Section 5.10 (tenth khaṇḍa) (ten texts)

Upaniṣad text:

Those who know this, and also those who, in the forest, meditate upon faith and penance, go to light; from light to day; from day to the Bright Fortnight; from the Bright Fortnight to those six months during which the Sun rises northwards;—(1)—from these months to the Year; from the Year to the Sun: from the Sun to the Moon; from the Moon to Lightning.—There lies a Person, not human; he carries them to Brahman, This is the Path of Divinities.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

The question introduced for disposal now is ‘Dost thou know where people go to, from here?’ (See V-iii-2)

From among those householders who aspire towards and are entitled to the Higher Regions—those who know this—i.e., those who know the above-described philosophy of the Five Fires, which teaches that we are produced gradually from the fires of the Heavenly and other Regions, and are of the nature of Fire, having our essence in the Five Fires.

Question:—“How is it understood that the phrase those who know this’ refers to the Householders alone, and not to others?”

Answer:—It is going to be asserted (in the next text, which clearly confines itself to Householders) that from among householders, those who do not know this Philosophy and who are devoted entirely to the performance of works of public utility and charity go to the Moon through smoke and other things; while those who are connected with forest-life, such as hermits and renunciates, are going to be described (in the next clause) as going through flame and the rest, along with those ‘who know this’.—(So that the only persons left are householders).—Thus by a process of elimination,—and also from the connection of the Agnihotra (which must refer to the Householder),—it follows that it is Householders who are meant by the phrase ‘those who know this’.

Objection:—“ How can we get at the Householders by a process of elimination when there are the Religious Students still left unnoticed, as they are not included either in the text speaking of villages (as Religious Students do not live in villages) or in the text speaking of the Forest (as this is confined to Hermits and Renunciates)?”

Answer:—This does not vitiate our position. As, on the authority of Purāṇa and Smṛti texts, it is well-known that Celebates and Life-long Students also go by the Northern Path of the Sun. Hence these also would go with (become included in) the ‘Dwellers in the Forest’; and as for the Religious Student who is going to enter the life of the House-holder, his sole purpose is Vedic Study and as such he does not need to be specifically mentioned (or noticed) in the present context.

Says the Opponant:—“If Celibacy be the means of reaching the Northern Path, on the authority of Purāṇa and Smṛti texts,—then the knowledge of this (Philosophy) becomes futile.”

Answer:—Not so, as it has its use in the case of House-holders. Those Householders who do not know this Philosophy,—for those, it is well known, is the natural Southern Path, passing through smoke and the rest. From among these, those who know this philosophy or any other qualified form of Brahman,—go by the Northern Path,—as is indicated by the text ‘For such a person, whether or not they perform the obsequies, he goes to Light etc.’ (Ibid. IV. xv. 5).

Objection:—Celibates and Householders, both belonging to the same order (the former also living in the House, though without family),—it is not right that the Celibates alone should proceed by the Northern Path, and not the Householders,—specially when the Householder has to perform many rites such as the Agnihotra and the like (which should better entitle him to the Brighter Path)”.

Answer:—This does not vitiate our position. Because as a matter of fact, these (Householders) are not quite ‘purified’; they are still influenced by attachment and hatred due to contact with friends and enemies,—so also by Demerit and Merit, due to injuring and helping; in fact, for these there are many unavoidable sources of impurity,— such as injury, falsehood, deceit, sexuality and so forth; —hence they are ‘not purified’, and being unpurified, they cannot proceed normally by the Northern Path. When however the acts of Injury, Falsehood, Deceit, Sexuality and the rest have been eliminated and they have thereby become purified, and having got rid of the attachment and hatred for friends and enemies,—they become free from all ‘foulness’ (evil);—and then it is only right that they should proceed by the Northern Path. So say those learned in the Purāṇas, in the following text—‘Those unwise persons who sought for off-spring went to the crematorium; while those wise persons who did not seek for offspring attained immortality.’

Objection:—“The Householders who know this philosophy, and the Forest-dwellers (Hermits and Renunciates).—if both these equally proceed by the same (Northern) Path and reach the same goal of immortality,—then the superior knowledge of the forest-dwellers becomes futile; and this would be contrary to the scriptures, which declare that—‘The Southerners go not there, nor the ignorant ascetics’, and that ‘Unknown, He does, not protect’. (Bṛhadā-Upa. I. iv. 15.)”

