Brihadaranyka Upanishad—First Chapter, Second part (Second Brahmin) in English with original texts and meaning----mysteries of Ashvamedha Yajna (Horse Sacrifice), Expanding and collapsing Universe. Creation and Time.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad—First Chapter, Second part (Second Brahmin) in English with original texts and meaning----mysteries of Ashvamedha Yajna (Horse Sacrifice), Expanding and collapsing Universe. Creation and Time.

(The first part of the first chapter of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (bRihadaaraaNyaka upanishad) has already been published. It is available in the following link https://upanishadsinenglish.blogspot.com/2019/11/brihadaaranyaka-upanishada-first.html)

Sanskrit words written in italics are the i-trans version of the Sanskrit words in English alphabets and are available in the Sanskrit English Lexicon by Sir. Monier Williams in the Internet at <https://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/. 

(debkumar.lahiri@gmail.com)

Summary

In this part (Brahmin)of bRihadaaraNyaka upanishad the sage yaaj~navalkya has narrated how the god of death, who has kept the eternal Consciousness or eternity hidden, has created the universe. The Universal Consciousness from whom everything is created, and the ‘god of death (mRityu) are the same. In Consciousness, everything is a personality. Consciousness as Death deity is covering HIS /HER own eternity. The sage (RiShi)has described in step by step how the unbound, eternal Consciousness has become the physicality; how in this process the Consciousness is expanding (creating duality) and at the same time contracting (bringing the duality into Oneness). 

The eternal universal Consciousness (termed as mukhya praaNa) in Upanishad has two specialties or fundamental characteristics:

1. Though infinite and remains infinite, still creates Himself as finite with boundaries, freezes Himself into forms, creates the static mortal earth or physicality.

2. Converts the bound, formed entities into infinite, unbound by merging them in Him /Her in absolute Oneness.

The Universal Consciousness, who is the supreme soul or Oneness, the supreme ONE, whose activity is the life or praaNa, whom Upanishads have worshipped as ‘mukhya praaNa’, is expanding or growing by fragmenting Himself/ Herself by Himself/ Herself as entities and thus creating dualities. This is called ‘ashva’. Horse is also called ashva. The word ashvat derived from the word ashva means ‘to inflate’ or ’to grow’.  That HE/SHE is expanding is ‘ashva’ or ‘ashvat’ and that HE/SHE is bringing back everything in HIM/HER in absolute Oneness of Universal Consciousness is called ‘medhya’. 

As much as ‘medhya’ has happened to you, you own that much ‘merit’ or ‘medhaa’. Thus, medhaa is one of the names of the goddess of word called vaak who is also known as sarasvatI for HER articulating or revealing aspect. 

This is the foundation of ‘ashvamedha yaj~na’. The word ‘shva’ in ‘ashva’ also means ‘time’, ‘ruling of time’, ‘respiration (shvaasa)’ and ‘praaNa’.  praaNa is the consciousness flowing as life in us and ‘time’ in the external. Thus ‘ashva’ or horse means the ‘Universal Consciousness moving and growing’. Further in the texts the word ‘ashva’ has been used to represent ‘sensory organs and other organs related to senses’; these are the seats of ‘praaNa’ or the ‘Active Consciousness’. Theses organs or sensing actions or the horses are pulling us along the course of time. 

Words are first made in the heaven and so also is the word ashva. Words are the forms of vaak who the consort or the power of Consciousness. Each word is an aspect of Consciousness, and each word has the representation or existence in infinite way and that’s the divinity of a word. Thus, physicality is the physical form of the Consciousness or vaak. This is why Upanishads have said that ‘the earth is the body of vaak.’

Brihadaranyka Upanishad—First Chapter, Second part (Second Brahmin)

1.2.1 

(Original text). First verse.

naiveha kiMchanaagra aasIn mRityunaivedamaavRitamaasIdashanaayayaa.

ashanaayaa hi mRityustanmano akurutaa aatmanvI syaamiti.  

so archannacharat.

tasyaarchata aapo ajaayantaarchate vai me kamabhUditi.

tadevaarkyasyaarkatvam.

kam ha vaa asmai bhavati ya evametadarkasyaarkatvaM veda. 

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

na (no) eva iha (in this location) kiMchana (anything) agra (in the beginning) aasIT (existed)

(In this location nothing existed in the beginning.)

mRityunaa (by the death) aeva (indeed) idam (all these) aavRitam aasIt ashanaayayaa (the desire to eat)

(All these were indeed shrouded by the Death— {the Death is} the desire to eat.)

ashanaayaa (desire to eat) hi (indeed) mRityu (the Death)

(The Death indeed is the desire to eat.)

tat (that—the Death) manaH (mind) akuruta (made) —aatmanvI (embodied) syaam (let me be) iti. {The word ‘iti’ denotes the end of the statement.})

(The Death made up His mind (The death created the mind) —-‘let me embody myself’. {Creation of mind is followed by embodiment or creation of forms or body.})

sah (He) archan (illuminated Himself) acharat (and spread)

(He illuminated Himself and spread.)

tasya (from His) archata (illumination) aapah (the water/the feeling of all acquired / achieved) ajaayanta (was generated).

(From His illumination the water (or the sense of all achievement) was generated.)

archate (illuminating) vai me (in me indeed) kam (the pleasure or pleasure of touch) abhUt (was created) iti

(‘From illuminated Me the pleasure was created’.)

tad (that) eva (is indeed) arkyasya   arkatvam (essence of arka)

(That is indeed the essence of arka.)

kam (pleasure) ha vA (indeed) asmai (in him / in her) bhavati (comes) ya (who) evam (in this manner) etad (this) arkasya arkatvaM (essence of arka) veda (knows)

(Pleasure indeed comes in him (in her) who knows the essence of arka in this manner.)

Consolidated meaning.

In this location nothing existed in the beginning.

All these were indeed shrouded by the Death— (the Death is) the desire to eat.

The Death indeed is the desire to eat.

The Death made up His mind (The Death created the mind) —-‘let me embody myself’. (Creation of mind is followed by embodiment or creation of forms or body.)

He illuminated Himself and spread.

From His illumination, the water (or the sense of having everything achieved) was generated.

‘From illuminated Me the pleasure was created’.

That is indeed the essence of ‘arka’.

Pleasure indeed comes in him (in her) who knows the essence of arka in this manner.

Etymological meaning and explanations

All manifestation happens from the One who is imperceptible, un-manifested. This un-manifested aspect of the Universal Consciousness has been referred in this text as mRityu or Death or the God of Death. This is why before the origin, everything was shrouded by death.

ashanaayaa——the desire to eat. The word ashanaayaa is from the root word ‘ash’ meaning ‘to eat’. Eating means to ‘assimilate’, to integrate in the ‘self’, to integrate in the soul or oneness.

This is the act of converting something into ‘medhya’ or to make it fit to assimilate. 

The creator while creating, while separating from Oneness, also ensures that every entity or duality thus created is brought back to HIM (to Creator), to absolute Oneness of the Universal Consciousness’. One day every unit, every entity thus created, identifies it with the Creator. Thus, to incite everyone with the vedana (feeling) or to activate the consciousness of ‘absolute one’ in everyone the Creator is devouring every bit of the universe. This is the act of time and this is the desire to eat. ‘aham brahmasmi’ (I am brahman’, ‘I am absolute’ is the ultimate identity of everyone.  

tat (that—the Death) manaH (mind) akuruta (made) —aatmanvI (embodied) syaam (let me be) ——-The aspect of the ‘Consciousness’ called ‘mind’ is the origin from where all the defined senses i.e. senses with dimensions, definitions are created.

tat (that—the Death) manaH (mind) akuruta (made)——this also means ‘He created the mind’. 

sah (He) archan (illuminated Himself) acharat (and moved around)

The word archana is from the root word ‘arch’. The word ‘arch’ is the expansion of the root ‘Rich’. When the alphabet Ri expands, it becomes ‘ar’. Ri means ‘to see’; like the word Rishi means who sees the truth or who sees all the three dimensions of time. Here in this passage, the occurrence of ‘first vision’, creation of the first light and the motion have been narrated!

The creator is ‘svayam prakasha’ i.e. the Universal Consciousness reveals ‘Himself/Herself’ by ‘Himself/Herself’. 

As He illuminates or opens His eye (archan), He spreads or moves (acharat). This movement is the creation of ruling or creation of time acting on everything.

Thus, is created the light or visibility and the time.

tasya (from His) archata (illumination) aapah (the water/the feeling of all acquired / achieved) ajaayanta (was generated)

In this revelation or light there is the satisfaction of having everything in HIM/HER; acquirement (aqua/water) of everything.

This is the divine water, water that gives the satisfaction of having everything within. ap (also apa, aap) represents ‘divine water’ or water that is the ‘sense of satisfaction, acquirement, achievement in all of us. This is Universal Consciousness as ‘ap’ and by whom we have achieved our physical existence. 

archate (illuminating) vai me (in me indeed) kam (the pleasure or pleasure of touch) abhUt (was created) 

The first consonant among Sanskrit alphabets is ‘ka’ and the last consonant is ‘ma’. The alphabets or the consonants ‘ka’, ‘ma’ and all the others between ‘ka’ and ‘ma’ are called ‘sparsha varNa’ or the alphabets (varNa) of touch (sparsha); in other words, ‘touching alphabets’. In Chandogya Upanishad, the sage has cited that all sparsha varna are the soul of the Death (sarve sparsha mRitosya aatmanah) i.e. all the alphabets of touch are parts of the ‘Death’.  The sense of Death, the sense of losing the existence originates from the ignorance of ‘immutable soul’ or ‘svayam’--- the assertion-less, ever-present soul behind the ‘assertive self’ (aham or ‘I am’). In the soul, everything is One. It is the ‘One’ in everyone’. It is the cause and constituent of everyone. The touch is created when the Soul or the Universal Consciousness creates ‘duality’. Touch cannot happen without ‘duality’. As along as we remain obsessed with ‘duality’, knowing the world as different from ‘self’ or ‘soul’, we are bound the experience the death as loosing the existence. Thus, the ‘death’ is related to duality and touch.  The absolute ONE, the Universal Consciousness (who is also One and many) created duality out of Oneness and is feeling the ‘duality’ or touching the ‘One’ created as different from ‘ONE’. This is ‘kam’ the ‘pleasure’

From this word ‘kam’ the word ‘kamalaa’ (whose touch arouses pleasure) and ‘kamala’ (lotus)have originated. kamala or lotus means the ‘sphere or domain of ‘kam’ (kamala = ka + mandala=sphere—the universal sphere or domain of ‘touch’; also, it means ‘the sphere of the consonants{ka}or sphere of alphabets of touch.) kamalaa’ is also a name of the consort of viShnu.

