Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 9
English (machine translation) 9
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9.1
Om. / That food of the god Savitṛ we choose, / best, all-sustaining; / the swift bounty of Bhaga we meditate upon. / That excellent splendour of the god Savitṛ / we meditate upon, / who may inspire our thoughts. / Mind undeceived, eye active, / the sun, the best of lights: O consecration, do not harm me!
9.2
ŚĀ 9.2: Whoever knows the eldest and best becomes the eldest and best among his own people. Breath indeed is the eldest and best. Whoever knows the richest becomes the richest among his own people; speech indeed is the richest. Whoever knows the foundation is established both in this world and in yonder world; sight indeed is the foundation. Whoever knows attainment, to him desires are attained; hearing indeed is attainment. Whoever knows the abode becomes an abode for his own people; the mind indeed is the abode. Then these deities went to Prajāpati, their father, and said: "Who of us is the best?" Prajāpati said: "He on whose departure the body is considered the most wretched, he is the best."
9.3
ŚĀ 9.3: Speech departed. [The others remained] just like mutes not speaking, breathing with breath, seeing with sight, hearing with hearing, thinking with the mind—just so.
9.4
ŚĀ 9.4: Sight departed. [The others remained] just like the blind not seeing, breathing with breath, speaking with speech, hearing with hearing, thinking with the mind—just so.
9.5
ŚĀ 9.5: Hearing departed. [The others remained] just like the deaf not hearing, breathing with breath, speaking with speech, seeing with sight, thinking with the mind—just so.
9.6
ŚĀ 9.6: The mind departed. [The others remained] just like children lacking mind, breathing with breath, speaking with speech, seeing with sight, hearing with hearing—just so.
9.7
ŚĀ 9.7: Breath departed. Then, just as in this world a noble Indus steed might tear out the tethering pegs of its hobbles, so did it tear out the [other] vital breaths. They assembled and said: "Venerable sir, do not depart!" Breath said: "What shall be my food?" "Whatever there is, even down to dogs and birds," they said. "What shall be my clothing?" "Water," they said. Therefore, when about to eat, one surrounds it with water both beforehand and afterwards. He becomes a receiver of clothing; indeed, he is not naked. Having spoken this to Gośruta Vaiyāghrapadya, Satyakāma Jābāla said: "Even if one were to tell this to a dry stump, its branches would be born and leaves would sprout forth: 'O tree, sprout with a hundred branches! Do not scratch heaven! Do not harm the intermediate space!' Thus said Yājñavalkya."
9.8
ŚĀ 9.8: Now, if one wishes to attain greatness, having consecrated oneself for three nights, on the new moon day, having mixed a mash of all herbs with curds and honey, having built up the fire, swept around it, strewn [grass] around it, and sprinkled it with water, having bent the right knee, having placed the mash in a bronze vessel north of the fire, having offered the oblations, one should drop the remainder into the mash. Having offered into the fire, saying, 'To the eldest, to the best, svāhā!', one should drop the remainder into the mash. Having offered into the fire, saying, 'To the foundation, svāhā!', one should drop the remainder into the mash. Having offered into the fire, saying, 'To attainment, svāhā!', one should drop the remainder into the mash. Having consumed [the mash] quarter-verse by quarter-verse with 'That excellent splendour of Savitṛ...', one sips water quarter-verse by quarter-verse with 'That food of the god Savitṛ we choose...'. Having rinsed the bronze vessel a fourth time with the great mystical utterances, one lies down on a skin or on the bare ground. If he should see a woman, he should know: 'The rite is successful! The rite is successful!'
9.9
Thus ends the ninth chapter in the Śāṅkhāyana Āraṇyaka.
Linked texts (1)
- Śāṅkhāyanāraṇyaka — Sanskrit