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The System of the Vedanta according to Badarayana's Brahma-Sutras and Cankara's Commentary c9.s2.t2: 2. The Five Sacrificial Offerings

The System of the Vedânta according to Bâdarâyana's Brahma-Sûtras and Çankara's Commentary c9.s2.t2

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2. The Five Sacrificial Offerings

c9.s2.t2.1

As in the sacrifice the offerings are thrown into the fire to come forth from it again in a spiritualised form, so too the fire, wherein the corpse is burnt, is a sacrificial fire, through which man passes to come forth out of it again "in a luminous form" (Bṛih.). This conception of the rising from the body as an offering, is also applied by the section under discussion to the descent of the soul into the body from the Beyond: this descent is a passing through five transformations, which are spoken of as five successive sacrificial acts and are described in detail.

c9.s2.t2.2

The first sacrificial fire, through which man passes, is the other world; its elements (fuel, smoke, flame, coals, sparks) are the sun, its rays, the day, the moon, and the stars. In this fire the Gods offer Faith, and from this offering goes forth King Soma.

c9.s2.t2.3

The second sacrificial fire, consisting of wind, vapour, thunderbolt, and hail, is Parjanya, that is, here: the storm cloud; in this fire the Gods offer king Soma, and from this offering goes forth Rain.

c9.s2.t2.4

The third sacrificial fire, consisting of the year (that is time), space, night, and the cardinal points is the Earth (Bṛih.: this world); in this fire the Gods offer rain, and from this offering goes forth Food.

c9.s2.t2.5

The fourth sacrificial fire, consisting of speech, breath, tongue, eye, ear, is Man; in this fire the Gods offer Food, and from this offering goes forth the Seed.

c9.s2.t2.6

The fifth sacrificial fire, consisting of the generative organs and functions of woman, is Woman; in this fire the Gods offer the seed, and from this offering goes forth the Embryo.

c9.s2.t2.7

"Thus it happens that at the fifth offering the waters [one may understand by this either the subtle body or the moral character; of this, later] speak with human voice. Then when this embryo, surrounded by its chorion, has lain for ten months or however long it may be, in the womb, it is born. After it is born, it lives as long as may be. Then when it dies, it is borne away to its destination in the fire, even thither whence it came, whence it arose."

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