In the divine water or ‘ap’ lies the ‘eternal praaNa’ called ‘viShNu’ and his consort ‘kamalaa’ or ‘shrI (the beauty and elegance of the universe)’. By the influence of kamalaa, called viShNu maaya’ (the spell of vishNu), everyone is bound to follow the ‘motion / foot of viShNu’—-the motion (acharat) as mentioned above. This universe is created from ‘ap’ or the ocean where viShNu lies.

tad (that) eva (is indeed) arkyasya   arkatvam (essence of arka)

‘arka’ is the source of the English word ‘arc’ and is derived from the expansion of the word ‘Rik’.  The vedana or the feelings of the Universal Consciousness or the Universal Soul, the feelings (praaNa) or the act of the Consciousness from which everyone is created with a definition (naama), in a defined form (rUpa) is called ‘Rik veda’. The Universal Consciousness illuminates Himself/Herself, creates the light (vision) to provide the form or dimensions to everyone. This act of self- illumination is called arka or arcing. This happens with creation of light and its bending (processing through time). (This is why divinity has been described as ‘bent stem’ or bent stem of genealogy / tirashchIna vansha’ in Chandogya Upanishad.) This creates the curvature in the Universe. Thus, is created the divinity, the divine plane of revelation or expression/creation. This is the essence of ‘arka’. 

kam (pleasure) ha vaa (indeed) asmai (in him / in her) bhavati (comes) ya (who) evam (in this manner) etad (this) arkasya arkatvaM (essence of arka) veda (knows)

One who knows the essence of ‘arka’, this eternal pleasure or satisfaction comes in Him/Her.  In consciousness ‘to know’ means ‘to become’.

1. 1.2 .2 (Original text). Second verse.

aapo vaa arka tadyadapaaM shara aasIt. tatsamahanyata saa pRithivyabhavat.

tasyaamashraamyat tasya shraantasya taptasya tejo raso niravartataagniH.

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

aapaH (ap/water) vai (indeed is) arka.  tat yat apaaM (in that ap) shara (upper layer) aasIt (was) tad (that) sam(perfectly) ahanyata (was killed /crusted) saa (It) pRithivI (earth) abhavat (became)

(ap (water) is indeed arka. In that ap the upper layer was perfectly killed (crusted). It (the crusted layer) became the earth.)

tasyaam (from this) ashraamyat (laboured)

(From this work (while creating the earth), (the Death / Creator) laboured.)

tasya (from that) shraantasya (exhausted) taptasya (irradiated) tejo (radiation) raso(sap) niravartata (whirled out) agniH (which is agni —the god of fire)

(From that exhausted and irradiated (Death/Creator), the radiation and the sap whirled out and this is agni—the god of fire.)

  

Consolidated meaning.

ap (water) is indeed arka. In that ‘ap’ the upper layer was perfectly killed (crusted). It (the crusted layer) became the earth.)

From this work (while creating the earth), (the Death / Creator) laboured. 

From that tired and irradiated (Death /Creator), radiation and sap whirled out, which is agni (the god of fire).

Etymological meaning and explanations

  

aapaH (ap/water) vai (indeed is) arka

ap (aapa) or water is the satisfaction of acquirement or satisfaction of having everything in the self or soul in infinite ways. The pleasure out of this was kindled as arka.

 tat yat apaaM (in that ap) shara (upper layer) aasIt (was) tad (that) sam(perfectly) ahanyata (was killed / crusted) saa (It/She) pRithivI (earth) abhavat (became)

What is body in us is the earth in external. In Upanishad this has been clearly stated. The word in Sanskrit for body is ‘sharIra’.  This word is related to the word ‘shara’ mentioned in this passage. shara means the condensed upper layer of a liquid. This Universal Consciousness has become the body, earth and physicality. As the cream is formed on the surface of milk, as the ice floats on the water so the body is covering the Consciousness or body is the physicality of Consciousness.

In the expression ‘sam(perfectly) ahanyata (was killed / crusted)’, the word “ahanyata’ means ‘was killed’. ‘Killing’ means ‘freezing into finiteness’ or ‘binding the unbound by creating the sense of limits. This makes an entity ‘still’ or ‘dead’ or ‘physical’. 

Thus, in Vedic terms, dead also means ‘framed in a fixed form’. This fixed form is called ‘mUrti’ or ‘an appearance or a form’. The word ‘mUrti’ is related to the word ‘marta’ which means ‘mortal’ and thus ‘physical’.  

tasya (from that) shraantasya (exhausted) taptasya (irradiated) tejo (radiation) raso (sap) niravartata (whirled out) agniH (which is agni —the god of fire)

The word shraanta means ‘exhausted’. The etymological meaning is as below:

shraanta ——- shra (shelter) +anta (end)—the end of shra/aashraya—shelter. One gets exhausted by an action which drives the one away from one’s equilibrium. shrama means the act by which one is positioned at the last point(ma) of the root or core that is holding (shra) the one. Thus, by labour (shrama) the Creator or Death, created the end of the Consciousness or the state of physicality or all that is inert. This is why, generally, all-natural processes are irreversible, and we end in death. So, by doing shrama, He became tired or shraanta. 

There is another meaning of shraanta—-one in whom shrama or labour ends (anta)——-all physicality, all inertness end here in Consciousness. Inertness is a state of the Consciousness called ‘inert’. The work, the labour, the activities of life that ends up in nothingness can also end up in ‘all acquirement’. Thus ‘anta’ or ‘end’ in Sanskrit is also called ‘samaapti’ or ‘samyaka (perfect) aapti (acquirement or fulfillment). We see darkness in our sleep, but the one who has known the anta or end, sees the light of Consciousness in the sleep. Such sleep is called yoga nidraa.

tapta means ‘hot’, ‘irradiated’. Universal Consciousness radiates Herself/Himself by Herself/Himself. As the Consciousness worked to create, the heat (teja) and the associated sap(rasa) whirled out from the Consciousness.

teja means ‘tat (that) ejati (is vibrating)’—vibrating or agitated Consciousness.  The word ejana (related to the word ejati) means ‘e (associated) +jana(generation)’—-the creation associated with ‘heat and radiation’ (teja) and the underlying ‘sap’ or the ‘elixir’(rasa). This heat and the sap have kept us warm and vibrant with the vigor of the life. This heat and sap that whirled out, have created the orbital and diurnal motion of all. This has made the earth to rotate around itself and to move around the sun, creating days and nights, and the cycles of life.

agni—-here agni means the gaarhapatya agni. This is agni or the activity of the Consciousness who is ruling over gRiha or the house. graha means planet or the place or state which is characterized by the act of receiving (grahaNa). Like, the earth is a planet that receives life from the sun. We receive everything from the nature or from all those which have been created by the creator to sustain us. Air, water, fire, earth etc. i.e. the life supporting nature is created before and we are receiving our living from it. Divinity is different, it is the plane where things are created; it is the plane where one can create from oneself by oneself. It is self radiating.

So, gaarhapatya agni is the praaNa or the Consciousness ruling on our revealed or created status. gaarhapatya agni has four bodies or domains which are pRithivI (earth), agni (fire), anna (food or the centers from which the Consciousness feeds or keeps us animated; derived from the word ana meaning praaNa), aaditya (the sun). It is with this agni or fire, we perform our daily chores. 

1 .2. 3

(Original text). Third verse.

sa tredhaa aatmaanaM vyakurutaadityaM tRitIyaM vaayuM tRitIyaM.

sa eSha praaNastredhA vihitaH. 

tasya praachI dik ShiraH.

asau cha asau chermau. 

athaasya pratIchI dik puchChamasau chaasau cha sakthyau; dakShiNaachodIchI cha paarshve; dyauH pRiShThamantarikShamudaramiyamuraH. 

sa eSho apsu pratiShThito yatra kva chaiti tadeva pratitiShThatyevaM vidvaan.

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

saH (He) tredhA (in three parts) aatmaanaM (Himself) vi (by dividing) akuruta (did; created). aadityaM (aaditya) tRitIyaM (third—one third) vaayuM (vaayu) tRitIyaM (one third). |

sa(that) eSha (in this way) praaNaH (praaNa) tredhaa (in three forms) vihitaH (is designated or established); tasya (His) praachI (eastern) dik (direction/side) shiraH (the head or the face) asau (that) cha(and) asau(that) cha(and) Irmau (two arms)

atha (and then) asya (His) pratIchI (western) dik (direction/side) puchCham (tail); asau (that) cha (and) asau (that) cha(and) sakthyau (two thighs); dakShiNA (the south side) cha (and) udIchI (north side) cha(and) paarshve (two flanks);  dyauH (the divinity / heaven) pRiShTham (the rear);  antarikSham (the inner sky) udaram (the belly); iyam(this—this earth) uraH (the heart); sa (He)  eSho (in this) apsu (water) pratiShThito (resides / is established). yatra kva cha (wherever) eti (goes) tad eva (there) prati (accordingly) tiShThati (is established) evaM (like this) vidvaan (learned).

Consolidated meaning.

He (agni / Death or Creator as agni) created three parts out of Himself (out of the Soul) by dividing. aaditya is one third’ vaayu (the god of air) is one third. 

That praaNa in this way, is designated or established in three forms (agni, vaayu, aaditaya)  

His eastern side (direction) is the head or the face (what is His head or face is the direction called ‘east’); that (south east direction) and that (north east direction) are the two arms (His two arms are the directions called south east and north east). 

And the His western direction/side is the tail (what is His tail is the direction called ‘west’); that (south west direction) and that (north west direction) are the two thighs; the south side and north side are his two flanks (what are His two flanks are the directions called south and north); the divinity / heaven is the posterior; the inner sky is the belly; this earth is the heart; He resides (He is established) in this water. The one who has learnt (or got this knowledge) like this, wherever the one goes there he establishes himself.

