Upanisad Series MAHANARAYANOPANISAD (WITH ACCENTED TEXT) Inti oduction, Translation, Interpretation 1m Sanskrat, and Cretieal and Explanatory Notes BY SWAMI VIMALANANDA SRI RAMAKRISHNA MATH Srr RAMAKRISHNA MATH ROAD MYLAPORE, MADRAS-4 1968Published by © Tue Present Set RAMAKRISHNA MATH MYLAPORE, MaDRas-4 SECOND EDITION 1968 All iights reserved COP—MMMCC—IES Pnnted at Puce Sharada Press Rupees Six Car Street, Mangalore-1PUBLISHER’S NOTE Tue Upamisads are the culmmation of the Vedas 1neretore they aie known as the Vedanta The 1eligious message given by Swami Vivekananda was based on the Vedanta The Swamiji urged his followers to populauise the thoughts treasur- ed in the Upanisads at home and abroad Bearing this idea in mind the second president of this Math started the Upanisad ‘Series thuty-five years ago Each Upanisad belonging to this Series contains the text in bold Devandgari type, woid-by- word meaning, translation based on tradition, Introduction briefly summarizing the subject matter, and elaborate Notes About a dozen Upanisads are specially wuminated by the superb Commentary of Sii Sankardcarya, who lived over one thousand years ago They are the most authoutative Upa- misads, and eleven of them are now made available m this Series Most of them have undergone many editions and 1epumnts, and have gamed popularity in several parts of the world Heartened by this wide welcome given to the Upanisad Series, we now publish the Mahdniidyanopanisad which, as far as we know, has not yet been translated into Enghsh fully and with complete explanation The special importance of this text, which 1s counted as pait of the Krsnayayurveda, to the religious Hmdu 1s perhaps ‘unequalled by any other work of its class We have there- fore endeavoured to bring out a suitable edition of this abstruse text with aids for understanding its traditional import An interpretation of the text in easy Sanskrit is a new feature of this publication This is specially added with a view to help those readers who know only Sansknt and not English. It will also render the recerved meaning clearer to those users of the translation who possess some knowledge of Sanskritiv MAHANARAYANOPANISAD Much religious material has been digested into the critical and explanatory Notes This 1s intented to meet the needs of those who value this sacred teat particularly for its spiritual and devotional use The practice of putting notes on words indicated by superior figures was the custom in the preceding members of the Series It has been given up here in order to make the reading of the explanatory Notes smooth and con- tmuous This Upammad together with its preceding Prapa- thaka—divided into Siksi — Ananda-Bhrgu-Vallis—is chanted solemnly on special religious occasions So the text 1s given heie with accent marks in order to facilitate its recital This will be welcomed by those who have no long trammg in the customary Vedic 1ecitation PRESIDENT PUBLISHER Ramakrishna Math, Madas March, 1957qatar aa at Waa Tage | eetfewstaeaTsaTacaT AAATEI AHH TAMaseneIaget TE TAT Tea fray | Fasfaet ce fafs feroafe ceesat carey wrasar aaniteft geet sitearaararal aeadtasareh seareti- Tend “aanqeart ofremareety cifrat sat aaatrearas ere wa aif wrarwa.” oft ye fade 1 afenq me faais- a froocare Temrer err araaiaearg famracarea eT ATT arer gerorarararfeafearraeras Tease waa AAT afediier amet aa at eit edgeat 1 fareteraatefrear argeaaaateaatet aeTUT argthremgeormerent aa freemen as. aaa saftegeevafeeter qT warfare | Tee gory deer aerareranitafaetatr WeaTTET arireqatrre aft atae aaa aarfasdisg Tae TTT aearrer geem ater “anferaraiifearrggaretig warafe zar- afia aactafafs faferer fiver ATER CTT TRNATTAT AAAI ALATA LTH ASTAT ACTA atfag frafrcar amitgery | armarafrardarnr stray etree wire sofearnfareraq vacttfor- wentearal werfenstigraaaton Taare WATT ISAT] aft asafserata seaj— saifsarafseara akataged afraradtrt | Teer carte sarees frag tt aft fanerars.TRANSLITERATION TABLE According to the practice based on the general consent of Indologists of this century the Sanskrit sounds symbolized by the Devanagari alphabet in the columns below are invari- ably 1epresented by the Roman letters facing them Ha qk qd at a @ kh q dh a ue q 2 fi FT gh Tp ot =o % ph Ba ac qb or @ ch % bh oT a] {m 2) a jh ay 5 7 aq ii tor Ge et ql Ta S th av ato zd qs at au & dh qs +m ea qs h qt Zh qth iINTRODUCTION MODERN investigations have revealed that the 2600 million people on this globe speak 2796 different languages and dialects belonging to different families of speech Of these, those that have a long literary past and are still influencing the thought of millions of people are not very many The collection of hymns, litames and prayers, under the com- prehensive tem Vedas, transmitted by oral tradition for several centuries before the introduction of writing, 1s accepted as the oldest literature available for the purpose of studying the religious thoughts exercising a considerable influence over the people of a significant part of Asia for many millennrums Those languages which have preserved past thoughts im literary form, either as written records or oral traditions, alone have been a recognizable power in the evolution of the intellectual, moral and spiritual life of mankind The scattered splinter- speech communities have not produced any literary herrloom devolving to succeeding generations to reflect upon, adopt, and exemplify, and, consequently, they have not made any deep impression on human civilization The dialects which have sustained the intercourse of many small groups of people have changed and even disappeared without a vestige The literature preserved in the Vedas through the religious fervour of a hughly sensitive people who paid the greatest attention to the caieful traming of the ear for sound, for rhythm, speech melody, and precision of grammar uncontaminated by local idioms, stands almost unique 1m the history of human culture. Today the study of the Vedas has, therefore, attracted the attention and interest of people m various parts of the worldvin MAHANARAYANOPANISAD An account of the nature and division of the Vedas will be found in the Introduction to the Zsavasyopantsad included in the Upanisad Series published by the Ramakrishna Math This publication is the twelfth in the Series In the collection of One-hundred-and-eight Upanisads, published several times. from Bombay and other places, two works are included with the title Narayanopanisad Of these the longer one includes a variety of subjects of great importance in the daily Obse1- vances of a religious Hindu It 1s accepted as a part of the Krsnayajurveda and 1s distinguished generally by the designa~ tion Mahanarayanopanisad The same Upanisad is known also as Yayniki-upanisad on the ground that Yaynatma Nara- yana 1s considered to be the seer of this part of the Veda Like the other Vedas the Yayurveda 1s divided mto samhita and brahmana The Tazffirtya recension of it has the Tartu 1ya- ranyaka as an extension of the brahmana The Taittitya- vanyaka according to Sayanagarya has ten piapathakas of which this Upanisad forms the last one Bhattabhaskara who wrote a Commentary on the whole of Yayurveda, anterioi to Sayana, substitutes the term prasna for the division heading prapathaka, and calls this as the last prasna Both the exegetists accept the name Yaynikyupanisad In preparing the present edition the followmg printed books have been consulted | Taittriyaranyaka with Bhatta- bhaskara’s Commentary, published from Mysore in the Bibliotheca Samskrita Series 2 Tauttiriyaranyaka with the Commentary of Sayanacarya in two parts, published in the Anandasrama Sanskrit Series 3 Mahanarayanopanisad, published in the Bombay Sanskrit Series, edited by Col G A Jacob, with the Dipikatika. 4 Yaymikyupanisad brought out m the Adyar Library SeriesINTRODUCTION 1x The text presented 1n allthese four books 1s not precisely the same Apart fiom the difference in the length of the text, differences of reading, additions and omussions of passages and transposition of textual umits are also observed The oldest commentatoi, Bhattabhaskara, has noticed 2 text having only sisty-four Sections This 4s generally designated as the didvidapatha Sayanacarya also has wntten the Com- mentary on this text The works mentioned as (3) and (4) above also are based on the short text of Bhattabhaskara and. Sayana The Anandasrama edition contains a parisista reproducing the tenth prapathaka under the subtitle N@@ya- nopanisad—This 1s the longer version generally known as the Andmapatha m eighty Sections—togethe: with the Com- mentaty of an untraced author which closely resembles the Commentary of Sayana in respect of those passages which are common with the shorter version The tenth prapathaka of the Taittwiyaranyaka 1s con- sidered khila (1e, supplementary) even by Bhactabhaskara and Séyana The supplementary nature of this part 1s also clear from its structural organization It 1s an assemblage of passages used in various mtualistic contexts, and there 1s the general lack of unity in the treatment of the subject-matter The presence of many significant and well-known Brahma- vidya and updsana passages, either quoted from other parts of the Vedas o1 found only here, in a style closely resembling that of the other Brahmanas and the Upamisads, gives this work an authority above that of many other mmor Upanisads Sri Sankaiacirya has not wutten any Commentary on this Upanisad; but still he refers to statements contained 1n 1t in the course of his Commentary on the Biahmasiinnas II 3 24 and TI] 4 20 Whatever was left over to be mentioned m respect of karma, upasana, and jfiana, after the recital ofx MAHANARAYANOPANISAD the samhitaé and brahmana, says Sayanacrya, 1s brought together in this miscellaneous (prakirna) work The same Commentator points out also that the commencement of the work with the description of Paramatman and the conclusion of it eulogizing sannyasa which 1s said to be the means of the knowledge of Brahman entitles 1t to the name of an Upanisad The text, however, abounds in passages com- monly used in connection with religious acts of worship and, therefore, the epithet Yéyfiskt 1s particularly appropriate The existence of a recension with nimety Sections among some people m the Karméataka has been noticed by Sayandcarya The motive which prompted me to take up the prepara- tion of this work for the Upanisad Seites published by the Math being purely religious, I have presented here a text which has been made exhaustive and eclectic as far as it was possible The simple Sanskrit interpretation given immedi- ately below the text 1s meant to facilitate the understanding of the archaic text in classical Sanskrit form For this the old Commentaries mentioned above have been laid under a deep debt This 1s followed by word-for-word meaning given in the Sanskrit order of syntax In order to bring out the received meaning fully, the translation has been made some- what free and explanatory The running Notes, besides being critical and expository, atm also at giving the religious background of the passages In imterpreting the passages, the method followed 1s the one propounded by Mimamsa, namely, by tackling the tatparya or the main purport of the text, and reading into every umst a contextual meaning which is in harmony with it The philological translations of texts like this, based on historical principle (though valuable for students of anthropology) cannot be of much help to religiousINTRODUCTION x1 persons who tuin to this and similar texts for spiritual hight So the traditional method 1s followed In a book of this type the use of capitals and italics 1s seldom completely uniform In the Notes usually the longer extracts and technical words are printed in Devanagari Textual words ate italicized so that they may be easily detected Smaller extracts and technical Sanski1t words are printed in Roman with or without capitalzed begimnmg The English plural signs, added to untranslated Sanskrit words, 1s hypen- ated at places to show that it 1s not elemental to the word This must guide in other places also I have not given a summary of the subject-matter of this Upanisad The table of Analytical Contents which follows will serve its purpose m a better way Innumerable individuals use some text or other of this Upanisad m connection with their personal religion I hope the apparatus presented here will aid the understanding of them in some measure Before closing this Introduction I take pleasure to mention here the name Swami: Mridananda _—who relieved me of some ocular strain Swami Muidananda took down the translation and the Notes at dictation, copied the draft for prmting and partly scanned the proof-sheets Mahaswaratn Februrary 27, 1957 Swami VIMALANANDAANALYTICAL CONTENTS (OF THE TEXT AND THE NOTES) PAGE Prasapati God Transcendent and Immanent The Ultimate Divine Principle called Paramesvara or the Prayapati Aksharabrahman—The Self-supportrng Final Cause of the Universe Seers Realise the All-pervading Dive im the Ether of Their Heart The Order of Cosmic Evolution The Omnifo1m Nature of the All-Sustaimmg Brahman Rtam and Satyam, He alone 1s All Gods Piayapati as the Divine Purusha and the Source of Time With all Its Divisions The Divine Being 1s Called Mahad-Yasas, has None Above Him, and 1s Limutless Immortality Attamed through Meditation on Han | in the Heart Uttaranarayananuvaka Knowledge of God Alone Leads to Release The Unborn Prajapati 1s born Diversely . Minor Gods Submut to the Knower of the Supreme The Spouses Hri and Laksmi Hiranyagarbha-sukta Paramatman as the Time-binding Experiencer in All Living Bemgs Ekadeva, the Supreme Divine Bemg, Works the Entire Universe Sony 11 13 15 16 17 17 18 24 26ANALYTICAL CONTENTS xu PAGE The Togetherness of the Universe in God 28 God is the Web and Woof of Creation 28 Vena, after Realizing the Immortal, Taught It 28 The Knower of God Deserves Highest Honour 28 God 1s the Friend, Parent and Ordainer 31 God-Realization A Simultaneous Expeiience of Iden- tty 32—33 Substance of Mantras I 6-18 33—35 A Supplication for Intellectual Powers 35 Prayers to Agni for Granting Specific Needs 37 Rudragayatri 39 The Ancestry and Significance of Gayatris 40 Gayatris of Mahadeva, Viniyaka, Nandikesvara, San- mukha, Garuda, Brahma, Narayana, Narasimha, Aditya, Agni and Durgi 43—48 Giyatris from Agamas and Tantras 49 Panic Grass Religious Importance of It 50 Repetition of Proper Ritual Acts Deepens Religious Life Sl Multiphcation of Progeny and Social Transmission 52 Prayer to the Earth and Self-Purification by It 53 The Earth Glorified and Imploied to for Favours 54—56 Supplication to Indra For Fearlessness and Well-bemg 57 Real nature of Indra in the Rgvedasamhita 59 An Oft-quoted Prayer for Well-bemg 59 Prayer to Indra and Soma 60—62 Vena as the Symbol of the Supreme Reality 62 The Earth Implored to Grant Bliss and to End Sorrows 64 An Invocation to the Earth Glorified as Sri 65 Welcoming Values and Exorcising Dis-values 66xIV MAHANSRAYANOPANISAD PAGE Well-being Sought From Indra 67 Prayer for Fitness to Sacrifice and Destruction of Enemies 68 The Lord’s Feet and One’s Own Moral Conduct Save One from Misery 69 Prayer Addressed to Indra for Safety 70 Propitiation of Water and Herbs 7 How the Vedas Help the Common Men 7 Aghamarsana Sikta Its Philosophy and Import 2 Prayer to Varuna for Purity . 