mstra itself in ' In a sacrifice animals may be killed" so also should it be in the case of vidyd and avidyd as well as in the case of knowledge and karma}

No ; because the Veda says — " Distant are these— opposed and leading in diverse ways — karma and knowledge" CKatha Up. ii, 4)- If it be said that owing to the statement in verse 11, there is (likewise) no antagonism between them, we reply 'No'; because^ there can possibly be no option as regards opposition or agreement between true knowledge and avidyd^. If it be rejoined that there is no antithesis

1. I omit samuchchayah after vidydkarma/jvitcha.

2. I omit hetusvanlpaphalavirddhdt. I also put a full stop after vikalpdsambhavdt.

3. Option is conceivable in the case of karma. Thus one sdkha of the Veda prescribes " vxiiUjuhdtV'; another, "amiditt>juhuti.". Here it may be understood that the Veda gives one, option to offer oblations either after sunrise or before. But the same rule cannot apply to vidyd and avidyd, on the strength of the two texts in question. In this case, only one of the statements can hold good and the other, instead of being taken literally, has to be inter- preted in such a manner that it will not clash with the first. Reason has to decide which statement is to be understood literally and which not.

32

at all, on the strength of the injunction (here in verse ll) regarding their combined practice, we repeat 'No' ; for the two cannot conceivably co-exist.

If it be urged that vidyd and avidyd are to be pursued by the sanoe (person) one after the other', we reply 'No' ; for when true knowledge comes to a person, nescience is in- conceivable in him. Thus (for instance) if once a man experiences heat and light in fire, there cannot arise in him the ignoi'ance — that fire is cold or devoid of light. Nor can there be doubt or delusion (in a knower) for verse 7 denies all possibility of them. Nescience being inconceivable, — we have said — its result^ — karma — is equally inconceivable. The immortality spoken of (here) is only relative. Further U vidyd in this

1. If it is meant that karma precedes knowledge, there is no difficulty in agreeing with the opponent, for it is recognised that karma prepares man for true knowledge. But if karma is to succeed knowledge, the statement of the opponent cannot be admitted.

2. The opponent may argue at this stage that tha antithesis hithereto spoken of is between vidyd and avidyd and not between karma and vidyd. This argument is met by stating that dissociating avidyd from a knower is perforce dissociating karma also from him.

33

passage referred to knowledge of the supreme Self, praying for an entrance would be inappropriate.* Thus we conclude by stating that the meaning of the verses in question is, as we have explained.

• This is said in refereece to the Vedic text. " na tasya prdnd utkrdmanti" (Brh. Up. v, 6), which declares that final release is attained by a knower, where he is, and noi by his going elsewhere.

r

ik: southi Hrj hi umnai i i!;h/ihy facility

AA 000 626 852 8

xr^^^^^j^^^^

>M m S :lj

m 0

f 4 WH

'i£'^

Vf t

* .>W ,.:'S=- /^K •j^:f <e

W, '!# 'M^: 7,.

*">V-!iiK

/'"...T

f WW

1:* '^

d:j

	^Pi	r»	roMj	Wjm	qIs
		y	1h	wm	B
		i	^	Wr	i		Ew^^^Bj
^		1	m	m	1		f.v^^RJrl
	HTTI'	i	1	1	i	■fl	^^PaK£^^^^n*4

II.* II Mil: Mi