Chandogya Upanishad (english Translation)

by Swami Lokeswarananda | 165,421 words | ISBN-10: 8185843910 | ISBN-13: 9788185843919

This is the English translation of the Chandogya-upanishad, including a commentary based on Swami Lokeswarananda’s weekly discourses; incorporating extracts from Shankara’s bhasya. The Chandogya Upanishad is a major Hindu philosophical text incorporated in the Sama Veda, and dealing with meditation and Brahman. This edition includes the Sanskrit t...

Verse 2.16.2

स य एवमेतद्वैराजमृतुषु प्रोतं वेद विराजति प्रजया पशुभिर्ब्रह्मवर्चसेन सर्वमायुरेति ज्योग्जीवति महान्प्रजया पशुभिर्भवति महान्कीर्त्यर्तून्न निन्देत्तद्व्रतम् ॥ २.१६.२ ॥
॥ इति षोडशः खण्डः ॥

sa ya evametadvairājamṛtuṣu protaṃ veda virājati prajayā paśubhirbrahmavarcasena sarvamāyureti jyogjīvati mahānprajayā paśubhirbhavati mahānkīrtyartūnna nindettadvratam || 2.16.2 ||
|| iti ṣoḍaśaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ||

2. He who knows that the Sāma called Vairāja is rooted in the seasons is surrounded by his children and animals and has a radiance about him which is born of Vedic scholarship. He lives a long and brilliant life, and he is considered great for his children and for his animals. He is also highly respected for his great deeds. He follows the vow of never criticizing the seasons.

Word-for-word explanation:

Saḥ yaḥ evani etat vairājam ṛtuṣu protam veda, he who knows that this [Sāma called] Vairāja is rooted in the seasons; virājati, he lives; prajayā paśubhiḥ, surrounded by his children and animals; brahmavarcasena, he has the kind of radiance that is born of Vedic scholarship; sarvam āyuḥ eti, he lives the full span of his life; jyok jīvati, he lives a brilliant life; mahān prajayā paśubhiḥ bhavati, he is known to be great for his children and animals; mahān kīrtyā, he is famous for his deeds; ṛtūn na nindet tat vratam, his vow is that he will never criticize the seasons. Iti ṣoḍhśaḥ khaṇḍaḥ, here ends the sixteenth section.

Commentary:

The person who knows that the Vairāja Sāma is rooted in the seasons becomes like the seasons himself. Each season has a beauty of its own. Similarly, this person has within him the beauty and grandeur of the good things he possesses, such as his wealth, good children, scholarship, and character.

The rules of the Sāma forbid him from saying anything bad about the seasons, and he follows this.

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