Eight Adhyaya, Fifteenth Khanda (1 mantra)

Mantra 8.15.1.

1. Verily this doctrine Viṣṇu taught to the four-faced Brahmā, Brahmā taught to Svayambhuva Manu, Manu to his people. One should learn the Veda in the family of his teachers and making presents to his Guru according to law and doing his works fully one should return home and enter into household, life. In a sacred spot he should recite the holy scriptures, and perform good deeds concentrating all his senses on the Supreme Self, he should not injure any living creature except in sacrifices. He verily thus passing his life attains on death the world of Brahman and never returns therefrom, never returns therefrom.—582.

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

This Upaniṣad must be respected as an authoritative work. To prove its authority the Veda Puruṣa mentions the various persons who promulgated it: and shows the utility of it. The phrase in the last Khaṇḍa “may I be famous among all varṇas” is ambiguous. It is not apparent, who is the speaker of those words. It cannot apply to every worshipper for any body and every body cannot become supremely famous. Who is then the speaker of this prayer? The Commentator answers this

The four-faced Brahmā being thus taught by the Supreme, cried out: “may I become famous, etc.” Brahmā taught to Manu this Vidyā, and Manu taught it to mankind. Therefore, concentrating all senses in the Lord the Supreme Spirit, and seeing the Supreme Viṣṇu, one obtains the region of the Lord. No one ever, for any reason, comes back from that place at all.

The God is the great ocean of bliss unbounding, is Higher than the highest, is the Eternal, the Omniscient, the perpetual Ruler of all, and the store-house of every auspicious quality. He is a joy for ever to His knowers and is the Greatest of all. He is my most Beloved—yea the most desired of all desires, my best Friend. May my God be pleased with me.

The Commentator now shows, by quoting scriptures, that his coming is prophesied in the Vedas, and therefore this commentary written by him is authoritative because he is one of the aptas or the perfect. He is in fact an incarnation of Vāyu or Christ.

In the verses of the Veda there are described three Divine forms (incarnations) of Vāyu (see Ṛgveda I. 141. 1, 2, 3,) the third of those forms has composed this commentary explaining it as describing Hari. The archetypal form of Vāyu of which these are the various avatāras consists of power and wisdom. By the command of God these qualities appear fully in the avatāra-forms of Vāyu the mighty, the supporter and mover in the universe. His first form or avatāra is as Hanumat who carried the message of Rāma (to Sītā) or who ever obeys the words of Rāma, The second form is that of the warrior Bhīma who destroyed the army of the Kurus. His third form is that of Ānandatirtha [Ānandatīrtha?] called also Madhva who has composed this commentary.

These three forms of Vāyu are allegorical. Hanumat represents the messenger of God, standing near his throne, ever ready to do his commands. He brings the message of hope to the desponding soul (Sītā) when she is frightened by the terrors and temptations of the world, namely of the lower nature of man. This is the first manifestation of Vāyu or Christ in the soul of man. He encourages her and tells her not to lose heart. The soul thus encouraged and hopeful becomes stronger and assumes the sterner aspects of a Draupadi [Draupadī?]. The second manifestation of Vāyu takes now. It is when the soul has reached the stage of Draupadī, who no longer is capable of being snatched away by Rāvaṇa or Duryodhana, that the second manifestation of Vāyu takes place. The Christ comes now not as a messenger of God, but as the warrrior of the Lord, the destroyer of the Satanic host. He is no longer Gabriel the gentle, but Michael the terrible. This aspect of Vāyu helps the soul in completing her conquest over her enemies. It is then that the third manifestation of Vāyu takes place. When the passions are hushed and the lower nature is subjugated, comes then the Vāyu in his last and the sweetest form as Madhva, the sweet wisdom, as Ānandatīrtha the bliss-giving saviour, as Purnaprajña [Pūrṇaprajña?] the perfect wisdom. Tn this aspect, the Vāyu teaches the soul the mysteries of God-head and ultimately leads her to the presence of her Lord. In fact, the exoteric forms given in the secred [secret?] books also conceal this allegory. The first form is that of Hanumat or a big semi-human ape, docile but ferocious, the second is that of a man as warrior, Bhīma the destroyer of th the army of the Kurus. The third is that of Pūrṇaprajña the perfect wisdom, the teacher who is superman.

Madhva now explains the three verses of the Ṛgveda and shows how they refer to the three forms of Vāyu. Generally these verses are taken to mean three forms of Agni the celestial fire as manifested in the sun, astral fire as seen in the lightning and the terrestrial fire as we find it on the altar and hearth. These verses as explained by Sāyāna [Sāyaṇa] hardly give any sensible meaning.

We give Griffith’s translation below:—

Yea, verily, the fair effulgence of the God for glory was established, since He sprang from strength. When He inclines thereto successful is the hymn: the songs of sacrifice have brought Him as they flow.

Wonderful, rich in nourishment, He dwells in food; next in the seven auspicious Mothers is His home. Thirdly that they might drain the treasures of the bull, the maidens brought forth him for whom the ten provide.