75 Right Livelihood Expiration of Transgressions 76 Salutations to Agni, Indra and Varuna 16 Counteracting Adverse Effects of Water 71 Expiation of the Sis of Gluttony and Greed and the Princtple underlying It 78 Invocation to the Ten Derfied Rgvedic Rivers 80—81 A Creationistic Hymn (Rgveda X 190) 81 A Prayer for Total Purity 84 Oblation of Finite Self into Infinite Brahman 86 Varuna, the Sin-effacer 89 Self-abasement Before God’s Supreme Purity 90 Soma as Umamaheévara and the King of the Universe 91 Durga-siikta—Hymn to Durga 93—100 Atri’s Perpetual Prayer foi the Peace and Safety of All 98 Prayer to Fire God for Happiness and Fortune 101 Prayer to Indra and Visnu for Devotion : 102 Mantras Chanted while Making Oblations for Increase of Food 103 Mahavyahrtihoma Chanting for Destroying Sin 105 Mantras for Offering Oblations for Greatness 107ANALYTICAL CONTENTS xv PAGE Prayers for the Attainment of Knowledge 109 Prayers for Removing Obstacles in the Path to Higher Knowledge 112 Prayer for Retention of the Scripture Learnt 112 Moral and Spiritual Discipline Eulogised as Tapas 115—117 Approval of Meritorious Work and Censure of the Opposite Kind 118 An Echo of this Upanisad in the Dhammapada 120 Grace of God 1s a Necessary Condition for Seeing Him = 121 God as the Source of Life, Body and Environment 123 The Best Instances of the Type Remind Us of Divine Glory 126 Bondage to Natute and Release from It 127 Hamsamantra Its Non-dualistic Meaning 129 Prajiipati as God Immanent and Transcendental 132 Prayer to Savitr for Plenty 134 Fitness for Spiritual Ilummation Engendered through Sacrifices 135 The Greatness of Divine Names 136—140 The Greatness of Vedantic Knowledge 141 A Prayer for Unbroken Thought of God 143 The Greatness of Purusa’ The Tree Analogy 145 Immortality through Renunciation Its Rareness 146 Vedanta, Sannyasa and Yoga as Methods of Release from Transmigration 149 The place Where God 1s to be Worshipped 151 Mahesvara—Who 1s He? 153 Visvapurusa Nar&ayana—His Nature, Glory, His Resi- dence in the Heart, and His Identity with the Universe and all Gods 155—169XVI MAHANARAYANOPANISAD PAGE Worship of the Supreme Being in the Solar Orb 170 The Glory of the Sun 173—176 Aditya Designated by Pranava and Worshipped as Brahman 177 Mantras for the Consecration of Sivalmga 178 Prayer to Sadyoyita-Siva for Release from Transmigra~ 182 tion Salutation to Vamadeva-Siva 183 Salutation to Aghora-Siva 185 Salutation to Tina, the Lord of All, and Prayer for His Blessings 186 Salutations to Pagupati-Siva 187 Salutations to Biahmapurusa in the Androgynous Form ~—188 Salutations to Rudra in the Universal Aspect 190 Longing to Worship Rudra at Heart with Hymns 192 Maternal of the Sacrificial Laddle Sacrifices Lead to Inner Purity 193 A Hymn Prescribed for Counteracting Evil 195 A Formula in Praise of the Earth as Aditi 196 Water Eulogized as the Omnific Cause 197 Invoking Water for Self-purification 199 Self-oblation into the True Immortal Light 201 Sun as the Divine into Whom Self-oblation 1s Made 204 The Pranava Identified with Brahman Some Details About it 206 Invocation of Gayatri—the Mother of Vedas 207 Day to Day Removal of Sins 208 Invocation of Gayatri and Personification of the For- mula 209 Worship of Gayatri 21214ANALYTICAL CONTENTS xvul PAGE Vyahtis, Gayatri and Gayairisiras for Pranayama 214 Details About Gayatri Significance Explained 215—217 Dismissal of Gayatiidevi 218 Woiship of Gayatri Gives Welfare 219—220 Oblation of Prinas to Soma 221 Trisuparna Mantras 221—225 Mental Power Necessaiy to Reach Brahman 225 Prayer to Savitr to Remove the Sleep of Illusion 225 Prayer to Savitr for Heralding in What 1s Auspicious 225 Madhumantras which Stress upon the Need of True Disciples, Supreme Knowledge and Salubrious En- vironment 225 Invocation fo. Obtaiming Intelligence Quoted From Other Vedas 229 The Glory of Trisupama 230 Fire-Worship as Mystic Communion 232—235 Prayer to the Deity Called Medha 235 Intelgence and Wealth Must Combme 237 Importance of Speech Guarded by Intelligence 237 Prayers to Indra, Sarasvati, Aéwins, Gandhaivas and Apsaras for Intelligence 239 Agni, Indra and Sirya Supplicated for Intelligence 242 Prayer for Longevity, Safety, Sinlessness and Wealth 243 Death! Go Back, Do not Strike Us 244 May We Live Long Brillant Life—A Prayer 245 Fear of Yama and Accusation of Others Prayed Away 246 Longing for the Path of Liberation 247 Power of Yajfia to Take One Acioss the Sea of Death 249 Death Placated for Granting Safety 250 Rudra 1s Implored Not to Hurt 251xvi MAHANARAYANOPANISAD PAGE Rudra js Saluted to Spare One’s Belongings 252 A prayer to Prajipati 254 The Power of Yajfia to Loosen Death-traps 257 Death Includes Many Snares 258 Obiations to Remove Offences Doneto Gods And Men 259 Individual 1s Responsible for the Offences of the Group Also 261 Prayer to Remove Hostile Spinits 262 Desne Made the Scapegoat 263 Kama—the Philosophy Behind this Term 265 Manyu 266—267 Burnt Offermgs of Sesamum for Benefits 267 Preparation for Sannyiisa 268 Sesamum for Oblation 269 The Level of the Community Influences the Individual’s Moral Stature 270 The Oblation Known as Viraya for Self-Purification 271—284 A Possible Indication that the Oblation May be Offered by Either Sex 273 Virajé Oblations Contmued 274 Hidden Egoism 275 The Echpsed Soul Comes out in all Splendour 279 Hunger and Thirst 280 Asceticism implied in Sannyasa 281 Efface Misfortune, Adversity and Poverty 282 Laksmi and Alaksmi 283 Thirty-seven Oblatory Formulas for Baliharana 284—286 Importance of Food for All Living Beings 287 Troubling Rudragana Prayed to for Safety 288 The Supreme Truth 289ANALYTICAL CONTENTS Puruh or Pah Brahman as All-God Sraddhi—a Deity to be Worshippea Pranagnthotra Food-seeking Instinct Spiritualised Amtahoma The Contamer and Cover for Food Final Mantras Completing Prianagnihotra XIX PAGE 290 291 292 292—297 294 296 295—296 297 Purusa of the Size of the Thumb 1s Satisfied by Repast 297 God the True Enjoyer Man, Only an Instrument 298 Satisfaction of a Repast Must Bring Remembrance of God Enjoy What 1s Granted to Us by God Prayer to Remove the Bondage of Ignorance Rudra as Pranagranthi Lapse of Ahankara, Sign of Maturity Unnty of Visnu and Siva Manifoldness of Agni—the Divine Yajiia Personified and Venerated Brahman in the Brahmana Truthfulness as Supreme Means of Liberation Sugar-Coating Truth with Untruth Religious Fast as Tapas Sense-Control as Tapas Tranquillization of Mind as Tapas Giving Selfless Gifts as Tapas Religious Righteousness as Foundation of All Procreation The Five Mahagnis Agnihotra as Means of Liberation 299 300 301 302 303 304. 304 305 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318xx MAHANARAYANOPANISAD PAGE Yayfia Leads Men to the Status of Gods in Heaven 319 Manasa—Inward Worship—Its Importance 320 How Yajfia Prepares One to be an Atmayayn 321 Sannyasa Declared to be Supreme 322 Two Different Views of Nyasa 322—323 Saupameya Aruni’s Question to His Father 324 Tapas 1s Behind Great Achievements 326 Sense-Contro] Its Greatness and Inaccessibility 327 Calmness of Mind as means of Liberation 328 Selfiess-Gift as the Shelte1 of Sacrifice 330 Dharma or Justice 1s the Defence of the Oppressed. 331 Procreation as the Foundation of Races 332 The Conception of Threefold debts 334 Why Sacrrficial Fires are Important? 335 Agnihotra—the Beacon to Heaven 336 Yajfia as a Potent Weapon 337 The Value of Inward Concentration 339 Sannyasa Eulogised as the Supreme 340 A Panegyric upon Food 342 The Scale of Values. Sun, Rain, Flora, Food, Strength, Power, Tapas, Faith, Sense-Control, Reflection, Calmness, Remembrance, Direct Realisation and Bliss 344 Knowledge of the Atmapurusa Leads to Release 346 Why Sannydsa is the Greatest Tapas” 348, Brahman as Giver of all Light 349 Prescription for Meditation as Given to Sannyasms 351 Atmayayfia and Its Ingredients 352—356 Correspondences Between Bahuryayfia and Antaryajfia 356 Atmayayfia 1s a Development of Upasana 358 The Complete Cycle—From Birth to Release 358—359arfeaas. PEACE INVOCATION gfe: 0 af AY figs: af aR: 1 oat aT wae cater tat a grat aerate: taf at froewer: aat agit. aed atat 1 cada seaat wari 1 = a : r varia yeaa ad afer | ed afeenfa 1 aed 1 afeearft 1 aemdag | agerenag | tag aT | wag Tee Us aft: afar: att: Si 1 fn a ag Wag | ag at aay tae ata ae avad t aufea aradtaaeg 1 art fafgatag 1 & afta: afi: att: May Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, India, Brhaspati, and all-pervading Visnu be propitious to us and grant us welfare and bliss I bow down to Brahman in reverence O Vayu, I bow down to Thee im adoration Thou verily art perceptible Brahman I shall declare Thou art ught Thou art the tise and the good May that—the Supreme Being adored as Vayu—preserve me May He preserve the teacher Me, may He protect, My teacher, may He protect May He protect us both together, may He nourish us both together, may we work conjoimtly with gieat energy, may our study be vigorous and effectrve, may we not mutually dispute (or may we not hate any) Let there be peace, and peace, and peace in me, m my envionment and in the forces that act on meTAAISTATT. SECTION ONE area Waaeg weg aTHeT TS Het ALATA I Tao whet ie aaaafice: cart feerefa wa! sea: ] : nen qfesafadts seer qa cates soft asada afater Rem aff agag sonar viaar Wear wrraitetaraert wmatft starts arasfer + cata srfoeretrerait aaTety qe aria amare araft in the shoreless waters YaHet FET on the eaith AT#EF TS on the surface of heaven (4 and sarc pei\ading) HZq wea greater than the great saTafa Lord of creatures [4m by the seed satdisft the hghts arqsface who has entered 74 a7 inside the foetus afr acts 1. The Lord of creation, who 1s present in the shoreless waters, on the earth and above the heaven and who 1s greater than the great, having entered the shining intelligences of creatures in seed form, acts in the foetus (which grows into the living being that is born) [The Upanisads name the ultimate Prmciple of 1eligion and philosophy as Param&tman or Parabrahman, the first word emphasizes the ummanence and the second the transcendence of that Principle Parabrahman, when describ-2 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD ed as the cause of the universe, is called Parameévaia o1 Prajipati Prajapati and Parabrahman are, therefore. one and the same Reality described from two stand-pomts A person 1s not called a father before his marriage and the birth of a child He becomes a father after these events The person, however, remains the same Paiabrahman conditioned by the adyunct of the unrveise 1s Prajapati, fiom whom the universe 1s born and 1m whom tt has its existence and absorption The stanza poits out that the same Prajapati, who sustams vast oceans, boundless worlds, and the highest heaven, enters as a seed or a spark mto the shining intellect of living creatures and becomes the jiva o1 the acting and enjoying agent on the earth Man 1s developed fiom an embryo The embryo 1s animated by the internal mstrument which 1s rendered efficient by the reflection or impregnation of the Spirit or Param&tman, here designated as Prayapati Sukia m the text stands for the Paramatman who enters the cieatures as the seed and becomes ther mnermost Self Jyotimst stands for the transmigratmg Souls, identifying themselves with the internal organ and the imstruments of knowledge and action Paramatman ensouling the universe 1s called Virat and dwelling m the body is called yiva The last foot of this verse 1s the same as the first lme of the Athaivaveda X 4 2 13 and the Taittwiydanyaka Wl 13 3] afeafga: dg fa Sfa ad afer Sat arly fad! - fag: ada yet ay weaeT ss TRAY TWA aa UU ee fares often aftaq aearct aqiaafa (srat taareia eacft) yearacarar a afery aret fafaafa (factaSECTION ONE 3 waft) ag aft tar afery ara tesa ata aa ae wa ort afreag + areal | Tee Tear aaa aT TeAeT- worfeat cantata sfafacsfa i 3a aay all this afew in whom auf comes together + and =afa dissolves & and faz all 241 gods afeqq im whom afafaag 1emain with their lordly powers, #4 That ta alone ‘Yay what is gone aq that J verily Heay what is to come HT (ait) was =z This (cause of the universe, Prayfpati) aaeart m that imperishable 77% absolute =7q m the ether (sfafacsft remains ) 2 That in which all this universe exists together and into which it dissolves, That in which all the gods remain enjoying their respective powers—That certainly 1s whatever that has been in the past and whatever indeed is to come in the future. This cause of the universe, Prajapati, 1s supported by His own imperishable nature described as absolute ether [In the previous stanza it was stated that Prayfpat: or Paramesvara dwells m creatures as Karta (doer) and Bhokta (enjoyer) This stanza asserts that He 1s not only the Antaryamin (God dwelling in creatures) but also the support and final cause of all Parabrahman alone is the one cause of everything else and there 1s no other cause for His exist- ence The woid vyoman im the text means ak@éa or ether This “kdéa 1s a constituent element of the universe It 1s the cause of the other four elements—aur, fire, water, and earth Akisa itself 1s produced from Paramatman according to4 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD the Upamisads, and therefore it cannot be the self-suppoit- ing final cause Hence paiama vyoman here 1s the Aksaia Brahman which has no othe: cause or suppoit Hence 1 is stated here that this Reality alone constitutes the worlds which have been m the past and which are to be in the future The world which we experience at present receives its existence and self-evidence from Jt alone The various gods and powers functioning m the untverse and in man have their glory by delegation fiom Parabrahman The syllable 3T in the thud Ime may be taken as an exclamation of wonder, or restored to the vocable #f which 1s a Vedic vauant of att The word vyoman im the last fine is in the locative case accoiding to Vedic giammat ] daigd da fad! adi a aaifzererafa aster wat A wa: aye Fa adr qaart TEA go: 311 ay SReRTUNTaT THEA wearers TATE St wea art ate weit a gat aafe, awa Ferhat a otreaasrt sega arate, afer areas sarees aret fret wraegit wat aft sor adet aa by whom @¥ space between heaven and eaith 4 and feay heaven wary (WET) earth and arqaq (are) enveloped, a4 by whom arfeey sun Asa by heat wTsrar by hight 4 and ayfa burns, 7] whom Fay sages Ha AAF inside the akiéa of (then) mind aafet weave, bind azat in which impeush- able 73 Supreme (Brahman) ¥ST creatures (aa*4 abide)SECTION ONE 3 3 He by whom the space between heaven and earth as well as the heaven and the earth are enveloped, He by whom