A Constructive Survey of Upanishadic Philosophy c4.s2.7

c4.s2.7

(iii) We have next the *etymological* method which was adopted in many places by the Upanishadic seers under the spell of Brāhmaṇism, which had not yet ceased to influence the formulation of thought. In the Chhāndogya we are told how “svapiti” means “satā sampanno bhavati,” or “svamapito bhavati,” that is, becomes one with himself; how “aśiśishati” means “apa eva tadaśitam nayante,” or water is leading off all that is eaten; how “pipāsati” means “teja eva tatpītam nayate,” that is how heat is drying up what is drunk (S. 10. a). The Bṛihadāraṇyaka tells us that “purusha” is really “purīśaya”, that is inhabiting the citadel of heart (S. 10. b). Finally even such a late Upanishad as the Māṇḍukya tells us that the first letter A of the syllable Om is equivalent to Āpti or attainment, because it possesses the property of Ādimattva or beginningness; the letter U means Utkarsha or exaltation, because it signifies Ubhayatva or intermediateness; and the third letter M means Miti or Apiti, because it signifies measurement or destruction (S. 10. c). But we may put it to the credit of the Upanishadic philosophers that such word-puzzles are to be met with only occasionally in Upanishadic literature.