There is no such contradiction of the scriptures. In the present context, the immortality spoken of as the goal attained is only relative immoratality, which has been described as ‘continuity of existence till Final Dissolution’ (Viṣṇu-Purāṇa, 2.8.’5.); while what the two texts just quoted—(a) ‘The Southerners go not there’, and (b) ‘Being unknown, he does not protect’,—refer to is Absolute Immortality; hence there is no incompatibility (between the Philosophy of the Fires and the Vedic Texts quoted).

The opponent rejoins—“In that case, what is said now (regarding this Immortality being only relative) will be contrary to such Vedic declarations as—(a) “They do not return , (Praśna Upa. 1.10.), (b) “They return not to this whirl of humanity” (Ibid. IV. xv. 6.) (which indicate that the Immortality is absolute.”)

Not so; because of the specification expressed in the phrase ‘this whirl of humanity’; so that the meaning is that they do not return to human life’ (which is very different from not-returning at all); if the ‘non-return’ here spoken of were meant to be absolute Immortality, then the specifying of ‘whirl of humanity’ would be absolutely meaningless.

Opponent—“The particles this and here (in the texts) only indicate the Universal, the generality (and hence the Immortality meant cannot but be of the universal, absolute, type.”)

Not so; as the term ‘non-return’ being sufficient to express eternal, (absolute) non-return, the assumption of the Universal would be purposeless. Hence in order to make some sense out of the specification implied by the terms ‘this and here’—it has to be assumed that there is Return to other lives (though not to human life).—As for those persons who have realised the final truth relating to ‘the One Being, without a second’ there is no going out to the Path of Flame etc., through the artery in the Head (as there is in the case of the man who reaches only relative Immortality) [because in the case of the man who has realised the Truth, there is immediate merging into the Absolute Brahman]; as is clear from hundreds of Vedic texts, such as—(a) ‘Being Brahman, he attains Brahman’ (Bṛhada, Upa. IV. iv. 5). “Hence he became all’ (Bṛhada Upa. 1. 4. 10), ‘His life-breaths do not go out, they become merged herein’ (Bṛhadā Upa. 4. 4. 6.).

Objection; “When this last quoted text asserts that when the Living Being is going out, his Breaths do not depart’, we assume that what is meant is that ‘the Breaths accompany him (when he is leaving the body)’.

Answer:—That cannot be the meaning; as the next sentence says ‘they become merged therein’: and this would have no meaning (under the above interpretation). Then again, the going out of the Breaths having been already declared elsewhere in the text ‘All the breaths go out after him’. (Bṛhadā Upa IV.iv.5.), there can be no doubt regarding their going out.—It might be argued that ‘the path of libation being quite different from Births and Rebirths, people might be led to believe that the Breaths do go out with the Living Being, and hence the text in question has declared that they do not go out’.—But even so, the objection—that the additional specification that ‘they become merged therein’ would be meaningless—would still stand. Further, when the person has become separated from the Breaths, there can be no going for him; nor indeed the character of a Living Being can apply to it. If there is any truth in Vedic texts, the Self who is pure Being being allpervading and without constituent parts, the only thing that differentiates the Living Self (Jīvātmā, from the Self) is its connection with the Breaths;—the relationship between the Self and the Living Self being exactly like that between the fire and the sparks going out of it; consequently, when the Breaths have gone out, and their connection with the Living Self has thus ceased, this Self can no longer be regarded as ‘living’ (Jīva), or as going out. It cannot be assumed that ‘when the entity called’ ‘Jiva’ goes out, he does so as a small part shooting out of the Supreme Being and leaving a hole in this latter.’—From all this it follows that when the Text says ‘going above that he reaches Immortality,’ what it means is that when the person medicating upon Brahman with qualifications, goes out, along with the Breaths, through the Artery in the head, the immortality that he attains is only relative, and it is not direct Absolute Liberation; that it is,so is clear also from such specific statements as ‘that is the unconquered city—that the enchanting lake—‘to those alone belongs the Brahmic Region.’ (which all go to show that absolute immortality is attainable only by those knowing Brahman),

Thus then, the meaning is that (1) those householders who know the philosophy of the Five Fires,—(2) those who dwell in the forest, i.e., Hermits and Renunciates,—along with—(3) the Life-long Religion, Students—who meditate upon Faith and Penance,—i.e., who are endowed with Faith and are devoted to penances,—the term ‘meditate’ here standing for being devoted to, engaged in, just as in the phrase ‘who meditate upon acts of public utility and charity’;—and on the strength of another Vedic text, (4) those who meditate upon the true Brahman named ‘Hiraṇyagarbha’.— all these (four kinds of persons) go to Flame,—they reach the Deity kindling the flame.—The rest is similar to the explanations provided under the similar description of the ‘Process’, under Discourse IV (IV. xv. 5.).