the sun burns with heat and gives light, and He whom the sages bind in the ether of their hearts (with the string of meditation), 1m whom—The Imperishable One— all creatures abide [The above translation is based on the Commentaty of Bhattabhaskara who takes antah samudia to mean ether of the mind and completes the last Ime by supplying the verb vartante (abide) Samudia m the Vedas has the sense of ether (haga) as well as the ocean, the phiase antah samudia, therefore, gives the same meaning as the Irrdaydkdsa Sayanfcirya explains that Brahman, the self-supporting Reality, cieates the umiverse ever remaining changeless in Ity own glory This explanation is made possible by completing the last lme with the veib ‘create’ m the place of abide (sryanti fo. vartante) To agree with this mean- ing Sayana takes samudia to mean synecdochically the whole world Just as the clay out of which various vessels aie made envelopes those articles that are produced form clay, so also the enti1e untverse 1s enveloped by Paramatman Sages who know this Reality realize the Paramatman in the entire uni- verse as people see the thread woven ito the cloth Vayantr am the text means also ‘they weave’ The word may be split also as avayantr as some have done, in which case it means ‘they understand or realize’ Accordmg to Sayana, tejas stands for the solar orb and bhrdajas for the rays of the light emutted therefrom Grammatically divam and mahim should be constiued as nommative simgulars to agree with dvrtam ]6 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD: at: IAAT Ta: Tat AAA sary eames WITT | qaetfa: geo Tas faaat qari aeracifet wen wa: Te arate fe aeieat ange FETA ataerrraed fared! Geo THA: TREAT UK FETT ST ETON TST waft saa, aes ale waren qarsaae Sater fate aa, gee carat a Arh warfa aaiq atefrragents ef ores wet afer ora ay, aq fe ararnfanege aft wenay, aq afeaviga Pear- ama softest aafeaa fread saree seadie (serat warepe a) waft vaicerereft wegreta weRTE aI SAAT aeg 7 afer aq from whom 7 of the world sat creatrix (Prakitt) wqaT took buth, (aq which) yay m the world #47 with water (and other four elements) 4fatq living beings == (7) av projected, created, aq which 4eTauft moving and not moving Watft bemgs—ie, ae along with herbs gear] human bemgs TH quadrupeds 4 and—fazq entered, aq which fg indeed Hea AeI*IH (ABT) gieater than the great, aq which TH one without a second Heq#7q{ imperceptible warTeTH limitless mn form faxay of the shape of universe FTL ancient AHA Tear (safeTay remaining) beyond darkness or Praketi Ter T and) higher than the highest aa than This TH great Haq another qitray (atta ) subtle + (afer) (does) not (exist)SECTION ONE 7 4.5. From whom the creatrix of the world, Prakrti, was born, who created in the world creatures out of elements such as water, who en- tered beings consisting of herbs, quadrupeds and men as the inner controller, who 1s greater than the greatest, who is one without a second, who 1s imperceptible, who 1s of unlimited forms, who is the universe, who is ancient, who remains beyond darkness or Prakrti and who 1s higher than the highest—nothing else exists other than, or subtler than, Him [These two stanzas are connected syntactically Prasat? and syacasaija are Vedic forms for prasiitih and yyasasaija Sayana adopts the peculiar readimg vyacasaija which 1s explamed as vyasasaija Again, aniyasam and mahantam are Vedic peculiarities to be rendered into the usual antyah and mahat respectively The creation of the world from Brahman through avyakta has been described generally m the previous stanzas Here some details are given im the orde1 of evolution, namely, the Prakrti, the five elements consisting of water and the rest, the terrestrial region, plants, animals and men Paramatman dwells as the innermost Spurit of all creat- ures It is asserted that in spite of the transformation of the Paramatman into the gross universe and His residence withm the smallest of created beings, He 1s still greater than the greatest, higher than the highest, subtler than the subtlest and older than the oldest Though he has become the manifold universe of variety and multiplicity, yet He remains one and undivided He is beyond the tat of darkness and sensuous knowledge ]8 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD agad ag aranigenta wat ed etary Berge agar ard scart feed farata Waa afd: neu aaifariras ata cares error dea aa ATTA ( STAT FaTaRAaATT TATA TETA F) aha Teaaias sala | Fey crema Farfaar aaa [Saas agaeg aft azar | se qdicefad aaeeriae aff az 1 aaefaar saat aay FART agyaTe Sere STATA a fag fata aq That v4 alone aq ught aq That J mdeed qaq tuth ag they say *ataTq of the sages THA venerable wa Brahman aq That va only ecerqH acts of worship and social utihty (aff also aq That ta indeed) yaAeT of the universe aTfY navel agat vauously HTaq alieady born wTaaTTy bemg born fasay untveise fafa sustams 6. Sages declare. That alone is mght and That alone is true That alone is the veneiable Brahman contemplated by the wise. Acts of wor- ship and social utility also are that Reality That alone being the navel of the universe, sustains manifoldly the universe which arose in the past and which springs to existence at present. [Paramatman described in the previous stanzas as the cause of the univeise 1s the one existence, and apart from Him nothing else can be presumed So He 1s not only present m every atom of the universe but also im every quality, action, and relation This is the truth illustrated m theSECTION ONE 9 present stanza Rrum and Sutam iendered as right and true aie two important terms m the Vedas The first term stands for the physical, moral, and spiritual laws oi the order of things evident everywhere, and the second one denotes dividual and social acts of truthfulness Bhatta- bhaskara explains +a as ménasayajfa and sana as vaerkaya- jia Sayana explains i/a as might thought and satya as ught speech Brahman in the first hemistich means the Vedas which are venerable, bemg the highest authouty The simile of the nave of a wheel supporting the spokes is common im the Veda Hence Brahman is spoken of as the navel or support of the universe ] atarfaragaraniedg aerat: aga Yaaug data aera: a gaTafa: en aaa aagrera af | aqdareaavade adie 1 ag arasarera aaeg | stay ot ase areeier aRaT | aa arama aeration, 29 Fer day a 1 ferepraifzer (azar sifrrdteiea warner) wert ata 1 soraronfafra are (aaa setrefat Trae) aft aq | farrest (aaaT THTAT- ares ) warofeeta aq aq That ta alone aft fire, a That a7] air, Tq That ai sun, 7q That g verily FAAT. moon, aq That Ta alone Yt stars HAY nectar, a That ae Brahman, aq That ary water (and other elements), # He sarafa creator of creatures 7. That alone 1s Fire; Thatis Aur, That 1s Sun, That verily is Moon, That alone is shining10 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD Stars and Ambrosia. That 1s Food; That 1s Water and He 1s the Lord of creatures [Two views of the ulumate Divine Reality ate pre- sented m the Veda One of them 1s that Paramatman or Parabrahman 1s Pure Being beyond all relations, attributes, and particulaiizations The other view 1s the one which takes into consideration all the differences, 1elations, attributes, and qualities, noticed m the umiverse as embedded in that Reality These are not two categoues, but one and the same Reality as seen through vidyé and avidya Brahman 1s realized as pure Sat through mugunavidya or pure yiia@na The same 1s contemplated as adhydtma, adhbiita, and adhidawa uni- verse, so long as one 1s m the condition of avidya But the objects contemplated im the state of avidya also have their suppoit and reality in the unchanging and all-com- prehending Bemg which 1s Parabrahman Just as a gold statue 1s gold in every part of it, so also Paramatman 1s im every pait of the universe, whether it be sun, moon, and stars, or fire, aw, and water, and all ther products The phrase sukiamamrtam 1s taken together also and explained as the parental seed which gives rise to progeny which 1s unmortality, for the parents live through their offsprings en- dlessly Biahma is interpreted as food or Divinity embodying universal knowledge and actioncalled Hiranyagarbha Piaja- pati may be Virat embodied as the universe or the first prog- enitor Stanzas 1 to 6are m Tustup metre The present one is im. Anustup with irregular padas Grammatical gender of Sans- krit words 1s purely conventional and have no biological signi- ficance Therefore the Divine Reality, beyond sex distinction, 1s denoted by a noun or pronoun in any gender In this stanza neuter and masculine pronouns port to the same Reality ]SECTION ONE By aa! faaat afat' fag: geatatit ’ HoT Yea: HRSA AAT: Us gedaan wat aa: Aa BTA aaa: TET TH EH orale wa: nen fataarrq ofr cearaa sergdarceretarar- qa FeTaaT ae STAs of 1 aa TT Ua AAT THE TATA a TesaT Se araTg feat, TAT TeTTAaPT aaa adafra, TEM, afares F aMaTeT feet faaft ul aq all fatar nimesa-s FT kalé-sqgat muhiirta-s eet kastha-s agirat days @ and adatar half-months aTar months 4% seasons 4 and qa all without omission faa self-lummeus Jedt{ form the Peison afaafHt were born wacir = the year also FewaTy were produced 7 He (the Paramatman) 41] water 3g% milked aafrery firmament wat also, G4 heaven 34 TH these two (3g% milked) 8-9. All mimesas, kalas, muhirtas, kasthas, days, half-months, months, and seasons, were born from the self-lum.:ious Person The year also was born from Him. He milked water and also these two, the firmament and the heaven. [The Vedas teach a single Reality as the souice and suppoit of the universe Some of the traditional systems of philosophy hold that nature, trme and the like are also eternal and mdependent sources of the universe Here it 1s12 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD emphasized that they are all derived fiom Paramatman and so cannot be eternal and mdependent Divisions of time have no existence sepaiate fiom Paramaitman They ate boin from Him The magnitude of the divisions of time is graded thus eighteen numesas make one késthd, thirteen kasthas make one kali, thirty kalés make one ksana, twelve ksanas make one muhiita, thuty muhiistas make day and mght, fifteen days and nights make one paksa o1 half-month, two paksas make one month, two months make one season, and six seasons make one year Sarve and sat vasah imply those divisions of time not mentioned in the text, but enume- rated just now The te1m mmesa denotes the time 1equued fot the winking of the eyes The word kalpantém in the second pada of the nmth verse 1s the reading accepted by the olde: commentator Sanivatsara im the text bemg im the singular, some have silently corrected the verb into kal- patim The plural verb has somehow to be justified by taking samyatsaia as a genetic pluial denoting the cycle of siaty years Bhattabhaskaia construes the time divisions with verb adhyajfiue and explams kalpantam separately as ‘cape saat wag sft Fare araraat’ re, the Veda wishes that the ume may be efficacious; brmg about its proper ends Milking of the water, firmament and heaven, implies the production of the necessary sustenance and enjoyment for the tlansmigratmg souls through the agency of time on the earth and in the firmament and heaven, Bhattabhiskara takes piadughe as an adjective qualifying ume and explains thus sior aTary Seat arargfaedt 1 Based on Siyana, I have translated the term as a verb ]SECTION ONE 13 aaged 4 faded a wea ofeonrad | A AeA HAT TET ATH ARTA: Moll wa Tara + aft matin offea azeat wf. etfs 1 faq feearcafazenfs a arf 1 aearaarerafeart- aft + qgafa i neq ae sfa aaa fee arada waft | aa a afraaft aa aaa oz uaqq This One G44 upwaid # FAT anyone 7 not uftsmAd grasped, measmed fad54q acioss (AT o1) T not (sframaq grasped) wey m the middle (wfF also) 7 not (afamrq grasped) aeq His ATH name Hq excellent wT glory # a anybody aea His (glory) 4 not $F controls 10. No person ever grasped by his’ under- standing the upward limit of this Paramatman, nor His limit across, nor His middle portion. His name 1s ‘great glory’ for no one limits His nature by definition [In the previous stanzas Paramatman was described as the material and efficient cause of the umiverse The world and its content are essentially Paramitman alone If God has become the universe it is easy for one to percerve Him im the manifold objects presented before the senses But seemg the would 1s not graspmg God If 1t were so, one could easily understand the length, breadth, and central part of God It is said here that man cannot grasp like that by his understandmg Even if we accept the verdict of modein science and conceive the circumference of the universe to be of the order of 6000 million light years (Light14 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD travels 186,000 miles a second. A lightTyear is the distance it travels in a year.) still the Veda holds that it is only an imaginable part of Paramatman who extends limitlessly beyond. Therefore it is said none can grasp Him by thought. Yaéas translated as glory means permanent renown received from all without any exception. Those who have dominion over others and have the freedom to exercise power, enjoy yenown in the world. Those who have only limited domin- jon and power, - therefore, have only limited - glory. Paramatman whose power and dominion cannot be grasped even by the exceptional understanding of man is alone worthy of being called ‘the Great Glory’. For the use of the term aera as an epithet ‘of Paramatman see Chandogya Upanisad VIL. 14. 1. It may be noted that the gender of words, as it has been stated in the note to stanza 7, which point to the Paramatman are overlooked in the translation. The Reality denoted as Paramatman is neither masculine nor feminine nor neuter. ‘He’ or ‘It’ is used in this translation if context does not particularly demand ‘She’, Parijagrabhat is a Vedic form and should be rendered by the usual parigrhnati and ike the perfect by the present ts/e.] a dea! facta canea a wae Teale waaay | eat ata waataarat oa fagedared water gen feos ae Ta sauna: a aeataats frecoraterat fa qaa 1 a ast wat sao Veats | ganfatsas afatarctt aet- ania aaiq aaa wate a7 afaaentad: 444 a: Tat | Sara: ost aver soa & ata: APTSECTION ONE 15 seq His 674 form a2 for observation 4 not facafa remains, #:44 anyone tq Him waqt with the eye 7 not weafa sees. 4 those who gat by the heart #¥tsT controlled by the mind Haat by the mind af¥rerq: framed, made steady UAy Him fag: know @ they aqaq: immortal wafra become. 