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Aitareya Upanishad

Chapter 3

प्रथमाध्याये तृतीयः खण्डः

Adhyaya 1 · Khanda 3

Verses

  1. Verse 1

    sa īkṣateme nu lokāśca lokapālāścānnamebhyaḥ sṛjā iti || 1||

    Meaning

    He thought, 'Here now are the worlds and the world-guardians; let me create food for them.'

  2. Verse 2

    so'po'bhyatapattābhyo'bhitaptābhyo mūrtirajāyata | yā vai sā mūrtirajāyatānnaṃ vai tat || 2||

    Meaning

    He brooded over the waters; from the waters thus brooded over a form (murti) was produced. The form that was produced — that, verily, is food.

  3. Verse 3

    tadenatsṛṣṭaṃ parāṅtyajighāṃsattadvācā'jighṛkṣat tannāśaknodvācā grahītum | sa yaddhainadvācā'grahaiṣyadabhivyāhṛtya haivānnamatrapsyat || 3||

    Meaning

    This food, thus created, sought to flee. He tried to grasp it with speech; he could not grasp it with speech. Had he grasped it with speech, one would have been satisfied merely by uttering 'food.'

  4. Verse 4

    tatprāṇenājighṛkṣat tannāśaknotprāṇena grahītuṃ sa yaddhainatprāṇenāgrahaiṣyadabhiprāṇya haivānnamatrapsyat || 4||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the breath; he could not grasp it with breath. Had he grasped it with breath, one would have been satisfied merely by breathing towards food.

  5. Verse 5

    taccakṣuṣā'jighṛkṣat tannāśaknoccakṣuṣā grahītuṃ sa yaddhainaccakṣuṣā'grahaiṣyaddṛṣṭvā haivānamatrapsyat || 5||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the eye; he could not grasp it with the eye. Had he grasped it with the eye, one would have been satisfied merely by seeing food.

  6. Verse 6

    tacchrotreṇājighṛkṣat tannāśaknocchrotreṇa grahītuṃ sa yaddhainacchroteṇāgrahaiṣyacchrutvā haivānnamatrapsyat || 6||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the ear; he could not grasp it with the ear. Had he grasped it with the ear, one would have been satisfied merely by hearing of food.

  7. Verse 7

    tattvacā'jighṛkṣat tannāśaknottvacā grahītuṃ sa yaddhainattvacā'grahaiṣyat spṛṣṭvā haivānnamatrapsyat || 7||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the skin; he could not grasp it with the skin. Had he grasped it with the skin, one would have been satisfied merely by touching food.

  8. Verse 8

    tanmanasā'jighṛkṣat tannāśaknonmanasā grahītuṃ sa yaddhainanmanasā'grahaiṣyaddhyātvā haivānnamatrapsyat || 8||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the mind; he could not grasp it with the mind. Had he grasped it with the mind, one would have been satisfied merely by thinking of food.

  9. Verse 9

    tacchiśnenājighṛkṣat tannāśaknocchiśnena grahītuṃ sa yaddhainacchiśnenāgrahaiṣyadvitsṛjya haivānamatrapsyat || 9||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the generative organ; he could not grasp it with the organ. Had he grasped it with the organ, one would have been satisfied merely by emission.

  10. Verse 10

    tadapānenājighṛkṣat tadāvayat saiṣo'nnasya graho yadvāyuranāyurvā eṣa yadvāyuḥ || 10||

    Meaning

    He tried to grasp it with the down-breath (apana), and he got it. This apana is the seizer of food; this vayu (apana) is the one that lives on food.

  11. Verse 11

    sa īkṣata kathaṃ nvidaṃ madṛte syāditi sa īkṣata katareṇa prapadyā iti | sa īkṣata yadi vācā'bhivyāhṛtaṃ yadi prāṇenābhiprāṇitaṃ yadi cakṣuṣā dṛṣṭaṃ yadi śrotreṇa śrutaṃ yadi tvacā spṛṣṭaṃ yadi manasā dhyātaṃ yadyapānenābhyapānitaṃ yadi śiśnena visṛṣṭamatha ko'hamiti || 11||

    Meaning

    He thought, 'How can this (body) exist without me?' He thought, 'Through which (door) shall I enter it?' He thought, 'If speaking is by speech, breathing by breath, seeing by the eye, hearing by the ear, touching by the skin, thinking by the mind, down-breathing by apana, emitting by the organ — then who am I?'

  12. Verse 12

    sa etameva sīmānaṃ vidaryaitayā dvārā prāpadyata | saiṣā vidṛtirnāma dvāstadetannā'ndanam | tasya traya āvasathāstrayaḥ svapnā ayamāvasatho'yamāvasatho'yamāvasatha iti || 12||

    Meaning

    Parting (the skull) at this very suture, He entered through that door. This door is known as the vidriti ('the cleft'); this is the seat of bliss. For him there are three dwelling-places, three (states of) dream: this (waking) is a dwelling, this (dream) is a dwelling, this (deep sleep) is a dwelling.

  13. Verse 13

    sa jāto bhūtānyabhivyaikhyat kimihānyaṃ vāvadiṣaditi | sa etameva puruṣaṃ brahma tatamamapaśyat | idamadarśanamitī 3 || 13||

    Meaning

    Being (as it were) born, He looked upon the beings, (thinking) 'What here would one wish to call other (than Brahman)?' He beheld this very Person as the all-pervading Brahman, and said, 'I have seen This (idam adarsham)!'

  14. Verse 14

    tasmādidandro nāmedandro ha vai nāma | tamidandraṃ santamindra ityācakṣate parokṣeṇa | parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ || 14||

    Meaning

    Therefore He is named Idandra ('the seer of This'); Idandra is indeed His name. Though He is Idandra, they call Him 'Indra' indirectly; for the gods, as it were, love the indirect — yea, the gods love the indirect.

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