Thus has been described the Path of the Divinities, culminating in the Satyaloka, which is well within the Universal Egg; as has been indicated by the Mantra text— ‘Which lies between the Father and the Mother.’—(1-2)

Upaniṣad text:

And those who, living in villages, meditate upon sacrifices and works of public utility and charity,—pass on to Smoke; from Smoke to Night; from Night to the Darker Fortnight; from the Darker Fortnight to those months during which the Sun moves Southwards; from there they do not reach the year.—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

The term ‘atha’ (and) is meant to indicate the beginning of a new subject. Those—Householders—who living in villages; ‘living in villages’ is the common characteristic of all Householders, differentiating them from the Dwellers in the Forest; just as ‘dwelling in the Forest’ serves to differentiate Hermite and Renunciates from Householders. —Sacrifices. A gnihotra and other Rites, prescribed in the Vedas;—works of public utility.—such as the digging of tanks and wells and the laying out of Parks;—Charity— giving, distributing, apart from the sacrificial altar, to the best of one’s resources, of things to deserving persons;—those who meditate upon such service and protection; the particle ‘iti’ ùn the phrase ‘Dattamityupāsate’) is meant to indicate the methods (of meditation).—All these persons, being devoid of true insight, go over to smoke,—i.e., they reach the Deity ensouling Smoke; and being passed on by that Deity, they go to Night.—i.e, to the Deity of the Night;—from Night, they go to the Darker Fortnight,—i.e., the Deity of the Dark-Fortnight;—from that to those six months—the Deity ensouling these months—during which the San moves Southwards. The Deities of these six months always move in a group; hence the Text uses the plural number (in the word ‘māsān’. ‘months’).—These persons mentioned here being addicted to the performance of Acts, do not reach the Deity ensouling the Year.

Question:—“When was there any likelihood of these persons reaching the Year, that it should have been specially denied?”

Answer:—There was a likelihood the Northern and Southern Paths of the Sun, both equally form part of the Year; and for those who go by the path of Flame and the rest it has been asserted above that from the six months of the Northern Path of the Sun, they proceed to the complete Year. Hence it was only natural that on the same analogy, those who have been spoken of as having reached the six months of the Southern Path should be regarded as going next to the year; consequently it was necessary to deny this specifically —from them they do not go to the Year.—(3)

Upaniṣad text:

From the months, (they go) to the Region of the Fathers; from the Region of the Fathers to Ākāśa; from Ākāśa to the Moon. That is Soma the King. That is the food of the Deities. This the Deities eat.—(4)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

From the months, they go to the Region of the Fathers,—from the Region of the Fathers, to Ākāśa; from Ākāśa to the Moon.—

Question:—“Who is it who is reached by them?”

Answer:—The Moon, which is seen by us in the sky, who is Soma, the King—of Brāhmaṇas; that is the food of the Deities; and this food in the shape of the Moon, the Deities eat.—Thus the performers of Rituals and other acts, having gone through smoke and the rest, become merged in the Moon and hence are eaten by the Deities.

Objection;—“If becoming food, these persons are eaten by the Deities,—then the performance of sacrifices and other acts leads to evil consequences”.—There is no point in this objection. What is really meant by their being eaten is only that they become the accessories or tools of the Deities,—not that they are actually eaten, swallowed by the Deities as morsels of food; they only become tools in the hands of the Deities,—like women, cattle, servants and such dependents. The term ‘anna’ (food) is actually found to be used in the sense of accessory, in such expressions as—‘women are food’, ‘cattle are food’, ‘the people are food’,—‘of the King’; and so forth. Just as in the case of women, cattle and the rest,—though they are themselves objects of enjoyment for man,—it does not follow from that that they do not have their own enjoyments,—so is the case in question; even though the performers of acts are objects of enjoyment for Deities, yet they enjoy their own pleasures, sporting with Deities. The body for these persons, fit for the experiencing of those pleasures, is an aqueous one, produced in the Lunar Region. This is what has been described above in the text ‘Water, named Faith, having been offered into the fire of the Heavenly Region, becomes King Soma’ (Ibid, V. iv. 2.). What happens is that the Water, entering into the constitution of the Rites performed, and accompanied by other elementary substances, reaches the Heavenly Region, and becoming merged in the Moon, it becomes the constituent making up the body for persons devoted to sacrifices and other acts. (And it is through this aqueous body that they are enabled to experience the joys of Heaven.) That is to say, when the last oblation has been poured into the fire and the body has been burnt, the water rising out of the body goes up along with the smoke, and having enveloped the sacrificer (his soul), it reaches the Lunar Region and becomes the material of which the external body of the sacrificer is built up,—just as straw and clay form the material in the making of the Clay-Idol; and it is with the body built of this water that these persons stay in Heaven, enjoying the reward of their sacrificial and other acts.—(4)

