Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.14: M 15 / K 14

5.14.1

bhūmirantarikṣaṃ dyaurityaṣṭāvakṣarāṇyaṣṭākṣaram̐ ha vā ekaṃ gāyatryai padametadu haivāsyā etatsa yāvadeṣu triṣu lokeṣu tāvaddha jayati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda

'Bhumi' (the earth), 'Antariksha' (sky) and 'Dyaus' (heaven) make eight syllables, and the first foot of the Gâyatrifootnote{Gâyatri (or Sâvitri) is the most sacred verse of the Vedas. It reads as follows: Tat saviturvareṇyam, bhargo devasya dhîmahi, dhiyo yo nah prachodayât—'We meditate on the adorable glory of the radiant sun. May he direct our intellect! (Ṛi. III. lxii. 10). There is also a metre called Gâyatri which has three feet, of eight syllables each. It will be seen that the verse Gâyatri is in this metre. Shankara seems to have both these senses in mind.} has eight syllables. So the above three worlds constitute the first foot of the Gâyatri. He who knows the first foot of the Gâyatri to be such wins as much as there is in those three worlds.

5.14.2

ṛco yajūm̐ṣi sāmānītyaṣṭāvakṣarāṇyaṣṭākṣaram̐ ha vā ekaṃ gāyatryaiai padametadu haivāsyā etatsa yāvatīyaṃ trayī vidyā tāvaddha jayati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda

'Richah,' 'Yajūṃṣi' and 'Sāmāni'footnote{The plural forms of the names of the three Vedas.} make eight syllables, and the second foot of the Gāyatrī has eight syllables. So the above three Vedas constitute the second foot of the Gāyatrī. He who knows the second foot of the Gāyatrī to be such wins as much as that treasury of knowledge, the three Vedas, has to confer.

5.14.3

prāṇo'pāno vyāna ityaṣṭāvakṣarāṇyaṣṭākṣaram̐ ha vā ekaṃ gāyatryai padametadu haivāsyā etatsa yāvadidaṃ prāṇi tāvaddha jayati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ vedāthāsyā etadeva turīyaṃ darśataṃ padaṃ parorajā ya eṣa tapati yadvai caturthaṃ tatturīyaṃ darśataṃ padamiti dadṛśa iva hyeṣa parorajā iti sarvamu hyevaiṣa raja uparyupari tapatyevam̐ haiva śriyā yaśasā tapati yo'syā etadevaṃ padaṃ veda

'Prâṇa' 'Apâna' and 'Vyâna'footnote{This word must be split so as to make three syllables.} make eight syllables, and the third foot of the Gâyatri has eight syllables. So the above three forms of the vital force constitute the third foot of the Gâyatri. He who knows the third foot of the Gâyatri to be such wins all the living beings that are in the universe. Now its Turiya, apparently visible, supramundane foot is indeed this—the sun that shines. 'Turiya' means the fourth. 'Apparently visible foot,' because he is seen, as it were. 'Supramundane,' because he shines on the whole universe as its overlord. He who knows the fourth foot of the Gâyatri to be such shines in the same way with splendour and fame.

5.14.4

saiṣā gāyatryetasmim̐sturīye darśate pade parorajasi pratiṣṭhitā tadvai tatsatye pratiṣṭhitaṃ cakṣuvaiṃ satyaṃ cakṣurhi vai satyaṃ tasmādyadidānīṃ dvau vivadamānāveyātāmahamadarśamahamaśrauṣamiti ya evaṃ brūyādahamadarśamititasmā eva śraddadhyāma tadvai tatsatyaṃ bale pratiṣṭhitaṃ prāṇo vai balaṃ tatprāṇe pratiṣṭhitaṃ tasmādāhurbalam̐ satyādogīya ityevaṃ vaiṣā gāyatryadhyātmaṃ pratiṣṭhitā sā haiṣā gayām̐statre prāṇā vai gayāstatprāṇām̐statre tadyadgayām̐statre tasmādgāyatrī nāma sa yāmevāmūm̐ sāvitrīmanvāhaiṣaiva sā sa yasmā anvāha tasya prāṇām̐strāyate

That Gâyatri rests on this fourth, apparently visible, supramundane foot. That again rests on truth. The eye is truth, for the eye is indeed truth. Therefore if even to-day two persons come disputing, one saying, 'I saw it,' and another, 'I heard of it,' we believe him only who says, 'I saw it.' That truth rests on strength. The vital force is strength. (Hence) truth rests on the vital force. Therefore they say strength is more powerful than truth. Thus the Gâyatri rests on the vital force within the body. That Gâyatri saved the Gayas. The organs are the Gayas; so it saved the organs. Now, because it saved the organs, therefore it is called the Gâyatri. The Sâvitri that the teacher communicates to the pupil is no other than this. It saves the organs of him to whom it is communicated.

