Section 5.9 (ninth khaṇḍa) (two texts)

Upaniṣad text:

‘Thus, at the fifth libation, Water comes to be called Man—That foetus enclosed in the membrane, having lain within for ten or nine months, more or less, becomes born’.—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Thus it is that at the fifth libation, Water comes to be called ‘Man’;—thus one of the five questions (put by the King) has been answered;—now this subject has been introduced in the Śathapatha Brāhmaṇa, in the following words—‘When the two libations return to this world from the Heavenly Region, they enter the Earth, the Man, the Woman,—in this order, it comes to rise towards the world’ (See Bhāṣya Introductory to V—iv—I); this subject was introduced here only by the way,—in the first question put here, it was asked—‘Dost thou know where people go from here?’ (See V—iii—2): and it is this question that begins to be dealt with now.—That foetus,—the fifth evolute of Water as constituting the act of libation and as known by the name ‘Faith’,—enclosed in— surrounded by—the membrane—for ten or nine months, or for such time—more or less—as may be necessary—having lain within—the mother’s womb,—becomes born, ‘Enclosed in the membrane’ and such qualifications have been added for the purpose of creating a feeling of disgust (against wordly existence); the sense being—that it must be extremely painful for the embryonic personality to lie within the mother’s womb,—having all his faculties, strength, virility, energy, intelligence and activity held in complete check—growing through the absorption of the food and drink taken by the mother—having its source in very unclean Blood and Semen,—covered by the most unclean clothing of the membrane,—the body—smeared with the urine, excreta, wind, bile and phlegm contained in the womb. Then the actual birth, consisting in painful coming out through the vagina,—must be still more painful. All this gives rise to feelings of Disgust (non-attachment): Such suffering would be unbearable even for a single moment—what to say of lying in the womb for such a long time as ten or nine months I—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

‘Being born, he lives upto his life-span; when he is dead, they carry him, as ordained, to the Fire,—whence he came and whence he sprang.’—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Thus being born, he lives upto his life-span; doing deeds tending to his repeated goings up and comings down, like the revolving of the water-wheel,—or like the potter’s wheel, moving about horizontally,—he lives up to the full life-span, which is determined by his past acts.—When at the end of the life-span, he dies, they carry him, as ordained,—to such other regions as have been allotted to him in accordance with his past deeds,—according as during life, he was devoted to the performance of Rituals or to the acquiring of Knowledge—they carry him from the village to the fire,—i.e., for the sake of being consigned to the fire,—this being done by the Priests or by the sons, for the performance of the first Rites. Because it was out of Fire that he came,—through the process of the libations of Faith and the rest—and because it was out of the Fire, the Five Fires, that he sprang,—therefore they carry him to the Fire,—that is, they consign him to his own origin.—(2)

End of Section (9) of Discourse V.