Etymological meaning and explanations

saH (He) tredhaa (in three parts) aatmaanaM (Himself) vi (by dividing) akuruta (did; created); aadityaM (aaditya) tRitIyaM (third—one third) vaayuM (vaayu) tRitIyaM (one third) —-

The RiShi (the seer) has addressed the ‘Death’ who is also the ‘Creator’, as ‘agni’. This agni is the one who is hailed as ‘gRihapati agni’ or ‘gaarhapatya agni’ in Upanishads. This is the personality of the Universal Consciousness who is governing the planets or graha. We have been accommodated in this earth as per the destiny and 

gaarhapatya agni ensures that our living is done as per what is destined. We are framed and cast and held accordingly. He is the lord of the house (gRiha). This earth, or anywhere in the universe, where the existence happens in isolated way, with defined shapes and territories, each separated from the other, such a place is called pRithivI (earth)which is characterized by isolation or separation (pRithaka). Planet, called graha is the place, where the inhabitants are characterized by grahaNa or ‘receiving’. We receive everything from what is created. We are receiving light and time from the sun, breathing and touch from the air, fulfillment from the water, physicality from the earth, reflections of mind from the moon and so on. In the Universal Consciousness, this whole physicality is held in an elemental word of the Consciousness called ‘bhU’.  

The air is the inner-space. Here in vaayu (personality of Universal consciousness called ‘Air’) there is no defined form associated with an existence, like the physical existence on the earth. Whatever is there in the earth with a body and physicality, exists in air without a body. As in the earth, every physical entity is separated from each other (by space) it is not so in this inner plane belonging to vaayu. Here in this inner plane or antarIkSha, one gets everything in one’s self or in the one. Here everyone is connected to each other naturally and this is the specialty of antarIkSha.

vaayu or antarIkSha is held in the Universal Consciousness in an elemental word or expression of the Consciousness called ‘bhuva’.

agni in antarIkSha is called ‘dakSiNaagni’ or agni who exists in the south or who acts in the ‘southern direction’. This agni decides our destiny. gRihapati or garhapatya agni is the executor and dakShiNaagni fixes the schedule or fixes the events which are to happen in an entity. 

aaditya is the core of the divinity or divine plane. aaditya, who represents ‘aditi’ {‘a ‘(without) + diti (duality)} or Oneness, assimilates or eats (ad; adana) everyone or merges everyone in HIM or in Oneness of the Soul. HE is without duality.

aaditya the sun is looking at all of us with the sight of ‘oneness’, looking ‘equally’ at all. The divine plane is called ‘sva’. The divinity is held in the elemental word of the Universal Consciousness called ‘sva’. The words ‘sva’ and ‘svayam’ represent the Soul or the ONE in everyone.  The fire, agni or the active Consciousness in divinity or in ‘sva’ is called ‘aahavanIya agni’. It is that agni who is calling (aahvaana)everyone to merge with HIM, with Universal Consciousness. The word ‘havana’ means ‘sacrifice’; it also means ‘act of offering an oblation to fire or agni and offering anything to agni’. Everything is already done, already achieved or already accomplished in ‘aahavanIya agni’. No effort is required here to fulfill a desire. Thus, the English word ‘do’ and its auxiliary forms ‘have /has’ are from the Vedic words ‘dyu’ (heaven, divinity) and ‘havana’. Also, the word ‘heaven’ is related to ‘havana’.

These are the three agni, three illuminations of the Universal Consciousness. In kaThopanishad (kaTha upanishad) it is said that naachiketa  remained awake in the house of the Death and the lord of Death (yama) delivered him preaching on the Eternal Soul and on three agni. naachiketa surpassed the subjugation to the compulsory cycles of death and re-birth. (naachiketa = na (never) + a (without) + chi(consciousness) + keta (marked or flagged——who is marked by the characteristic of never losing the consciousness.)

eSha (in this way) praaNaH (praaNa) tredhaa (in three forms) vihitaH (is designated or established) —-

 Thus, in this way the Universal Consciousness or praaNa (also called praaNaagni—praaNa+agni) has revealed in three forms—-aaditya (aahavanIya agni—divinity), vaayu (dakShiNaagni——inner / connecting plane), agni (garhapatya agni——-physicality).

tasya (His) praachI (eastern) dik (direction/side) ShiraH (the head or the face) asau (that) cha(and) asau(that) cha(and) Irmau (two arms)

praachI—pra (first) + ach (arcing/bending) +I (energy, motion).

Thus, praachI (east) is the first inclination or bending of the Universal Consciousness. This is His/Her head or ‘shira’. ‘shira’ is related to the word ‘shara’ meaning ‘arrow’. The direction of the arrow, the direction in which a word or an expression of Consciousness is made is decided by the head ‘shira’. So, the orientation of the head or the face of the Consciousness, creates the direction or inclination. As per the inclination, the physical shape and dimensions are created.  

The sage has said ‘praNava’ or the ‘om’ is the bow, the arrow is the ‘self’, ‘brahma’ (the absolute One/the One who is growing as the universe) is the target. The one who is focused can pierce the target. Be focused like an arrow. (Mundaka/ muNDaka Upanishad—2.2.4). 

To whatever Consciousness focuses Consciousness becomes that. So, this is how the upper layer of the divine water solidified to become the hard earth or the physicality. This is how Consciousness gets frozen into a ‘definition’ or into a defined form. 

shara= sha (shakti/energy) + ra (rava or sound/word) —-the scattering of the Consciousness as sound or the words. Consciousness is the energy or power of Consciousness. Consciousness scatters Consciousness by Consciousness; there is no duality. This is why shara (arrow) has been termed as self or soul (‘aatmaa—aatman’)in Upanishad. 

asau (that) cha(and) asau(that) cha(and) Irmau (two arms) —- the two sides (north east and south east) toward the front are the two arms.

Irma = Ir + ma. Ir is the radiation or spreading of ‘I’ or shakti. Two arms are the two bipolar spread of Consciousness. Consciousness works by the two hand and multiplies in many. We also work by the two hands and we are also multiplied in our manifold expressions as we work or get activated. So, arms are called ‘baahu’ in Sanskrit and is related to the root word ‘bahu’ meaning 'many'. 

atha (and then) asya (His) pratIchI (western) dik (direction/side) puchCham (tail); asau (that) cha (and) asau (that) cha(and) sakthyau (two thighs);

pratIchI means 'west'. pratIchI = prati (in return) +i+chi(to collect/to gather) +i

Thus, whatever way we are expressed or cast in the east(praachI), at the same time we go back to our source who remains in the background or in the west (pratIchI). This return to the source or to our soul in every feeling or sense is the action of the direction 'west' and so the Universal soul as the soul of every individual is called 'pratyak aatman'. The word prati also means 'pointer'.

So, the the tail is the 'trail' i.e. the images of our return to the source in sequence. As we express ourselves, as we work, we live, we feel every moment, every bit of it returns to source.

The god beloning to westen direction or pratIchI is varuNa who veils or covers everything else to bring the 'present moment' to your sense. Occurence of every event is a dawn in us, and the sun or the god mitra is the corresponding deity. mitra and varuNa are the paired Vedic deities, always present together. varuNa is also the lord of the oceans.

The southwest and northwest directions are the two thighs. The word for the thigh is sakthi and probably it implies the foundation or the ability to prop (support) the 'forward motion' or the fact that the what is in the front or east is backed by what is shrouded in the west. It may be noted that in this text the seer has mentioned that from the water (liquidity),the physicality has formed. The oceans belong to varuNa. 

(For horse’s legs refer <https://equimed.com/health-centers/lameness/articles/horse-leg-anatomy-form-and-function>, <https://equimed.com/health- centers/lameness/articles/horse-leg-anatomy-form-and-function>)

dakShiNA (the south side) cha (and) udIchI (north side) cha(and) paarshve (two flanks);  

The inclination of praaNa, the propensity that drives us to a particular activity or desire is called the ‘southern direction’ or ‘south’. By the activities in this direction, the Universal Consciousness builds us. Our character, our builds are determined by this southernly activities. So, our destinies, the birth and life cycles, etc. are all determined by the activities in southern directions.

North (udIchI/uttara) —-It is the direction in which we surpass or circumvent and move to a higher plane. To move up is ‘ut’. Where we reach by this action of northern directives is called ‘Urdhva’ or ‘up’. 

paarshva (side / flank) —-paara (bank) + shva (time / kaala) —- the flanks or sides determined by the time. The two sides, south and north are perceived as our flanks by us.  

What we desire, or the direction toward which we move, is our east. As we desire, so we get activated in it, we feel it, we get involved. This is south by whose action the predestined desires, events occur in us and activate us. When we do this, i.e. when something rises in us, everything else gets shrouded so that we get perfectly into the things desired or in the evolving events or in the associated senses rising in is us. This direction where the other things remain shrouded is west. As we pass our time with what we have got in the east, so we feel joy and happiness. This gives us a build or changes us by producing the ‘pre-destined effects. The south decides our destiny. This changed ‘we’, after the activities are over, remain stored in the ‘north’. As per our changes, our future gets determined; how we will be reborn, what will be type of life etc. are determined. These stored parts in the ‘north’, are our parts in the ‘divinity’. 

Thus, between the south and north, the time is acting, like the magnetic lines of force between the south and north poles.

dyauH (the divinity / heaven) pRiShTham (the rear); The divinity is the posterior of the horse (ashva). The physicality, what is in our east, is the earth or mortality. We are always looking forward and not inward toward the origin. This origin is the divinity, and so it is the ‘posterior’. We are running away from the origin by the ‘force of creation or the desire to become dual’. Thus, divinity remains in the back. 

It is stated in Chandogya Upanishad that the aaditya is the ‘honey’ of the gods (deva madhu) and the divinity (dyu) is the ‘bent stem of genealogy’ (tIrachIna vansha). vansha means ‘lineage or genealogy and also the spine). From aaditya, from the center of ‘oneness’, the entire divinity has stemmed out in a ‘curvature’ and in us it is represented as our back with the spine. 

antarikSham (the inner sky) udaram (the belly);

antarIkSha——where every ‘IkShNa’, every vision or feeling is felt inside; where there is nothing ‘external’, every this is ‘known’, ‘felt and ‘achieved’ inside. 

udara—-ut + ara (rays emanating from the origin or center) —-This is the illumination of ‘antarIkSha’. Whatever we sense or eat, whatever is getting assimilated in us, it is happening in the center called ‘belly’ or ‘udara’. Here in udara whatever to be merged with us is getting digested and the rest is excreted. The digested parts nourish our body and us. The subtle parts of the foods merge in our fundamental forms which are ‘mind’(manasa), ‘praaNa’ and ‘vaak’. This is merging (medhya). In the same way the Creator is digesting us and thus each of us is evolving and getting nearer to our origin to be merged eventually with the Creator. Thus, from the beasts we have become human beings, from human beings we will become entities of higher planes, the deities and Rishi and others. Thus, it has been said that ‘death’ is ‘ashanaa’ or the ‘desire to eat’.  