5.14.5

tām̐ haitāmeke sāvitrīmanuṣṭubhamanvāhurvāganuṣṭubetadvācamanubrūma iti na tathā kuryādgāyatrīmeva sāvitrīmanubrūyādyadiha vā apyevaṃvidbahviva pratigṛhṇāti na haiva tadgāyatryāekaṃcana padaṃ prati

Some communicate (to the pupil) the Sāvitrī that is Anuṣṭubh (saying), 'Speech is Anuṣṭubh; we shall impart that to him.' One should not do like that. One should communicate that Sāvitrī which is the Gāyatrī. Even if a man who knows as above accepts too much as gift, as it were, it is not (enough) for even one foot of the Gāyatrī.

5.14.6

sa ya imām̐strīṃllokān pūrṇānpratigṛhṇīyātso'syā etatprathamaṃ padamāpnuyādatha yāvatīyaṃ trayīvidyā yastāvatpratigṛhṇīyātso'syā etaddvitīyaṃ padamāpnuyādatha yāvadidaṃ prāṇi yastāvatpratigṛhṇīyātso'syā etattṛtīyaṃ padamāpnuyādathāsyā etadeva turīyaṃ darśataṃ padaṃ parorajā ya eṣa tapati naiva kenacanāpyaṃ kuta u etāvatpratigṛhṇīyāt

He who accepts these three worlds replete (with wealth), will be receiving (the results of knowing) only the first foot of the Gāyatrī. He who accepts as much as this treasury of knowledge, the Vedas, (has to confer), will receive (the results of knowing) only its second foot. And he who accepts as much as (is covered by) all living beings, will receive (the results of knowing) only its third foot. While its fourth, apparently visible, supramundane foot—the sun that shines—is not to be counterbalanced by any

5.14.7

tasyā upasthānaṃ gātryasyekapadī dvipadī tripadī catuṣpadyapadasi na hi padyase | namaste turīyāya darśatāya padāya parorajase'sāvado mā prāpaditiyaṃ dviṣyādasāvasmai kāmo mā samṛddhīti vā na haivāsmai sa kāmaḥ samṛddhyateyasmā evamupatiṣṭhate'hamadaḥ prāpamiti vā

Its salutation : ‘O Gâyatri, thou art one-footed, two-footed, three-footed and four-footed, and thou art without any feet, for thou art unattainable. Salutation to thee, the fourth, apparently visible, supramundane foot! May the enemy never attain his object!’ (Should the knower of the Gâyatri) bear hatred towards anybody, (he should) either (use this Mantra) : ‘Such and such—may his desired object never flourish !’—in which case that object of the person against whom he thus salutes the Gâyatri, never flourishes—or (he may say), ‘May I attain that (cherished object) of his !’

5.14.8

etaddha vai tajjanako vaideho buḍilamāśvatarāśvimuvāca yannu ho tadgāyatrībidabrūthā atha katham̐ hastībhūto vahasīti mukham̐hyasyāḥ samrāṇna vidāṃ cakāreti hovāca tasyā agnireva mukhaṃ yadi ha vā api bahvivāgnāvabhyādadhati sarvameva tatsaṃdahatyevam̐ haivaivaṃvidyadyapi bahviva pāpaṃ kurute sarvameva tatsaṃpsāya śuddhaḥ pūto'jaro'mṛtaḥsaṃbhavati

On this Janaka, Emperor of Videha, is said to have told Budila, the son of Ashwatarâshwa, 'Well, you gave yourself out as a knower of the Gâyatri; then why, alas, are you carrying (me) as an elephant?' He replied, 'Because I did not know its mouth, O Emperor.' 'Fire is its mouth. Even if they put a large quantity of fuel into the fire, it is all burnt up. Similarly, even if one who knows as above commits a great many sins, he consumes them all and becomes pure, cleansed, undecaying and immortal.'

5.14.8.p1

iti pañcamādhyāye caturdaśaṃ brāhmaṇam