Upanishads (Müller) — III, 17

The Upanishads, Part 1 (SBE01): Khândogya Upanishad... | Internet Sacred Text ArchiveSacred Texts Hinduism Index Previous Next Buy this Book at Amazon.com *The Upanishads, Part 1 (SBE01)*, by Max Müller, [1879], at sacred-texts.com ### SEVENTEENTH KHA*N**D*A 1. 1. When a man (who is the sacrificer) hungers, thirsts, and abstains from pleasures, that is the Dîkshâ (initiatory rite). 2. When a man eats, drinks, and enjoys pleasures, he does it with the Upasadas (the sacrificial days on which the sacrificer is allowed to partake of food). 3. When a man laughs, eats, and delights himself, he does it with the Stuta-*s*astras (hymns sung and recited at the sacrifices). 4. Penance, liberality, righteousness, kindness, truthfulness, these form his Dakshi*n*âs (gifts bestowed on priests, &c.) 5. Therefore when they say, 'There will be a birth,' and 'there has been a birth' (words used at the Soma-sacrifice, and really meaning, 'He will pour out the Soma-juice,' and 'he has poured out the Soma-juice'), that is his new birth. His death is the Avabh*ri*tha ceremony (when the sacrificial Vessels are carried away to be cleansed). 6. Ghora Âṅgirasa, after having communicated this (view of the sacrifice) to K*ri*sh*n*a, the son of Devăkî 1--and he never thirsted again (after other knowledge)--said: 'Let a man, when his end approaches, take refuge with this Triad 1: "Thou art the imperishable," "Thou art the unchangeable," "Thou art the edge of Prâ*n*a."' On this subject there are two *Ri**k* verses (Rig-veda VIII, 6, 30):-- 7. 'Then they see (within themselves) the ever-present light of the old seed (of the world, the Sat), the highest, which is lighted in the brilliant (Brahman).' Rig-veda I, 50, 10:-- 'Perceiving above the darkness (of ignorance) the higher light (in the sun), as the higher light within the heart, the bright source (of light and life) among the gods, we have reached the highest light, yea, the highest light 2.' ### Footnotes 51:1 Here we have a representation of the sacrifice as performed without any ceremonial, and as it is often represented when performed in thought only by a man living in the forest. 52:1 The curious coincidence between K*ri*sh*n*a Devakîputra, here mentioned as a pupil of Ghora Âṅgirasa, and the famous K*ri*sh*n*a, the son of Devakî, was first pointed out by Colebrooke, Miscell. Essays, II, 177. Whether it is more than a coincidence, is difficult to say. Certainly we can build no other conclusions on it than those indicated by Colebrooke, that new fables may have been constructed elevating this personage to the rank of a god. We know absolutely nothing of the old K*ri*sh*n*a Devakîputra except his having been a pupil of Ghora Âṅgirasa, nor does there seem to have been any attempt made by later Brahmans to connect their divine K*ri*sh*n*a, the son of Vasudeva, with the K*ri*sh*n*a Devakîputra of our Upanishad. This is all the more remarkable because the author of the Sâ*n**d*ilya-sûtras, for instance, who is very anxious to find a *s*rauta authority for the worship of K*ri*sh*n*a Vâsudeva as the supreme deity, had to be satisfied with quoting such modern compilations as the Nârâya*n*opanishad, Atharva*s*iras, VI, 9, brahma*n*yo devakîputro, brahmanyo madhusûdana*h* (see Sâ*n**d*ilya-sûtras, ed. Ballantyne, p. 36, translated by Cowell, p. 51), without venturing to refer to the K*ri*sh*n*a Devakîputra of the Khândogya-upanishad. The occurrence of such names as K*ri*sh*n*a, Vâsudeva, Madhusûdanah stamps Upanishads, like the Âtmabodha-upanishad, as modern (Colebrooke, Essays, 1, 101), and the same remark applies, as Weber has shown, to the Gopâlatâpanî-upanishad (Bibliotheca Indica, No. 183), where we actually find such names as *S*rîk*ri*sh*n*a Govinda, Gopî*g*anavallabha, Devakyâm gâtâ*h* (p. 38), &c. Professor Weber has treated these questions very fully, but it is not quite clear to me whether he wishes to go beyond Colebrooke and to admit more than a similarity of name between the pupil of Ghora Âṅgirasa and the friend of the Gopîs. 53:1 Let him recite these three verses. 53:2 Both these verses had to be translated here according to their scholastic interpretation, but they had originally a totally different meaning. Even the text was altered, divâ being changed to divi, sva*h* to sve. The first is taken from a hymn addressed to Indra, who after conquering the dark clouds brings back the light of the sun. When he does that, then the people see again, as the poet says, the daily light of the old seed (from which the sun rises) which is lighted in heaven. The other verse belongs to a hymn addressed to the sun. Its simple meaning. is: 'Seeing above the darkness (of the night) the rising light, the Sun, bright among the bright, we came towards the highest light.' Next: III, 18