Chandogya Upanishad Book 2 Part 2

II.13

1. When one invites a woman, that is the Hinkara; when
one makes known one’s desire, that is the Prastava; when
one lies close to the woman, that is the Udgitha; when one
lies with her, that is the Pratihara; when one reaches the
climax, that is the Nidhana-when one reaches the end, that
is the Nidhana. This is the Vamadevya, woven on the sexual
act.

2. The one who knows the Vamadevya, woven on the sexual
act, achieves the sexual act, procreates from every sexual
act: he attains his full lifespan, lives long, becomes great in
offspring and animals, great in fame. One should not reject
any woman: that should be the vow.

II.14

1. Rising, it is the Hirikara; risen, it is the Prastava; at
midday, it is the Udgitha; in the afternoon, it is the Pratihara;
setting, it is the Nidhana. This is the Brhat, woven on the
sun.

2. The one who knows the Brhat, woven on the sun,
becomes radiant, an eater of food: he attains his full life
span, lives long, becomes great in offspring and animals,
great in fame. One should not speak ill of the one who
gives heat: that should be the vow.

II.15

1. When clouds gather, that is the Hirikara; when a
rain-cloud forms, that is the Prastava; when it rains, that is
the Udgitha; when it lightens and thunders, that is the
Pratihara; when it ceases, that is the Nidhana. This is the
Vairupa, woven on Parianya.

2. The one who knows the Vairupa, woven on Parjanya,
pens in all kinds of (virupa) fine-looking (suriipa) animals: he
attains his full lifespan, lives long, becomes great in offspring
and animals, great in fame. One should not speak ill of the
one who rains: that should be the vow.

II.16

1. Spring is the Hirikara; summer is the Prastava; the rainy
season is the Udgitha; autumn is the Pratihara; winter is the
Nidhana. This is the Vairaja, woven on the seasons.

2. The one who knows the Vairaja, woven on the seasons,
excels (viraj-) in offspring and animals and in the radiance
of brahman: he attains his full lifespan, lives long, becomes
great in offspring and animals, great in fame. One should
not speak ill of the seasons: that should be the vow.

II.17

1. Earth is the Hirikara; middle-air is the Prastava; sky is
the Udgitha; the directions are the Pratihara; the ocean is
the Nidhana. These are the ‘Sakvans, woven on the worlds.

2. The one who knows the Sakvaris, woven on the worlds,
becomes a possessor of worlds: he attains his full lifespan,
lives long, becomes great in offspring and animals, great in
fame. One should not speak ill of the worlds: that should
be the vow.

II.18

1. Goats are the Hinkara; sheep are the Prastava; cows are
the Udgitha; horses are the Pratihara; man is the Nidhana.
These are the Revatis, woven on the animals.

2. The one who knows the Revatis, woven on the animals,
becomes rich in animals: he attains his full lifespan, lives
long, becomes great in offspring and animals, great in fame.
One should not speak ill of the animals: that should be the
vow.

II.19

1. Hair is the Hinkara; skin is the Prastava; flesh is the
Udgitha; bone is the Pratihara; marrow is the Nidhana. This
is the Yajnayajiya, woven on the parts of the body.

2. The one who knows the Yajnayajiya, woven on the parts
of the body, possesses the parts of the body, and is not
maimed in any part: he attains his full lifespan, lives long,
becomes great in offspring and animals, great in fame. One
should not eat meat for a year: that should be the vow. Or
he should not eat meat: that should be the vow.

II.20

1. Fire is the Hinkara; air is the Prastava; the sun is the
Udgitha; the constellations are the Pratihara; the moon is
the Nidhana. This is the Rajana, woven on the deities.

2. The one who knows the Rdjana, woven on the deities,
shares a world with, shares power with, attains union with
the deities: he attains his full lifespan, lives long, becomes
great in offspring and animals, great in fame. One should
not speak ill of Brahmanas: that should be the vow.

II.21

1. The threefold knowledge is the Hirikara; the three worlds
are the Prastava; fire, air and sun are the UdgTtha;
constellations, birds and light rays are the Pratihara; snakes,
gandharvas and ancestors are the Nidhana. This is the saman,
woven on everything.

2. The one who knows the saman, woven on everything,
becomes everything.

3. There is a verse about it:

There is nothing else beyond them, older
Than the threes, the fivefold threes.

4. The one who knows this knows everything. All the
directions bring him tribute. One should contemplate, T am
everything’: that should be the vow. That should be the
vow.

II.22

1. I recommend the roaring style of saman, called
‘animal-like’: it is the Udgitha of Agni. The ‘indistinct’ belongs
to Prajapati, the ‘distinct’ to Soma, the ‘soft and smooth’ to
Vayu, the ‘smooth and powerful’ to Indra, the ‘crane-like’
to Brhaspati, the ‘ill-sounding’ to Varuna. One should practise
all of them, but avoid the one that belongs to Varuna.

