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BrhadAranyaka Upanishad - sloka 1.4.4

Summary till now

Atma existed before any kinds of Purusa. That (Atma) on examination saw nothing else than the ‘manas’. (it sees itself and hence it is the ‘manas’). Atma is the ‘manas’ as it ‘sees itself’. That ‘aham’ (the manas) exists thus before any expressions. Therefore that existence/manifestation(of Atma) is named ‘aham’. From this only, now-a-days ‘aham’ is addressed before other names are declared which becomes of the self. Thus ‘aham’ comes to indicate the ‘self’ or ‘ourself’.

'Myself' is denoted by 'Aham' because aham sees itself and is the 'Manas'. Atma is 'manas' as it sees itself and nothing other than it at the beginning. Thus our every 'aham' (our self) is Atma.

That which is the previous of all, in which everything is digested, that is Purusha. It is opposite of desire to manifests. It does not have desire to manifest.


Our manas develops a fear, which arises from being alone. But then it glances itself and thinks itself. 'When none else other than me exists, what indeed causes fear..? Fear comes when there is more than one. Fear is always about others.


So being in perfect solitude has no fear for us. The same is with Atma. Atma did not have any fear of being alone. That's why when we do actions synchronized with our Atma, with singularity of mind, we don't have fear at all.


But there is nothing to enjoy when being alone. There is no enjoyer also. Hence the desire to be two manifests.



The Atma has the feature of a male-female in close embrace. That Atma tore them apart separating the male and female due to this desire to be the enjoyer and enjoyed.


Yajnavalkya says the two are like half-fragments of each other. The female fills up the empty space or vacuum. From that female, the manuSya take birth.

Thus Atma creates Purusha and Stri, similar to each other. The Purusha does not have any 'desire' to manifest/evolve. Stri fills up the vacuum (empty space) and has the desire to manifest and evolve.


Sloka 1.4.4




sa aha iyam īkṣāṃ cakre,

kathaṃ num ātmāna eva janayitvā sambhavati hanta tiro'sānīti;

sā gaurabhavat, ṛṣabha itaraḥ, tāṃ samevābhavat, tato gāvo'jāyanta;

vaḍavetarābhavat, aśvavṛṣa itaraḥ,

gardhabhītarā, gardabha itaraḥ,

tāṃ samevābhavat, tata ekaśaphamajāyata;

ajetarābhavat, vasta itaraḥ, aviritarā, meṣa itaraḥ,

tāṃ samevābhavat, tato'jāvayo'jāyanta;

evameva yadidaṃ kiṃca mithunam, ā pipīlikābhyaḥ, tatsarvamasṛjata




That (sa) said (aha) this (iyam) glance (iksam) made (cakre)

How (katham) from the atma (atmAna) certainly (eva) progenitors/parents (janayitva) manifest/generate (sambhavati), alas (hanta) unmanifest (tirah) being (san) thus/in this way (iti)

That (sa) became (abhavat) buffalo (gaura) and other bull (rsabha).
They both manifested together. Then the class of 'cows' were born.

this mare (vadava etar) manifests (abhavat), the other stallion (asva-rsa), the other (itarah) he-ass (gardabha), the other (itarah) she-ass (gardabhi) all these manifest together. Then (tata) one-hoofed (eka zapham) were born (Ajayanta).

this goat (aja etar) manifests (abhavat), the other he-goat, the other ewe, other sheep all these manifest together. The class of sheeps and goats were born.

All-alone (evam - eva) whatever (yad) here (idam) in pairs (mithunam), from the ants/minutest (a pipilikabhya) that (tat) everything (sarvam) took birth (asrjata).

Meaning

How from unmanifest Atma, manifestation of progenitors (parents) happen..? In this way of generating pair of purusha and stri it happens.

Like cow and bull and from them the milch animals, mare and stallion and from them equines are born, ass and she-ass and from them one-hoofed animals are born, ram and ewe and from the class of sheep and goat are born, manifestation happens in pairs from unmanifest. From the minutest (ants) everything is born in pairs thus..