Upaniṣad text:

Having dwelt there till exhaustion, they return again, by the same path as they came, to Ākāśa; from Ākāśa to Air; having become Air, they become Smoke; and having become Smoke, they become the Mist.—(5)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

By the time that the Kārmic force to which the heavenly pleasures are due become exhausted;—the term ‘sampāta’ stands for that whereby there is exhaustion of the Kārmic force;—so the meaning is ‘by the time that the Kārmic force becomes exhausted—having dwelt in the Lunar Region, they return again immediately by the path going to be described. The use of the phrase ‘return again’ indicates that the persons concerned had previously also gone to the Lunar Region and returned therefrom; while, in this Region, these persons, having developed their Kārmic force, go over to the Moon; and when this force is exhausted, they return, and they are not allowed to stay there for a single moment after that; because their going there was due entirely to the Kārmic force and this force has become exhausted;—just as the lamp disappears on the exhaustion of the oil-supply.

Question:—“When one has reached the Lunar Region as the result of his Kārmic force, and descends from there,—does this descent take place after the total exhaustion of that force? Or, while there is still some remnant of it left?—“Well, what if it is?”—If the entire Kārmic force is exhausted, then Liberation should follow immediately, while the man is still in the Lunar Regions (as on exhaustion of the Kārmic force, there is nothing that can keep him from Liberation); or, we may leave aside the question as to whether Liberation would or would not follow him there in fact, (if the entire Kārmic force has been exhausted) it would not be possible for the man, on his return from the Lunar Regions, to have any physical body and experiences (as all these are the results of the force of Kārmic Residual); and this view of entire exhaustion would also be contrary to what is said in the Smṛtis regarding man being reborn on account of the reward of his Kārmic Residual force.”

(The answer to the above is as follows)—(The Man has reached the Lunar Regions as the result of the Kārmic farce set up by his performance of acts of public utility and of charity; and) in this world of men, there are many acts done apart from those of public utility and charity; and it is possible that there would be many such acts the Kārmic force of which would lead to the man’s having a physical body and experiences on rebirth; and these experiences cannot all be gone through in the Lunar Regions; these therefore would remain unexhausted; and only those acts (and their Residual forces) would be exhausted by virtue of which the Man had reached the Lunar Regions. Thus, there is no incompatibility at all. As for the term ‘remnant there can be no incongruity in its use, as it refers to all acts in general (not to any particular set of acts, such as those of public utility).—Thus then, there is no room for the objection that Liberation would follow then and there. As a matter of fact, whenever any single person is born in the world, such birth may be the result of any one of his numerous acts which are conducive to experiences to be gone through in several mutually incompatible bodies.—(That is, the man may have done acts, one of which would lead to such experiences as are to be had only in a human body, while there may be one act which would lead to experiences under-goable only in an equine body; and both these sets of experiences could not be gone through during a single life).—So that it is not possible for the whole Kārmic Residue of the man to be exhausted during a single life. Further, it has been declared that there are many such acts as Brāhmaṇa-murder and other heinous crimes which lead to the person being born during; several lives. Further, such persons as have come to be born as inanimate things (as the result of grave misdeeds), as these would be entirely dull and non-intelligent, there is no possibility of their doing any such act of superior merit as would lead to an improvement in their position. And lastly, for those who are in the embryostage, there would be no possibility for these to be born into the world, as there would be no Kārmic Residue during the time that they are coming out of the womb (and exhypothesis all past Kārmic residue has become exhausted). From all this it follows that the experiences resulting from all one’s acts cannot be gone through during a single life.

Some people have asserted as follows:—“At the time of death (all the Kārmic Residue that was ‘operative Prārabdha, during the life having become exhausted),—and the substratum of all the rest of the Man’s Kārmic Residue,—in the shape of the dead.body—having become destroyed by death,—these remaining Residues lead to the birth of a new Body. Of these Kārmic residues it is not possible that while some of them become actively operative in bringing about the birth, some continue to remain inoperative; because Death brings to the fore the entire set of the man’s Kārmic residue; just as when the lamp is lighted it illumines all that falls within its range. (So that there must be a remnant of Kārmic Residue in the case under discussion).”

