THIRTEENTH KHANDA1. 1. From the dark (the Brahman of the heart) I come to the nebulous (the world of Brahman), from the nebulous to the dark, shaking off all evil, as a horse shakes his hairs, and as the moon frees herself from the mouth of Râhu 2. Having shaken off the body, I obtain, self made and satisfied, the uncreated world of Brahman, yea, I obtain it. FOURTEENTH KHANDA. 1. He who is called ether3 (âkâsa) is the revealer of all forms and names. That within which these forms and names are contained is the Brahman, the Immortal, the Self. I come to the hall of Pragâpati, to the house; I am the glorious among Brâhmans, glorious among princes, glorious among men 1. I obtained that glory, I am glorious among the glorious. May I never go to the white, toothless, yet devouring, white abode ; may I never go to it. 1 This chapter is supposed to contain a hymn of triumph. 2 Râhu, in later times a monster, supposed to swallow the sun and moon at every solar or lunar eclipse. At first we only hear of the mouth or head of Râhu. In later times a body was assigned to him, but it had to be destroyed again by Vishnu, so that nothing remained of him but his head. Râhu seems derived from rah, to separate, to remove. From it raksh, to wish or strive to remove, to keep off, to protect, and in a different application rákshas, a tearing away, violence, rakshás, a robber, an evil spirit. 3 Âkâsa, ether or space, is a name of Brahman, because, like ether, Brahman has no body and is infinitely small. Here the three classes, commonly called castes, are clearly marked by the names of brâhmana, râgan, and vis. Yonisabditam pragananendriyam. FIFTEENTH KHANDA. 1. Brahmâ (Hiranyagarbha or Paramesvara) told this to Pragâpati (Kasyapa), Pragâpati to Manu (his son), Manu to mankind. He who has learnt the Veda from a family of teachers, according to the sacred rule, in the leisure time left from the duties to be performed for the Guru, who, after receiving his discharge, has settled in his own house, keeping up the memory of what he has learnt by repeating it regularly in some sacred spot, who has begotten virtuous sons, and concentrated all his senses on the Self, never giving pain to any creature, except at the tirthas1 (sacrifices, &c.), he who behaves thus all his life, reaches the world of Brahman, and does not return, yea, he does not return. 1 The commentator says that even travelling about as a mendicant causes pain, but that a mendicant is allowed to importune people for alms at tîrthas, or sacred places. Others explain this differently. TALAVAKARA-UPANISHAD. FIRST KHANda. 1. THE Pupil asks: At whose wish does the mind sent forth proceed on its errand? At whose command does the first breath go forth? At whose wish do we utter this speech? What god directs the eye, or the ear?' 2. The Teacher replies: 'It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, and the eye of the eye. When freed (from the senses) the wise, on departing from this world, become immortal1. 3. 'The eye does not go thither, nor speech, nor mind. We do not know, we do not understand, how any one can teach it. 4. It is different from the known, it is also above the unknown, thus we have heard from those of old, who taught us this 2. 5. 'That which is not expressed by speech and 1 This verse admits of various translations, and still more various explanations. Instead of taking vâkam, like all the other words, as a nominative, we might take them all as accusatives, governed by atimukya, and sa u prâmasya prânah as a parenthetical sentence. What is meant by the ear of the ear is very fully explained by the commentator, but the simplest acceptation would seem to take it as an answer to the preceding questions, so that the ear of the ear should be taken for him who directs the ear, i. e. the Self, or Brahman. This will become clearer as we proceed. 2 Cf. Îsa Up. 11; 13. |