11. His form is not to be beheld; none whosoever beholds Him with the eye. Those who meditate on Him with their minds undis- tracted and fixed in the heart know Him; they become immortal. [Paramatman cannot be perceived with the eyes or mind like a cow or a tree standing before a person. At best, objects of the universe act only as symbols of the Divine Reality. Though absolutely transcendent and indescribable, ignorance is not the sole refuge in respect of Paramatman. With the help of proper scriptures and a preceptor one may aealize Him by the practice of Yoga. This requires the control of mind and concentration of thought in the heart accompanied by appropriate emotions and feelings. Those who succeed in realizing Paramatman by this method become immortal. The unconditioned form of Brahman and Its conditioned form realized through worship and meditation are described in this stanza. The same passage occurs in Katha and Sverasvatara Upanisads also with slight variations.] [In the immediately preceding stanza, attainment of immortality was declared to be the fruit of realizing Paramitman in the heart through appropriate discipline. This is emphasized by the reproduction of Ustaranarayand-16 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD nuyaka gwen in Taittutydunyaka TL 13 (which according to Apastamba 1s iecited durmg the woiship of the Sun— Adityopasthana) and Paramétmasikta or Huanyagaibhasiikta appearmg m the Yajurvedasamita with which this Upaninad 1s connected “Though the received text gives only the prattka or the mdex words of these two stikras as #2 WAST farra- ait tral, they aie reprinted ‘below im their entirety with a Sanskrit paraphrase and English renderimg only for the convenience of those who make use of this publication ae: ag fears gat 1 aga aya: pfaed cares, faratete: aractatf | aey eqvet faaagaa' fa, ageaey fepaararary ue framin omad Tier, age ofr, TTT Taree, cai Cagrefas TT TEMS THAT | TARA fear offer safest toe afer aye 1 aft a adaart anfeaer caer cer Teteaeer we faateer froma fe sad 1 oaeaqfeas aearq qearent seereTaTe aT fea arate STSHeT wars Bara aaa STAT 1. The universe arose from Visvakarman through water, earth, fire andother elements He excelled Aditya, Indra and other gods. The sun called Tvast& mses in the morning embodying His brilliance In the begmming of creation the mortal world enveloped im gloom received itsSECTION ONE 17 divine brilliance from the sun shining in the glory of Paramatman aerate ged nerdy, arfacran ota: TET | aad faaryga vg wala, aeeatfaaasaa NR ua eftenra? aura aatere STATRATATATe aT aT faa aaa araareTy aa at fast adata gf afaget yer az smatfa 1 wafafare a va qiaveees rater fafa a afaT ware Fer sreifa | Hereaa cengeasnarg area eat a Pree 2. I know this Great Person who 1s beyond ignorance and darkness and whose splendour is comparable to that of the sun Knowmg Him thus in this life itself, one transcends death There is no other path leading to the attainment of hberation sara facia wa ara: aaraatat agar freaa i wea dh: oftonata atta, wthetat gatreaster aaa: soar rea afagetr arargfaedt weqneet wa GaaeT- wat gaq aie 1 aeaaa Soo cag aaa aie BT awraretn faorad | arta fredfzar diet sereareret arer- ava oft pat wsafer | Fee. afesaig aaa wife. syaraT sesh eats Seagal18 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD 3 The sun who 1s the Lord of creatures moves about in the space between heaven and earth causing day and mght Although He 1s unborn, being the Self of all, He manifests Himself as the manifold universe. Wise men realize the source of the umiverse, the all-pervading Para- matman Prajapatis, the first patnarchs, sought the position, which Marici and other sages attained a Fara araafa, at Farai’ gafea: 1 gai at Been! ore: wat Sa aTaAT rv arfaret a aaeax ZaTATaTeTe aaa faetay, Ter fart qfes qgerfe aya aaa qa wae fei Si re , det Adio vargas Fesfees ears ay we 4. Salutation to the resplendent Sun-God who 1s the son of Parabrahman, who shines for the benefit of gods, who 1s mvoked as the benefi- cent leader of the gods, and who was born as the eldest among the gods ea Mal Taaa:, Ta AT azAaT | aeead aigiott faera, vex Fat aaA aN MU ®t atag arencrarad tae Taare fear ees 1a mga Wer aga sae a aya aT waSECTION ONE 19 ara aa aeored canis caveat aad wafer 1 ear fe aararraatfa oearat wafa 1 wat wa Fat waa 1 ATeT wales. tat fat 5. When the gods instituted the Know- ledge of Brahman they declared thus teaching about the Supreme reality——That sage who knows the Supreme as described before will have sovereignty over gods, for he has become the Inmost Self of all ga toes gett, agra aed, aeration ere afedt aaray, sé afatm, ad after, aa’ afrart 2 aqaq anfera, aa ffaeomadtarfot gt (exh sft St area wedi ar) wet = safaerfrerrcary eat wat | are aaa ara Proosaracary Ted earAs | aeTaT ATE Tat arate | afeaat & aay 1 aanfas @ way center aTards- wer sce afaOI TaAES | OTH EETATA AY TT Tae | Cea afters ad oie ef 6. O Sun, Hri and Laksmi are Thy con- sorts, Thyself beng Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Day and night are Thy two sides Asterisms in the sky are Thine own form. The Asgvins are Thy mouth. Being such, grant me whatever I desire, spiritual illummation, happiness here and other objects of desire20 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD [The above six passages known as the Utraaniid- yandnuyika ave employed m connection with vaiious acts of worship There aie slight 1ecensional differences, of which Si7 used in the place of Hi7 1s the most significant one ] The followmg hymn to Huanyagarbha m the mitubh metre ‘seen’ by the son of Prajépati who 1s also called Hiranyagarbha, has for its Deity Prajapati designated as the imdetermmate pronoun Kah Prajapati here 1s called Hiranyagarbha because the untverse which is like a golden egg is conceived as His body and also because He 1s the Highest Self dwelling m all as Siitiatman The purpose of quoting this hymn here 1s to stress the necessity of knowmg and worshipping Him for the attamment of eaithly welfare and immortality The hymn quoted here fiom Tarttiva- samhité 1V 1 8 has mmor deviations from the same hymn as found m the Rgveda fect: anadara', yaea wre: ofate aT | a arate gfadd argent wea! 2a efaer fade eur wep a frqet ware orien fervafes Saat wae wiety aafear var safe WTA | Wa Cy aT AE are we ee arate 1 feconrdedt @ va TORT ERT eae qar get feanlh wots Teas areafe er | GeETSaTA azAT afraiaeresta aed fara ay gdererfegtadaae aaa oP 1 aoa a TATA WacaT ae Fea aT aaTfefaearesr FH? aeaq Stead sticendetar, area serfs 1 ar aft cana agit asiaSECTION ONE 21 1 The resplendent Prajapati was born at the beginning of creation from the Supreme potent with the power of Maya. Having been born He became the one sustainer and nourisher of all beings. The same Paramatman, here designat- ed as Hiranyagarbha, supports the earth as well as heaven May we worship that shining One with offermgs—who 1s of the nature of bliss or whose characteristic nature cannot be interrogated. a: wnat fafradt afgete extet set ay | a da aen feramgere: wea Fad gia faa . Ri aes feroard pasa afeeat storaat fafroar eararorg- rat ararcaaee sera afeita Ca aa aya, gee Teds - faa aqooafgre Terarfeaqeraed aerate aa Tear Se 2. Who became the sovereign ruler of all beings living and existing on the earth; who controls as the indwelling Spirit all the brpeds and quadrupeds evident on the earth, a atedat avar ae fog gare ofard wer Fat: 1 wet grated aet gog: wea! 2ava gfaat fade : : nau aes ferred stfrat srerya aq saaraT sea A aa (aR sree oarfegferaat awe A), Te A TEE22 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD wat Far TAT, TTT Fel ATH SATSTAAT F STATA ara carats aaa; 3. Who 1s the giver of Self (all Selves in reality berg Himself); who 1s the bestower of strength (as nourisher through food); whose command even gods are eager to receive, whom immortality and death obey like shadow; meas feaadt afgeat wex YR TAT AeTE: 1 aeaat: ofaat wea atg wea! Gary gfaat fade 2 en oH feragrefant aus ae gereanies aigea ca am zag, Tareeaarearfa waif ae aah zeta Capi agrarcaraes fe aera earrafa, sat weariearet fer armanfesfer (aaiq fafa) a oer aftearcitiar antateragerrttar wafer, 4 Whose glory the mountains, the Himalayas and the rest, declare; whose greatness the ocean along with rivers proclaim; to whose hands engaged in dispensing justice may be compared the eight directions; a aradl aaal aaa aedsai Aaa aA zara ax oftat ata wed Jara 1 fart nauSECTION ONE 23 art waar canis faire cera araeit ToT aeeAT- are ararqfaedt a wae aaa, AWA Atae Weta AEA srafafa sifraear farm gaat, afer arart ata far. wai safe, 5 Whom the dual deity, heaven and earth, shining by light and established for the protec- tion of the world view in mund as the source of their greatness; supported by whom the sun moves gloriously after rising, aa ahem ufadt a ed da qa: eafae Fa are: 1 w sake wat faara: wea! fara afaat fads nen at caret cfedt a Rated, aa gaeia eredted ae qagey aeafia , at ate caries a qasy saree , aeq arate vatarerer Teraifentes tara faatar, 6 By whom the powerful sky and the terrestrial region were made firm, by whom the blisstul heaven was awarded to the virtuous, by whom Release was appointed for the virtuous; who 1s the maker of R&ajasa creation in the mid-region; amt garadtoraa sat aera eae eet aay davai fréadatgte: wet! ad gfaat fate (NOt24 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD aq seq TaTTA wAWETA Het fase cer afesite wT esraT afta srfagarat art “perarare aay WaT ATTA ar ara arn farada, 7 Through the power of whom the gieat Causal Waters holding within it the power of un- foldment and the capacity to produce fire trans- formed itself into the form of the world and fiom whom the one Breath of all gods came into existence, afaart! afgat wiisagal ata wecicieg 1 a Beate 2a us oediq wea Favs efaat fade 7] tlell a faq va feconnt faearartor afer. afer raed cet wart aq aafararedorra cqufger vice Afra; wea Ua Uae 24g arfeia FEAT 8. Who—the Hhiranyagarbha—viewed the waters which create fire and support the Vedic acts of worship (in order to endow it with such potency), who 1s the one God ruling over all the rest J ua fg 3a: sfeaitsg wat: gat fg ata: a@ go aa a: a fas: a afar: seqaifeacsta foratga: 12aSECTION ONE 25 ug fasion sarat ararar vat warafer fafa nefie waa wana wats 1 fecariets soa are afesfrs a Ua wansera wie wea TATaT Ta FET aT gaara adfeatear seat war via sqreqqefed- ara aq aaaifraraa facet ua this fg well known @@ Self-luminous Lord a7 all ufast quaiters of heaven #™ (pervades) towards, TH im the begmning sTq born (as Hiranyagarbha) 4 He f¥ nded J only 7¥ Hq 1m (the universe represented as) the womb, 7 He fasrqart is bemg created variously 7 He sfacrarT go- ang to be born m future fazaatyat having face everywhere "ea as the mnermost Self yar as the Lord fess remams 12 This Self-luminous Lord renowned in the scriptures pervades all the quarters of heaven. Having been born as Huanyagarbha in the beginning He indeed 1s inside the universe represented as the womb He alone is the mani- fold world of creation now springing into existence and causing the birth of the world of creation yet to come As one having face everywhere, He dwells also as the inner most Self leading all creatures. {The stanzas begimnmg with this one describe the glory of Paramatman The manifested world and every item m it point to His power Not only the Hiranyagarbha embodying the universe im its totality, but every beng in the world 1s a representative of Paramatman He is mmanent in all He is the Master and Ruler of every intellect All the senses are dooi-ways for Him serving as channels of26 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD communication As cause and effect, He connects successive generations of creation The last line offers a textual pio- blem The attempt made to avoid a verbal redundancy by changing visvatomukhah into sai vatomukhah 1s not significant, The actual reading 1s pratvanmukhdstisthan Bhattabhaskara assumes mukhdét tisthatt on the ground of Vedic variation and explaims mukhat upakiamat 1e, pervadmg from the begining to the end of the effected universe Siyana ignores the plural case-ending and intetprets mukhd as mukhya ov primary Being, the Rule: of the body, the senses and the mind The readmg mukhah 1m the smgula: may be a con- jectural correction of some copyist The same stanza, perhaps im an improved form, appears as verse 16 m chapter 2 of Svetdévataia Upanisad wheie we get the vauant reading sa eva jitah fo. sa vydyamanah and piatyanjanih for piatyanmukah Janaih im this case is either taken as an addiess or as the indwelling Soul of all beings ] ferdaeren ferret! gat farqat! get get fepadeara 1 a agra adfa of cavataigiedt watt fa oe: ret fea = fat om ew aq rte sam aig sere aa saa Ba: ade STA, adda adder ada- meee a aTgaganaT saleatar areaet cat a wag at waafe sata aiteafe arargfat heaven and earth awaa7t one who creates UF one without a second 24 self-lummous faraaerey, having eyes everywhere 3a and fagadrta. having faces everywhereSECTION ONE 27 faxadiget having hands everywhere ga and fasaqaeqTt hav- ing feet everywhere (@ He) aTgvary by the hands caat by the legs 4 and aaafa controls, joms. 13 The Self-luminous Reality 1s one without asecond and is the creator of heaven and earth (Having created the universe by Himself and out of Himself) He became the possessor of the eyes, faces, hands and feet of all creatures in every part of the umtverse. He controls all of them by dharma and adharma (merit and demerit) represent- ed as His two hands and the constituent ele- ments of the universe which have supplied the Souls with the material embodiment represented as patatra or legs [This stanza tells us that the Paramatman 1s both the operative and the mateal cause of the universe, besides being the ruler and guide of all creatures and the user of their limbs, actions and senses as His instruments It 1s quoted here from Tanthiriyasamhud TV 6 24 It as also found with slight alterations m Atharvaveda XIIL 2 26 and Svetésvatara Upamsad WU 3 where visvatobiihu appears m the place of viSvatohasta and dhamati for namati Upam- sad-brahmayogin interprets patatra as pida According to S&yana bahu represents merits and demerits of creatures on the grounds of which God shapes the world and patatia symbolically represents the moving material elements which constitute the world The second half of the stanza is cryptic and some symbolic imterpretation as given above alone renders 1t comprehensible }28 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD aaeaq weay feat waarfa faery aa fet waetndsa | afedfaad a fa wave atta: steer faa: sag nex 3 deta aad g faery wert ata fated geig 1 sift gat fafgar getg aeade afag: feat da . ug afer cearenfa aa org CarTaaT wafers eerAT ATTRA sea waft a vere atargai aa ua faearfs yaarhy avad fag adetenrrary Fa sf avert ea wert tee afeoarasaag fafa sqarasritaege yeqyaet TCATEATT qTaad agi fase sara saiq say atfacgaary fee 1 aq Tae aa aaT, arhaT we ead fea + art wafered, afeaq qvaedia ee om 9 aff fa cf a ate set fasta a, a4 frafay fn seacrygirerfir carats fatgatft; saree afadia aa faa Aza eaten waar waren ofa frat arcs ear 1 aatq warfaq eaterra- saa sasfaser fig aft fegaq qadtat waft 1 wa in which faeay the umverse TH4TE% united m one place of 1est or support wafer is 7] that Tey he who sees fazat (faeatfz) all yaar worlds faert he who knows 3 Vena aTw named qea4 a Gandhaiva Yq mmmortal aq that faatt knowing ¥ 41% (for Gt without ATATTTA) declared | verily. aferq in whom say this ¥q (Gf comes) together, gets absorbed ¥ and fa (uff) rises, originates ¥ and (4 who) 4aTY mn creatures sitt ra qT (exists as) warp and woof (aSECTION ONE 29 by whom) erq in the hidden places (of the heait of cieat- ures) Aifit three Tat (aatft) states fafgat (fafgatfr) are fixed, appomted | he who t#H one fax all-pervasive 7] that 4% knows 4 he afag of one’s father frat father #q becomes 14-15. He in whom this universe originates and into whom it 1s absorbed, He who exists as the warp and woof in all created bemgs, He by whom the three states (of waking, dream and deep sleep) are appointed in the mtellects hidden in creatures, He in whom the universe finds a single place of rest—having seen that Paramatman, the Gandharva named Vena became a true knower of all the worlds and proclaimed. (to his disciples for the first time) that Reality as mmmortal He who knows that all-pervasive One becomes worthy of receiving the honour due to a father even from his own natural father. [In order to inspire greater confidence m the doctrme of Param&tman taught he1e the authority of Vena 1s cited m this passage Commenting on the word Vena in Tairtniya- saminta 1V 10 1 1, Sayana states that it 1s derived from fant ait and that st means dear or abhista According to Yaska the term Vena 1s applied to Indra, Sun, Prajapati and a Gandharva The commentators accept the sense of the Gandharva or Piayipati in this context Bhattabhaskaia, interpieting etymologically, makes out Vena to be the Lord who willed the creation of the universe and gandharva as the30 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD Divine Principle m whom expressions remain as mystic sound Ven: 1s taken as a 10ot expressing desire and gandharva 1s explamed as gém dhisayat 11 1e, nddétmakadeva Two impressive metaphors make these stanzas significant as high poetiy and philosophy The term ntda in Sanskrit has the sense of a 1esting-place, a bird’s nest im which the young ones live together, or the side of a vehicle where the occupants remain together The idea of safety and togetherness are implied im these meanmngs The whole universe of bemgs has its safety resort in the Paramatman and derives its existence and intelligence from Him The second metaphor 1s about the warp and woof in a woven fabric without which it cannot be The creation has no existence apart fiom its divine cause, and knowledge of the Divine Reality alone gives one a tiue knowledge about the perceptible universe He who knows God in the world and the world as not different from the cause of sts origin, support and final goal, realizes immorta- lity It is mentioned by the commentatoi that Vena 1s one of those who realized this truth first and proclaimed 1 to othe1s In the last lime divine knowledge 1s extolled The Vedic seers zecognized the spiritual father’s superiority to the natural father and even asserted that a son who has become enlightened in divine wisdom may be honoured by his own biological father Guhé mm the text literally means a cave or a hiding place It represents here the buddh: or intellect which is the medium through which the Spirit or Atman manrfests Itself It 1s also the seat of waking, dream and sleep The three padas aie taken to be paid, pasyanti and madhyama stages of vik also, on the authouity of Rgveda 1 164 45 The word Sayituh 1n the last line 1s also found as sa pituh m some texts Bhattabhaskara takes the first of these stanzas as a descrip- tion of :ipapiapafica and the second as that of ndmaptapafica.SECTION ONE 3h Verses 14 to 18 are originally found in Atharvaveda WI 1 1-5 with some vatiation and transposition } a tt agora a faye atmifa ae qaarha feat 1 aa Sat aganTaaega a area eer 12 gt afer, aes sa afe ade as arenes aes TTT sftat tar werent earatfe anita aferras a Tear sfrarat aden senre feaard sat aaftar fret aaeaat s wah A a ua aeare sfatfe sarnft ae, aa a wa faearfa afr masa az 1 wa where aati m the thud (world’ called qart) waqATZ immortality ATwTTAT those who have attamed Zat gods aratfa excellent places a¥y~qeT attamed (according to merit and divine dispensation) 4 that Lord 4 our ay benefactor and friend frat creator faatat ordamer (# and) 4 He atatfa proper places 4 knows (aa for) faeat (fazatft) all qatft created bemgs (4 He knows) 16. Through whose power the gods who have attained immortality in the third region of heaven got allotted thew respective places, He 1s our friend, father and ordaimer He knows the proper places of each because He under- stands all created beings. In this stanza the Divine Providence 1s desciibed as the benefactor of all creatures He 1s the father, brother, friend and true judge conferring upon all mdividual beings32 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD position, function and enjoyment according to the merits of the deeds done by them The fiuits of actions come fiom Him) afe aratafaat afea ga: of crane of fer aft qa: ma od faad faa aansag aeAaq TATE ge aaa AeaKSaaeMacay sara Ta ararghreat aaa saqafa, weraafrester oforeafta, srearfafeer carte a ofeafa 1 oo cara aed agarfdtaer cae TAT afaorecamed fedivian faker area aq aaaca weafa & a wa wa wae 1 wa immediately ararqfrat heaven and earth ofeafer they spread over, wt#tq the woilds oft (afer) spread over, feet the quarters of heaven uf (aff) spread over, BA the heavenly region 9f% (aft) spread over (4 he who) wag m the created bemgs 2aex of the Supreme Reality named Rta 7gH (like) the thread fara spread out fryer having decided in mind aq that (Brahman) Hq@Aq sees (lit . saw) (@ he) aq that Taq becomes (lit , became) 17 They (1.e, those who have realized their identity with the Highest Lord) immediately spread over heaven and earth. They pervade other worlds, the quarters of heaven and the heavenly region called Suyvailoka. WhosoeverSECTION ONE 33 among created beings sees that Brahman named Rta or ‘the True’, unintermittently pervading the creation like the thread of a cloth, by contemplation in mind, truly becomes That. [Having described Divine Providence and Grace lead- ing to welfare in the embodied stage and final release from worldly existence, the text by this stanza sets forth the nature of a hberated soul The moment an aspirant who has reached maturity attams perfect knowledge, he realizes his oneness with all that exists The term viertya 1s taken m the sense of nicitya (having settled m mind) mm the translation, following Sayana Bhattabhdskara explains it as chitva (having cut asunder) According to him the third line means ‘having cut asunder the extended fruits of works of sacrifices and so on’ The term Rta evidently stands for sacrifices accordingly ] qiet Har athe qarft athe eat! feat : fara 1 SATU: TAIT FEET AATTT 2511 aiftdaea cea eT aaa seat ates fee. mt pofestert waft afer fer a ada saree arta wa win sfarnaatte santa afar freqraa aeat | aera anfaqeta wer wraata eu wgaea of Parabrahman called Rta ¥44aT first-born savafa Hiranyagarbha, the protector of the universe HT#T{ the worlds Téeq having pervaded yatfa created beings TART having pervaded wai all sfe. faa 4 quarters and imter- mediate quarters Tica having pervaded arHaT by His own34 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD nature as the Highest Self artaq individual souls afraaya rules and protects them abiding within 18. Having pervaded the worlds and the created beings and all the quarters and inter- mediate quarters, the first-born of Brahman known as Prajapati or Hiranyagarbha became by His own nature as Paramatman, the ruler and protector of individual souls [This stanza occurs also in Tarttu ty@s onyaka 1 23 9, with a variant fasta for Tt@7 It concludes the description or defini- tion of the ultimate Reality, Parabrahman or Paramatman, commencing with the opening stanza We learn from the foregone passages these mportant doctrmes The Paramam Brahma of the Vedic seers 1s called Rtam and Satyam There 3s nothing subtler or higher than this one Reality which 1s beyond perceptual knowledge as well as 1gnorance and dark- ness It is the one Reality in which the visible and imaginable universe has its origination, sustentation and retraction This immortal, self-luminous, ineffable Reality 1s realized in the hearts of self-discrplined sages, who have thereby attamed liberation As the cause of the uatverse, He 1s within the com- prehension of all m general He 1s Prayapati, the father of all created beings, who has assigned to each individual according to his deserts, objects, means and places for experiencing the results of his thoughts and deeds He 1s again called Hiranya- gatbha for the reason that he 1s pervading the universe mside and outside by His power of knowledge and action In this aspect He is expressed more or less through the sun, the moon and the stars, fire, water and air, men, animals and plants, days, months and seasons None ever equals or surpasses HimSECTION ONE 35 m glory As the parent, friend and benefactor of all creatures, it 1s to Him all should turn for refuge from fear, security in welfare and guidance to knowledge Finally, with His grace and by the knowledge of Him man attains release fiom sam- sia and gains ultimate beatitude Those sages who have attamed this goal declare this truth to others and become honoured guides and exemplars to common humanity seeking light and succour m the world Concluding this grand theme the present passage informs us that the same Reality embodied in the entire universe, for all time, dwells in each one of us as the dual principle—the individual self and the Highest Self— the two companion birds with golden plumage perching on the self-same tree mentioned in other Upanisads The un- conditioned Brahman cannot be considered the cause of the universe as It can be regarded only as the negation of all asser- tions Hence the cause of the universe 1s traced to Huanya- garbha or Isvara who 1s conceived as the first-born, although He 1s never born or in reality different from Brahman The term abhisambabhiiva in the text 1s explained as muthunibhiva by Bhattabhaskara implying the relationship of a couple between Paramatman and jivitman The remamung part of this Upanisad mostly deals with holy utterances prescribed for facilitating meditation and other religious acts connected with worship intended to lead an aspirant to the Divine Reality described above ] aaeetfarga frafiered area | ata Aerrarfaay esi ae waa aT infers ae ateviaaa are oe arene aadta sai wei saat freee TeTaTT AF36 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD fasrerearcyarar seargaved stud en ta ag aarf aaig seq ares 1 a aTaft ayratte zeae of god Indra or one’s own Self fray dear #reay covetable #4 marvelously excellent ¥aTy intellectual powers afty giver, worthy of reverence waenfar the Lord of the unmanifest m which creation exists potentially #aTfaTy I pray I may attain 19. I pray I may attain to the marvellously excellent Lord of the unmanifest cause of the uni- verse who is dear to Indra and my own Self, who is covetable, who 1s worthy of reverence and who 1s the bestower of intellectual powers. [This stanza in gayatri metre 1s a prayer addressed to the indwelling Paramatman for the gift of mental powers leading to ullummation The Kenopanisad narrates an anecdote from which we understand that Indra was the first and foremost of gods who realized Brahman nearest The Autareyopanisad informs us that Indra 1s the mystic name of the Atman dwel- ling im the creatures So it 1s evident that the Antaryaémin (in- dwelling Atman) 1s the dearest object to everyone The first member of the compound sadasaspatiis interpreted thus #refet afery searparartet wd aT =f | The marvellous nature of the Creator 1s evident from the manifestation of the universe unrivalled in its design and onginality Sani 1s a Vedic word denoting giver of gifts or one who 1s worthy of adoration The Vedic Reis frequently prayed for the power of memory and understanding implied in the word medhd, for no knowledge 1s possible without them The reading medhdmayésisam (bles- sing comprising of intelligence) noted by Diprka 1s amusing ]SECTION ONE 37 vetara sraadisrefascta vA ayes gerag stat @ feat fet Rott & matdrairsto aafear ta actor fered oaeaar farrafaq aed send det wa 1 aa aaeafaeaa ve Tar sroiaana aT aray | ater af drataea a af 1 atari eoravafe fee wer ares sere Tey @ waz O Jatavedas 47 my faaifary sin (personified) TET im order to destroy viet shine brilliantly, wey for me "IA cattle 7 and (other objects of enjoyment) 4Tagz bring, sftaaq sustenance fa spots (suitable for stay) mm any direc- tion 4 and feet appoint 20 O Jatavedas, shine brilliantly in order to destroy the sins connected with me. Confer on me enjoyments of various kinds including cattle Give me sustenance and longevity and appoint a suitable dwelling for me in any direction. [This 1s another prayer in anustubh metre to God medita- ted in Fire Jatavedas 1s he who dwells m the human body assimilating food and guiding vital functions, or he who knows the needs of all bemgs born Nit or Alaksmi embodies in Hindu tradition all disvalues like poverty, ughmess, unlawful acts, laziness and so on The quest of God can be successful only when an aspirant has a suitable place to stay, necessary comforts which insure agamst distraction and worry and the shining grace of God which keeps away all mental and physi- cal sins of omussion and commission Hence the significance of such a prayer.]38 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD at at faveltworraad ard ged sta afaaeg anti fret at aftatat niger at free adtar ara wears gear ore waft ga TAT aq % sage ar faarerag 1 @ et @ feareraatft organi aa seme aT wale at geal Heer ANTES | TTT a aT saarearfeaerer Heathers a frat ada T_T & wave O Jatavedas ¥ our AY cows Hay horses JETT men sq (and the rest of) the world (wt fraffa that evil one) at fadtq slay not % a4 O Fire afar without holding (weapons in hand, or our offences m mind) arafe come (to our succour) 4T me fiat with wealth ot beatitude afearaa unite on all sides 21 O Jatavedas, through Thy grace may not the evil one slay our cows, horses, men and other belongings in the world O Fire, come to succour us without holding weapons in Thy hand or thoughts of our offences in Thy mind Unite me on all sides with wealth {This stanza in anustubh metre contams again two other prayers to the Antaryamm for the safety of wealth acquired through His grace and for the attainment of greater posses- sions implied by S77, leading up to final beatitude Agahi is the Vedic form for @gaccha Up to this stanza the text as found in various books consulted 1s generally uniform and fixed Hence- forward we counter many variations and additions in different documents On the authority of a Vyfandtman, Sayana has approved the dravidapatha The same 1s followed here, occa- sionally supplemented with a few other readings ]SECTION ONE 39 genes fat agarned ugreaed dtafz 1 wat ta: satediq RQ fraea Tifag faeariices ore caer art | aed PTAA ASAT HIST TART aT | TT SATA fart sear areata feats ex saterg tag aia zu yeveq (for Jeqq) the Supreme Person fast may we know (a@4¥q for that knowledge) agerarea (for qearerq) thousand-eyed Hgreara (for WeTeaT) the Great God etafe may we meditate. z Rudra, the giver of Knowledge 71 (for qa) m that meditation | us WatqaTq mary impel or keep 22 May we know the Supreme Person and for the attainment of His Knowledge may we meditate upon Him, the thousand-eyed Great God May Rudra, the giver of Knowledge, impel us towards such meditation and keep us 1n it. [This and the following 12 passages are called gayatris addressed to different deities These are employed by a spin- tual aspirant for worship and meditation as also for mental and oral repetition (japa) The term gayatri denotes a parti- cular metre in which a very large number of Vedic stanzas are composed Of all these stanzas the most outstanding one 1s the stanza at Rgveda 3 62 10 of which the seer 1s Visvamutra and the Deity Savitr For one of the earliest commendations of gayatri see Chandogya Up 3 12 1 and Si Sankaracarya’s commentary on1t This mantra 1s used by a twiceborn Hindu in his daily devotions and during special acts of worship. The40 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD gayatrimantra 1s also called Savitri and Sarasvati m view of the fact that it 1s addressed to Savitr and worshipped also as Sarasvati Gayatri itself 1s considered as a feminine Deity In common usage, however, the word gAyatri denotes the stanza in 24 letters occurring in a particular pattern The Supreme Reality, Paramatman or Parabrahman, 1s invoked through this stanza Exactly on the same ideal and verbal pattern several other gayatris have come into vogue, although none of them has attained the same universality, sanctity and signi- ficance which the original gayatri possesses Nevertheless every holy formula cast im the mould of the first and foremost gayatri has an outstanding part to play in the worship of that particular deity with which it is connected A name and characteristic description of the object of worship, a longing on the part of the worshipper to comprehend that object of worship in contemplation, and a prayer to the deity worshipp- ed for goading, guiding and holding one’s instrument of under- standing so that one might attain the highest and best fruit of life—these comprise the essence of all worship, and the gaya- tri formula presents them in the most luminous and concise manner The greatest help which man should expect of God 1s not personal services rendered for the satisfaction of his desires and needs like a good neighbour reciprocating previous favours, but the guidance of his thoughts in the right direction In all the giyatris therefore, the central thought consists in a petition to the Most High for imitiating, controlling and deve- loping thoughts, desires and feelmgs of the worshipper in a way conducive to the attamment of the highest human values and the knowledge of God that leads to hberation Mautriyant Samhita of the Yayurveda (2 9 1) gives for the first time eleven dhyana-gayatris employed for the meditation and worship of Rudra-Siva in the last staka of the agnicayana There it 1s notSECTION ONE 41 merely an oblation made in consecrated fire, but the cityagnt 1s worshipped as the Divine Person preceded by éatarudriya- homa The first gayatri given in this Upanisad occurs there This, the first gayatri grven here, 1s addressed to Rudra- Mahadeva The name Rudra 1s described as the power that rules knowledge and wisdom Rudra 1s jfianadata and as such He 1s the guide of the whole universe As Virdt He 1s myriad- eyed and He 1s the Purusa pervading all creation Mahadeva 1s the usual name by which His unrivalled divine nature 1s described The aspirant after moksa or final beatitude ex- presses his longing to know the Supreme by the use of the verb in the potential mood, the same mood 1s used also in connec- tion with the meditation implying that even the desire to medi- tate 1s engendered only through prayer to the Supreme for its gain The use of the verbs in the first person plural in all these gayatri formulas 1s specially noteworthy Man 1s gregarious by nature He can hardly rise above the moral and spiritual level attamed by the collectivity to which he belongs It 15, therefore, necessary that every religious aspirant who strives for the uplift of his own self should also remember the whole community to which he belongs, so that all may be raised above the previous level This great truth 1s implied in the plural expressions, ‘May we know’ and ‘May we meditate’ The supplication implied in the last verb finally points out that the worshipper owes his approach to God solely to the impulse granted by God Himself In all the gayatris that follow the same motivation runs centrally These gayatris are repeated for getting purity of md accompanied by meditation on the deity indicated 9Purusa contained in this Rudra giyatri implies that all deities may be invoked by a votary with the same mantra which 1s connected with his ista or chosen ideal, considering them as non-different from Him In one text42 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD examined the first le is found as aegeaTa fast This altera- tion makes the line a regular gayatri lme Otherwise the whole passage 1s not in gayatri metre, but in pura usmik The gram- matical structure of these formulas vary widely from standard usage by interchanges of case-endings and vei bal terminations ] aegeora fang’ aarzara eitafe wat we: Tataat URRU a anrasfaaead Georart were aa STAT | set TAT a wees earaa | afeay tarafagd sraaren ex FEAT HTT aq (for weH) Yeats that Supreme Person well known mn the scriptures faz may we know, realize WeleaTa that Mahadeva, the highest among gods #iafg may we meditate aq in that meditation ez Rudra ¥ us satzaTq may impel 23. May we know or realize the Supreme Person For that, may we meditate upon Maha- deva and to that meditation may Rudra impel us. [This Tatpurusagiyatri 1s not noted by Bhattabhaskara perhaps thinking that it 1s duplicate of the previous mantra Sayana accepts it and informs us that this Gayatri 1s a prayer addressed to Rudra visualized as fasgifa gore prraratt Great eT aegis afaateat esata | Saat aT TTaeaT a TTT aa atrainfeaers aetqqaie in Prapaficaséra 27 41 This contemplation verse gives in concise language the characteristics of Tatpurusa-Mahddeva asSECTION ONE 43 worshipped in the images The terms Purusa, Mahfideva and Rudra aie epithets of the same Divine Person implymg His personality and spiritual characteristics ] agen frag segura etaig 1 i fee wat afta: wataata een a geo orite 1 aad giecarfrs eqray 1 were a feeder aedt afenq ert geary Sag 24. May we know the Supreme Person. For that, may we meditate upon Vakratunda May Dantin impel us towards it [In all gayatris three epithets and three acts, namely, knowledge, meditation and impelling are to be connected In this Vighnesagayatri employed in the worship of Isvara, the Supreme Person 1s represented as elephant-faced, having a bent trunk and an excellent tusk Vakiatunda and Dantin are the names of Viniyaka Dantih is the Vedic form of Dantin ] aegenra faug waguera diaz 1 aat afe: wate Ryn a freagecfang site | aedaagre cardia | afer ary weary afee sateag 25. May we know the Divine Person. For that, may we meditate upon Cakratunda May Nandi impel us towards it [Here the epithets Purusa and Cakratunda refer to Nandi- kegvara, the servant, seat and vehicle of Siva Being one en-44 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD dowed with occult powers, he 1s capable of assuming human shape as a purusa He 1s called Cakratunda as he wielded the weapon known as Cakra, discus, while Siva was engaged in battle with demons by grasping it with the mouth This gaya- tri and the next one are not in the shorter version commented by Bhattabhaskara ] aeqeura fag agar tafe. Ta: AE: TateaTT URE a gee arte | aad were ear | oferta SEAT wre watery 26. May we know that Divine Person For that, may we meditate upon Mahasena May Sanmukha impel us towards it [This 1s a prayer addressed to Kartikeya who 1s represent- ed as having six faces and as the general of the celestial army ] agenra fang’ gavigena ciate t wat wes: TAA NON a yey arate to ceed gavivet carta | afew aT aes ETT TATA 27. May we know that Divine Person For that, may we meditate on Suvarnapaksa May Garuda impel us towards it. [This Garudagayatri represents Garuda as having golden wings The name Garuda 1s traced to the root gr meaning to swallow—sarpandm giranat }SECTION ONE 45 Sareaara faae’ fecorrata tafe 1 aat wer TAA URI saree ae aa srtty | ceed fered carder | aferq cart wa weary TAT 1 28. May we know the Veda, embodied as the four-faced Brahma For that, may we meditate upon Hiranyagarbha. May Brahman impel us towards it [This 1s a prayer addressed to Brahman Some texts read Biahma as neuter singular while others have masculine singu- lar Brahm& Sayana considers this as Paramagayatri and ex- plains it thus Through the strenuous study of Vedanta as resident students in the place of the preceptor may we know Brahman, the Highest Reality, also expressed in the Vedic scriptures Having known that Reality may we continually meditate upon that unlimited Truth day and night identifying It with ourselves Vedatmana 1s a Vedic deviation for Vedat- maka The four-faced Brahma named Hiranyagarbha and the Vedic lore are but the expressions of the Supreme Reality which, as the umpelling Spirit, influences one to do acts meri- torious or otherwise } arena fase argzara tafe 1 aat from: seitzata ast area srt 1 aed ange earar 1 afery cart fae. Fe TTT 29. May we know Narayana. For that, may46 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD we meditate upon Vasudeva May Visnu impel us towards it. {The Highest Person 1s here supplicated as Narayana, ‘Vasudeva and Visnu Until and unless He impels the individual Soul, it cannot contemplate Him, and without contemplation on Him, His true nature cannot be understood The etymo- logical meanings of the three epithets are given at length in the bhasyas on the Gitéand Visnusahasranima Bhattabhaskara’s explanation of these words m the Visnugayatri 1s noteworthy. He derives Nardyana thus The term Nara, being derived from the root nr to lead, means the leader of all creation Nara derived from the above word denotes his offsprmgs Narayana therefore, 1s the effective cause of all creatures Thus Narayana 1s Paramaétman He 1s called Vasudeva in his manent aspect, 1e, dwelling im all creatures as Antaryimm The term Visnu amphes His all-pervasiveness } qarras frag dteravcert eitafze 1 wat arefacg: wetata got aera arte | geet feress cava | afeay ears areiag. ae FAG 30. May we know Vajranakha For that, may we meditate upon Tiksnadamstra. May N&rasimha impel us towards it [This 1s a prayer to Narasuhha The lengthenmg of the vowel on the first letter of the word Narasimha makes no difference in the meaning, namely Man-lon God Being partly leonine He has sharp eye-teeth and diamond-hard nails ]SECTION ONE 47 wren fang agzafaeaa state wat afer: weteata ge wrest omit | aed agregar eae 1 afer et afar Fea TAG 31. May we know Bhaskara. For that may we meditate upon the great-light-producer. May Aditya impel us towards it [Bhaskara literally means light-giver The sun 1s believed to be the child of Aditi, mother of all gods, naturalistically the limitless sky = Mahaddyutikara in grammatical Sanskrit must be Mahddyutikara | aaa faag' arstem dtafe 1 ' mn wat afa: cateate aR arm aria 1 aed ore cada afer ant af wear Wag 32 May we know Vaisvanara For that, may we meditate upon Lalila. May Agni impel us towards it [This 1s Agnigayatri Fire 1s called Vaisvanara because He 18 favourable to all men by helping their cooking and worship. (faeavat staat feat 1) Narayana explams im the Dipiké that fire 1s called Lalila, because oblations are licked up by flicker~ ing flames He equates the word Lélila with /elayaméana in the Mundaka Upanisad By attracting the syllable he of vidmahe some pioduce the word heldlila and explam it as the private48 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD sport of Fire-God (hela) and His play in the universe as the Supreme God (lila) J arava faa! sagarht dtafz at git: ceitaaig agit aera ori 1 aad aergarfe ears | afer ears afr FEAT HAT 33. May we know Katyadyana. For that, may we meditate upon Kanyakumari. May Durgi impel us towards it. [Bhattabhaskara explains that this Durgagayatri has for its deity a particular sacred fire with which Durga 1s 1dentified She 1s called Katyayana because of Her being the offspring of Katya m one of Her mearnations Masculine gender of the word should be transformed mto femmine Kanyakumari means a shining virgin, kanya being derived from the root kan to shine Kumiéirt 1s explained as destroyer of evil—( afer aface arcafe efi 1). The case and gender are to be trans- formed to bring them to the same pattern as other gayatris. In the commentary given in the Anandaérama edition ascrib- ed to an unknown author the following explanation 1s found: This 1s a prayer to Adigakti—O Kanyakumari, known as also Durgi, may we know Thee as most excellent and accessible solely through devotion—Thou who hast been a bestower of enjoyment and hberation to Katyayana (Thy father m one of of Thy previous mearnations) The word Durga 1s changed mto Durgi Of these twelve gayatris given above only six are accepted by Sayana and five by Bhattabhaskara Dipika of NarayanaSECTION ONE 49 notes eighteen giyatris of which the followmg are those not given above agian fag ersqerua diate 1 wat Far WaT uk arfaart fart agafecort dtafe 1 wat ar sate Rl uraara faut acafrara eiafe 1 wal aaa weleaTy uu B wergfort faag werent tafe 1 wat aradt sate ¥ ut gard faa srofoet drafe aa ard water uk wagers fang faveata diafe | aa at saleatq ou el The Agamas and Tantras enlist many more gayatris conriected with other gods and goddesses, for, the worship of a god 1s not complete without a g&yatri For instance naa a frag fad = dtnfe 1 aa vedt sae ou waaeay faag Aaraeoara tafe 1 wat UH eT Wu arrcara faag dtarerara tafe t wat watery ou Bu wafer frag aeatera diate 1 wa aa. watery Yt atfvard fant eraarfaedt dtefe wast wiley 4 ul50 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD RRMA Bat TAS FATEH | aaegeyg Farid gat geaqerathrat uae aaa ameter THAT, sta GeaTt TANT snafee, Stren aye atargenfra J ares galfrenfaet 2aar aa TT ea WATAT superior to a thousand (purifymg agencies) a4t embodying the divine spirit, shimng 7T44@T having many roots, and nodes #aTGzX having many sprouts ¢earrarferat destroyer of evil dreams gat darva (panic grass) # my 17] demerit, impurity 44% all g™q] ward off, remove 34, May diirva (the panic grass), who re- presents the divine Spirit, who 1s superior to a thousand purifying agencies, who has innumer- able nodes and sprouts and who destroys the effects of evil dreams, remove all my impurities. [In the foregomg mantias it has been pointed out that there 1s only one Supreme Divine Reality and that the mani- fold objects of the univeise represent that Reality symbolically The