Section 3.15 (fifteenth khaṇḍa) (seven texts)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

It has been said above that ‘a heroic person is born in his family’; but the mere birth of a heroic person is not sufficient for the salvation of the father; as has been made clear in the Text—‘For this reason it is the Well-disciplined son whom they regard as conducive to the Regions.’ Hence it becomes necessary to find out how longevity could be attained (in order to enable one to educate his son properly); and for this a knowledge of the philosophy of the ‘Coffer’ is necessary: for which purpose the text proceeds with the next Section. This matter was not taken up immediately after the mention of ‘the birth of the heroic son’, because there were more important matters to be expounded. Hence the subject of the ‘Coffers’ is taken up now:—

Upaniṣad text:

The Coffer, having the Sky for its inside and the Earth for its bottom, does not decay. The Quarters are its corners; the Heaven is its upper hole. This Coffer is the repository of wealth; therein rests this Universe.—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Having the Sky for its inside—that whose inner cavity consists of the Sky,—the Coffer,—that which resembles the coffer in various qualities (such as the following); Having the Earth for its bottom,—that of which the Earth is the base.—It does not decay;—it is never destroyed as it consists of all three Regions, it continues to exist for a thousand time-cycles.—The Quarters—all quarters—are its corners;—Heaven is its upper hole;—this coffer is the Repository of wealth; i.e. it is wherein is deposited the entire ‘wealth’ of living beings, in the shape of the results of their actions along with their causes.—Therein rests,— subsists,—this Universe—all that is perceived through Sense-perception and other Means of Cognition.—

Upaniṣad text:

Its Eastern side is called 'Juhū\ the Southern side, ‘Sahamānā’; the Western side, ‘Rājñī’; the Northern side, ‘Subhūtā’. The Wind is the ‘calf’ of these. One who thus knows the Wind as the ‘calf’ of the Quarters never weeps for his son. Verily, I do know the Wind as the ‘calf’ of the Quarters; may I never weep for my son.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Of the said Coffer, the eastern side—the part towards the East—is called ‘Juhū’; it is called ‘Juhū’ because when ritualists are pouring oblations, they do it on this side,—themselves facing the East.—The Southern side is called ‘Sahamānā’; this is so called because it is on this side, in the city of Yama, that all living beings suffer the consequences of their evil deeds.—Similarly the Western side is called ‘Rājñī’; so called because it is presided over by the Rājā, Varuṇa; or because it bears the redness of the setting sun.—The Northern side is called ‘Subhūtā’; so called because it is presided over by such prosperous (Bhūtimat) personalities as Īśvara, Kubera and the like.—Of these Quarters, Wind is the calf; so called because the Wind proceeds from the Quarters; as is seen in the case of storms.—If any one who is desirous of the longevity of his son knows the Wind as described above, as the immortal ‘calf’ of the Quarters, he never Weeps for his son,—on account of his son; that is, his son does not die.—Because the science of the ‘Coffer’ and the ‘Wind as the calf of the Quarters’ is possessed of such character,—therefore, I, who am desirous of securing longevity for my son, know—recognise—the Wind as the calf of the Quarters,—May I never weep for my son,—i.e. for the death of my son.—(2)

Upaniṣad text:

I turn to the imperishable Coffer, for such and such and such. I turn to Prāṇa, for such and such and such. I turn to Bhūḥ for such and such and such. I turn to Bhuvaḥ for such and such and such. I turn to Svaḥ, for such and such and such.—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Imperishable—indestructible—Coffer—as described above,—to this I turn,—have recourse to, for the sake of my son’s longevity;—for such and such and such. i.e. the speaker mentions the name of his son three times. Similarly, I turn to Prāṇa, for such and such and such;—I turn the Bhūḥ—for such and such and such;—I turn to Bhuvaḥ, for such and such and such; I turn to Svaḥ for such and such and such. After pronouncing the term ‘I turn’, he utters the son’s name three times, again and again.—(3)

Upaniṣad text:

When I said ‘I turn to Prāṇa’,—Prāṇa is all this whatever exists,—to that I turned.—(4)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

The Text ‘when I said etc.’ proceeds to explain what has gone before. Prāṇa indeed is all this—universe —that exists; as is going to be described later on in the text ‘As the spokes fixed to the Hub etc.’ To all this I turned when I spoke of the Prāṇa.—(4)

Upaniṣad text:

When I said ‘I turn to Bhūḥ’, what I meant to say was that ‘I turn to the Earth, I turn to the Sky, I turn to the Heaven’.—(5)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

When I said ‘I turn to Bhūḥ’, what I meant to say was that ‘I turn to the three Regions, Earth and the rest’.—(5)

Upaniṣad text:

When I said ‘I turn to Bhuvaḥ’, what I meant to say was that ‘I turn to Agni, I turn to Vāyu, I turn to Āditya.’—(6)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

When I said ‘I turn to Bhuvaḥ’, what I meant to say was that ‘I turn to the three deities, Agni, and the rest.’—(6)

Upaniṣad text:

When I said ‘I turn to Svaḥ’, what I meant to say was that ‘I turn to Ṛgveda, I turn to Yajurveda, I turn to Sāmaveda’; this was what I said.—(7)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

When I said ‘I turn to Svaḥ’, what I meant to say was that ‘I turn to Ṛgveda and the rest’.

These Mantras one should recite after proper meditation of the aforesaid ‘imperishable’ ‘Coffer’, along with the ‘Calf of the Quarters’.

The repetition of the phrase ‘what I said’ is meant to indicate the importance of the subject.—(7)

End of Section (15) of Discourse III.