  

iyam (this—this earth) uraH (the heart);

In the language of Sanskrit, ‘iyam’ means ‘it’ as well as ‘earth’ or the ‘body’. This is because the ‘earth’ or the ‘body’ is the thing that is now dominating on our existence. 

The word ‘uraH’ is derived from the word ‘uras’. ‘uras’ means the ‘heart’ or ‘hRidaya’. The alphabet ‘u’ implies ‘joining or connection’. Like the word ‘upanIta’ means ‘something or someone led near’. Another word ‘upavaasa’ means ‘to stay or live near someone or something’. (The word ‘upavaasa’ also means ‘fasting’ because when we are led to the divinity or to our immutable soul, we do not feel the ‘hunger and thirst’.)

The joining with or clinging to something is the property of the ‘heart’ or ‘hRidaya’. The plane which is flooded with the ‘sap of love, affection etc.’ It is the plane of feelings and is called ‘heart’ or ‘hRidaya’. So, ’uras’ means ‘heart’ or ‘hRidaya’ where all the feelings, all the saps of love, desires and affections exist. This is also the root of the word ‘aurasa’ meaning ‘a sound produced from heart’ or rather ‘one created from the heart’.

This earth is the ‘heart’ or ‘hRidaya’ and we are held to the earth by gravitation which is the attraction of the ‘heart’ or ‘hRidaya’ of the Universal Consciousness’

sa (He) eSho (in this) apsu (water) pratiShThito (resides / is established). yatra kva cha (wherever) eti (goes) tad eva (there) prati (accordingly) tiShThati (is established) evaM (like this) vidvAn (learned).

The formed, materialized universe is created from the ‘divine water’ and ‘dissolves in the divine water’. This is ‘ap’. The Creator (or the Death) resides in this ‘ap’. 

In this ‘ap’ though no ‘physicality’ exists, still everything exists as the acquirement of the Consciousness. Consciousness has everything in Consciousness and thus satisfied.  It is the status of the Universal Consciousness of having satisfaction of all acquirements, all achieved, all accomplished, having everything in the Universal Self or Universal Soul.Thus, one who knows this ‘ap’ or how the Creator is established in ‘ap’, such a knower gets established wherever he/she goes. 

1 .2. 4

(Original text). Fourth verse.

so akamayata dvitIyo ma aatmaa jaayeteti. 

sa manasaa vaachaM mithunam samabhavadashanaayaa mRityustadyadreta aasIt

sa saMvatsaro abhavan; na ha puraa tataH saMvatsara aasa.

tametaavantaM kaalamabibharyaavaansaMvatsarastametaavataH kaalasya parastaadasRijata.

taM jaatamabhivyaadadaat sa bhaaNakarot saiva vaagabhavat. 

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

saH (He) akaamayata (desired) dvitIyo (a different) ma (from me) aatmaa (soul) jaayeteti (let be generated); sa (He) manasaa (by the mind) vaachaM (by vaak) mithunaM (copulation) samabhavat (duly performed) ashanaayaa (desirous to eat) mRityu (Death). tat yat (in that) retaH (rata/ of conception/copulation/union—-seed) aasIt (existed) sa (that) saMvatsaraH (a complete period) abhavat (became).  na ha (not indeed) puraa (before) tataH (that) saMvatsara (the period / the time) aasa (existed). tam (that seed) etaavantaM (till this) kaalam (time) abibhaH (held).  yaavaan (the period what is) saMvatsaraH (saMvatsara) tam (the held seed) etaavataH (this) kaalasya (time / period) parastaat (after) asRijata (was created). 

taM (it/ the entity held in the sperm) jaatam (when was generated/ was born) abhi (toward it) vyaadadaat (He/Death/Creator gaped); sa (the new born) bhaaNM akarot (made a sound like ‘bhaaNa’). saa (She /the sound) eva(like this) vaak (vaak) abhavat (became). 

Consolidated meaning.

He (the Death or the Creator) desired— “Let a different one (soul) be generated from me”.  

(So) He, who is the Death and desirous to eat (everything) duly performed the copulation by the mind and the vaak. 

In that (copulation) whatever was the reta / ‘seed’ was created that became saMvatsara (a complete period).  Indeed, before this, the period or the time did not exist. That seed was held till this duration (saMvatsara). The duration what is samvatsara, the seed was held till that time and after that time the entity was created.

When the seed was generated as an entity, the Creator / Death gaped at it. The new born / the entity made a sound like ‘bhaaNa’. She (bhaNa) as a sound like this became vaak. 

(Note: It is a common practice in Bengal to describe the sudden crying of a child due to a fear as ‘vaan kore kaandaa——crying with a ‘vaan’ sound.)

Etymological meaning and explanations

saH (He) akaamayata (desired) dvitIyo (a different) ma (from me) aatmaa (soul) jaayeteti (let be generated).

The Universal Consciousness who is the Supreme Soul(paramaatman), who is the One in everyone, that Supreme Soul creates the ‘duality or different entities by becoming different. From His (Supreme Soul's/Universal Soul's) desire to become dual or different, ‘duality’ was created. Whatever was created from the Soul, that was 'Soul’ as duality created from Oneness. Whatever is created from the Consciousness, it is created by Consciousness and the creation is Consciousness; though One and remains One, still the Universal Consciousness becomes different. This is the creation of another soul from the creator.

sa (He) manasaa (by the mind) vaachaM (by vaak) mithunaM (copulation) samabhavat (duly performed) ashanaayA (desirous to eat) mRityu (Death): 

Mind—-In the consciousness or in ourselves, where we make and break our ‘determinations’ (to do or not to do), that region is the mind. We feel the physical world, the defined world with names and shapes in the mind.

The Consciousness or soul as a ‘determining personality’ is called the ‘mind’.

vaak is the power or the consort of the Universal Consciousness or Universal Soul. (Power of Consciousness is Consciousness; there is no duality.) The manifestation of the Consciousness is word. We can conceive objects like a tree or a flower in our mind and can see them within the mind. The creator, the Universal Consciousness has conceived and created the universe by the mind (or determining aspect). The thoughts of the Universal Consciousness have manifested as the physical world. Our thought remains within our mind, within our own space. The creator’s thought has got expressed as the external world. This entire universe is within the mind of the Creator. This is what has been mentioned as the copulation of manas (mind) with vaak. Here the word “mind” implies the personality of the Consciousness/ aatman who is determined to create.

It may be noted that in Chandogya Upanishad and in some other part of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad the copulation of praaNa with vaak has been cited as the cause of the creation of the universe. When the Universal Consciousness or Universal Soul becomes active, the Consciousness has been named as praaNa. Mind or manas has been cited as the offspring of praaNa and vaak. praaNa has been mentioned as the bull, vaak as the cow and mind as the calf. It is the same union that has been mentioned as the union of ‘mind and vaak’ or by the union of ‘praaNa and vaak’.  

tat yat (in that) retaH (rata/ typicality of conception/copulation/union—-seed) aasIt(existed) sa (that) saMvatsaraH (a complete period) abhavat (became).

reta is from the words rati and rata; it implies the spirit of the copulation which is the way the ‘seed’ or the ‘embryo’ is held. The entire time, from the beginning to the end, i.e. from the first instant of the creation of an entity up to the end, i.e. the return of the entity to the Supreme soul or absolute oneness is held in a duration called saMvatsara.  In the Consciousness, time is held without sequence and with sequence simultaneously. Where we see, or where we live in the sequence of time is our status after the birth.

na ha (not indeed) puraa (before) tataH (that) saMvatsara (the period / the time) aasa (existed).

tam (that seed) etaavantaM (till this) kaalam (time) abibhaH (held).  yaavaan (the period what is) saMvatsaraH (saMvatsara) tam (the held seed) etaavataH (this) kaalasya (time / period) parastaat (after) asRijata (was created). 

saMvatsara did not exist or the time did not exist before the copulation. We have two states; one is the state where we are the same as the Universal Immutable Soul called akShara aatman. Here there is no sequence. Here everything is held without the sequence of birth, life and termination. Where we are going through the sequence, we or the Soul is called kShara aatman.

kShara means the one who is decaying. akShara means who is immutable. 

taM (it/ the entity held in the sperm) jaatam (when was generated/ was born) abhi (toward it) vyaadadaat (He/Death/Creator gaped); sa (the new born) bhaaNM akarot (made a sound like ‘bhaaNa’). saa (She) eva (like this) vaak (vaak) abhavat (became). 

When the entity (the different soul) was created, the creator gaped at it.

The word ‘vyaadadaat’ is from the root word ‘ad’ which means ‘to eat’. To eat means to digest or assimilate the food or to merge the food in the self or soul. Creator or the Universal Consciousness is eating everything created out of Consciousness and by Consciousness to take every grain of creation back to the Consciousness, into the absolute Oneness.  

In the external sky or space, where we are located, which is our solar system, there, the centre of this ‘eating or assimilation’ is the sun. Thus, the word ‘aaditya’ has two meaning—-(i) one who is from aditi or from the goddess without duality; (ii) who is characterized by eating (ad) or assimilating everyone into ‘Oneness’. 

Thus, from the sun, time is flowing in us, we are evolving. Through the numerous cycles of birth and death, we are going back to the centre who is the soul of everyone. This is how, we are automatically becoming conscious of ‘self’ and the ‘origin of the self’. The ‘time’ which is being created is ‘different’ for everyone. Thus, each of us is living in the moments which are unique and different from others. Thus, destinies are different, the patterns and intensities of joys and sorrow are felt differently. This differentiation, phasing happens by the intervention of the moon or the lunar center.

It is for this reason, even today, many Hindus are selective about foods based on the phase of moon in a day.

The eternal, immutable soul has been termed as adya and kalya in Upanishad. adaya means (i)what is edible, (ii) today or now; kalya means tomorrow or what is going to be created by the action of kaala or time. 

Thus, what we are eating (adya), what is ’now’ or ‘present’ for me, that is transforming me and becoming ‘my tomorrow’ or kalya.

Immediately after creating the duality, the Creator gaped to eat the creation. Immediately after the creation, the Universal Consciousness wanted to take back the created entity in the Oneness of the Universal Consciousness. Because of this our every moment is becoming ‘past’.  Because of this we spontaneously tend to know the ‘past’. 

As long as we don’t know this we run away from the Creator!