This is not right. Because the accepted view is that all things are essentially the same (everything is of the nature of everything); and when all is essentially the same as all, there can be no entire distinction of anything, regulated as all things are, by condition, of time and place; nor is the entire manifestation of anything possible, for the same reason. Similarly, in the case of the Kārmic Residue along with their substratum. For instance, in a certain case the man’s nature may be beset with numerous tendencies (and impressions) due to his previous births as Man, Peacock, Ape etc., and if his coming birth happens to be brought about by that portion of his Kārmic Residue which is conducive to making him born as Ape,—the rest of his Kārmic Residue and tendencies—does not become entirely destroyed (or set aside). If all the tendencies and impressions conducive to other hinds of birth (as man or peacock etc.) were entirely set aside or destroyed, then, in the case when the man has been born as an ape, by virtue of that Kārmi'c Residue which was conducive to his apish birth, (and all the rest of his Kārmic Residue were destroyed after this), then it would not be possible for the ape, immediately on birth, to acquire the capacity to jump from the tree, or remain clinging to, the mother’s breasts; because it has not had any practice of these arts during its present birth. Nor can it be asserted that, “during the life immediately preceding the present one, it was an Ape (so that the capacities come to it out of that past experience).”—Because the Vedic Text declares that “Knowledge and Action follow him, as also previous experience.” (Bṛhadā. Upa; IV. iv. 2.) (Which shows that the man’s capacities in life are not due? only to the tendencies and impressions of his immediately preceding life,—but to all the sum total of his past experiences).—From all this it follows that just like the tendencies and impressions there can be no destruction of all the Kārmic Residues; so that the remnant of such residue is quite possible. Thus, what happens is that the Birth is due to that part of his Kārmic Residue which remains after the exhaustion of that part of it which brought about his experience (in the past life;—and in this there is no incompatibility or incongruity.

The text now proceeds to answer the question—“What is that Path to which they return?’—By the same Path as they came.

Objection:—“The journey outward has been described as being ‘from the regions of the Fathers to Ākāśa, from Ākāśa to the Moon; but the return journey has not been described in this way; the return journey is said to be from Ākāśa to Air and so forth;—how then can it be said to be ‘by the same Path as they came?”

Answer:—This does not vitiate the statement; as the reaching of Ākāśa, and that of Earth, is the same in both journeys. Nor, again, does it mean that the Returning is always exactly the same way; as a matter of fact, they return in other ways also; in fact, it is not even necessary that they must return in all cases; hence when it is said that ‘they return the same way’, it is only by way of illustration.—Thus, they reach the elemental (material) Ākāśa. As for the Water that made up their body in the Lunar Region, they become dissolved on the exhaustion of that Kārmic Residue to which their experiences in that region had been due; just like clarified Butter on contact with fire;—on being dissolved it continues to remain in subtle form, in the Sky, having been turned into Ākāśa; and from the sky, the Water turns into Air, and resting in Air, and becoming turned into Air, it becomes carried about hither and thither; and the person whose Kārmic Residue has been exhausted also becomes turned into Air. (This is what is meant by his going from Ākāśa to Air).—Having become Air, he, along with the Water, becomes Smoke;—having become Smoke, he becomes Mist, which looks like being filled with water.—(5)

Upaniṣad text:

Having become Mist, he becomes the Cloud; having become the Cloud, he becomes Rains;—then he is born as rice and barley, herbs and trees, seasamum and beans. Henceforth, exit becomes extremely difficult, whoever eats food, and who sows the seed, he becomes like unto him.—(6)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Having become Mist, he becomes the Rainproducing Cloud;—having become the Cloud, he rains; i.e. the man with the remnant of his Kārmic Residue falls down in the shape of torrents of rain;—then they are born as,—in the form of—rice and barley, herbs and trees. seas a mum and beans. As the number of persons with (partly) exhausted Kārmic Residue is a large one, (and are born in so many diverse forms) they have been spoken of by a word in the plural number (‘they’). In the form of Cloud and the rest, on the other hand, they all appear in the single forms of Cloud etc., hence in that connection the singular number has been used; in the case of raintorrents, they are found to have thousands of places like mountain-sides, caves, rivers, ocean, forests, deserts, and so forth. For this reason, henceforth exit becomes extremely difficult,—difficult to move, difficult to get out of; as being carried away by the water flowing down the mountain sides, they reach the rivers, thence the ocean; there they are eaten by alligators and other animals; these animals also are eaten up by other animals; thus, along with the alligator, becoming dissolved in the ocean, they become drawn, along with the sea-water, by the clouds and falling, in the form of rain-torrents, come to rest upon such inaccesible places as the desert or a rock; sometimes however they are drunk up by serpents and wild animals, and eaten by others; and those again by others; and so on they would go on in a round of Evolution;—in some cases, they would fall upon such inanimate things as are not eatable, and become dry and evaporated there; even among those who become edible inanimate things, it is difficult to become connected with the body of a person capable of ‘sowing the seed because the number of inanimate things is so large; this is what makes the exit extremely difficult.

