Aitareya Upanishad

स इमाँल्लोकानसृजत । अम्भो मरीचीर्मापोऽदोऽम्भः परेण दिवं द्यौः प्रतिष्ठाऽन्तरिक्षं मरीचयः । पृथिवी मरो या अधस्तात्त आपः

He created these worlds: the waters, the region of light, mortal beings, and the waters above. The waters are beyond the heavens; the region of light is the sky; the earth is the mortal world; and what is below is the waters.

स ईक्षतेमे नु लोका लोकपालान्नु सृजा इति ॥ सोऽद्भ्य एव पुरुषं समुद्धृत्यामूर्छयत्

He considered: 'Now, these worlds indeed exist, but let me create the guardians of the worlds.' He then, having drawn forth a person from the waters, shaped him.

तमभ्यतपत्तस्याभितप्तस्य मुखं निरभिद्यत यथाऽण्डं मुखाद्वाग्वाचोऽग्निर्नासिके निरभिद्येतं नासिकाभ्यां प्राणः । प्राणाद्वायुरक्षिणी निरभिद्येतमक्षिभ्यां चक्षुश्चक्षुष आदित्यः कर्णौ निरभिद्येतां कर्णाभ्यां श्रोत्रं श्रोत्रद्दिशस्त्वङ्निरभिद्यत त्वचो लोमानि लोमभ्य ओषधिवनस्पतयो हृदयं निरभिद्यत हृदयान्मनो मनसश्चन्द्रमा नाभिर्निरभिद्यत नाभ्या अपानोऽपानान्मृत्युः शिश्नं निरभिद्यत शिश्नाद्रेतो रेतस आपः

He heated him. From him, thus heated, the mouth broke open, as an egg cracks; from the mouth came speech, and from speech, fire. The nostrils broke open; from the nostrils came breath, and from breath, air. The eyes broke open; from the eyes came sight, and from sight, the sun. The ears broke open; from the ears came hearing, and from hearing, the directions. The skin broke open; from the skin came hair, and from hair, plants and trees. The heart broke open; from the heart came the mind, and from the mind, the moon. The navel broke open; from the navel came the out-breath, and from the out-breath, death. The generative organ broke open; from the generative organ came semen, and from semen, water.

ता एता देवता सृष्टा अस्मिन्महत्यर्णवे प्रापतन् । तमशनापिपासाभ्यामन्ववार्जत् । ता एनमब्रुवन्नायतनं नः प्रजानीहि यस्मिन्प्रतिष्ठिता अन्नमदामेति

These deities, thus created, fell into the great ocean. Hunger and thirst overtook them. They spoke to him: 'Find for us a dwelling place where we may be established and eat food.'

ताभ्यो गामानयत्ता अब्रुवन्न वै नोऽयमलमिति । ताभ्योऽश्वमानयत्ता अब्रुवन्न वै नोऽयमलमिति

He brought them a cow. They said, 'This is not sufficient for us.' He brought them a horse. They said, 'This is not sufficient for us.'

ताभ्यः पुरुषमानयत्ता अब्रुवन् सुकृतं बतेति पुरुषो वाव सुकृतम् । ता अब्रवीद्यथायतनं प्रविशतेति

He brought them a human being. They said, 'Well done, indeed!' For truly, the human is well made. He said to them, 'Enter your respective abodes.'

अग्निर्वाग्भूत्वा मुखं प्राविशद्वायुः प्राणो भूत्वा नासिके प्राविशदादित्यश्चक्षुर्भूत्वाऽक्षिणी प्राविशद्दिशः श्रोत्रं भूत्वा कर्णौ प्राविशन्नोषधिवनस्पतयो लोमानि भूत्वा त्वचं प्राविशंश्चन्द्रमा मनो भूत्वा हृदयं प्राविशन्मृत्युरपानो भूत्वा नाभिं प्राविशदापो रेतो भूत्वा शिश्नं प्राविशन्

Fire, becoming speech, entered the mouth. Air, becoming breath, entered the nostrils. The sun, becoming sight, entered the eyes. The directions, becoming hearing, entered the ears. Plants and trees, becoming hair, entered the skin. The moon, becoming mind, entered the heart. Death, becoming the out-breath, entered the navel. Water, becoming semen, entered the generative organ.

