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 8.3.2

अथ ये चास्येह जीवा ये च प्रेता यच्चान्यदिच्छन्न लभते सर्वं तदत्र गत्वा विन्दतेऽत्र ह्यस्यैते सत्याः कामा अनृतापिधानास्तद्यथापि हिरण्यनिधिं निहितमक्षेत्रज्ञा उपर्युपरि सञ्चरन्तो न विन्देयुरेवमेवेमाः सर्वाः प्रजा अहरहर्गच्छन्त्य एतं ब्रह्मलोकं न विन्दन्त्यनृतेन हि प्रत्यूढाः ॥ ८.३.२ ॥

atha ye cāsyeha jīvā ye ca pretā yaccānyadicchanna labhate sarvaṃ tadatra gatvā vindate'tra hyasyaite satyāḥ kāmā anṛtāpidhānāstadyathāpi hiraṇyanidhiṃ nihitamakṣetrajñā uparyupari sañcaranto na vindeyurevamevemāḥ sarvāḥ prajā aharahargacchantya etaṃ brahmalokaṃ na vindantyanṛtena hi pratyūḍhāḥ || 8.3.2 ||

2. Further, those of his relatives who are still alive and those who are dead, and also those things a person cannot get even if he wishes for them—all these he gets by going within his heart. All true desires of a person are in his heart, though they are hidden. It is like when there is gold hidden someplace underground and people who are ignorant of it walk over that spot again and again, knowing nothing about it. Similarly, all these beings go to Brahmaloka every day, and yet they know nothing about it because they are covered by ignorance.

Word-for-word explanation:

Atha, further; ye asya jīvāḥ ca, those of his [i.e., the relatives of one who knows the Self] who are alive; ye ca pretāḥ, and those who are dead; yat ca anyat, and whatever else; icchan, one wishes for; na labhate, [but] does not get; sarvam tat, all that; atra, here; gatvā, going; vindate, one gets; atra hi, for here; asya, his; ete satyāḥ kāmāḥ, these true desires; anṛtāpidhānaḥ, with a false look; tat yathā, as; akṣetrajñāḥ nihitam, those who have no idea about what is hidden underground; api hiraṇyanidhim, though precious as gold; upari-upari, again and again; sañcarantaḥ, going over it; na vindeyaḥ, do not get it; evam eva, in this way; imāḥ sarvāḥ prajāḥ, all these beings; ahaḥ ahaḥ, daily; gacchantyaḥ, going; etam brahmalokam, to this world of Brahman; na vindanti, do not attain it; hi, because; anṛtena, by falsehood [i.e., ignorance]; pratyūḍhaḥ, they are covered.

Commentary:

Inside the heart is the whole universe. When we have suṣupti, dreamless sleep, we are then one with Bṛahman and one with the whole world. We are not conscious of it, however, because of our ignorance.

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