Upanishads (Müller) — IV, 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. Pra*g*âpati brooded over the worlds, and from them thus brooded on he squeezed out the essences, Agni (fire) from the earth, Vâyu (air) from the sky, Âditya (the sun) from heaven. 2. He brooded over these three deities, and from them thus brooded on he squeezed out the essences, the *Ri**k* verses from Agni, the Ya*g*us verses from Vâyu, the Sâman verses from Âditya. 3. He brooded over the threefold knowledge (the three Vedas), and from it thus brooded on he squeezed out the essences, the sacred interjection Bhûs from the *Ri**k* verses, the sacred interjection Bhuvas from the Ya*g*us verses, the sacred interjection Svar from the Sâman verses. 4. If the sacrifice is injured from the Rig-Veda side, let him offer a libation in the Gârhapatya fire, saying, Bhû*h*, Svâha! Thus does he bind together and heal, by means of the essence and the power of the *Ri**k* verses themselves, whatever break the *Ri**k* sacrifice may have suffered. 5. If the sacrifice is injured from the Ya*g*ur-veda side, let him offer a libation in the Dakshi*n*a fire, saying, Bhuva*h*, Svâhâ! Thus does he bind together and heal, by means of the essence and the power of the Ya*g*us verses themselves, whatever break the Ya*g*us sacrifice may have suffered. 6. If the sacrifice is injured by the Sâma-veda side, let him offer a libation in the Âhavanîya fire, saying, Sva*h*, Svâhâ! Thus does he bind together and heal, by means of the essence and the power of the Sâman verses themselves, whatever break the Sâman sacrifice may have suffered. 7. As one binds (softens) gold by means of lava*n*a 1 (borax), and silver by means of gold, and tin by means of silver, and lead by means of tin, and iron (loha) by means of lead, and wood by means of iron, or also by means of leather, 8. Thus does one bind together and heal any break in the sacrifice by means of (the Vyâh*ri*tis or sacrificial interjections which are) the essence and strength of the three worlds, of the deities, and of the threefold knowledge. That sacrifice is healed 2 in which there is a Brahman priest who knows this. 9. That sacrifice is inclined towards the north (in the right way) in which there is a Brahman priest who knows this. And with regard to such a Brahman priest there is the following Gâthâ 3: 'Whereever it falls back, thither the man 4 goes,'--viz. the Brahman only, as one of the *Ri*tvi*g* priests. 'He saves the Kurus as a mare' (viz. a Brahman priest who knows this, saves the sacrifice, the sacrificer, and all the other priests). Therefore let a man make him who knows this his Brahman priest, not one who does not know it, who does not know it. ### Footnotes 71:1 Lava*n*a, a kind of salt, explained by kshâra and *t*aṅka or *t*aṅkana. It is evidently borax, which is still imported from the East Indies under the name of tincal, and used as a flux in chemical processes. 71:2 Bheshagak*ri*ta, explained by bhesha*g*ena 'iva k*ri*ta*h* sa*m*sk*ri*ta*h*, and also by *k*ikitsakena su*s*ikshitena 'esha ya*g*ño bhavati,' which looks as if the commentator had taken it as a genitive of bhesha*g*ak*ri*t. 71:3 This Gâthâ (or, according to *S*aṅkara, Anugâthâ) is probably a Gâyatrî, though Ânandagiri says that it is not in the Gâyatrî or any other definite metre. It may have been originally 'yato yata âvartate, tattad ga*k**kh*ati mânava*h*, kurûn a*s*vâbhirakshati.' This might be taken from an old epic ballad, 'Wherever the army fell back, thither the man went; the mare (mares being preferred to stallions in war) saves the Kurus.' That verse was applied to the Brahman priest succouring the sacrifice, whenever it seemed to waver, and protecting the Kurus, i. e. the performers of the sacrifice. 71:4 Mânava, explained from mauna, or manana, but possibly originally, a descendant of Manu. Next: V, 1