AITEREYA UPANISHAD

AITEREYA UPANISHAD

chapter one : section I

1. Hari OM. In the beginning the Spirit was One and all this (universe) was the Spirit; there was nought else moving¹ The Spirit thought, “Lo, I will make me worlds from out my being.ˮ

2. These were the worlds he made; ambhaḥ, of the ethereal waters, marīcīh, of light, mara, of death and mortal things, āpah, of the lower waters. Beyond the shining firmament are the ethereal waters and the firmament is their base and resting-place; Space is the world of light; the earth is the world mortal; and below the earth are the lower waters.

3. The Spirit thought, “Lo, these are the worlds; and now will I make me guardians for my worlds.ˮ Therefore he gathered the Purusha out of the waters and gave Him shape and substance.

¹ Or, that saw

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4. Yea, the Spirit brooded over Him and of Him thus brooded over the mouth broke forth, as when an egg is hatched and breaks; from the mouth broke Speech and of Speech fire was born. The nostrils broke forth and from the nostrils Breath and of Breath air was born. The eyes broke forth and from the eyes Sight and of Sight the Sun was born. The ears broke forth and from the ears Hearing and of Hearing the regions were born. The skin broke forth and from the skin hairs and from the hairs herbs of healing and all trees and plants were born. The heart broke forth and from the heart Mind and of Mind the moon was born. The navel broke forth and from the navel apāna and of apāna Death was born. The organ of pleasure broke forth and from the organ seed and of seed the waters were born.

chapter one : section II

1. These were the Gods that He created; they fell into this great Ocean, and Hunger and Thirst leaped upon them. Then they said to Him, “Command unto us an habitation that we may dwell secure and eat of food.ˮ

2. He brought unto them the cow, but they said, “Verily, it is not sufficient for us.ˮ He brought unto them the horse, but they said, “Verily, it is not enough for us.ˮ

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3. He brought unto them Man, and they said, “O well fashioned truly! Man indeed is well and beautifully made.ˮ Then the Spirit said unto them, “Enter ye in each according to his habitation.ˮ

4. Fire became Speech and entered into the mouth; Air became Breath and entered into the nostrils; the Sun became Sight and entered into the eyes; the Quarters became Hearing and entered into the ears; Herbs of healing and the plants and trees became Hairs and entered into the skin; the Moon became Mind and entered into the heart; Death became apāna, the lower breathing and entered into the navel; the Waters became Seed and entered into the organ.

5. Then Hunger and Thirst said unto the Spirit, “Unto us too command an habitation.ˮ But He said unto them, “Even among these gods do I apportion you; lo! I have made you sharers in their godhead.ˮ Therefore to whatever god the oblation is offered, Hunger and Thirst surely have their share in the offering.

chapter one : section III

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1. The Spirit thought, “These verily are my worlds and their guardians; and now will I make me food for these.ˮ

2. The Spirit brooded in might upon the waters and from the waters brooded mightily over, Form was born. Lo, all this that was born as form, is no other than Food.

3. Food being created fled back from his grasp. By speech He would have seized it, but he could not seize it by speech. Had he seized it by speech, then would a man be satisfied by merely speaking of food.

4. By the breath He would have seized it, but He could not seize it by the breath. Had He seized it by the breath, then would a man be satisfied by merely breathing food.

5. By the eye He would have seized it, but He could not seize it by the eye. Had He seized it by the eye, then would a man be satisfied by merely seeing food.

6. By the ear He would have seized it, but He could not seize it by the ear. Had He seized it by the ear, then would a man be satisfied by merely hearing food.

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7. By the skin He would have seized it, but He could not seize it by the skin. Had He seized it by the skin, then would a man be satisfied by merely touching food.

8. By the Mind He would have seized it, but He could not seize it by the mind. Had He seized it by the mind, then would a man be satisfied by merely thinking food.

9. By the organ He would have seized it, but He could not seize it by the organ. Had He seized it by the organ, then would a man be satisfied by merely emitting food.

