THE Gbba'nbogga UPANISHAD AND SRI SANKARA'S COMMENTARY TRANSLATED BY GANGA'NA'TH JHA,' M.A.. F.T.S. PUBLISHED BY V. C. SESHACHARRJ, B.A., EX., M.R.A.S. Vakil, High Court, Madras FOURTH VOLUME >BAS THE INDIA PRINTING WORKS 1923 /f* (fa*-** Dr. ANNIE BESANT. President, Theosophical Society, Adyar, Madras, S. Hbe Gbba'nboa^a SECOND PART, CONTENTS. Page. PBEEAOE Fifth Adhya'ya 1 Sixth ., Seventh Eighth . 221 PBEFAOE. THE encouragement which the first three volumes of this series have received at the hands of the public and the request of many of my friends to have the second part of the ChMndogya publised as soon as possible hare induced me to get the present volume through the pre^s within a short space of time. I am glad I am in a position to announce that the translation of the Brihad&ranyaka Upanishad which was in the hands of Pandit Ganga Nath Jh& has been completed and it will shortly be issued in parts* Y. C. SESHACHABRI, Publisher, 1 > Madbas, May, 1023J Wot <Cbba*nbo0\>a IHpattisbab ADHYA'YA V. KHANDA I. % % % ^i ^m^M 3%sr r %%^ mm wit He who knows the oldest and the best becomes the oldest and best. Breath indeed is the oldest and the best. (1) Com.—The northern way of the philosophy of the conditioned Brahman has been explained. Now, in the fifth Adhyaya, after having explained the same way, with regard to the knowers of the Five Fires, and to such house-holders and celibates as are devotional in their nature and endowed with other sciences,—what is to be described is another way, the Southern, characterised by " Smoke '' and the rest, which belongs to those who perform sacrifices alone, and which is in the shape of frequent returns, a way of metempsychosis, much harder than the previous one. Such explanation, being for the purpose of creating dispassion in the minds of men, is now begun. " Breath is the best,** —:; 2 THE CHHA'NDOG-YA UPANISHAB among speech '&c. This Breath has been fre- quently mentioned in the foregoing sections "Breath is Samvurga" &c, &c. "But how is Breath the best among Speech &c, when the cha- racter of functioning conjointly belongs equally to ?" all of them ; and whence follows its meditation In order to establish the fact of Breath being the best, the present section is begun. Any one, who knows that which is the oldest in age, and the best in quality, becomes the oldest and the best. Having attracted the listener by mentioning the result, the text lays drwn that "Breath is the oldest " in age, among speech and the rest because, while the child is in the womb, the Breath attains its functioning stage, before speech and the rest, and it is by this prior functioning of the Breath that the foetus grows; while it is only after' the organs of sight &c, have been developed in the foetus, that speech &c«, to begin function ; hence, Breath becomes the oldest in age. The fact of Breath being the best will be explained by the instance of the Suhaya (horse) &c„ &c. Hence, in this aggregate of causes and effects, Breath is the oldest and best. *ft § % ^^5 ^ 3I%ST £ ^Flf *ftfa ^RR 3fe II ^ II He who knows the richest, becomes the richest of—all his own. Speech is the richest (2) Com. "One who knows the richest"— i.e., the best coverer, the most endowed with wealth himself being the richest among all his own relations. It is explained what the richest is : WITH SRI SANKARA'S COMMENTARY 3 • * ^'Speech is the richest,"—since eloquent persons suppress others, they are the most endowed with wealth ; and hence speech is the richest. ^rspk %fmt if \ I! He who knows firmness, becomes firm in this world and also in the other. The eye is firmness (3) Com.—He who knows firmness, becomes firm in this world, and also in the other. It is explained what firmness is : "The Eye is firmness"—inas- much as it is only by seeing with the Eye, that one remains firm on even as well as on rough ground ; the Eye is firmness. *fr i[% ^^ ^ h-ftf^ ww- ^?ph "W«* m*tpnm s II m to *ro 1! One who knows prosperity,— all his desires prosper, both divine and human. The Ear is prosperity. (4) Com,*—One who knows prosperity, — all his divine and human desires prosper. It is explained what this prosperity is : "The Ear is prosperity," —since it is by the Ear that the Vedas are heard, and their meaning understood, whereby, sacrifices are performed, whence proceed all desirable things ; therefore, the Ear being the means of the prosperity of desires, it is iirosperity. <\ sn^cFR II II One who knows the home becomes the home of his people. Mind is the home. (5) » 4 THE CHHA'NDOGYA UPANISHAD • Com.