तमशनायापिपासे अब्रूतामावाभ्यामभिप्रजानीहीति ते अब्रवीदेतास्वेव वां देवतास्वाभजाम्येतासु भागिन्यौ करोमीति । तस्माद्यस्यै कस्यै च देवतायै हविर्गृह्यते भागिन्यावेवास्यामशनायापिपासे भवतः

Hunger and thirst said to him, 'Assign us a place among these.' He replied, 'I assign you to these very deities; I make you partners among them.' Therefore, to whichever deity an offering is made, hunger and thirst become its partners.

स ईक्षतेमे नु लोकाश्च लोकपालाश्चान्नमेभ्यः सृजा इति

He considered: 'Now, these worlds and their guardians exist, but let me create food for them.'

सोऽपोऽभ्यतपत्ताभ्योऽभितप्ताभ्यो मूर्तिरजायत । या वै सा मूर्तिरजायतान्नं वै तत्

He heated the waters, and from the heated waters, a form arose. That form which arose is indeed food.

तदेनत्सृष्टं पराङ्त्यजिघांसत्तद्वाचाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोद्वाचा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनद्वाचाऽग्रहैष्यदभिव्याहृत्य हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize that food with speech, but he could not grasp it with speech. Had he seized it with speech, he would have been satisfied by merely uttering food.

तत्प्राणेनाजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोत्प्राणेन ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनत्प्राणेनाग्रहैष्यदभिप्राण्य हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize it with breath, but he could not grasp it with breath. Had he seized it with breath, he would have been satisfied by merely breathing food.

तच्चक्षुषाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोच्चक्षुषा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनच्चक्षुषाऽग्रहैष्यद्दृष्ट्वा हैवानमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize it with sight, but he could not grasp it with sight. Had he seized it with sight, he would have been satisfied by merely seeing food.

तच्छ्रोत्रेणाजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोच्छ्रोत्रेण ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनच्छ्रोत्रेणाग्रहैष्यच्छ्रुत्वा हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize it with hearing, but he could not grasp it with hearing. Had he seized it with hearing, he would have been satisfied by merely hearing food.

तत्त्वचाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोत्त्वचा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनत्त्वचाऽग्रहैष्यत् स्पृष्ट्वा हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize it with touch, but he could not grasp it with touch. Had he seized it with touch, he would have been satisfied by merely touching food.

तन्मनसाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोन्मनसा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनन्मनसाऽग्रहैष्यद्ध्यात्वा हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize it with the mind, but he could not grasp it with the mind. Had he seized it with the mind, he would have been satisfied by merely thinking of food.

तच्छिश्नेनाजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोच्छिश्नेन ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनच्छिश्नेनाग्रहैष्यद्वित्सृज्य हैवानमत्रप्स्यत्

He tried to seize it with the generative organ, but he could not grasp it with the generative organ. Had he seized it with the generative organ, he would have been satisfied by merely emitting food.

तदपानेनाजिघृक्षत् तदावयत् सैषोऽन्नस्य ग्रहो यद्वायुरनायुर्वा एष यद्वायुः

With apāna (the downward breath) he desired to grasp it; he tried to take it in. That which is the grasping of food is indeed air, or life-breath; this is what air is.

स ईक्षत कथं न्विदं मदृते स्यादिति स ईक्षत कतरेण प्रपद्या इति । स ईक्षत यदि वाचाऽभिव्याहृतं यदि प्राणेनाभिप्राणितं यदि चक्षुषा दृष्टं यदि श्रोत्रेण श्रुतं यदि त्वचा स्पृष्टं यदि मनसा ध्यातं यद्यपानेनाभ्यपानितं यदि शिश्नेन विसृष्टमथ कोऽहमिति

He considered: 'How could this exist without me?' He reflected: 'By which should I enter?' He thought: 'If speech is uttered, if breath is inhaled, if sight is seen, if hearing is heard, if touch is felt, if thought is contemplated, if food is taken in by apāna, if seed is emitted by the organ—then who am I?'