Rudrasiikta salutes, among scores of other things, trees and plants and grass beds as the visible form of Rudra By association some of the flora have acquired particular religious importance in Hindu spirituality Diirva 1s a variety of perti- naciously growing beautiful grass, the shoots of which are used in various purtficatory religious acts in the faith that they have an unseen effect in rmpartmg to worshippers holiness and anner purity The religious pattern of individual life worked out by the scriptures spreads throughout the texture of the waking life ofSECTION ONE si a spiritual man A brahmana who lives according to the rules of the scriptures eliminates impulsive actions as far as possible and tries to approximate every act of his life to the form pres- cribed in the scriptures From the moment he awakes from sleep in the last watch of night till he goes to bed late at night every hour of his life 1s programmed for the performance of religious duties Worship of God (dharm: } 1s the pivot on which all his other actions turn His creaturely needs are ful- filled m such a way that a religious impress 1s put upon them by the repetition of certam mantras and adherence to a fixed pattern Thus the mode of his leaving the bed, objects of his first sight, attending to his personal needs. his ablution, time, manner, material, place and preparation of his food, move- ment and rest of his body, and utterance of his speech are all governed by the scriptural rules These are given in the Dhar- magastra texts at length Actions of worship accompanied by sacred utterances repeated during their performance are parti- culaily deemed efficacious Although such ritualism at trmes degenerates mto dry formalism which may give one the satis- faction that his religious obligations are fulfilled m the cheapest and easiest way, when perfoimed im true spirit, 1t serves as a great carrying medium of true religion Repetition of nitual acts creates an appropriate path, a habit of domg things in a worshipful spirit, and it thus punfies, enlightens and trans- forms the life subjected to 1t Habit and attention, so necessary for religious life, are cultivated through proper religious acts. The anustubh stanza given above im praise of dirva is repeated at the time of a plunge bath which 1s taken early in the morning, then a few shoots of the grass with a little earth are placed on the head as an auspicious act Such an auspici- ous bath 1s an mgredient of a life of worship In addition to this stanza regarding diva, the followimg variant stanza 1s52 MAHZNARZYANOPANISAD recorded in Jacob’s edition gal ayaa TIS TATTST | wa 3 cafe oars wong feast 1) 1 BUSA HT TMs TSG: Tea: TT xo > vat at ga Tag aga TAT A RUN arverg svete Ten Ter oft aeteedt F ga Ua wenTahe atagar ada aga at vee faery aTETq FST from every stalk of jointed stem TET qey from every node 4f< further wderdi growing 74 O darva gar (way) analogously + us wat ager 7 by hund- reds and thousands 44] multiply 35. O diirva, just as thou growest farther and farther multiplying at every node putting forth roots and fresh stalks, so also help us to grow in progeny by hundreds and thousands [The ancients who lived im an agrarian society close to Nature in a sparsely populated country valued growth of family m successive generations They shuddered at the thought of the break of a limeage and the extinction of the social heritage transmitted through it These famulies envied, as it were, diirva which gradually spread by the extension of its stalk im all directions ] a gaa raat agen fate fa weated Bdtweh fade gaol aay 134 2 Sf geck, or eg ada saatte faearcafe weet favtefz wer & ofcaat facta aa atSECTION ONE 53, Sf O Goddess (shiningwith green colour) #2 O thou worshipped by devotees aT thou who #44 by hundreds saeifa multiply aga by thousands fatiefa grow in different directions a€aT: % thou who art of such (nature) (afaaty worship) 44y we @faat with oblations fatter may perform. 36. O Devi, worshipped by devotees, may we worship thee with oblations—thou who multipliest thyself by hundreds and growest in thousands. [These two stanzas are found originally in Taittiriyasam- hitaé IV. 2. 9 where they are employed for dirvestakopadhana. The import of stanza 36 as explained here is partly contained in the previous one. These two stanzas are not given in the shorter text commented by Bhattabhaskara and Sayana. The word istake is the address of isfakd. Ista, the past participle of the verb yaj, gives the meaning that which is worshipped. The form in the feminine with the suffix ka implying ‘dear’ gives the sense ‘the dear one worshipped by the devotees’.] BPIRTa Tag roost TAT | farat arefeatia watea Ht TT IF UZeN = aeaared waard faoara agrat caimé freer are faonft | at 93 98 taeT NN mRaarT traversed by a horse wa traversed by a chariot facoppra traversed by Visnu agra (Agrat) O earth (wary you 4H 1) farcat on head arefaearfit shall take, hold; AT me 2 Fe at every step THEA protect.54 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD 37 O earth that is+traversed by a horse, a chariot and Visnu, I shall keep thee on my head, protect me at every step [A sacrificial ground 1s made holy by taking a horse over it To indicate the sacredness of the earth the word asvakranta is used So also it 1s believed that the earth 1s purified by the wheel of a chariot In the mearnation of Trivikrama, Visnu placed one foot on the earth and paced heaven The earth 1s made sacred im that way also The earth having these associa- tions for holiness 1s considered particularly holy What wonder if man 1s struck by feelings of reverence when he remembers the earth which is his support and source of nourishment? Therefore as a symbolic act of self-purification the religious man places a little earth on his head muttermg this mantra over it when he 1s about to take his morning bath Some texts ead vasundhare for vasundhaa which makes it easy to con- strue with the preceding vocatives In the second half suasa dharita devi appears to be the older reading accepted by both Bhattabhaskara and Sayana The whole stanza 1s regularized thus in the text used by Narayana for his Dipikka Baar canna faopara agrat | farcat onfear afa ar caer 92 93 UN] afacgaxet stratcat | saatfa acest BA AATEAT Fs fea gt get gram goed EAT gfea' saeaie areata rar gfe af 8 gtte cafe aa sfafeery magnSECTION ONE 55 gfaa sfafis® ad ah fof ght eaat art aaa aor deaf aftr uot aradaad Saat aera Hadar aasrforarate ere fertt aft, at ee Bota aeaTgar atIsa Ta Seat af @ afae aeat weeaqarites wat aq sed St ad Fae a ag et aaig fare |e afee ce aao Tore afaetor earfret af, waar atefgard zor aft 1 arate cerafae qeafahes eran afaataar af 1g yfae wer afte afe 1 ae ad yaaa cafe sfatted aaa at agate emarea gfteary way & afak wf afer we Haq oe facie sate faatra 1% afae car ata aa war aaig caieeseaTT ae Heret gear af veer fa mich cow aft support stwaTfeit suppoit of living beings aft earth (rast act when submerged) Hatt by Krsna s@argat who has hundred arms zrgw by the boar Ugat raised up afe art fa O excellent earth Hat by me aq what goHTy evil deed #aq done (aq which) # mme WTA sin (F and aq that) @ destory fa O excellent earth a@auTt established by God af art 1eat4 by sage Kasyapa afafarat was uttered over with mantra yf O excellent earth ¥ me gftzq prosperity, nourishment 2fg give. wifi m you #4 all sfafteay are established fat O excellent earth sfafest made firm aq that (sin) aay all # from me faviz cleanse. yfa% O excellent earth56 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD waar by you gaa destroyed qa sm TZATA highest afery goal weatfa I go 38. The earth is the giver of happiness like the milch cow, the sustainer of life and support for all living beings (Represented as such the earth 1s addressed :) Thou wert raised up by Krsna in His incarnation of the boar having hundred hands. 39. O excellent earth, destroy my evil deeds as well as sins connected with me O excellent earth, thou art a gift from God to creatures Thou art prayed over by Kasyapa OO excellent earth, grant me prosperity, for everything depends on thee. 40. O excellent earth, on which all creatures are supported, cleanse all that (sin) from me. O excellent earth, my sins having been destroyed by thee, I attain to the highest goal [Like the preceding stanza, this passage, containing seven lines divided into three mantras, 1s also used for purifying a quantity of earth held in the mght hand before ablution In the place of line 2 of mantra 39 the shorter version reads waar gaa Te sfrarfy ervaeeray and Bhattabhaskara notes after hne 3, 4e4 F=4 WITST aeIaTTfa Tae as accepted by tradition 1m order to complete the sense In the last stanza Tat ga7 1s better represented by aT Zaw as accepted by most of the com- mentators The repetition of the address ‘O excellent earth’ five tmes should be taken as an indication of the devotionSECTION ONE 57 which the seer of the mantra felt when he thought of the glory ofthe earth Hindu religion reverences the earth which supports all life with the same feelings which a mother would callin the minds of her children The earth 1s cited as the aptest illustra- tion whenever one 1s in need of impressing about the necessity of patience Man transforms the surface of the earth by cut- tung, digging, levellmg and building with hard implements Yet she yields him prosperity and enjoyment in turn ] aa sea aang at at arta afr 1 adasotia ag ast gaa fafa faget'afeueen cafeaat faseaftaaear fagey aait aaa: 9x Ug a: cafegar stage: eg Seema Tee aqtterferer freq a att WIgqaTH. ad WAIT aa we gat HE 1 F aA ae arate ATH A= TA WAIT, TART, Ta SA aa. eadaeamnd afte teat wa sens fates ofe faatera, fara: qarary a af vafeaa sestarrafagaarn gaea eafere qeelaerate wearrarat faa soTAT oTeR qagraT aaa oe fae fafrarftrmeora aait faafza gor aaiq ada aarge wafrad sat ex. aeaTs TREAT Sena aTTESY ATA AT UL % wa O Indra 7a whence warez (fata ) we fear aa thence 4 us #4aq fearless gf (He) make % aTaq O Maghavan, giver of wealth, worshipped in sacrifices 74 (arafrat HeATHy of us who belong) to you aa that (sim58 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD etc) aft be competent (to destroy) 4 our saad for protection faqs battles fafat enemies wfZ slay eaferat (=) giver of well-being (here) eafevat (= ) giver of well-being (im the next world) fazteqfa protector of people qe slayer of Vitra faye. battles aeft subduer qaT ram-giver AYF|T bestower of safety gz Indra + our Fv in front, near UJ let come 41. O Indra, make us fearless of those (causes such as sin, enemies and hell) of which we are afraid O Maghavan, destroy that,ie the cause of fear, that 1s in us (thy devotees). For our protection destroy our harassing enemies 42. May Indra come to our succour—Indra who 1s the giver of welfare on earth and bliss in the next world, who 1s the lord of people, who 1s the slayer of Vrtra, who 1s the subduer of enemies and giver of rain, who 1s peaceable and giver of safety [These two mantras reproduced from the Tarttiriyabrah- mana III 7 11 constitute a prayer to Indra for protection and safety when one 1s about to take bath The variant reading tvam na ‘%itibhih instead of tanna ditaye makes the syntax and meaning clear In the Rgvedasamhuta a very large number of hymns are addressed to Indra who 1s described as the one ruler of the universe, the king of men, god of gods, lord of heaven, controller of the world, the Most High, immortal, protector of all, friend of sages, and the destroyer of the wicked From these epithets it 1s clear that Indra 1s none other than theSECTION ONE 59 Supreme, the guide and protector of the universe In these two mantias the devotee invokes His nearest presence for the des- truction of internal and external enemies and the attainment of well-being and bliss The regular morning bath of the ptous ‘Hindu 1s not merely an act of personal hygiene but a 1eligious duty enjoined by the scripture m order to acquire religious merit and to destroy mental impurities as well Prayers uttered invoking the favour of divine Powers like Indra facilitate this end] eaten a geal qaetat: eater ad: got faraaer: cafea secret arftortfit: cafes at geeatiearg! Wezel wyeaaat saat aceite sx aeaea ofa. ara drag 1 farater wag ada saat aged gor at eater wag | aqfefaarge sera anfierca set aaiq geared oF TRA HERA caer sA_ | Feat Fara wefsar sagufet weng wafer FUT agstat_ he who possesses much praise (of devotees) or much food (offered as oblation) #% India @ for us taeT well-being, safety <4] vouchsafe faga%ar all-knowmg or all-possessing {3T god Pisan 4 for us tafed well-being (zaTg vouchsafe) afeztfit he whose chariot (aff a wheel of a chariot, here suggestively stands for a chariot) 1s not mjured by anyone ae Garuda # for us tafe well- bemg (41g vouchsafe) qgecft Brhaspati, the preceptor of gods 4 for us eafea well-being (Tg vouchsafe),60 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD 43. May Indra who 1s profusely praised by the devotees through sacred hymns, or frequently worshipped with oblations, vouchsafe to us safety and well-bemg May the all-knowing or all-pos- sessing Ptisan vouchsafe to us well-being May Garuda, the son of Trksa, whose chariot 1s not myured by anyone, vouchsafe to us safety. May Brhaspati, the preceptor of gods, grant us well- being. [This mantra reproduced here from Rgveda I 89 6 1s intended to serve as a prayer for safety and well-being It is uttered by one about to take bath in the belief that it helps to ward off the peril of sharks and crocodiles in water ] arrerrqegresaral ofa: farttarsaent: asta | atat foatadaranta atatfird sfaaraifa ta: sw array artfrary saiafe area, staat water farestt qremrat gtd: marfefe. femme gf var arofaar faritary wagaa. weary aay ESAT aeaig TaRTR aera ate gz: feearf aaifr aceanit aaerit aaa adafe avtfearta 1 sfearrft qarasearfin oa arate a aq gear Aaarniia atenfqeraat a aradafa 1 wate wer er srarary displaying anger q7sH aAt striking with stones aft shaker of enemes faretarq having many deeds TeAT{SECTION ONE 61 holding weapons 7Esftét he who partakes of gjisa (ie soma juice kept over) 414 Indra devoted to soma fazatfy all waaraatfa jungles of atasa (adaft causes to grow) sfararatht counte-weights #24 Indra aaf% in a downward direction + 2a. do not weigh down 44 Soma who is of mild anger, who strikes with stones, who shakes enemies, who has many deeds, who wields weapons and who delights in soma juice kept over, causes the jungles of dried up trees and bushes (to grow by the downpour of rains) Counter-weights do not weigh down making Indra light [This mantra occurs at Rgveda X 89 5 It is glossed by Yaska as a knotty stanza and explained by Sayana following m his wake The translation and explanation given here are based on Sayana’s Rgvedabhasya Here Indra is called soma Indra 1s depicted m the Rgveda mantras as the overlord, protector of men, immortal, the one sovereign of the untverse, the eldest king, breaker of the wicked, the friend of sages, protector of all, the most powerful and the ke. Whatever activity