—One who knows the home becomes the home, i.e., the support—of all his people. It is explained what the home is :—"Mind is the home," —since mind is the substratum of the objects,™ cognised by the senses for the sake of the person, in the shape of perceptions ; therefore, mind is said to be the home, or substratum. qsftft I! \ II Now, the five senses quarrelled together, as to who was the best—saying 'I am better'. '1 am better.' (6) Com.—Now, the senses, described above with their qualities, quarrelled together— every one of them saying ' I am better,' ' I am better,' and thus contradicting one another. vs $rg |fcf ii ii The senses having gone to Prajdpati, their ' father, said to him : Sir, who is the best amongst ' us' ? He said to them : He on whose departure, the body looks the worst, that amongst you is the best.' (7) Com.—Thus quarrelling among themselves? and desiring to decide as to who among them was the best, they went over to fheir progenitor, Prajdpati, and asked him : "Who among us is the best in quality?" The father replied: "from amongst you, he, on whose departure, this body — WITH SRI SANKARA'S COMMENTARY 5 looks the worst,—even though living, yet appear- ing like dead, and looking worse than a corpse, unclean and untouchable— that amongst you is the best." He replied in this round about way 5 in order to avoid giving pain to any of them. € ^ IU II The Speech went forth ; and having stayed ' away for a year, it came back and asked : How have you been able to live without me V ' Just like the dumb not speaking, but breathing with the breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, and thinking with the mind.' Speech entered. (8) Cow.—-Having been thus addressed by their Father, from among the senses, speech went forth; and having stayed away for a year, i.e., ceased to exercise its function,—and then having comeback asked the other senses : "How were you able to hold your own during my absence ?" They replied: "just as the dumb &c—ue., just as in the ordinary world, the mute, not speaking with speech, live all '*' the same. In what way does he live ? Breathing with the breath, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, and thinking with the mind,"—just per- forming the functions of all the other senses. In the same manner, did we manage to live, Having thus realised the fact of itself not being the best among the senses, Speech entered into the body i.e. began to exercise its function. 6 THE CHHA'NDOG-YA UPANISHAD TpftW^ ws^n 3tm^' smr- m^ ^% p II . II sierras ^mft wm q^TRr^ ^ws# II MI The Eye went forth ; and having stayed away ' for a year, it came back, and asked : How have you been able to live without me ? ' ' Just like the blind, not seeing, breathing with the breath, speak- ing with the speech, hearing with the ear, and thinking with the mind.' The Eye entered. (9) Ear The went forth ; and having stayed away for a year, it ' came back and asked : How have you been able to live without me ? '. ' Just like the deaf, not hearing, breathing with the breath, speaking with the speech, seeing with the eye, and thinking with the mind.' The Ear entered- (10) The Mind went forth; and having stayed away for a year, it ' came back and asked : How have you been able to live without me ?'. ' Just as children, without mind, breathing with the breath, speaking with the speech, seeing with the eye, and hearing with the ear.' The Mind entered. (11) WITH SRI SANKARA'S COMMENTARY 7 Com^-The rest is similar to what has gone befdre. The eye went forth, the ear went forth, the mind went forth, &c. &c. &c. " Children with- out mind"—ue. % with undeveloped minds. Now the Breath, just as going to depart, tore up the other senses—just as a spirited horse might tear up the pegs to which he is tethered. They ' gathered round him, and said : Sir, prosper, you the are best of us ; do not depart.' (12) Cow?.—When speech &c, had all been ex- amined, the Breath in the mouth, just as he was going to depart— z'.e., just as he thought of going away—did this : just as in the ordinary world, a spirited horse, when struck by Mb rider by a whip with a -view to test him, might tear up the pegs to which he is tethered,—so did Breath tear up the other senses, speech and the rest.