स एतमेव सीमानं विदर्यैतया द्वारा प्रापद्यत । सैषा विदृतिर्नाम द्वास्तदेतन्नाऽन्दनम् । तस्य त्रय आवसथास्त्रयः स्वप्ना अयमावसथोऽयमावसथोऽयमावसथ इति

He split open this boundary and entered through that door. That opening is called vidṛti, the door of joy. There are three dwellings of his: three dreams—'this is a dwelling, this is a dwelling, this is a dwelling.'

स जातो भूतान्यभिव्यैख्यत् किमिहान्यं वावदिषदिति । स एतमेव पुरुषं ब्रह्म ततममपश्यत् । इदमदर्शनमिती ३

Having been born, he perceived all beings and declared them. He wondered: 'What else here could I speak?' He saw only this person, the all-pervading Brahman. 'This is the vision,' he said.

तस्मादिदन्द्रो नामेदन्द्रो ह वै नाम तमिदन्द्रं सन्तमिन्द्र इत्याचक्षते परोक्षेण । परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः

Therefore, he is called Idandra by name. Indeed, his name is Idandra, but people call him Indra, speaking indirectly; for the gods love what is indirect, the gods love what is indirect.

पुरुषे ह वा अयमादितो गर्भो भवति यदेतद्रेतः । तदेतत्सर्वेभ्योऽङ्गेभ्यस्तेजः सम्भूतमात्मन्येवऽऽत्मानं बिभर्ति तद्यदा स्त्रियां सिञ्चत्यथैनज्जनयति तदस्य प्रथमं जन्म

In a man, this embryo arises from the seed; that seed, the essence of all the limbs, is gathered by the self into itself. When he pours it into a woman, he begets it; that is his first birth.

तत्स्त्रिया आत्मभूयं गच्छति यथा स्वमङ्गं तथा । तस्मादेनां न हिनस्ति । साऽस्यैतमात्मानमत्र गतं भावयति

It becomes one with the woman, just as her own limb; therefore, he does not harm her. She nurtures this self that has come into her.

सा भावयित्री भावयितव्या भवति । तं स्त्री गर्भ बिभर्ति । सोऽग्र एव कुमारं जन्मनोऽग्रेऽधिभावयति । स यत्कुमारं जन्मनोऽग्रेऽधिभावयत्यात्मानमेव तद्भावयत्येषां लोकानां सन्तत्या । एवं सन्तता हीमे लोकास्तदस्य द्वितीयं जन्म

She, as the nurturer, is to be nurtured. The woman bears the embryo. He, while still in the womb, nurtures the child before birth. By nurturing the child before birth, he nurtures his own self for the continuity of these worlds. Thus, these worlds are perpetuated; that is his second birth.

सोऽस्यायमात्मा पुण्येभ्यः कर्मभ्यः प्रतिधीयते । अथास्यायामितर आत्मा कृतकृत्यो वयोगतः प्रैति । स इतः प्रयन्नेव पुनर्जायते तदस्य तृतीयं जन्म

This self of his is entrusted to good deeds. Then, the other self, having fulfilled his duties and reached old age, departs. Departing from here, he is born again; that is his third birth.

तदुक्तमृषिणा गर्भे नु सन्नन्वेषामवेदमहं देवानां जनिमानि विश्वा शतं मा पुर आयसीररक्षन्नधः श्येनो जवसा निरदीयमिति । गर्भ एवैतच्छयानो वामदेव एवमुवाच

Thus it was said by the seer: 'While yet in the womb, I knew all the births of the gods. A hundred iron fortresses held me, but swift as a hawk, I broke through them.' Thus, while lying in the womb, Vāmadeva spoke in this way.

स एवं विद्वानस्माच्छरीरभेदादूर्ध्व उत्क्रम्यामुष्मिन् स्वर्गे लोके सर्वान् कामानाप्त्वाऽमृतः समभवत् समभवत्

Thus, knowing in this way, after departing from this body, he rose upward, and in that heavenly world, having attained all desires, he became immortal, he became immortal.

कोऽयमात्मेति वयमुपास्महे कतरः स आत्मा । येन वा पश्यति येन वा शृणोति येन वा गन्धानाजिघ्रति येन वा वाचं व्याकरोति येन वा स्वादु चास्वादु च विजानाति

Who is this self whom we worship? Which is that self? By which one sees, by which one hears, by which one smells odors, by which one speaks words, by which one knows the pleasant and the unpleasant?