Like a new born baby cries immediately after the birth, so the one or the duality thus created cried uttering the sound ‘bhaaNa’. ‘bhaaNa’ is from the root word ‘bhaN’. It means the cry out of fear or ‘bhaya’ or due to feel of the void or being separated (duality). 

The meaning of bhaN as given in the Sanskrit English Lexicon by Mr. Monier Williams is ‘to talk’

Also, the word bhaaNa is connected to the root word bhaaN which means ‘to imitate the noise of breathing or hissing’.

That wide-open mouth of the Creator is the sky, void or space (aakaasha), which is considered as the base or the source plane of any sound. This is called shabda tattva——where all the sounds or the words are in ‘neutrality’. This is the plane behind this ‘physical universe’.  

This expressive power or consort of the Consciousness that has made the foundation of duality and thus physicality is also called ‘vaak’ or the mother of all expressions and the physicality. Thus, it is cited that the sound bhaaNa so cried became vaak.

The physical space or the external sky has been described as bhIma meaning ‘formidable’ and ‘intensely strong or vehement’. It is immensely ‘void’, awe awakening. Its nature is to utter the sounds of ‘fear’ called bhairava (bhai—frightful + rava—sound). However, the seers (RiShi) have also mentioned about the ‘inner sky or inner space’ (antaraakaasha—-antara + aakaasha) which is animated and blissful. 

This physicality is made of the words of the Consciousness frozen to the physical forms or existence.

1 .2. 5

(Original text). Fifth verse.

sa aikShata yadi vaa imamabhimaMsye kanIyaH annaM kariShya iti.

sa taya vacha tena aatmanedaM sarvamasRijata yadidaM kiMcharcho yajuMShi saamaani ChandaaMsi yaj~naan prajaaH pashUn. 

sa yad yadevaasRijata tattadattumadhriyata; sarvaM vaa attIti tadaditeradititvaM. sarvasyaitasyaattaa bhavati sarvamasyaannaM bhavati ya evametadaditeradititvaM veda.

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

sa (He) aikShata (desired/looked upon/pondered) yadi vaa (if) imam (about it) abhimaMsye (I further mind/ act) kanIyaH (in bits) annaM (anna/food) kariShya (I will make) iti. 

saH (He) tayaa vaachaa (by that vaak created) tena aatmanaa (by that duality or the second soul idam(these) sarvam(all)asRijata(created) yad idaM kim cha (whatever all these) RichaH (Rik) yajUmShi(yajus) saamaani (saamaa) ChandaaMsi (Chanda/rhythms) yaj~nAn (the sacrifices) prajAH (the subjects) pashUn (the animals) 

sah (he) yad yad eva (whatever entity) asRijata(created) tad tad (each and every such 

entity)attum(to eat)adhriyata(vowed/determined); sarvaM vaa (everything indeed) atti(eats) iti tad (this) aditer (adititi’s) adititvaM (non-duality/oneness) sarvasya etasya (of all these) attaa (eater) bhavati(becomes) sarvam(all these) asya(his/her/knower’s) annam(food) bhavati(becomes)yaH(who)evam(like this)etad aditeH(this aditi’s) adititvaM(non-duality/oneness)veda(knows)

Consolidated meaning.

He (the Death or the Creator) looked upon(pondered)— “If I further determine (make my mind) about it (the duality or the second soul created) then I will generate anna (food) in bits or fragments.

He, by that vaak (and) by that (second) soul(or duality)created all these, which are these Rik, yaju, saama,chanda(rhythms), yaj~na(the act or the performance to know who is ‘j~na’ the ‘knower’ or ‘Consciousness’ in us or who is knowing in our knowing), prajaa(the subjects or who acknowledges from whom they are created) and the animals. Whatever He created, He determined to eat it. As he eats everyone/everything, so this is the non-duality or oneness of aditi (who is not dual) —-this is the essence of aditi. One who thus knows the essence of aditi (why or how aditi is ‘oneness’), the one owns all these (everything), everything becomes one’s anna or victuals. 

Etymological meaning and explanations

sa (He) aikShata (desired/looked upon/pondered) yadi vaa (if) imam (about it) abhimaMsye (I further mind/ act) kanIyaH (in bits) annaM (anna/food) kariShya (I will make) iti:

 aikShata—-is from the root word IkSh which means ‘to look’ and ‘also to activate time’. kSha means ‘decay’ or ‘action of time’ and kShaNa means ‘moment’, ‘time’ and also ‘twinkling of any eye’. 

(In many of our publications we have clarified that sun in the external sky and the eye in us are the centers of ‘vision as well as motion or time’. We have also mentioned that viShNU is this aspect of the Universal Consciousness and this is why in Vedic hymns, the ‘eye and the foot or motion’ of viShNu have been mentioned. This is the reason that in all sacred rituals, Hindus will begin with the hymns to viShNu.) 

So, Creator further determined-- "as I am going to act on this ‘duality’, I will do it in fragments or bits—-I will split the duality into fragments."

saH (He) tayaa vaachaa (by that vaak created) tena aatmanaa (by that duality or the soul thus created) idam(these)sarvam(all)asRijata(created) yad idaM kim cha (whatever all these):

The Universal Soul/ the Universal Oneness / the Universal Consciousness manifests Himself/Herself by Himself/Herself. Thus HE/SHE multiplies or becomes many out of Himself/Herself automatically and spontaneously. This power or ability of the Consciousness to create duality or many is vaak.

So, it is stated that everything is created by the copulation of the ‘second soul’ or ‘duality’ or the ‘Oneness about to split into many’ with vaak.

In Upanishads, the fundamental copulation that creates the universe is mentioned sometimes as the union of aatmaan (Universal One) with vaak, sometimes as the union of praaNa and vaak and sometimes as the union of manas(mind) with vaak.

It has been also mentioned that praaNa is the ‘bull’, vaak is the ‘cow’ and manas or the mind is the ‘calf’. 

The entire physical world is conceived in the mind of the Universal Consciousness. All the expressions, radiations of the Consciousness inside us is crystallizing as definite words, determinations, ideas in our mind. This is elusive vaak becoming revealed and measurable as ‘words’ in the mind. The entire physicality is held in the ‘mind’. 

Thus, everything is created from the union of the second soul(duality)and vaak. 

RichaH (Rik) yajUmShi(yajus) saamaani (saamaa) ChandaaMsi (Chanda/rythms) yaj~nAn (the sacrifices) prajAH (the subjects) pashUn (the animals)

Thus, everything is created from the union of vaak with this Creator as the lord of Death, the Creator who is eternal and in whom we are eternal.

RichaH is derived from the word Rik.

Rik —-Rik is that veda, which represents the aspect of the Consciousness becoming perceptible, tangible, visible. Ri means ‘to go’ as well as ‘to see’. In Consciousness, seeing something means to reach there, or going somewhere means to view the same. Thus, the expansion of Ri is ‘ara’ which means ‘the spokes of a wheel’; i.e. Consciousness emanating from the center, revealing. The word RiSh means ‘to flow or glide’ and the word Rishi means ‘who sees the truth’. Whatever is visible, tangible, they are all being held in the ‘vision of the Universal Consciousness’. Everything is held In the Universal Consciousness as ‘luminous words’ or Rik.Each word as Rik is a revealing eternal personality of the Universal Consciousness, expressing all the aspects of that word in any dimesnion of time and space.   Everything of an entity, of a specie or of anything is held in this Rik. Thus, in Upanishad, RiShi has said in Upanishad that the red streaks of the eye represent Rik veda. Red means, ‘ready’, ‘ready to flare, ready to reveal or revealing’.

yajUmShi is derived from the word yajus and it means yajur veda. yajur veda is that aspect of the Universal Consciousness by which everyone or everything is‘joined’(yuj = to join; yuja = couple or pair, yukta = joined). This is inner plane or antarIkSha where everything is connected to each other in the inner space. RiShi has said in Upanishad that white part of the eye represents the yajus or yajur veda.

saamaani is derived from the word saama. It means saama veda. saama implies sama or ‘same, equal’. 

This is that aspect of the Universal Consciousness by which the Consciousness is always ‘knowing us as same with Consciousness’. The Universal Consciousness is embracing the entire Universe’ in ‘sameness’ or same as HIMSELF/ HERSELF. This center of ‘sameness’ is called ‘aaditya’ as mentioned above. As we see a flower, we in our inside ‘become the flower’; we cannot sense, know or feel a flower without becoming the flower in our Consciousness; thus, whatever you sense or know or feel, you get merged with it.

You express your joy or sorrow or your feelings accordingly. This is singing the saama, saama gaana. The Creator is merging in us, we are merging in the Creator, ‘in absolute Oneness’, this is saama. This is most attractive and is the black (eye ball). The word for ‘black or dark blue’ is kRIShNa meaning ‘attractive’. (Root word is karShNa meaning ‘attraction’). 

From Rik Consciousness is flowing is us, getting joined with us which as yajus. The conduits or the channels are called sensory organs like eyes, ears etc. in ‘physical language’. Consciousness is merging in us, we are merging in Consciousness with so many feelings of joys and sorrows. This is saama. Thus, we are always vibrating with three Vedas. 

ChandaaMsi is derived from the word Chanda meaning ‘rhythms, meters’ also means ‘shape or appearance’. Anything that appears static is made of ‘repetitions’ of the ‘actions of Consciousness’ or ‘veda’ or ‘vedana’. Everything appearing as static is actually the result of frequency, repetition or rhythms. Rhythm means a particular event which is repeating periodically. Thus, the word Chanda means both rhythm and appearance.

Everything is made of Rik, yajus and saama. And the ‘meter or measure’ or rhythms of veda or Consciousness creates difference, makes one different from the other.

The word Chanda is derived from the two words, Chad (form, cast or appearance) and aananda (joy).

aananda = aanana (face or mouth) + da (donating or giving) ——thus, aananda or joy is the act of vaak by which ana or praaNa is given a shape. This is how every word is coming out of the ‘mouth’. Thus, the seers have said that everything has originated from ananda or joy. Behind every creation there is a ‘joy’. Thus, Chanda also means ananda(joy) created when the ‘One’ is revealing by dissecting (cheda) the ‘Oneness’ to become ‘a different entity’. In every word that we speak, we come out of Oneness as a ‘different entity’. 

yaj~naan (the sacrifices) ——yaj~naan is derived from the word yaj~na.