What time from out the deep, from the steer’s wondrous form, the chiefs who had the power produced him with their strength: when Matarisvan [Mātariśvan?] rubbed forth him who lay concealed, for mixture of the sweet drink, in the days of old.

The translation of those verses according to Madhva are given below:—

vaṭitthā tadvapuṣedhāyi darśatam devasya bhargaḥ sahaso yatojati |
yadīmūpahvarati sādhate matirṛtasya dhenā anayanta sasrutaḥ ||
     Ṛg. I. 141-1.

Of the powerful God Vāyu, the root-form consists of strength and wisdom, which supports the world and moves through it. He thus for the sake of three-fold forms, was born under the command of the Lord. His first form is called wisdom (Hanumat) who stands near the throne of the Lord and fulfils all his commands and who carries the life-giving words of the True to (Sitā [Sītā?] or to mankind).

Note:—The first function of Vāyu or Christ is that of Hanumat or wisdom, it is the angel that brings the message of hope to the desponding soul as Hanumat carried the words of Rāma to Sītā.

pṛkṣo vapuḥ pitumānnitya āśaye dvitīyamāsaptaśivāsu mātṛṣu |
tṛtīyamasya vṛṣabhasya dohase daśapramatiṃ janayantayoṣaṇaḥ ||

His incarnation as the destroyer of the hosts is his second form, rich with food this eternal one sleeps in the home of the seven measurers.

The third form of this powerful Vāyu is assumed in order to give the milk of wisdom to mankind, this is the ten measured form called the Pūrṇaprajña, which the virgins immaculately conceive.

Note.—The second avatāra of Vāyu is Bhīma the Terrible, the Destroyer of the army of the Satanic host. In this form he governs the Seven Worlds, called the seven Measurers. Resting in the seven worlds, Ho fights incessantly with all the evils thereof, and keeps it fit for beings to dwell. This form is called rich in food, for it nourishes the seven bodies of man. This is the Christ as world-soul. The third aspect of Vāyu or Christ is that which is called Madhva or Pūrṇaprajña or Ānanda tīrtha. This is the human aspect or incarnation of Christ, born of women—“janayanta yoṣanaḥ”. This incarnation is called daśapramatim or Ten-measured or Full-measured, for it is the Perfect manifestation; for ten is the perfect number. This incarnation is called the Vṛṣabha or the Bull of God, as the Christians call the Christ the Lamb of God.

tiryadīṃ budhnānmahiṣasya varpasa īśānāsyaḥ śavasā krantasūrayaḥ |
yadīmanupradivo madhva ādhave guhāsantaṃ mātariśvā mathāyati ||

Because the Rulers and the wise ones have easily understood the adorable and protective attributes of the mighty Lord, through the grace of this Lord of wisdom (Vāyu), who alone full of great illumination and called Madhva, establishes by proofs the concealed Lord as the great master of all, for it is the function of Mātariśva [Mātariśvan?] to rub forth him who lies concealed (as fire is produced by rubbing the sticks).

Note.— Mātariśva [Mātariśvan?] the son of the virgin, or Vāyu in his incarnation as Madhva, has the function of revealing the guhāsantam or the concealed Lord. Not only that, he establishes the Lord Hari as the husband or the master of all souls, he is the teacher, budhna the wise one, from whom all cosmic Rulers (īśānas) and world teachers (sūrayaḥ) learn about the might and glory of the Lord called the mahiṣa [mahiṣaḥ], the possessor of the six manas.

The word “han” denotes wisdom, therefore, hanumat means he who possesses wisdom, the word mati also means he who possesses wisdom.

Therefore when the Ṛgveda uses the words “Yadim upahvara te sādhate matiḥ” it refers to Hanuniat; similarly the words “Ritasya dhenā anayanta sa (su)-srutaḥ [śrutaḥ?]” mean he who carries (anayanta) the words (dhena) of Rāma the ever truthful (su-ritasya) to Sītā.

Tho words “Sāptaśivāsu mātṛsu” refer to Bhīma, the word Bhīma means literally he who supports all authorities, true sciences (bhi bhrita—supported, ma pramāṇāni authorities). The word mataraḥ [mātaraḥ?] [= matara / mātara?] means measurer of authoritative words. The word saptaśivā refers to the seven authoritative Scriptures, namely the four Vedas, Purāṇa, Itihāsa, and Pāñcarātra. He who rests or constantly studies these seven is Bhīma.

The word Madhva in the third verse is composed of two words, madhu meaning sweet or ānanda, and va meaning tīrtha or the scripture or the teachings. He whose teachings are ever sweet is called Madhva or “Ānanda tīrtha”. Thus Madhva and Ānanda tīrtha literally mean the same thing. This is the third body of Vāyu.

He who knows these three forms of the mighty spirit (Vāyu) as described in this Vedic hymn, understands through his grace all the Vedas and all the truths. Thus it is in the book called “Sadbhāva.”

He whose name is Ānandatīrtha and who is the third incarnation of Vāyu, who is also called Pūrṇaprajña he has composed this commentary (and not I). May it be acceptible [acceptable?] to Hari. May Hari full of eternal bliss and infinite qualities be ever pleased with me, my salutations to that Viṣṇu again, yea over and over again.