Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 8
English (machine translation) 8
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8.1
ŚĀ 8.1
"Breath is the beam," old Śākalya used to say. Just as all the other beams are set upon the central ridge-beam of a house, even so this entire self is set upon this breath. Of this self, breath is the form of the sibilants, bones of the stops, marrow of the vowels, and the fourth, flesh and blood, is the form of the semivowels. "Only this threefold [division] was proclaimed, not that [fourfold one]," Hvastra Māṇḍūkeya used to say. Of this threefold [division], there are three hundred and sixty junctions here, and three hundred and sixty there; they become twenty-seven hundred. Twenty-seven hundred indeed are the days and nights of a year. Thereby he obtains the days and nights of the year. This same self is the measure of the year, consisting of sight, consisting of hearing, consisting of metre, consisting of mind, consisting of speech. He who thus knows this self, which is the measure of the year, consisting of sight, consisting of hearing, consisting of metre, consisting of mind, consisting of speech, attains union with the year, dwelling in the same world, having the same form, and sharing the same food. He becomes possessed of sons, possessed of cattle; he reaches a full lifespan. To him [the son of] Āruṇi made divine offering.
8.2
ŚĀ 8.2
Now Kauṣṭharavya [says]: "Three hundred and sixty syllables; three hundred and sixty sibilants; three hundred and sixty junctions. The syllables that we spoke of are days. The sibilants are nights. The junctions that we spoke of are the junctions of the days and nights." Thus with respect to the deities. Now with respect to the self: The syllables that we spoke of with respect to the deities are bones with respect to the self. The sibilants that we spoke of with respect to the deities are marrow with respect to the self. This marrow is indeed the immediate breath; it is semen. For without breath there is no accomplishment of semen. If semen were emitted without breath, it would rot and not develop. The junctions that we spoke of with respect to the deities are joints with respect to the self. Of this [person], of bones, marrow, and joints, there are five hundred and forty here; of junctions, there are five hundred and forty here—that makes eighty thousand. The followers of Arkali complete eighty thousand Bṛhatīs day by day. This same self is the measure of a day, consisting of sight, consisting of hearing, consisting of metre, consisting of mind, consisting of speech. He who thus knows this self, which is the measure of a day, consisting of sight, consisting of hearing, consisting of metre, consisting of mind, consisting of speech, attains union with the days, dwelling in the same world, having the same form, and sharing the same food. He becomes possessed of sons, possessed of cattle; he reaches a full lifespan.
8.3
ŚĀ 8.3
"There are four persons," [says] Vātsya: "the bodily person, the person of metre, the person of the Veda, and the great person. As for the one we called the bodily person, this divine self—the bodiless conscious self is its essence. As for the one we called the person of metre, it is the enumeration of letters—the sound 'a' is its essence. As for the one we called the person of the Veda, by which one knows the gods—the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda—Brahman is its essence. Therefore one should appoint as the Brahman priest the one most versed in Brahman, who would know any excess in the sacrifice. As for the one we called the great person, it is the year—yonder sun is its essence." And he should know: "That which is this bodiless conscious self and that which is yonder sun—this is one." This has been declared by a verse:
8.4
ŚĀ 8.4
"The wondrous face of the gods has arisen, / the eye of Mitra, Varuṇa, and Agni; / it has filled heaven and earth and the intermediate space, / Sūrya, the self of the moving and the standing." / "It is according to this continuous text being joined together that I hold [this view]," Vātsya used to say. "It is him whom the Ṛgvedins investigate in the Great Recitation (mahaduktha); him the Adhvaryus in the fire altar; him the Sāmavedins in the Mahāvrata rite; him in this [earth], him in the intermediate space, him in heaven, him in fire, him in wind, him in the moon, him in the constellations, him in the waters, him in plants, him in all beings, him in syllables—it is him they revere as Brahman." This has been declared by a verse:
8.5
ŚĀ 8.5
"Seeing the higher light beyond darkness, / we have reached the god among the gods, / Sūrya, the highest light." / This same self is the measure of syllables, consisting of sight, consisting of hearing, consisting of metre, consisting of mind, consisting of speech. He who thus recites this self, which is the measure of syllables, consisting of sight, consisting of hearing, consisting of metre, consisting of mind, consisting of speech, to another—his Vedas become like milked-out cows. He has no share in speech; he has no share in what is recited. This has been declared by a verse:
8.6
ŚĀ 8.6
"He who has abandoned a friend who shares knowledge / has no share even in speech. / Whatever he hears, he hears in vain; / for he does not know the path of virtuous action." / That is what it means when it says: "He has no share in speech, nor in what is recited." Therefore, one should not recite this day's [text] to another. One should not pile the fire altar, nor praise with the Mahāvrata rite, lest one be deprived of one's self. And that which we said: "That which is this bodiless conscious self and that which is yonder sun—this is one"—where they appear distinct...
