Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.16

3.16.1

puruṣo vāva yajñaḥ \
tasya yāni caturviṃśativarṣāṇi tat prātaḥsavanam \
caturviṃśatyakṣarā gāyatrī \
gāyatraṃ prātaḥsavanam \
tad asya vasavo 'nvāyattāḥ \
prāṇā vāva vasavaḥ \
ete hīdaṃ sarvaṃ vāsayanti \\316.1\

1. Verily, a person is a sacrifice. His [first] twenty-four years are the morning Soma-libation, for the Gāyatrī meter has twenty-four syllables and the morning Soma-libation is offered with a Gāyatrī hymn. The Vasus are connected with this part of the sacrifice. Verily, the vital breaths (*prāṇa*) are the Vasus, for they cause everything here to continue ($\surd$*vas*).

3.16.2

taṃ ced etasmin vayasi kiṃcid upatapet sa brūyāt \
prāṇā vasava idaṃ me prātaḥsavanaṃ mādhyaṃdinaṃ savanam anusaṃtanuteti mā ahaṃ prāṇānāṃ vasūnāṃ madhye yajño vilopsīyeti \
ud dhaiva tata ety agado ha bhavati \\316.2\

2. If any sickness should overtake him in this period of life, let him say: ‘Ye vital breaths, ye Vasus, let this morning libation of mine continue over to the mid-day libation. Let not me, the sacrifice, be broken off in the midst of the vital breaths, of the Vasus.’ He arises from it; he becomes free from sickness.

3.16.3

atha yāni catuścatvāriṃśad varṣāṇi tan mādhyaṃdinaṃ savanam \
catuścatvāriṃśadakṣarā triṣṭup \
traiṣṭubhaṃ mādhyaṃdinaṃ savanam \tad asya rudrā anvāyattāḥ \
prāṇā vāva rudrāḥ \
ete hīdaṃ sarvaṃ rodayanti \\316.3\

3. Now the [next] forty-four years are the mid-day libation,

for the Trishṭubh meter has forty-four syllables and the midday libation is offered with a Trishṭubh hymn. The Rudras are connected with this part of the sacrifice. Verily, the vital breaths are the Rudras, for [on departing] they cause everything here to lament (√ *rud*).

3.16.4

taṃ ced etasmin vayasi kiṃcid upatapet sa brūyāt \
prāṇā rudrā idaṃ me mādhyaṃdinaṃ savanaṃ tṛtīyasavanam anusaṃtanuteti māhaṃ prāṇānāṃ rudrāṇāṃ madhye yajño vilopsīyeti \
ud dhaiva tata ety agado ha bhavati \\316.4\

4. If any sickness should overtake him in this period of life, let him say: ‘Ye vital breaths, ye Rudras, let this mid-day libation of mine continue over to the third libation. Let not me, the sacrifice, be broken off in the midst of the vital breaths, of the Rudras.’ He arises from it; he becomes free from sickness.

3.16.5

atha yāny aṣṭācatvāriṃśad varṣāṇi tat tṛtīyasavanam \
aṣṭācatvāriṃśadakṣarāḥ jagatī \
jāgataṃ tṛtīyasavanam \
tad asyādityā anvāyattāḥ \
prāṇā vāva ādityāḥ \ete hīdaṃ sarvam ādadate \\316.5\

5. Now, the [next] forty-eight years are the third libation, for the Jagatī meter has forty-eight syllables and the third libation is offered with a Jagatī hymn. The Ādityas are connected with this part of the sacrifice. Verily, the vital breaths are the Ādityas, for [on departing] they take everything to themselves (*ādadate*).

3.16.6

taṃ ced etasmin vayasi kiṃcid upatapet sa brūyāt \
prāṇā ādityā idaṃ me tṛtīyasavanam āyur anusaṃtanuteti māhaṃ prāṇānāṃ ādityānāṃ madhye yajño vilopsīyeti \
ud dhaiva tata ety agado ha+ eva bhavati \\316.6\

6. If any sickness should overtake him in this period of life, let him say: ‘Ye vital breaths, ye Ādityas, let this third libation of mine continue to a full length of life. Let not me, the sacrifice, be broken off in the midst of the vital breaths, of the Ādityas.’ He arises from it; he becomes free from sickness.

3.16.7

etad dha sma vai tad vidvān āha mahidāsa aitareyaḥ \
sa kiṃ ma etad upatapasi yo 'ham anena na preṣyām iti \
sa ha ṣodaśaṃ varṣaśatam ajīvat \
pra ha ṣodaśaṃ varṣśataṃ jīvati yaivaṃ veda \\316.7\

7. Verily, it was this that Mahidāsa Aitareya knew when he used to say: ‘Here, why do you afflict me with this sickness—me, who am not going to die with it?’ He lived a hundred and sixteen years. He lives to a hundred and sixteen years who knows this.