Or, the term ‘Durniṣprapatara [durniṣprapataram]’ may be taken to mean that ‘exit herefrom is more difficult than from the position of rice and barley’ etc.,—this interpretation would involve the assumption of an additional ‘ta’, the form being ‘Durniṣprapatatara [durniṣprapatataram]’,—in the sense that ‘the position of rice and barley’ etc., is itself difficult to get out of ‘Durniṣprapata’, ‘and more difficult than this is the exit from connection with a body capable of ‘sowing the seed’, because there are many such bodies (of human beings) who are entirely celibate or infants or persons devoid of masculine virility, and when food is eaten up by these, it perishes (without further Procreation; because the number of food-eaters is so large). It is only by sheer chance that once in a way, the food comes to be eaten by persons capable of sowing the seed and when thus they have attained the position of such ‘sowers of seed’, then their Kārmic Residues come to secure a position enabling it to function.—“How?”—Whoever—person capable of ‘sowing the seed’, eats food connected with the latent personalities with Kārmic Residues,—and who sows the seed,—in the woman, during her courses,—he becomes like unto him; that is, of the same shape as the ‘sower of seed—the term ‘bhūyaḥ’ signifies a large measure of resemblance in features; what happens is that the latent personality with his Kārmic Residue enters the womb of the woman, in the form of the ‘seed’, and the ‘seed’ bears the features of the ‘sower of the seed’—says another Vedic text—‘The vigour was produced out of all limbs’; hence it is only natural that he comes to resemble the ‘sower of the seed’.—Thus, then it is that from Man. is born Man; and from the cow only animals with the bovine shape; and not animals with other shapes. Hence, it is only right to say that ‘he becomes like unto him.’

There are others apart from these personalities with their Kārmic Residues who fail to ascend to the Lunar Region, and by reason of their extremely sinful acts, they reach the position of rice, barley etc., and then go on to the position of Man;—for these the exit is not so difficult as in the case of the above-mentioned latent personalities with the Kārmic Residue.—Why?—Because the body of rice and barley etc. has been taken by the person, as a result of their karma,—and when this karma has become exhausted through experience, the body (due to that karma)—of rice and other things, down to the tuft of grass,—becomes destroyed,—‘and other new bodies, in due course, become taken up, in accordance with the nature of his karma; jumping from one body to the other, like the leech, and he retains consciousness all the time; as declared in the text ‘he becomes endowed with consciousness and they move along while still conscious’ (Bṛhadā. Upa. IV. iv. 2.).

[The difference between the two cases, according to Ānandagiri, is as follows: In the former case, where the man has reached the Lunar Region and descends from there, becoming connected with the bodies of rice, barley etc., the time taken in taking up another body is a long one; hence, the exit therefrom has been said to be ‘extremely difficult’. In the other case, where the man has not reached the Lunar Region, and has entered the body of rice, barley etc., what happens is that the taking of such incarnate bodies is due to the defects in the man’s bodily acts; so that this body remains with him only so long as the effect of those acts lasts; and hence exit from the body comes in the normal course, and there is no difficulty. In the former case, there is no mention of the particular bodies being the effect of any particular acts, the man passes through the full Gamut, and there is no limit to his occupancy of any particular body, as the exhaustion of the particular karma is in the other case; so that the abandonment of one body and the occupying of another is not quite so regulated as in the other case; hence the exit is difficult’.]

Though when one goes into another body only after all his organs have been withdrawn, yet it is as fully endowed with consciousness that he goes to the other body,—this being due to consciousness arising from the tendencies and impressions produced by those acts that led him to the new body,—as in a dream. This statement is based upon the authority of the Veda: For instance, the passing through Light and through Smoke is always accompanied by consciousness as in a dream (in both cases, the consciousness being due to tendencies and impressions left by past deeds). That this is so is due to the fact that the said passing (through Light and Smoke) is the direct result of such Kārmic Residues as have become operative and begun to operate.—In the case of those, however, who pass on with their Kārmic Residue clinging to them and who are born as Rice, Barley, etc., it is not possible for these to be conscious of their connection with the procreating agents,—the woman and the seed-sower; it is not possible for conscious beings to be living in the rice etc., while they go through the process of being cut, thumped, ground down and so forth.