The word ‘j~na’ which sounds similar to ‘know’ means the ‘one who is knowing or the one who knows’. Consciousness means the ‘one who is knowing’. Any activity, any work, physical, mental or whatever is ‘the act of knowing’. So, the action of the three Vedas Rik, yajus, saama and action of ‘Chanda’ are all from the ‘knowing’ of the Universal consciousness. In all our senses, this ‘knower’ is there, who is ‘knowing. Thus, we are ‘knowing’ and so we are ‘conscious’ all the time. Thus, this entire universal activity is yaj~na or the action of 'knowing'. This action is the action of Rik, yajus, saama and Chanda’ in innumerable forms and everywhere and is called yaj~na. Also, correspondingly the acts or rituals performed to see the ‘universal knower’ or ‘j~na’ is called yaj~na. Thus, in Vedic rituals, theere will be a number of priests to perform a yaj~na, each priest belonging to a particular veda, there will be specific Chanda for the sacred hymns used in a yaj~na.  

prajaaH (the subjects) ——The word prajaaH is from the word prajaa. prajaa means pra (perfectly) + jaa (generated or created). Though every entity is a prajaa, however, here prajaa means those creatures who have become conscious of their origin and thus their lives, deeds, societies are oriented or getting oriented to the Universal Consciousness or to the ‘origin’. prajaa also means who are generated from praaNa or by the action of j~na or ‘knowing’.  

pashUn (the animals) ——The word pashUn is from the word pashu. pashu are those who are inferior to prajaa. pashu, unlike prajaa, are mainly driven by instincts and not by the serious considerations of karmma, considerations those include ‘vice and virtue’, ‘cause and effect’, ‘termination and eternity’ etc.

The word pashu is connected to the root word paash which means ‘a leash or a tether’ and also to the root word ‘pash’ meaning ‘to see’. Thus, as long as the creatures are ‘restrained or controlled’ by the ‘surveillance’ of the ‘divinity’, they are called pashu and the relationship is governed by duality.

(It may be noted in this context that it is not the physical shape or form, but it is the ‘inner or mental structure’ that differentiates between pashu and prajaa. Some parts of us may be still pashu and rest is qualified as prajaa’.) 

sah (he) yad yad eva(whatever entity) asRijata(created) tad tad (each and every such entity)attum(to eat)adhriyata(vowed/determined); sarvaM vaa (everything indeed) atti(eats) iti tad (this) aditer (adititi’s)adititvaM(non-duality/oneness); sarvasya etasya (of all these) attaa (eater) bhavati(becomes)sarvam(all these) asya(his/her/knower’s)annam(food) bhavati(becomes)yaH(who)evam(like this)etad aditeH(this aditi’s)adititvaM(non-duality/oneness)veda(knows).

The word adana, aditi, aaditya are from the root word ad meaning ‘to eat’. Eating means to digest in ‘oneness’. This is aditi shakti which removes ‘dominance of duality’ and which enables the vision of ‘absolute oneness and oneness in all dualities’.   

The nature of the Consciousness is ‘to know’, ‘to feel’——no one else can ‘know’, no one else can ‘feel’; and ‘to know’ means ‘to become’. Whatever we are knowing or sensing, we simultaneously becoming the same. We are so overwhelmed by the physicality (or by the act of knowing or vibration of the Consciousness called ‘physical’), this spontaneous and continuous happening of ‘sensing something by becoming that thing’ is not at all in our perception.

In our inside, we are becoming whatever we are ‘knowing’ or ‘sensing’; this is how our life is flowing or our time is running.  This is how, i.e. ‘by the act of knowing or sensing’, the Universal Consciousness is controlling everyone. By this action we are getting transformed, evolving through the cycles of life and death and we are returning to our Origin to merge with the One who is ‘everyone’ and ‘beyond’. This action is adana or ‘act of eating’ by the Universal consciousness. So, as goddess of all deities, as the goddess of the divinity, Universal Consciousness is called ‘aditi’. The centre of this ‘eating’, the centre from where the attraction to ‘Oneness’ is originating is called ‘aaditya’ (sun)---the son of the mother goddess aditi.

It is for this reason, when the Creator created the duality or the ‘second soul’, the Creator at that moment also determined ‘to eat’ every entity thus created.

As ‘to know’ means ‘to become’, so the one who knows this ‘mystery’, the one eats everything, and everything is the one’s food. Thus, such a knower knows why ‘aditi’ is ‘aditi’ (without duality). 

1. 2. 6

(Original text). Sixth verse.

so akaamayata bhUyasaa yaj~nena bhUyo yajeyeti.

so ashraamyat sa tapo atapyata.

tasya shraantasya taptasya yasho vIryamudakraamat;

praaNaa vai yasho vIryam.  

tat praaNeShUtkraanteShu sharIraM shvayitumadhriyata;

tasya sharIra eva mana aasIt.

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

saH (He) akaamayata (desired) bhUyasaa (by many performances of) yaj~nena (sacrifices /oblations) bhUyo (many more) yajeyeti (I perform).  

saH (He) ashraamyat (toiled);  

saH (He)tapo(heat/radiation) atapyata (radiated).  

tasya (From that) shraantasya (tired) taptasya(radiant) yashaH (ability/capability) vIryam (virility/ ut akraamat (gushed upward).

praaNaaH (praana are) vai (indeed) yasho (capability) vIryam (virility).  

tat (From that) praaNeShu (praaNa) utkraanteShu (from upward motion) sharIraM (the body) shvayitum (inflated) adhriyata (and continued in that state).

tasya (In His) sharIra (body) eva (only) mana (mind) aasIt (remained). 

Consolidated meaning.

He desired: “by many performances of yaj~na (sacrifices /oblations) many more yaj~na I perform”. 

He toiled. 

He radiated heat/radiation.  

From that exhausted and radiant (Creator) ability/capability and virility gushed upward.

praaNa (streams of Consciousness or Consciousness flowing and animating) are indeed capabilities and virility.  

From that upward motion of praaNa the body inflated and continued in that state.

In His body only, mind remained. 

Etymological meaning and explanations

saH (He) akaamayata (desired)—- That ‘He desired’does not only mean that at the beginning of the creation the Creator desired. It also means, that He, the Creator, is always desiring; He is desiring everywhere, in every unit to multiply! Since, here, everything ‘has already happened and thus held in the “past”, so the past tense has been applied’.

bhUyasaa (by many performances of)) yaj~na (sacrifices /oblations) bhUyo (many more) yajeyeti (I perform) —-One of the meanings of yaj~na is the action or control (ya) of the ‘knower’ (j~na). That ‘knower is knowing’ means ‘senses are originating from the Consciousness’, streams of Consciousness or praaNa are flowing. By the action of ‘knowing’ or by the action of Universal Consciousness, everything is active and controlled. This is called ‘Ishitva’.

(The name of the mother goddess Isis is related to Ishitva. By this action and control, by Ishitva, the Universal Consciousness is pulling us back to our origin or to Himself/Herself. This is called ‘ashanaa’ or eating and assimilation. By this action we are going through the cycles of births and deaths and evolving. This is the multiplication of yaj~na by yaj~na.

saH (He) ashraamyat (toiled)—The word ashraamyat is the past tense of the verb shram meaning ‘to toil’ or ‘to labour’. The word shra is related to the word aashraya meaning ‘shelter or a place of resting, a place or personality who provides refuge’. 

When we toil, or we get exhausted, we sleep, or we die. This is shraanta= (shra) shrama (toil) + anta (end).

Labour, toil or work leads us to exhaustion and to sleep, eventually to ‘death’. If the activity or work is seen as the activity of Consciousness it leads us to core of Consciousness where all activities and work are at rest. Here, in the core, everything is effortless. We don’t have to work, everything is achieved. This is called ‘naiShkarmya’ in the texts.

So, these are the two ends or anta. 

That the Death or the Creator became shraanta means, (i) the ‘shelter’ for everyone is made and (ii)‘the preparation for creating the end of everything or the physicality has been set’. 

There is a term called varNaashrama in the text. varNa means colour or inner colour or caste. aashrama means where one can get the shelter or the abode. So, in a regulated society, the work was divided by the seers, for everyone to move fast or evolve fast toward the higher state of existence and by knowing that the ‘Universal consciousness’ is the ‘core’ and the ‘refuge’ of everyone and every activity. Therefore, the society is termed as samaaja = sama (same/ synchronized) + aja (who is behind ja or birth or creation)—so, samaaja means the ‘order’ that allows you or helps you to be in synchronized with the ‘universal Consciousness’ or ‘with the entire universe’.

This end, this terminal point of the creation, this stark and utter physicality, this ‘inane’ world and the ‘vast darkness’ are also the ‘expression of the Consciousness’. This is what was created when the ‘Creator became exhausted’. 

  

saH (He)tapo(heat/radiation) atapyata (radiated)—-The word ‘tapo’ is derived from the word ‘tapa’ which means the ‘warmth or heat’ coming out of ‘meditation or while concentrating about a thing’. It is the energy created to ‘form’ an entity in the ‘mind’. It has been mentioned before, that definite or final formation happens in the mind. In the animal kingdom, this aspect of the Universal Consciousness is seen in the hatching of eggs. It is for this reason, the word ‘tapasya’ means act of meditation. The place or ‘seat’ of mind in our body is the centre of the forehead or the region where the two brows meet. Mind is known as the ‘third eye’. This centre as part of the divinity or as universal centre is called tapa loka. So, we are created from the ‘meditation’ of the ‘Creator’. It is for this reason, the location of ‘jana loka’ or the center from where the entities are generated or revealed is the ‘neck’ from where ‘the words are articulated in the air’. 

So, jana loka is located below tapa loka.  

tasya (From that) shraantasya (tired) taptasya(radiant) yashaH (abilities/capabilities) vIryam (virility/ ut akraamat (gushed upward) —-

The word yasha is from the words ‘ya’ and ‘shak’.

The word ‘ya’ implies ‘conjugation’ or ‘joining’(yaukta). The word ‘shak’ means ‘capable’.

So, yasha means the aspect of Consciousness by which everything can be done or achieved. 

The word vIrya is related to the word vIra meaning ‘brave’. Etymologically, vIra means one who can multiply or who can split one into many.

 vIra= vi(duality) + Ira (act of driving or implementing.) Thus, the word vIra is related to ‘virility’ and ‘vigour’. This is why vIrya which means ‘the quality of one who is vIra’. Also, vIrya means ‘sperm’. 