there 1s requiring power and energy, all belongs to Indra He slew the demon Vitra and released pent up rain which caused the earth smile with vegetation This mantra gives some instances of the power of Indra, his heroism and activities im heaven The term syisin occurs more than once as an epithet of Indra in the Rgveda and Sayana explains ryisa as gataséra-somadravya The word atasa occurs only once in the Regveda at Il 4 7 and there it 1s explamed by Sayana as dry bushes spread over the surface of the earth Atasa also means62 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD flax The simulitude in the last Ime, according to Sayana, 1s given to prove that Indra excells all other gods In order to test the relative greatness of Indra whatever one may place in the scales of a balance, none of them will weigh down and make him less in weight The root dabh, says Sayana, has the sense of dkarsana here In the Tauttiriyasamhuta I 2 12 the same stanza occurs and there Sayana explains it as descnbing Soma (the first three lines) and Indra (the last lme) Soma has no anger though beaten with three stones (t/1pala) for extrac- tion, m the process of pressing 1t shakes about (dhum), it 1s subjected to operations (sim) hike pressing and straining, its parts are infused (saru) and it leaves the sapless refuse (risa), This soma cup is identified with soma, the moon, and soma the moon as the king of herbs increases vegetation (atasa) spread everywhere No comparison hurts Indra—He 1s non- pareil The commentary on this verse by the untraced author printed in the Anandaérama edition reveals no mark of acqu- aimtance with the explanation given by Yaska and Sayana. The words tripalaprabharma and dhuni are split there as tri- palaprabhah and madhum and sumivan 1s explained as one who likes samivrksa No connected sense 1s possible according to this interpretation without supplymg many conjectural ideas and without twisting the shape of the textual words } weiss tae great ete: quel! 8a arta: & gferrt ore tea facet: gona afm faa: ey TeMe They AS TATATATETT FIT. TTT TT ca aarifia vareaimfeaqyr gale. tt dae. agi series fara aroq aatt cer fa ae ateSECTION ONE 63 Faattor arqutfe 1a fewamtedt a gear sag ahr ached war atet oamafe avanti | wer aroraea sont aig, afferent waar facsr fafar safeaar waka 1 great a ad SaAATASTT THT TeTTTTETET aft aif Torah fre aatq faamfa sritfe i caainaed oe aq canrareafaata aifeearrcraia Sat yates Ty ATM SaTaT- aeat gerard before, at the begmnmg of creation FIT-ATAL (¥@T Fare] GAY) born from the Supreme #77 the first- born @ea shining well 34 noon sun #7@ to the boundary of the world fa aa completely spreads 4 he afewat (afer ardfet wat) the worlds that are in the sky (afr also arqoifa pervades) ea his STAT limited forms that are alike facar remain manifoldly (4 he) 4 again 44 of the expressed existence a4 of the abstract existence 4 and arf cause faa spreads 45. Vena, the noon sun who was born at the beginning of creation as the first effect of the Supreme Reality, Brahman, and who 1s of excel- lent biulliance, spreads over the whole world up to its boundary He illumines also the heavenly bodies He remains manifoldly in his own limited forms which are like himself He also spreads over and permeates the causal substance out of which the visible and the invisible universe emerges [This mantra 1s found in the Tarttriyasamhita IV 2 8 2 etc, and AtharvavedalV 1 1 and V 6 1 where Sayana inter-64 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD prets it differently Here it 1s taken as a glorification of Para- matman, the ground of the universe and the cause of the ener- gising and illumining sun through whom He functions Gender concord 1s not accepted always as one of the criterions by the commentators in explaming the Vedic mantras So jajfidinam and prathamam in neuter qualify Vena m masculine The vocable budhniya 1s found in the Samhité text as budhnyad m the neuter plural form Budhna means the sky The upasarga vi has to be jomed with dvah The term Vena comes from the root Vito shine etc The form vivah is traced to the root vr to cover ] eat gfafa wat were frase 1 eat TA: TA ATA: uve qa wai Taree agfeqereer serafrat Set aay fat adafeoaa waraaat ay waft 1 qfafa ara sere eater aaiq ZaTaraae Aa TART aT wat tharafrage aft tf 0 ert producer of men and other creatures faaarit settler a74T famous % qfafa O earth 4 for us eatat ender of sorrows Wat (¥4) be, 14 happiness aeet (a7) grant 46. Being the producer of creatures includ- ing men and their settler in respective regions and also far-famed for forbearance, O earth, be to us an ender of sorrows and giver of bliss here and hereafter. {The lengthening of the final vowels 1n bhava and yaccha 1s a Vedic peculiarity Syond 1s derived from the root so toSECTION ONE 65 make an end and ksaraé in niksaia is from the verb ksdrayatt according to a commentator. This stanza occurs at Rgveda I 22 15 Sayana inteiprets syoné in that context as ‘extended’ or ‘joy’ Nrksaré 1s taken by Saéyana as anrksaia and explained “free from thorns’ According to him rksara 1s a thorn The six mantras from 41 to 46 are not found in the shorter version and so Bhattabhaskara and Saéyana have no commentaiy on these in this context ] aeqeret seat frergect Hetfewity | bardt adyerai afadg’s faq uveu waar wafegs TTA Tera ge THTTATAT aanin sregq we era aE qaghese wife rate aieeadt watt eves Area sero at aafrigaqeate- aaorfrar eafiet saat fart aa Ser at fara afer wah wa ay argarfa i watery known through smell or endowed with fiag- rance $T#9tH{ unassailable facagezty perpetually prosperous wéifrefty rich in cowdung, tilled by peasants aayaTATH of all creatures €athq mustress aT] her faray Sri, prosperity ¥@ i this act of woiship stg I call near 47. I invoke in this act of worship Sri, the support of all, who 1s known through smell, who is unassailable, perpetually prosperous, mich in cowdung and the mustress of all created beings. [This anustubh mantra can be traced to Sristkta of Reveda khila, Here Bhiidevata 1s glorified as Sri because of66 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD the eaith’s being the cause of prospeiity According to some, this veise is repeated while the ground 1s purified by{cowdung, and according to others, while smearing earth on the body befoie bath The regent of the earth 1s lauded as the mustress of all created bemgs because all life depends upon the earth Even denizens of heaven are maintamed by worship made on the earth Prosperity of the earth consists in fruitful vegetation plenty of cattles and towns and cities built in hospitable areas, Special mention of perpetual prosperity, cowdung and fra- grance suggest this Though man has by hus toil and skill brought out unprecedented wealth from the bowels of the earth still she remains unassailable or durddharsé After this mantra and before 48 some books give the following two formulas — yeett yaoedt ga arose, vat qereedt wateard and vara Tagrafe qed carer] A ag, ToT weg 1 faniget 4 tase fafedicdtettaaate- west | Hele SH aetarg: Treat wa wes lyst wert: aT Wa | Ae see: wag qat_ TeRHeTT arent arate Tere FT Forag | faeyrera: Fat: oer. arate afafed. aver: gary Beary TS: STE aT ge TTA | aaag: Fa Tes Tt aeeg 1 aM Veet Teapot: gona: + seme at aes aft: Sri ® me wag favour, # connected with me see: Alaksmi 41g disappear faeqyeat having Visnu as the chief 4 verily @at. gods artifa: by the Vedas ZaTq theseSECTION ONE 67 ster woilds array invincibly xATAT conqueied. avaarg. having the thunderbolt as weapon im hand yx" Indra FE worshipful greeft full moon af happmess aq give 48 May Sri favour me. May Alaksmi con- nected with me and mune be destroyed. The gods having Visnu for their chief (who is the perpetual abode of Sri) by the help of (the means prescribed in) the Vedas won these worlds for themselves free from the fear of enemies. May Indra armed with thunderbolt and worshipful’moon grant us happi- ness. {Of the three lines given above the second and the third occur at Taittriyasamhita 1 7 5 and 1 4 29 respectively Sayana explains sodasi as an epithet of Indra who 1s lauded with sixteen stotra-s or Sastra-s This mantra and the following two aie said to be employed as a prayer for entermg wate1 for bath.] eaten at qerat atta 1 ad Wear atseara Hee ven waar wears afer FUT 1 a TAT arena ofte a WATT BT Haat India 4 for us wafer well beng #ttq make 4 he who #earq us df hate (| that) TeaTAy evil one BY destioy 49. May Indra grant us welfare. May he destroy the evil one hostile to us.68 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD aay cate anf terrera, wetted a : att firey 1 wae aared geatd aftardteg aseaTy site ‘ yen % ware aaiq tai Aart a ofarer Teen dhe aaig areahieaer sate at sire oa setae aafetna caer 2aq saree wfte gece 1 AW ae aaTAT wag aaherrraeey wag 1 aq. weary afte a aT aeg wea are aie erat wee eft & warTert O Lord of prayers, Paramatman aay he who presses the soma cieeper aitftTy the son of Usk 7 who waftarary the sage Kaksivan (34 lke 41 me) ta@ry well known among gods eyfg (gee) make WATT (my) body aATASH capable of performing sacrifices (Fe make). 7 he who aeard us Zfe hates (#. he) afery im that dag remain (44 4TH the name of which) yetezq hell 50. O Lord of prayers, make me the presser of soma juice, well known among the gods like Kaksivan, the son of Usik. Make me physically capable of performing sacrifices. Let those who are hostile to us remain ‘there’ long, in the hell. [This stanza 1s found at Rgveda 1. 18 1 and Taittutyasam- hité 1 5 6. The explanation given in the anonymous com- mentary published in the Anandasrama edition appears to be unsatisfactory. The translation given here 1s based on Sayana’s commentary.]SECTION ONE 69 watot ofet facet geet ta gaeatia gopenht 1 aat afaain gat gat af qrearaacita ate — Ween Tei aaa eto afer sag efearer wate | a raftia ways sera aa acaeitader camatt aaa attire gee segcerttin qroarhs acter faaverafe | aa faqea gat aati uase ay afartt wRyAry Jxrry ancient fraaty pervasive ACTF feet, virtuous con- duct affay purifying 4 by which Jt one who 1s made holy gopatht (efiects of) evil deeds afi crosses over Ft by that ea what 1s mtrinsically pure ofaa by what 1s pursfying gat made holy (Taq we) STEATAH sin srerferey enemy afer TT overcome 51. He who 1s rendered holy by the ancient, widespread, sanctifying feet (or by virtuous con- duct) crosses over evil deeds and their effects. Having been rendered holy by that naturally pure and purifying feet of the Lord (or conduct) may we overcome our enemies, the sins. [This mantra is reproduced from the Tarttiriyabrahmana III. 12 3 hete for the purpose of japa to be done by one stand- ing in knee-deep water about to plunge for taking his bath This 1s also repeated while a holy brahmana’s feet are cere- moniously washed. The term caranam, however, in the singu- lar number as we see in the text 1s directly mterpreted as és-70 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD tiiyacaiana, virtuous conduct as ordained by the scriptures This gives an apt and ethically ennobling meaning _Inter- preting in the context of worship, caranam im smgular 1s taken to stand for carana devata, Visnu, and by implication the two feet of Narayana, the Ancient One, whose wide gait encom- passed eaith, sky and heaven Symbolically He 1s worshipped in the holy brahmana also ] aaitat ee avi weg: ate fra gage far wie Tata BN geratantst aoyfg fara’ a: WURRU Bowe & Trey eq 2 fey as Hifrafen meh aa TMT seragy sana serfs atretr gaat dir fra | seme area sary wag aie 1 qe aig vey ata Tat areas FRAT | aaa eT aT TT FRA & wa O Indra & qaeq O Vrtrahan, O slayer of Vrtia & @X O thou valorous one & fagry O thou all-knowmg arr with your hosts Wefg: with the troop of gods asitst with joy @tq% oblation of soma juice, fra drink aq enemies HE destroy 44 our enemies arrayed m battle aqard destroy aq afterwards 4 for us faeaa: everywhere away safety, fearlessness Hafg make 52. O Indra, O slayer of Vrtra, O valorous one and all-knowing one, accept with pleasure our soma oblations in the company of your retinue and troop of gods. Slay our enemues, give usSECTION ONE a victory im battle and grant us safety and fearless- ness from every quarter. [This Rk is orgmally found at Rgveda III 47. 2 and also at Taittuiyasamhita1 4 29 8 and III 47.2. The five passages from 48 to 52 are not m the shorter version and so they are not commented upon by Bhattabhaskara and Sayana ] afaar 4 amg aitdeaa: ag i giaareaed!’ yuraatsenra afte a a aa fron: ~ URRU gear sft amg. ceriqear avers ger wy 1 a weary sardrary aft df a a am fase cet aetaat aitefa- arerfrtaarest Trae YATE Ut a. for us amy water aitvaa herbs gfrat fiiendly aq be 4 he who #eHrq us éfée dislikes 7 whom 4 and aay we fast dislike ae towards him @ffat unfriendly Yary: let them be 53. For us may (the regents of) water and herbs be friendly and to those who dislike us and whom we dislike let them be unfriendly. [This mantra 1s reproduced from the Taittiriyasamhuta I. 4. 45 and also Taittiriyabrahmana Il. 6 3. Standing 1n waist-deep water the worshipper repeats the first half of the mantra, takes a quantity of water in the hollow of lus jomed palms and throws it to his front thinking about his friends; repeating the remamming half similarly again he throws some water towards the direction in which his enemies are supposed to be. The72 MAHANARAYANOPANISAD complementary passage in the Brahmana 1s. gaaTearTHaTT , aaredt werfea, qa oRrtiars, arr aa AAT Iie May I be cleansed from sins by the waters just as a culprit 1s released from the wooden clog for his legs (diupada), just as a man who perspires 1s puulfied by a bath, and just as clarified butter 1s strained by a filter (utpavanapavitra). The Vedas are meant to generate in those who follow them certain potencies which help them im all situations and conditions The highest ideal held forth by the Vedas to those who have completed the disciple prescribed in them 1s 1¢alis- ation of the Infinite Self dwelling im all creatures as the 1eality behind their fimite existences Those who have attamed to this goal have no friends and no foes They see equally God m all They are extremely rare Therefore the Vedas have only a luminously precious fraction describmg them The largest part of the Vedas 1s meant for the common man who 1s tossed. by likes and dislikes Failure to recognise the fears and hopes of the natural man makes a scripture unrealistic Ideals un- connected with the practical needs of human nature cannot enter into the daily life of the ordinary man To suppose that the Vedas always deal with high philosophy and ethics only will be a delusion. Mystical formulas like the present one are found in many passages of the Vedas. They are given to pro- pitiate friendly agencies and to suppress the enemies Without peace and prosperity, sant: and pusti, higher religious aspira~ tion 1s impossible. That 1s why we find in the Vedas prayers like this one which deal with the lower purusarthas ] ant fg vor aatqaent a get deat 1 ae wma were at a: fade