Objection:—“In the other case also, where the entities descend from the Lunar Region, the entering into another body is exactly like such entering in the case of those who have not reached the Lunar Region; so that in the former case also the leech-like moving out from one body to another must be accompanied by consciousness.—And if that be so, then for performers of sacrifices and works of public utility there would be terrible experiences of hell involved throughout the process of descending from the Lunar Region and being ultimately born as Brāhmaṇa etc., (as during all this process, the entity would, ex hypothesi, be fully conscious);—and this being so, it would come to this, that the injunction of sacrifices and works of public utility really tend to evil consequences; and this would shake the authority of the Veda, for the simple reason that acts enjoined in the Veda lead to evil consequences.”

Answer:—It is not so. Because there is a difference between the two cases, just as there is between going up the tree and falling down from it. It is right that when the entity is passing from one body to the other, he should remain conscious, with the consciousness brought about by that Kārmic Residue which has become operative;—just as when one is going up a tree for the purpose of plucking its fruit he is fully conscious; it is on this analogy that consciousness would be present in the entities passing through Light and Smoke, while desirous of reaching the Lunar Region. There would be no such consciousness in the case of the entity descending from the Lunar Region; just as there is no consciousness in the man falling down from the tree. In the case of men struck down by a club or some such instrument, they have all their organs of sensations benumbed and rendered inoperative by the pain caused by that stroke, we find that they are carried along from place to place, in a state of complete unconsciousness:—similarly, in the case of persons descending from the Lunar Region into the lunar and other bodies, the Kārmic Residue that had led them to the enjoyment of pleasures in Heaven having become exhausted, their aqueous body becomes dissolved and all organs of sensation are rendered inoperative; hence those entities, rendered unconscious, but still attached to the water that formed the seed of their precious body, descend through Ākāśa etc., and become attached to such inanimate bodies as are ordained by their Kārmic Residues; and all this time they are entirely unconscious, on account of their organs of sensation having been rendered inoperative. Thus throughout the time taken by the processes of cutting, thumping, grinding, cooking, eating, digesting, turning into juices, and the first ‘sowing of the seed;—the entity remains as if unconscious; specially as till then that part of his Kārmic Residue which would produce for him the next body has not yet become operative; and throughout all these.processes, these entities do not lose all contact with the aqueous seed of their previous bodies and hence remain in that (unconscious) condition (equipped with that aqueous seed as their bodies); and to that extent when actually going from one body to the other, they may for the moment, be conscious of it, like the leech; and such (momentary consciousness) would not be incompatible (with our view), though during the whole of the intervening process, they remain unconscious. Thus, there is no incongruity.

Nor is it right to argue that the rites prescribed in the Veda being attended with violence and injury, must be the cause of both (merit and demerit). Because the said violence has been actually enjoined by the scriptures; and the Vedic text to the effect that ‘One should not injure living beings, except at certain ordained places and times’ (Chāndo. Upa. VIII. xv. 1.) clearly indicates the view that there is no justification for the view that the violence (killing) enjoined by the scriptures is conducive to Demerit (evil). Even if such a view were accepted, that the killing involved in the enjoined acts is conducive to evil, such evil could be removed by means of Mantras, just as poisons are removed; consequently, there is no possibility of acts prescribed in the Veda bringing about effects productive of pain, just as the effects of taking poison are rendered ineffective by Mantras.—(6)

Upaniṣad text:

Then, those who have been of good conduct here would quickly attain good birth-birth of Brāhmaṇa, birth of Kṣatriya, or birth of Vaiśya. And those who have been of bad conduct here attain evil birth,—birth of a dog, the birth of a hog, or the birth of a Caṇḍāla.—(7)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Among the entities beset with their Kārmic Residue those who, here—in this world—have been of goad conduct,—i.e. whose action and character have been good,—those who have the qualification of good conduct and character,—and on that account, whose deeds have been righteous and hence the Kārmic Residue is good,—such persons are said to be ‘of good conduct The presence of good Kārmic Residue can always be inferred in persons free from cruelty, falsity and deceit. All this Righteous Act and its resultant Kārmic Residue having led to the experiences in the Lunar Region, what has remained of that residue leads to the entity to be quickly, speedily, ‘Yat’ being an adverb,—attain good birth,—i.e. birth free from cruelty and other evil qualities.—Such birth, for instance, as that of the Brāhmaṇa, the Kṣatriya, or the Vaiśya,— according to the character of their Kārmic Residue, Those-who are of the contrary nature, who have been of bad conduct,—i.e. whose acts have been characterised by bad character,—and whose Kārmic Residue, on that account, has been bad, they quickly attain evil birth,—in accordance with their past deeds,—i.e. such birth as is completely devoid of all merit and righteousness and hence disgusting;—such as birth of a dog, of a hog, or of a Caṇḍāla,—all according to the character of his own past deeds.—Those who have been of good conduct and have been born among, the ‘twice born castes’,—if they, in their new life, remain firm in their religious obligations and continue to perform sacrifices and other meritorious acts, they go forward, through Smoke and the rest, and come back, again and again, like the water-pulley. If they happen to attain knowledge, then they proceed by the Path of Light and the rest.—(7)