10. By the apāna He would have seized it, and it was seized. Lo, this is the seizer of food which is also Breath of the Life, and therefore all that is Breath has its life in food.

11. The Spirit thought, “How should all this be without me?ˮ and He thought, “By what way shall I enter in?ˮ He thought also, “If utterance is by Speech, if breathing is by the Breath, if sight is by the Eye, if hearing is by the Ear, if

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thought is by the Mind, if the lower workings are by apāna, if emission is by the organ, then who am I?ˮ

12. It was this bound that He cleft, it was by this door that He entered in. ʼTis this that is called the gate of the cleaving; this is the door of His coming and here is the place of His delight. He has three mansions in His city, three dreams wherein He dwells, and of each in turn He says “Lo, this is my habitationˮ and “This is my habitationˮ and “This is my habitation.ˮ

13. Now when He was born, He thought and spoke only of Nature and her creations; in this world of matter of what else should He speak or reason? Thereafter He beheld that Being who is the Brahman and the last Essence. He said, “Yea, this is He; verily, I have beheld Him.ˮ

14. Therefore is He Idandra; for Idandra is the true name of Him. But though He is Idandra, they call Him Indra because of the veil of the Unrevelation; for the gods love the veil of the Unrevelation, yea, verily, the gods love the Unrevelation.

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chapter TWO

1. In the male first the unborn child becomes. This which is seed is the force and heat of him that from all parts of the creature draws together for becoming; therefore he bears himself in himself, and when he casts it into the woman, ʼtis himself he begets. And this is the first birth of the Spirit.

2. It becomes one self with the woman, therefore it does her no hurt and she cherishes this self of her husband that has got into her womb.

3. She the cherisher must be cherished. So the woman bears the unborn child and the man cherishes the boy even from the beginning ere it is born. And whereas he cherishes the boy ere it is born, ʼtis verily himself that he cherishes for the continuance of these worlds and their peoples; for ʼtis even thus the thread of these worlds spins on unbroken. And this is the second birth of the Spirit.

4. Lo, this is the spirit and self of him and he makes it his vice-

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regent for the works of righteousness. Now this his other self when it has done the works it came to do and has reached its age, lo! it goes hence, and

even as it departs, it is born again. And this is the third birth of the Spirit.

5. Therefore it was said by the sage Vamadeva, “I, Vamadeva, being yet in the womb, knew all the births of these gods and their causes. In a hundred cities of iron they held me down and kept me; I broke through them all with speed¹ and violence, like a hawk I soared up into my heavens.ˮ While yet he lay in the womb, thus said Vamadeva.

6. And because he knew this, therefore when the strings of the body were snapped asunder lo, he soared forth into yonder world of Paradise and there having possessed all desires, put death behind him, yea, he put death behind him.

¹ Or, might

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chapter three

1. Who is this Spirit that we may adore Him? and which of all these is the Spirit? By whom one sees or by whom one hears or by whom one smells all kinds of perfume or by whom one utters clearness of speech or by whom one knows the sweet and bitter.

2. This which is the heart, is mind also. Concept and will and analysis and wisdom and intellect and vision and continuity of purpose and feeling and understanding, pain and memory and volition and application¹ of thought and vitality and desire and passion, all these, yea all, are but names of the Eternal Wisdom.

3. This creating Brahman; this ruling Indra; this Prajapati, Father of his peoples; all these Gods and these five elemental substances, even earth, air, ether, water and the shining principles; and these great creatures and those small; and seeds of either sort; and things egg-born and things sweat-born and things born of the womb and plants

¹ Or, operation

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that sprout; and horses and cattle and men and elephants; yea, whatsoever thing here breathes and all that moves and everything that has wings and

whatso moves not; by Wisdom all these are guided and have their firm abiding in Wisdom. For Wisdom is the eye of the world. Wisdom is the sure

foundation. Wisdom is Brahman Eternal.

4. The sage by the strength of the wise and seeing Self, the sage having soared up from this world ascended into this other world of Paradise; and there having possessed desire, put death behind him, yea, he put death behind him.

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