Section 2.20 (twentieth khaṇḍa) (two texts)

Upaniṣad text:

Fire is the syllable “Hiṃ”; Air is the Prastāva; the Sun is the Udgītha; the Stars are the Pratihāra; the Moon is the Nidhana. This is the Rājana (Sima) interwoven in the Deities.—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Fire is the syllable ‘Hiṅ’; because it occupies the first position,—Air is the Prastāva;—because both are equally next to the preceding (in their respective spheres),—The Sun is Udgītha’, because of superior importance,—The Stars are the Pratihāra; because of their being assembled together. The Moon is the Nidhana; because men demoted to sacrificial acts abide there. This is the Rājana Sāma interwoven in the Deities; as the Deities are endowed with effulgence.—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

One who thus knows the Rājana as interwoven in the Deities reaches the same regions and the same majesty as these Deities, and also absorption into them; he attains the full life-span, lives gloriously and becomes great with off-spring and cattle, great in fame. His observance is that he should not decry the Brāhmaṇas,—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

The text mentions the reward that accrues to the man who knows this. He reaches—i.e.,—attains the same regions—similar regions—and the same majesty—greatness—as Fire and the other Deities; and also absorption into them,—that is, he occupies the same body as the Deities, The term ‘or’ should be regarded as understood here; the meaning being that he attains the same regions, or the same majesty etc., etc.; the exact character of the reward is dependent upon the nature of the disposition of the man concerned; and a combination of all these rewards is not possible.—The observance is that he should not decry the Brāhmaṇas is as much as the Vedic text has distinctly declared that “The Brāhmaṇas are the visible deities”, the decrying of the Brāhmaṇas would mean the decrying of the Deities.—(2)

End of Section (20) of Discourse II