|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
Brhadaranyaka Upanisad
Chapter One
1.3
1. The descendants of Prajapati are of two kinds, the gods and the demons. The gods are the younger, the demons the elder, and they vied for these worlds. The gods said, 'Come, let us defeat the demons at the sacrifice by means of the Udgitha!'
2. The gods said to speech, 'Chant the Udgitha for us!'
'I will!' said speech, and chanted it for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in speech, it sang into being for the gods: but the fact that it sang well was for itself.
The demons thought, 'By means of this Udgatr they will defeat us', and attacking it, pierced it with evil. That evil is the evil that anyone does when he says what is not proper.
3. The gods said to breath (prana), 'Chant the Udgitha for us!'
'I will!' said breath, and chanted it for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in breath it sang into being for the gods: but the fact that it smelt well was for itself.
The demons thought, 'By means of this Udgatr they will defeat us,' and attacking it, pierced it with evil. That evil is the evil that anyone does when he smells what is not proper.
4. The gods said to the eye, 'Chant the Udgitha for us!'
I will!' said the eye, and chanted it for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in the eye it sang into being for the gods: but the fact that it saw well was for itself.
The demons thought, 'By means of this Udgatr they will defeat us,' and attacking it, pierced it with evil. That evil is the evil that anyone does when he sees what is not, proper.
5. The gods said to the ear, 'Chant the Udgitha for us!
'I will!' said the ear, and chanted it for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in the ear it sang into being for the gods: but the fact that it heard well was for itself.
The demons thought, 'By means of this Udgatr they will defeat us,' and attacking it, pierced it with evil. That evil is the evil that anyone does when he hears what is not proper.
6. The gods said to mind, 'Chant the Udgitha for us!'
'I will!' said mind, and chanted it for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in mind it sang into being for the gods: but the fact that it imagined well was for itself.
The demons thought, 'By means of this Udgatr they will defeat us,' and attacking it, pierced it with evil. That evil is the evil that anyone does when he imagines what is not proper.
In the same way they afflicted the other deities with evil, they pierced them with evil.
7. The gods said to the breath in the mouth (ayasya prana), 'Chant the Udgitha for us!'
'I will!' said the breath in the mouth, and chanted it for them.
The demons thought, 'By means of this Udgatr they will defeat us,' and attacking it, desired to pierce it with evil. As a turf would be scattered if it struck a rock, they perished, scattered in all directions. Then the gods prevailed and the demons were overcome. Whoever knows this himself prevails and the adversary who hates him is overcome.
8. They said, 'Where is the one we had dealings with just now?'
'He is here in the mouth.' He is Ayasya Angirasa, the essence (rasa) of the limbs (anga).
9. That deity is called Dur, for Death is far (dura) from him. Death is far from the one who knows this.
10. That deity, having driven away evil?that is, death?from these deities, took it to the ends of the directions. There he set down their evils. So one should not go to the people there, one should not go to the end of the directions, lest one should meet with evil, with death.
11. That deity, having driven away evil?that is, death?from these deities, then carried them beyond death.
12. First he carried speech across. When speech escaped death, it became fire. Fire, having passed beyond death, blazes.
13. Next he carried breath across. When breath escaped death, it became wind. Wind, having passed beyond death, purifies.
14. Next he carried the eye across. When the eye escaped death, it became the sun. The sun, having passed beyond death, gives heat (tap?).
15. Next he carried the ear across. When the ear escaped death, it became the directions. The directions have passed beyond death.
16. Next he carried the mind across. When the mind escaped death, it became the moon. The moon, having passed beyond death, shines.
Whoever knows this, these deities carry him beyond death.
17. Next he sang into being good food for himself. Whatever food is eaten, is eaten by him, and he is supported on it.
18. The gods said, 'You have sung all this into being as food for yourself. Give us a share in this food.'
'Then sit round me.'
'We will,' they said, and surrounded him. So whatever food one eats by means of him, the gods too enjoy.
Whoever knows this is surrounded by his own people he becomes the lord, the best, the foremost of his own people, an eater of food, an overlord. If someone knows this, and one among his own people desires to rival him, that rival is not even adequate to support his own dependents. But if someone who helps him desires to support his own dependents, that helper is adequate to support his own dependents."
<< Back
Next
>>
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