Upaniṣad text:

Of these two paths,—by neither of them do they proceed, who, being small creatures, keep repeatedly revolving—being subject to the process of ‘Be born and Die’. This is the third Position. Thus, it is that that other region is never filled. Hence, one should cultivate a feeling of disgust. To this effect, there is the following Verse.—(8)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

Sometimes people do not attend to knowledge, nor have they recourse to the performance of sacrifices and other acts; and in these cases, these people do not proceed by either of the above-described two Paths of Light and of Smoke; in fact, these small creatures,—in the shape of the flea, the mosquito, the insects and so forth, —keep repeatedly revolving; that is, having fallen from both Paths, they die and are born again and again. The continuation of their births and deaths is expressed imitatively by means of the two imperative verbs ‘Be Born’ and ‘Die’, which are supposed to be the direction of God. The meaning is that all their time is taken up by the processes of Death and Birth, and there is no time during which acts are performed or their resultant experiences gone through. This position of the small creatures, represents the third position for people fallen on the wheel of birth and death, in reference to, and as distinguished from the two Paths described above. Thus then, those who proceed by the ‘Southern Path’ also return to this world;—and those who are not entitled to Knowledge or Ritualistic Acts naturally never proceed even by the ‘Southern Path’. And the result of all this is that that other world is not filled up.

Thus, the fifth question has been answered by the Philosophy of the Five Fires. The first question has been answered by the description of the Northern and Southern Paths.—The question relating to the Diverging point between the Northern and Southern Paths,—also has been answered; that the Dead are thrown into the Fire, is the same in both Paths; it is after this that the ‘divergence’ comes in—some going by the Path of Light etc., and others by the Path of Smoke etc;—then they come together again at the six months of the Northern circuit and six of the Southern circuit; and then again diverge,—some going to the Year, and some to the Months direct and then to the Region of the Fathers.—All this has been duly explained. The Return also of those whose Kārmic Residue has become attenuated, has been described as Jrom the Lunar Region to Ākāśa and so on. As for the non-filling of that other world, it has been asserted in so many words by the text itself:—‘it is thus that the other is never filled’.

Since, the process of the Births and Rebirths is so beset with troubles, therefore, one should cultivate a feeling of disgust. That is, because it is found that wretched creatures are every moment of their life taken up by the pangs of births and deaths and are thrust into illimitable terrible darkness,—like the unnavigable ocean, and having no hope of going out,—therefore one should cultivate feelings of disgust towards this process of Birth and Rebirth,—avoid it, shun it, praying that ‘may I never fall into this terrible metempsyclic ocean I’

To this effect,—as suming up all this,—there is the following verse, in praise of the Philosophy of the Five Fires.—(8)

Upaniṣad text:

‘One who steals gold, one who drinks wine, one who dishonours the teacher’s bed, and one who kills the Brāhmaṇa,—all these four do fall, as also the fifth, one who associates with those.’—(9)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

One who steals gold;—i.e. gold belonging to the Brāhmaṇa—one who being a Brāhmaṇa,—drinks wine,— one who dishonours the teacher’s bed,—his wife,—one who kills a Brāhmaṇa,—these four fall; and also the fifths one who associates with those.—(9)

Upaniṣad text:

‘One who thus knows these Five Fires,—even though he associates with those,—does not become contaminated by sin. He becomes pure and clean and attains pure regions,—who knows this thus,—yea who knows this thus.’—(10)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

“But one who knows the five fires as described above,—even if he associates with the said great sinners, —does not become contaminated by sin.—He is pure and clean by virtue of the Philosophy of the Five Fires, and attains the pure Regions of Prajāpati and other deities,—one who knows the whole of the philosophy as above expounded, along with the five questions that had been asked.—The repetition is meant to indicate that all the questions have been fully disposed of.—(10)

End of Section (10) of Discourse V