Chandogya Upanishad:

The Chanters' Teaching:

Book III Part I


III.l

1. OM. The sun is the honey of the gods. The sky is its horizontal cane,The bamboo cane from which the honeycomb hangs. middle-air its honeycomb, the rays its larvae. Putrdh, literally 'sons', 'offspring'

2. Its eastward rays are the eastward honey-veins. Madhunadi, often translated as 'honey-cells'. However the passage
evidently visualises the honey not in static containers, but in streams
flowing outward from a centre, just as light radiates from the sun. The rc verses are the bees, the Rgveda the flower, the nectar of immortality the nectar. Literally, 'those immortal [waters] are [its] waters'. Curiously, in English
'nectar' can mean either the drink of the gods (amrta) or the juice of
flowers (here called waters-apah). I hope that the resulting word-play,
not in the original, may help to give a flavour of the many Sanskrit
puns that have had to be left untranslated. The rc verses

3. Heated up the Rgveda. When it was heated up, its essence was produced from it, as fame, brightness, strength, energy and good food. The bees are pictured as distilling the essence
from the nectar by a process similar to either cooking or brooding.

4. It flowed out and settled beside the sun. This is what is now 'Now' is added for clarity the red form of the sun.

III.2

1. Its southward rays are the southward honey-veins. The yajus verses are the bees, the Yajurveda the flower, the nectar of immortality the nectar.

2. The yajus verses heated up the Yajurveda. When it was heated up, its essence was produced from it, as fame, brightness, strength, energy and good food.

3. It flowed out and settled beside the sun. This is what is now the white form of the sun.

III.3

1. Its westward rays are the westward honey-veins. The saman verses are the bees, the Samaveda the flower, the nectar of immortality the nectar.

2. The saman verses heated up the Samaveda. When it was heated up, its essence was produced from it, as fame, brightness, strength, energy and good food.

3. It flowed out and settled beside the sun. This is what is now the black form of the sun.

III.4

1. Its northward rays are the northward honey-veins. The verses of the Atharvans and Arigirases are the bees, the histories and legends the flower, the nectar of immortality the nectar.

2. The verses of the Atharvans and Angirases heated up the histories and legends. When they were heated up, their essence was produced from them, as fame, brightness, strength, energy and good food.

3. It flowed out and settled beside the sun. This is what is now the deeper-than-black form of the sun.

III.5

1. Its upward rays are the upward honey-veins. The secret symbolic statements Guhyah adesah. Adesa means a symbolic statement conveying an aspect
of truth for meditation. Examples are: tajjalan, and 'not
this, not this' (neti neti) are the bees, brahman the flower, the nectar of immortality the nectar.

2. The secret teachings heated up brahman. When it was heated up, its essence was produced from it, as fame, brightness, strength, energy and good food.

3. It flowed out and settled beside the sun. This is what now seems to tremble in the midst of the sun.

4. These are the essences of essences, for the Vedas are the essences and these are the essences of them. These are the nectars of nectars, for the Vedas are the nectars and these are the essences of them.

III.6

1. The Vasus, with Agni as their chief, live on the first of these nectars. Here 'nectar' translates amrta-see CU note 59. Verses 6-10 refer back to verses 1-5, so that the Vasus are feeding on the nectar distilled from the Rgveda, the Rudras on that from the Yajurveda, and so on. Gods do not eat or drink: they are satisfied just by seeing the nectar.

2. They enter into this form and out of this form they arise. I.e. the red form tit the sun.

3. The one who knows the nectar in this way becomes one of the Vasus, with Agni as his chief, and is satisfied just by seeing the nectar. He enters into this form and out of this form he arises.

4. As long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west he will encompass the over lordship and kingship of the Vasus.

III. 7

1. The Rudras, with Indra as their chief, live on the second of these nectars. Gods do not eat or drink: they are satisfied just by seeing the nectar.

2. They enter into this form and out of this form they arise.

3. The one who knows the nectar in this way becomes one of the Rudras, with Indra as his chief, and is satisfied just by seeing the nectar. He enters into this form and out of this form he arises.

4. Twice as long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, it will rise in the south and set in the north. For so long he will encompass the overlordship and kingship of the Rudras.

III.8

1. The Adityas, with Varuna as their chief, live on the third of these nectars. Gods do not eat or drink: they are satisfied just by seeing the nectar.

2. They enter into this form and out of this form they arise.

3. The one who knows the nectar in this way becomes one of the Adityas, with Varuna as his chief, and is satisfied just by seeing the nectar. He enters into this form and out of this form he arises.

4. Twice as long as the sun rises in the south and sets in the north, it will rise in the west and set in the east. For so long he will encompass the overlordship and kingship of the Adityas.

III.9

1. The Maruts, with Soma as their chief, live on the fourth of these nectars. Gods do not eat or drink: they are satisfied just by seeing the nectar.

2. They enter into this form and out of this form they arise.

3. The one who knows the nectar in this way becomes one of the Maruts, with Soma as his chief, and is satisfied just by seeing the nectar. He enters into this form and out of this form he arises.

4. Twice as long as the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, it will rise in the north and set in the south. For so long he will encompass the over lordship and kingship of the Maruts.




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