Madhu-vidyā (honey extracted from all the Vedas)

This appendix was extracted from a footnote belonging to Vedānta-kaustubha verse 1.3.33:

“[...] because in ordinary experience, a desire for wealth in a future life is found on the part of those who are rich in the present life. Hence, it is established that the gods are entitled to the honey-meditation and the like”

The Madhu-vidyā, or the representation of the sun as the honey extracted from all the Vedas, as taught first to Prajāpati by Brahmā, then to Manu by Prajāpati, and then to his descendants by Manu, and to Uddālaka Āruṇi by his father (Vide Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.11.4) is given in Chand 3.1.3.11. It begins: ‘Verily, the sun is the honey of the gods. Its cross-beam is the heaven. The ether is the honey-comb. The rays are the sons (i.e. the sons of bees)’ (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.1.1), and goes on to represent the eastern rays of the sun, its red form, as extracted from the Ṛg-veda; the southern rays of the sun, its white form, from the Yajur-veda; the western rays of the sun, its dark form, from the Sāma-veda; the northern rays of the sun, its exceedingly dark form, from the Atharva-veda; and the upwards rays of the sun, its centre, from the Upaniṣads (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.1-3.5). After that the different forms of the sun are designated as the objects of enjoyment for Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Maruts and Sādhyas who respectively enter into and arise from those forms (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.6-3.10). Finally, in the concluding section the sun is represented as standing in the middle, without rising or setting, and as neither rising nor setting for one knows this Brahma-upaniṣad (= secret of Brahman) (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.11).

(1) Here the opponent’s view is that Vasus and the rest are enjoined here as the objects of worship (Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.6-3.10) and hence they themselves cannot be the worshippers.

The answer to this objection is that the Madhu-vidyā has two sections. The first section (viz. Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.6-3.10) designates Brahman in His effected state, i.e. as appearing in the forms of Vasus and the rest. The second section (viz. Chāndogya-upaniṣad 3.11) designates Brahman in His causal state, i.e. as abiding in the sun as its Inner Self. And the concluding designation of the Madhu-vidyā as a ‘Brahma-upaniṣad’, proves that the meditations on the Vasus and the rest too are really meditations on Brahman as abiding within them. Hence Brahman is really the object to be meditated throughout in the Madhu-vidyā, and as such Vasus and the rest can be worshippers here, i.e. can practise the Madhu-vidyā.

(2) The opponent resumes: Even if Brahman and none else, be the object of meditation here, yet Vasus cannot be held to be practising the Madhu-vidyā, since the fruit of Madhu-vidyā is the attainment of Vasu-hood, etc. and why should those who are already Vasus, etc, strive to be so again.

The answer is that they may be Vasus and so on in the present age, but at the same time be desirous of holding the same position in a future age also, and of finally attaining Brahman. It is this desire of attaining Vasu-hood, etc. first and then Brahman which leads them to practise the Madhu-vidyā.