More to come

-TBT
 
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BrhadAranyaka Upanishad - sloka 1.4.4


मन्त्र ४[I.iv.4]
सो हेयमीक्षां चक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा
सम्भवति । हन्त तिरोऽसानीति । सा गौरभवद् ऋषभ
इतरस्ताꣳ समेवाभवत् ततो गावोऽजायन्त । वडवेतराऽभवद्
अश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ताꣳ समेवाभवत्
तत एकशफमजायत अजेतराऽभवद् वस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष
इतरस्ताꣳ समेवाभवत् ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किञ्च
मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत ॥ ४॥
good translation
 
BrhadAranyaka Upanishad - sloka 1.4.4


मन्त्र ४[I.iv.4]
सो हेयमीक्षां चक्रे कथं नु माऽऽत्मन एव जनयित्वा
सम्भवति । हन्त तिरोऽसानीति । सा गौरभवद् ऋषभ
इतरस्ताꣳ समेवाभवत् ततो गावोऽजायन्त । वडवेतराऽभवद्
अश्ववृष इतरो गर्दभीतरा गर्दभ इतरस्ताꣳ समेवाभवत्
तत एकशफमजायत अजेतराऽभवद् वस्त इतरोऽविरितरा मेष
इतरस्ताꣳ समेवाभवत् ततोऽजावयोऽजायन्तैवमेव यदिदं किञ्च
मिथुनमा पिपीलिकाभ्यस्तत्सर्वमसृजत ॥ ४॥
good translation

thanks
 
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-brihadaranyaka-upanishad/d/doc117939.html gives the Sanskrit version =(applies to othe thread too)https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-brihadaranyaka-upanishad



(buy latest edition)
The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad


The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (with the Commentary of Śaṅkarācārya)


by Swāmī Mādhavānanda | 1950 | 272,359 words | ISBN-10: 8175051027


(buy latest edition)

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (with the Commentary of Śaṅkarācārya)
by Swāmī Mādhavānanda | 1950 | 272,359 words | ISBN-10: 8175051027
 
Summary till now
But there is nothing to enjoy when being alone. There is no enjoyer also. Hence the desire to be two manifests.


Solitude and joy.

vaase bahunam kalaho

bhaved varta dvayor api

eka eva vaset tasmat

kumaryaa iva kankanah (Bhagavatham 11.9.10)
 


Solitude and joy.

vaase bahunam kalaho

bhaved varta dvayor api

eka eva vaset tasmat

kumaryaa iva kankanah (Bhagavatham 11.9.10)

The context in this sloka is this.

A brahmana is explaining his various gurus who are actually ordinary people. The Brahmana is learning from them. One of that is an unmarried young girl. Her parents/relatively had gone away and she had male guests (probably who could marry her) at home. She receives them and makes food for them. She is wearing shell bracelets. There is no rice left and she has to pound the paddy. She starts pounding the paddy to get rice out and the bracelets make noise. To reduce that noise she reduces them to just two bracelets in an arm. Even that makes noise. She wears one in each arm and then there is no noise. She wanted to avoid the noise so that male guests don't think that the girl's family is poor that she has to pound the paddy.

In that context the above sloka says when multiple reside, even if it is just two, kalaha can manifest. Therefore be alone like that the bangle of that kumari. What is that residing alone..? Is it just physically being alone as conveyed by the english term solitude..?

In fact the next sloka explains what is that 'solitude'.

"mana ekatra saMyujjyaj, jita-svAso jita Asanah, vairagya abhyAsa yogena, dhriyamAnam atandritah".

Unionise with manas, conquer the breathing and postures, by determined practice and sustain it carefully (alert). In other words state of solitude without quarrel is being in union with manas, by determined practice, being alert, conquering our breathing and postures.

What happens to one who has Unionized with 'manas' in perfect solitude..? The next sloka says

"yasmin manas labdha padam yad etac, sanaih sanaih muncati karma
reNum sattvena vrddhena raja ca tamah vidhUyah
nirvAnam upaiti anindhanam"

When we reach that very seat of manas, we slowly liberate from karma, give up contamination from satvva that leads to raja and tama and reach nirvAna without flaming up.

So yes, solitude, being in union with manas leads to neither fear nor quarrel. It even leads to a state of mind of 'nirvAna', which is the state without flaming up. Being in union with manas removes contamination in our sattvik nature.

So the solitude here is not physically being alone. The solitude is being in union with our manas, which can be had whether we are physically alone or not.

-TBT
 
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Sir,

I bow down before your knowledge and the explanation.

Yes, my intention was to highlight that perhaps those Sruti lines dealing with "But there is nothing to enjoy when being alone. There is no enjoyer also" can be pored more deeply.

Orthodox Vedantic tradition treates these anecdotes as Adhyaropa, a precursor to the more essential statements dealing with the reality, the Apavada that is dealt with in (3.9.26) and (4.4.22) of Brih. Up.

 

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