Thus, vIrya means the capability by which ‘one can split oneself into many and one can change the others. This is the capability of vaak.

praaNaaH (praaNa are) vai (indeed) yasho (capabilities) vIryam (virility)——The word praaNaaH is the plural form of praaNa. praaNa who is the active, flowing, streaming Consciousness, who is the life and animation in everyone, is indeed all the capabilities and the virility, performing every action in everyone, in every entity.   

The plural form of praaNa has been used considering innumerable streams of the Universal Consciousness. These streams are the directions (dik or dish) from which the space and dimensions are formed.

The word ‘ut akraamat’ (gushed upward) is the past tense of the verb ‘utkramaNa’. 

The significance of the word utkramaNa can be understood by the way we die. When we die, we leave the body along with praaNa and the body is left behind. utkramaNa = ut (up)+kramaNa (transgression / motion). Wherever praaNa moves, we along with our senses, faculties, memories, instincts move with praaNa. praaNa is the one along with Him everyone stays and along with Him everyone leaves. praaNa moves like a horse uprooting the post to which it is tied.

The Sanskrit word kramaNa is related to the Latin word Chronus and Greek word Chronos. kramaNa is the action or motion of Universal Consciousness from which time and space are being generated. The related word krama means ‘sequence, course’. viShNu, the personalized or deity form of praaNa is called trivikrama= tri (three)+ vi (different) + krama (course/sequence). From viShNu the three courses of time are being generated.     

tat (From that) praaNeShu (of praaNa) utkraanteShu (upward motion) sharIraM (the body) shvayitum (inflated) adhriyata (and continued in that state); tasya (In His) sharIra (body) eva (only) mana (mind) aasIt (remained).

As the Consciousness gushed upward as yasha and vIrya, the body or the physicality started inflating. Mind remained in the body.

We have already told that where the physicality is created in the Consciousness, there Consciousness is called mind. Here in the defined or physical plane, things are segregated, defined (naama), shaped(rUpa). 

The word ‘shvayitum (inflated)’ is from the root word shvi which means to grow or swell. It is like an embryo growing into a full-fledged form or it is like the universe swelling or expanding.

Physicality imposes measures and definitions which lead to confinement. At one end we are confined, physicalized; at the other end we are praaNa, streaming unbound Consciousness with endless capabilities (yasha) and virility (vIrya).

1. 2. 7

(Original text).Seventh verse.

so akAmayata medhyaM ma idam syaadaatmanvyanena syaamiti. tato ashvaH samabhavadyadashvat tanmedhyamabhUditi.  tadevaashvamedhasyaashvamedhatvam. 

eSha ha vA ashvamedhaM veda ya enamevaM veda. tamanavarudhyaivaamanyata.

taM saMvatsarasya parastaadaatmana aalabhata. pashUndevataabhyaH

pratyauhat.

tasmaatsarvadevatyaM prokShitaM praajaapatyamaalabhanta.

eSha ha vaa ashvamedho ya eSha tapati; tasya saMvatsara aatmaayamagnirarkastasyeme lokaa

aatmaanastaavetaavarkaashvamedhau. so punarekaiva devatA bhavati mRityurevaapa

punarmRityuM jayati nainaM mRityuraapnoti mRityurasyaatmaa bhavatyetaasaaM devataanaameko bhavati. 

Disjointed words and word by word meaning

 saH (He)akaamayata(desired)medhyaM (fit for merging) mae(mine)idaM(this)syaat(become). 

(He desired—-“Let it become fit for merging, this belonging to me”. / Let all these belonging to me (created from myself) be fit for merging in me.) 

aatmanvI (me be expanded) anena (by ana) syaam(be)iti.

(Let me be expanded by ana/praaNa).

tataH (Then) ashvaH (ashva/horse)

sam (duly) abhavat (created) yat (that)ashvat ({He swelled}); 

(Then the horse/ashva was duly created as He swelled.)

tat (that) medhyam (also for for merging) abhUt (became) iti.

(That what swelled or expanded{asvat} that also became fit for collapsing/merging {medhyam}).

tat eva (that indeed is) ashvamedhasya ashvamedhatvaM—-(ashvamedha of ashvamedha ——essence of ashvamedha).

(That {This expanding/ swelling and collapsing/merging} is the essence of ashvamedha.)

eShaH ha vaa (This is the one who) ashvamedhaM (ashvamedha) veda (knows)—- ya (the one who) enam evaM (like this only) veda(knows);

(This is the one who knows ashvamedha—the one who knows only like this.)

tam (that/horse/ashva) anavarudhya (not to be tethered) eva(thus) amanyata(reflected/thought) 

(He / the Creator reflected not to tether that (horse/ashva--not to restric that swelling).

taM (that/ that horse) saMvatsarasya (one year/one complete cycle of time) parastaat(later/after) aatmana (in the self / in the soul) aalabhata (got back)

(After a year / after a period of complete time cycle of rearing, He {the creator} got /gets it {horse/ashva} back in His soul)

pashUn (the animals) devataabhyaH prati (to the deities) auhat (offered) 

(The animals are offered to the deities.)

tasmaat (That’s why) sarva devatyaM (to all deities) prokShitaM (being sacrificed) praajaapatyam (the state of subjects of prajaapati) aalabhante (they achieve).

(That’s why being sacrificed to all the deities they {the animals} achieve the sate of being prajaapati’s subjects {they become the subjects of prajaapati}).

eShaH ha vaa (It/He is indeed) ashvamedho (ashvamedha) ya (who) eShaH (like this) tapati (warming/radiating life). 

(It / He is certainly ashvamedha, who is radiating warmth (life) like this.)

tasya (his) saMvatsara (rearing every entity to eternity) aatmaa (habit).

(Rearing every entity to eternity or to the absolute Oneness is the habit of ashvamedha.)

ayam (this) agniH (agni fire is) arkaH (arka/expanding Rik/arcing & arching Consciousness)

(This agni /fire is arka {a+Rik}/ expanding Rik). 

tasya (His/ ashva’s) ime lokaa (all these locations/ worlds) aatmanaH (his spread/ his limbs)

(All these worlds are His spreads).

tou aetou (these two) arka ashvamedhau (arka and ashamedha) saa u (and they) punaH (again)eka iva (only one) devataa (deity) bhavati (become); mRityuH (Death) eva (indeed).

(These two—-arka and ashvamedha again {merge} to become the single deity; and indeed, this deity is the Death {who was in the beginning}).

apa (by water/ap) punaH (repetition of) mRityuM(deaths) jayati (conquer/overcome) 

na enaM (not him/her) mRityuH (the death) aapnoti (can seize) mRityuH (The Death) asya (his/hers) aatmaa(soul) bhavati(becomes); etaasaaM ({among} all these) devataanaam(deities) eko (one {he / she}) bhavati (becomes).

(The Death cannot seize him or her {who is so learned}; The Death becomes his/her soul {He/she knows the Death as the personality of the soul}; he /she becomes same with all these deities.)

Consolidated meaning.

He desired—-“Let it become fit for merging, this belonging to me”. / Let all these belonging to me (created from myself) be fit for merging in me. 

Let myself be expanded by ana/praaNa.

Then the horse/ashva was duly created as He swelled.

That what swelled or expanded{asvat} that also became fit for collapsing/merging {medhyam}).

That (This expanding/ swelling and collapsing/merging) is the essence of ashvamedha.

This is the one who knows ashvamedha—the one who knows only like this.

He / the Creator reflected not to tether that (horse/ashva/swelling).

After a year / after a period of complete time cycle of rearing, He {the creator} got it {horse/ashva} back in His soul)

The animals are offered to the deities.

That’s why being sacrificed to all the deities they {the animals} achieve the sate of being prajaapati’s subjects {they become the subjects of prajaapati}).

It / He is certainly ashvamedha, who is radiating warmth (life) like this.

Rearing every entity to eternity or to the absolute Oneness is the habit of ashvamedha.

This agni /fire is arka{a+Rik}/ expanding Rik). 

All these worlds are His spreads.

These two—-arka and ashvamedha again {merge} to become the single deity; and indeed, this deity is the Death {who was in the beginning}).

The Death cannot seize him or her {who is so learned}; The Death becomes his/her soul {He/she knows the Death as the personality of the soul}; he /she becomes same with all these deities.

Etymological meaning and explanations

saH (He)akaamayata(desired) medhyaM (fit for merging) mae(mine) idaM(this) syaat(become)—-whatever is ‘idam’ or ‘it’ (i.e. everything created) let those become fit for merging (medhya) with me.  

aatmanvI (let me be expanded) anena (by ana) syaam(be) iti.

Let me embody myself (expand myself) by ana / praaNa (by my animation or by my activities as ‘time’).

tataH (Then) ashvaH (ashva/horse)

sam (duly) abhavat (created)—- yat (that /when) ashvat ({he} swelled}); tat (that) medhyam (also for for merging) abhUt (became) iti--

Then He (Creator)expanded or inflated (as the universe), He(ensured)that the universe / all entities created also are fit for merging with Him.

The expansion in all directions is swelling and this is denoted by the words ashvat and ashva. Whatever different entities Universal Consciousness becomes by creating duality or by becoming entities created from the sense of ‘duality’, Consciousness or the Universal Soul also brings them back in Him, in the Oneness. To do this the Universal Cpnsciousness makes everything medhya or fit for merging. This is the nature of the eternal Consciousness, mukhya praaNa or goddess called durgaa.