2. Thinking, ‘Let me sing into being immortality for the
gods!’, one should sing it into being. ‘Let me sing into being
the offering (svadha) for the ancestors, hope for human beings,
grass and water for the animals, a heavenly world for the
patron of the sacrifice, food for myself!’: meditating on these
things in the mind, one should chant undistracted.

3. All vowels are the selves of Indra; all sibilants are the
selves of Prajapati; all stops are the selves of Death. If
someone finds fault with one regarding one’s vowels, one
should say, ‘I have gone for refuge to Indra: he will answer
you.’

4. If someone finds fault with one regarding one’s sibilants,
one should say, ‘I have gone for refuge to Prajapati: he will
crush you.’ If someone finds fault with one regarding one’s
stops, one should say, ‘I have gone for refuge to Death: he
will bum you up.’

5. One should pronounce all vowels with resonance, with
strength, thinking, ‘Let me bestow strength on Indra!’ One
should pronounce all sibilants without swallowing, without
dropping, distinctly, thinking, ‘Let me give myself up to
Prajapati!’ One should pronounce all stops crisply, without
slurring, thinking, ‘Let me keep myself from Death!’

II.23

1. There are three who have dharma as their trunk.. The
first believes in sacrifice, study and giving, the second in
asceticism (tapas); the third is the brahmacarin, living in his
teacher’s family-completely dedicating himself to his
teacher’s family. All these win worlds of merit. The one who
rests in brahman attains immortality.

2. Prajapati heated up (abhi-tap-) the worlds. When they
were heated up, the threefold knowledge issued from them.
He heated that up. When it was heated up, the sounds
BHUH, BHUVAH, SVAH, issued from it.

3. He heated them up. When they were heated up, the
OM issued from them. Just as all leaves are penetrated and
joined together by their main vein, all speech is penetrated
and joined together by the OM. The OM is all this. The
OM is all this.

II.24

1. Scholars of brahman say, ‘Since the morning pressing
belongs to the Vasus, the midday pressing to the Rudras,
and the third pressing to the Adityas and the Visvedevas,

2. ‘Where, then, is the world of the patron of the sacrifice?’
How could one perform a sacrifice without knowing this?
One should perform it knowing this:

3. Before the start of the morning recitation, the patron
sits down behind the Garhapatya fire, facing north, and sings
the sdman of the Vasus:

4. ‘Open. up. the door of the world, that we may see you.

For the sake of king . . . hum …. a … ship . . . o
. . a!’

5. Then he makes an offering, saying: ‘Homage to Agni,
dwelling on earth, dwelling in a world. Find a world for
me, the patron of the sacrifice. This is the patron’s world:
here shall I go,

6. ‘As patron, after my lifespan. SVAHA!’ Then, saying,
‘Draw back the bolt!’ he stands up. The Vasus offer him the
morning pressing.

7. Before the start of the midday pressing, the patron sits
down behind the AgnTdhriya fire, facing north, and sings
the saman of the Rudras:

8. ‘Open … up … the door of the world . . . that
we may see you . . .

For the sake of glo . . . hum …a…ry…o
. . . a . . .!’

9. Then he makes an offering, saying: ‘Homage to Vayu,
dwelling in middle-air, dwelling in a world. Find a world
for me, the patron of the sacrifice. This is the patron’s world:
here shall I go,

10. ‘As patron, after my lifespan. SVAHA!’ Then, saying,
‘Draw back the bolt!’ he stands up. The Rudras offer him
the midday pressing.

11. Before the start of the third pressing, the patron sits
down behind the AhavanTya fire, facing north, and sings the
saman of the Adityas and the Visvedevas:

12. ‘Open … up … the door of the world . . . that
we may see you . . .

For the sake of sovereign . . . hum … a … ty … i
. . . a . . .!’

13. -the Adityas’ saman. Then the Visvedevas’ saman:

‘Open … up … the door of the world . . . that we
may see you . . .

For the sake of em . . . hum … S … pire . . . o
. . . a . . . !’

14. Then he makes an offering, saying: ‘Homage to the
Adityas and the Visvedevas, dwelling in the sky, dwelling
in a world. Find a world for me, the patron of the sacrifice.

15. ‘This is the patron’s world: here shall I go, as patron,
after my life span. SVAHA!’ Then, saying, ‘Draw back the
bolt!’ he stands up.

16. The Adityas and the Visvedevas offer him the third
pressing. The one who knows this knows the element of the sacrifice: the one who knows this.