8.7
The sun is seen like the moon; rays do not appear. The sky becomes red like madder. The anus becomes prolapsed. One should know: 'His self has departed; he will not live much longer.' Whatever he thinks ought to be done, he should do it. Furthermore, if he should see himself in a mirror or in water with his head crooked or headless, or if he should not see [it at all], he should know it in just this way. Furthermore, when his shadow is perforated, or when it is not [cast at all], he should know it in just this way. Furthermore, if the sun should appear perforated, like the hub of a chariot-wheel, he should know it in just this way. Furthermore, if fire should appear blue like the neck of a peacock, or if he should see mirages in a great cloud, or if he should see lightning when the sky is cloudless, or if he should not see it in a cloud, he should know it in just this way. Furthermore, having closed his eyes, if he should look closely and not see there those [spots] like cowrie-shells, he should know it in just this way. Furthermore, having covered his ears, if he should sit and not hear that sound like blazing fire or the rumbling of a chariot, he should know it in just this way. Furthermore, if his pupils are seen inverted, or as if double-tongued, or are not seen at all, he should know it in just this way. The one who is unheard, unthought, unknown, unseen, unindicated, unproclaimed, the hearer, thinker, knower, seer, indicator, proclaimer, the inner person of all beings—he should know: 'He is my self.' Rising up [at death], he attains this bodiless conscious self; he leaves behind the other, which belongs to the body. This is the secret teaching (upaniṣad) of all speech. For indeed, all these are secret teachings of all speech; but this one they declare in this way.
8.8
The stop-consonants are the form of earth, the sibilants of the intermediate space, the vowels of heaven. The stop-consonants are the form of Agni, the sibilants of Vāyu, the vowels of the Sun. The stop-consonants are the form of the Ṛgveda, the sibilants of the Yajurveda, the vowels of the Sāmaveda. The stop-consonants are the form of the Rathantara [sāman], the sibilants of the Vāmadevya, the vowels of the Bṛhat. The stop-consonants are the form of the in-breath, the sibilants of the out-breath, the vowels of the mind. The stop-consonants are the form of the in-breath, the sibilants of the out-breath, the vowels of the up-breath: 'the vowels,' thus [taught] Punardatta. He indeed knows all speech who knows thus.
8.9
Now indeed, this is the divine lute; that human one is an imitation of it. Just as this [body] has a head and has cavities, so also that [lute] has a head and has cavities. Just as this has a head, so that has a head. Just as this has a spine, so that has a neck. Just as this has a belly, so that has a sounding-board. Just as this has a mouth, nostrils, and eyes, so that has apertures. Just as this has finger-joints and coverings, so that has frets. Just as this has fingers, so that has strings. Just as this has a tongue, so that has a plectrum. Just as this has vowels, so that has notes. And just as this is covered with hairy skin, so also that is covered with hairy skin. Formerly, indeed, they used to cover lutes with hairy skin. This is that divine lute. He who knows this divine lute thus becomes most famous as a speaker; his fame fills the earth; and they desire to listen to him when he speaks in assemblies: 'Let whatever this man desires come to be!' Wherever noble speech is spoken, there they know him.
8.10
Now then, the saying of Tāṇḍavinda. Just as this lute, taken up by an unskilful player, does not achieve the complete purpose of the lute, so speech, taken up by an unskilful speaker, does not achieve the complete purpose of speech. And just as this lute, taken up by a skilful player, achieves the complete purpose of the lute, so speech, taken up by a skilful speaker, achieves the complete purpose of speech. 'The splendour of this very lute is the continuous text (saṃhitā),' says Jātūkarṇya, the son of Kātyāyanī. And Kṛtsnahārita indeed cited a Brāhmaṇa passage concerning this:
8.11
Prajāpati, having created creatures, fell apart. He put himself together with the metres. Because he put himself together with the metres, therefore [it is called] continuous text (saṃhitā). Of this very continuous text, the sound ṇa is strength, the sound ṣa is breath, and the self is the continuous text. Now, this modification mixed with small parts consists of nails, hairs, and consonants. If anyone should hesitate here, [wondering,] 'Should one pronounce it with the sound ṇa or without the sound ṇa?', he should pronounce it only with the sound ṇa. In the same way, if anyone should hesitate here, [wondering,] 'Should one pronounce it with the sound ṣa or without the sound ṣa?', he should pronounce it only with the sound ṣa. Knowing these two sounds, ṇa and ṣa, he should recite the verses according to the continuous text (saṃhitā); he should know: 'It brings long life'—he should know it in just this way. Moreover, whatever speech, narrative, ancient lore, and whatever else [there is], he should study it having made it, as it were, sacred; he should know it in just this way. 'In that we recite the verses according to the continuous text, and in that we teach the lesson of Māṇḍūkeya, thereby we have obtained the sounds ṇa and ṣa,' said the short Māṇḍūkeya. 'Moreover, in that we recite the verses according to the continuous text, and in that we recite our daily study, thereby we have obtained the sounds ṇa and ṣa,' said the elder Śākalya. Indeed, knowing this, the descendants of Kavaṣa used to say: 'Why should we sacrifice? Why should we study? For we offer breath into speech, and speech into breath; for whatever is the origin, that alone is the dissolution.' One should not teach these continuous texts to one who is not a pupil, nor to one who has not resided for a year, nor to one who is not a chaste student (brahmacārin), nor to one who does not know the Veda, nor to a detractor—thus the teachers, thus the teachers.
8.12
Thus ends the eighth chapter in the Śāṅkhāyana Āraṇyaka.
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- Śāṅkhāyanāraṇyaka — Sanskrit