(durgaa means who creates ‘distance’ durgaa =dura(distance} + ga (movement/going)+a ——(i)who is characterized by moving to distance; (ii) from whom death moves away to distance. Both the meanings refer to what has been described above as ashvamedha.) 

tat eva (that indeed is) ashvamedhasya ashvamedhatvaM—-(ashvamedha of ashvamedha ——essence of ashvamedha) ——This splitting or creating duality out of absolute Oneness and then again bringing back each such entity created out of duality into Oneness is the essence of ashva medha.

tam (that/horse/ashva/swelling) anavarudhya (not to be tethered/restrticed) eva(thus) amanyata(reflected/thought) 

He / the Creator reflected not to tether that (horse/ashva; whatever is created from the Consciousness or praaNa, each is a stream of Consciousness or praaNa, running along the course of time—-each is a ashva / horse. Since the Creator decided not to tether the horse so, every entity in the universe find itself as ‘independent’ and considers itself as the sole ‘doer’. As long as we do not become aware of the divine control, the Control of Consciousness exerted on us at every moment, it is like untethered horse running.  

taM (that/ that horse) saMvatsarasya (one year/one complete cycle of time) parastaat(later/after) aatmana (in the self / in the soul) aalabhata (got back) ——after a year / after a period of complete time cycle of rearing, He {the creator} got it {horse/ashva/swelled universe} back in His soul. When this merging happens, the ‘horse sacrifice / ashvamedha yaj~na’ is successfully completed.

tasmaat (That’s why) sarva devatyaM (to all deities) prokShitaM (being sacrificed) praajaapatyam (the state of subjects of prajaapati) aalabhante (they achieve) —-That’s why being sacrificed pashUn (the animals) devataabhyaH prati (to the deities) auhat (offered) —-The animals are offered to the deities. Though we are created untethered and thus we all have ‘independency’ or ‘independent self’, still we are in control of divinity or in control of the Universal Consciousness and so we return to the Universal Consciousness after samvatsara or a period of complete cycle. The deities are the aspects or the personalities of the Universal consciousness, by whom we are regulated. Till we do not know or perceive this Control of Universal Consciousness, we remain as ‘pashu’ or cattle / animals of the deities. This has also been stated elsewhere in Upanishads. Thus, we remain ‘offered to the deities’ 

to all the deities they {the animals} achieve the sate of prajaapati’s subjects {they become the subjects of prajaapati}).

prajaapati = prajaa (creature) + pati (lord/dominator)

The word praajaapatyam is derived from the word prajaapati and means ‘those who are under the regulations of prajaapati’. This means we remain in the ‘cycles of births, living, deaths, re-births….’ In this manner we are reared and nourished and remains under the domain of prajaapati.

eShaH ha vaa (It/He is indeed) ashvamedho (ashvamedha) ya (who) eShaH (like this) tapati (warming/radiating life) ——It / He is certainly ashvamedha, who is radiating warmth (life) like this. Indeed, prajaapati is ashvamedha who is warming us by life (consciousness). This warmth is called uShmaa, the warmth that we get from the life, from the Consciousness, the warmth which is burning in us as our senses; the warmth that brings life in the inert. 

tasya (his) saMvatsara (rearing every entity to eternity) aatmaa (habit)—-rearing every entity to eternity or to the absolute Oneness is the habit of ashvamedha. saMvatsara is the time or year (vatsara) during which the creature or the offspring (vatsa) of the Universal Consciousness becomes sama or perfect. Rearing up the child and bringing it back to the Oneness is the habit (aatman) of the Universal Consciousness.

ayam (this) agniH (agni fire) arkaH (arka/expanding Rik/arcing & arching Consciousness) —-This agni /fire is arka{a+Rik}/ expanding Rik).

This agni or fire is the Consciousness by whom everyone, every entity has an existence and is active; this fire is inside the earth, inside everything that is physical. This fire as life, as senses, is illuminated in us. It is that fire, that revealing Universal Consciousness, who as ‘living words’ or Rik, has become anything and everything that has a shape, a name, a definition (naama and rUpa). The expansion of the Consciousness as the universe has created arc or arka, bends(vakra)—-which we perceive as the curvature of the space (and time), as the gravity, as the refraction. Thus, in Chandogya Upanishad the divinity or heaven has been described as the ‘bent stem of genealogy’ ——doureva (divinity is) tIrashchIn (bent) vaMsha (genealogy / bamboo stem / spine). These bends describe the chronology; the bend or vakra means the va (vad) + kra (krama)= vadati cha kramati cha—who is speaking as well as creating sequence and trails. Consciousness speaks to create events.  

tasya(His/ ashva’s)ime lokaa (all these locations/ worlds) aatmanaH (his spread/ his limbs——all these worlds are His spreads.This is why the word tanu meaning ‘body is from the root word tan meaning ‘spread’ and tanaya/tanayaa means son/daughter.Thus the entire universe is the embodiment of the Universal Consciousness and every entity is the child of the Universal Consciousness. The ‘aatmanaH’ means ‘out of the Soul or from the Soul’. 

tou aetou (these two) arka ashvamedhau (arka and ashamedha)  saa u (and they)  punaH (again) eka iva (only one) devataa (deity) bhavati (become); mRityuH (Death) Eva (indeed)—-these two—-arka and ashvamedha again {merge} to become the single deity; and indeed this deity is the Death {who was in the beginning}).The Universal Consciousness expanding and becoming the creation is arka, and running and expanding aspect is  called ashva (horse); but the Consciousness again brings back every entity to the Oneness, to merge and this ‘ashvamedha’. This is the single deity or the same personality who is ‘Death’ or in whom everyone surrenders the ‘limited self’ to become ‘eternal.

apa (by water/ap) punaH (repetition of) mRityuM(deaths) jayati (conquer/overcome)——-He / She overcomes the repeats of the death by ap/ by the ‘water’; this goddess water, this divine water where all forms and physicality remain dissolved and from where all physical formation take place, lets us know how we can live sans physicality.   

na enaM (not him/her) mRityuH (the death)aapnoti (can seize)mRityuH (The Death)asya (his/hers) aatmaa(soul)bhavati(becomes); etaasaaM (among all these) devataanaam(deities) eko(one {he / she} ) bhavati (becomes)——the Death cannot seize him or her {who is so learned}; the Death becomes his/her soul---he/she knows the Death as the personality of the soul; he /she becomes same with all these deities (by merging in Oneness).

Death becomes the soul of such a learned person i.e. such a knower finds death as the revelation of the soul; to such a knower, the Death becomes a deity or a personality of the Universal Consciousness or the Soul, who shrouds everything by Oneness. Thus, such a knower becomes the ‘One’ among all the deities or among all the revealing personalities of the Universal Consciousness.  

Such a knower during the death knows that he/she is withdrawing his / her spread, his/her dualities or separate existence in the oneness of the soul.  

The alphabet ma in Sanskrit is the last member of the matrix of consonants having five rows and five columns. It is the highest degree of pa~nchama(five)or ‘punching’. As one clenches one’s five (pancha)fingers(senses)to make a ‘punch’ to blow a thrust, so is this ‘pancha’or the fifth placed ‘ma’. ma means both maa (mother) and mRityu (death). maa or mother is the one who shapes ‘ma’ or negativity—-maa= ma (what is negative) + aa (aa=aakaara=form or appearance). We get our shapes or forms in the ‘mother’; she brings postivity and gives us a defined shape or existence.

maa also means the one who ‘manifests or creates or shapes the ma or negativity’. maa= ma (negativity or mRityu) +aa (aakaara / form).

Thus, mother makes us postive, derive us from negativity and also takes postive or existing one into negativity. Negativity in its true sense' means 'Oneness'.

We are formed into identity by five senses, by fundamental elements (kShiti, ap, teja, marut, voyam). When we leave the mortality, our senses remain in those five elements. The five fingers are indicating these five senses or elements as below:

1.Thumb (a~NguShTha) —-voyam (firmament)—-corresponding sense is ‘sound’(shavda). This is why there is a ‘void’ between the thumb and the rest of the fingers.

2.Forefinger (tarjanI)—-marut (air)—-corresponding sense is ‘touch’(sparsha).

Air is the Consciousness or praaNa who connects everyone and touches everyone. When Consciousness flows, it is praaNa and from this flow, time and directions are created. Thus forefinger is instinctively used 'to point'and is a pointer finger.

3.Middle finger (madhyamaa)—teja (shine)—corresponding sense is ‘vision’ (rUpa). Since among the senses in us, ‘vision’ is the leading sense, so the middle finger is the longest.

  4. Ring finger (anaamikaa)—-ap (water/taste) —-corresponding sense is ‘taste’(rasa).

 5.Little finger (kaniShTha)——-kShiti (earth/smell) —-corresponding sense is ‘odour’(gandha). 

Since the taste is associated with smell, these two fingers are adjacent to each other.

The Universal Mother (Consciousness) creates us and also takes us back with Her five fingers.

As long as the we do not know that all dualities are from ONE, we are bound to experience ‘death’.

There is ONE and only ONE. This ONE knows 'ONESELF' as 'many' and thus has become 'all of us' by ‘knowing'. In this creation, the intermediate revealing personalities of the Universal Consciousness are the deities. 

Notes. 

In the sacred text called chaNDI it was stated that there were two demons (asura) called madhu and kaiTabha who fought a long battle with lord viShNu. At the end they desired their death in the hands of viShNu because they were so pleased with the battle fought with viShNu. However, when they realized that water is there everywhere in the world, they decided to lose and made a request to viShNu to slaughter them in a place which is not flooded with water(ap).

madhu means ‘sweet or honey’. kaiTabha is from the root word kITa. kITa means an insect and kaiTabha means who is ‘small or confined or limited, like an insect’. Thus, these pair of the demons, madhu and kaiTabha, are ‘our attachment and obsession to the things which we like and remain confined by them or remain obsessed with them. We remain attached to whatever we like but we little care for the cause or the origin and effect or the destiny. The demons are also the personalities of the Universal  Consciousness by whom we are confined and limited. 

These demons are slaughtered by vishNu who is the praaNa or the Consciousness entered (vish) into every entity and who is backing the aspect ‘parjaapti’ as mentioned above. viShnU is the aspect of the Universal Consciousness who is representing the ‘collective personalities of all the deities’ and thus is our ‘dominator’. 

When we come to know that any sweetness is the sweetness of the Consciousness, it is the   Consciousness who is sweet, and in the Consciousness the sweetness is unbound and everlasting, the demons are killed by viShNu. As long as this does not happen, we are dominated by the attachments to mortal things and remain limited, moving in the cycles of death and births. This, our formation into limited entity and then giving up the body at death and again reformation or re-birth, are happening in this ‘divine water’. Thus, viShNu lies in karaNa (cause) vaari (water) ——water in which all causes are contained.

So, the demons requested viShNu to kill them at a place which cannot be flooded by water, i.e. they wanted to transcrend the state of compulsory deaths and rebirths.  

Here is the hymn of chaNDI

“(vanchtabhaaymiti tadaa sarvamaapomayaM jagat

vilokya taabhyaam gadito bhagavaan kamalekShaNH)

Seeing the whole world being flooded by water, they felt deprived and thus spoke to the lotus eyed lord (viShNu)——

(pRitoU svastava yudhena, shlaaghyastanmRityuraavoyoH)

“we are pleased by having this battle with you

Our death in your hands is laudable!

(aavaM jahi n yattrorVI salilela na pariplutaaH)

Slaughter us there where the earth is not flooded by water”.

(chanDI, first character/chapter).

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The above is written by following the teachings of the great sage BijoyKrishna Chattopadhyaya (1875-1945) and his principal disciple Tridibnath Bandyopadhyaa (1923-1994.