Section 3.16 (sixteenth khaṇḍa) (seven texts)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Meditation and Mantra-repetition for the sake of the son’s longevity have been described; the Text proceeds to expound the Meditation and Mantra-repetition for the sake of one’s own longevity; because it is only while one is himself alive that he comes by such desirable things as the son and the like, not otherwise. With this view the Text proceeds to represent the Man as Sacrifice.

Upaniṣad text:

Man indeed is the Sacrifice. His twenty-four years are the ‘Morning Extraction’; the Gāyatrī contains twenty-four letters; the ‘Morning Extraction’ is related to the Gāyatrī. Connected with this are the Vasus; the Prāṇas are the Vasus; as they make all this abide (vāsayanti).—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Man;—that is, the well-known particular aggregate of causes and effects, endowed with life;—indeed—is meant to emphasise the assertion;—the sense being that Man is really the Sacrifice.—The text next proceeds to indicate the points of similarity between Man and Sacrifice.—

“How?”—Of man, the first twenty-four years of life constitute what is the ‘Morning Extraction’ of the Sacrifice known as ‘Man’.—What are the points of similarity on which this parallelism is based?—

Answer:—The Gāyatrī-metre-contains twenty four letters,—and the ‘Morning Extraction’ is related to the Gāyatrī,—i.e. the ‘Morning Extraction’ of the Ritualistic Sacrifice is related to the Gāyatrī-metre;—hence when the Man becomes twenty-four years of age, he becomes equipped with the ‘Morning Extraction and hence being thus similar to the Ritualistic Sacrifice, the Man is the Sacrifice. Similarly, the other two parts of the Man’s life mean equipment with the Midday and Evening Extractions, on the basis of the similarity of the number of years to the number of letters in the Triṣṭup and Jagatī metres.

Further, connected with the ‘Morning Extraction’ of this ‘Sacrifice-Man’, are the Vasus, the Deities,—just as they are connected with the Ritualistic Sacrifice; that is, they are the deities, and hence the masters, of the ‘Morning Extraction’. According to this parallelism, it would follow that, as at the ritualistic sacrifice, so at the Sacrifice-Man also, the deities are the well-known ‘Vasus’, Agni and the rest; in order to dispel this notion, the Text makes a distinction.—The Prāṇas are the Vasus (in the case of the Sacrifice-Man),—‘Prāṇas’ standing for the organs of Speech etc., as also for the Life-breaths.—Because it is these Prāṇas that make all this,—living beings—abide. That is, it is only while the Prāṇas are in the body that all this abides, lives, not otherwise; and because they make all this abide (vāsayanti), therefore, they are ‘Vasus—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

If, at that age, anything ail him, he should say—‘O Ye, Prāṇas and Vasus, extend this my Morning Extraction to the Midday Extraction, so that I, the Sacrifice, may not be cut off in the middle of the Prāṇa-Vasus!’—Thereupon, he recovers from the ailment and becomes free from illness.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

When the man has become identified with the Sacrifice, if at that age—i.e. at the age parallel to what, at the Sacrifice, would be the Morning Extraction,—anything ail him,—any disease or something else involving danger of death,—then the Man engaged in sacrifices, who regards himself as the Sacrifice, should say this—i.e. he should repeat the following Mantra.’—‘O ye, Prāṇas-Vasus,—this the Morning Extraction of my Sacrifice,—please extend to the Mid-day Extraction,—i.e. join it on to and unify it with, that span of my life which is parallel to the Mid-day Extraction. So that I, the sacrificer may not be cut off—may not drop out in the middle of the Prāṇa-Vasus, who preside over the Morning Extradiction.—The particle ‘iti’ (after ‘Vilopsīya’) indicates the end of the Mantra to be recited.—By the repeating of this Mantra and by meditation, he recovers from the ailment; and having recovered and got out of it, he becomes free from illness,—free from all suffering.—(2)

Upaniṣad text:

The forty-four years are the Midday Extraction. The Triṣṭup metre contains forty-four letters. The Midday Extraction is related to the Triṣṭup. With this the Rudras are connected. The Prāṇas are the Rudras; as it is these that make all this weep (rodayanti).—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

The forty-four years etc.,—just as before. Those who weep, and make others weep—are the Rudras, who are the Prāṇas.—In middle age, people are inclined to be cruel,—hence called ‘Rudras’.—(3)

Upaniṣad text:

If at that age, anything ail him, he should say—‘O ye, Prāṇas—Rudras, extend this my Midday Extraction to the Third Extraction,—so that I, the Sacrifice, may not be cut off in the middle of the Prāṇas—Rudras!’—Thereafter, he recovers from the ailment and becomes free from illness.—(4)

(No Bhāṣya)

Upaniṣad text:

The forty-eight years are the Third Extraction. The Jagatī metre contains forty-eight letters. The Third Extraction is related to the Jagatī. With this the Ādityas are connected. The Prāṇas verily are Ādityas; as it is these that take up all this ādadate.—(5)

If, at that age, anything ail him, he should say—‘O Ye, Prāṇas-Ādityas, extend this Third Extraction to the full span of life, so that, I, the Sacrifice, may not be cut off in the middle of the ‘Prāṇas-Ādityas’. Thereafter, he recovers from the ailment and becomes free from illness.—(6)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Similarly the Prāṇas are Ādityas: it is they that take up all this,—in the shape of sound and the rest.—‘O, Ye, Ādityas, complete the Third Extraction, the full span of life—consisting of a hundred and sixteen years—that is, in this way complete the sacrifice.—The rest is as before.—(5-6)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Well-defined knowledge always brings its reward;—in order to show this, the text cites an example.

Upaniṣad text:

Knowing this, Mahīdāsa-Aitareya said—‘Wherefore do you afflict me thus,—I who am not going to die by it?’ And he lived for a hundred and sixteen years. One who knows this lives for a hundred and sixteen years.—(7)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

This philosophy of Sacrifice was known to one Mahīdāsa—by name—who was Aitareya,—the son of Itarā.—Wherefore,—why—do you afflict me thus—with this affliction—O, ye, Disease,—when I, who am the Sacrifice, am not going to die—perish, by its affliction? That is, all your labour is useless.—So said he—the words occurring in the beginning of the text.—With this firm conviction, Mahīdāsa lived for a hundred and sixteen years,—Any one else also, who has this same firm conviction, lives for a hundred and sixteen years,—that is, if he knows the abovedescribed method of accomplishing the Sacrifice,—(7)

End of Section (16) of Discourse III.