Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣadबृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्

Madhu Kanda. Adhyaya 1, Brahmana 3. The contest of the vital breath

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Each mantra is given four ways: the Sanskrit in its Devanagari script, the same sounds in Roman letters, an English translation set in our own voice, and then the line once more in plain words, for a first and unhurried reading.

Not every passage is opened to the same depth. A few central mantras carry the full cross-school commentary, where the schools are set side by side. The rest are kept here whole and faithful, set in their place but not expounded, so the book stays entire and nothing is dropped for being thought minor.

Where the schools read a line differently, the difference is kept open. None is crowned and none is corrected. Each is met on its own terms, and where they contradict, the contradiction is left standing for you to sit with.

॥ 1.3.18 ॥

Enter into me, said the breath

ते देवा अब्रुवन् । एतावद्वा इदं सर्वं यदन्नम् । तदात्मन आगासीः । अनु नोऽस्मिन्नन्न आभजस्वेति । ते वै माभिसंविशतेति । तथेति तं समन्तं परिण्यविशन्त । तस्माद्यदनेनान्नमत्ति तेनैतास्तृप्यन्ति । एवं ह वा एनं स्वा अभिसंविशन्ति भर्ता स्वानां श्रेष्ठः पुरएता भवत्यन्नादोऽधिपतिर्य एवं वेद । य उ हैवंविदं स्वेषु प्रतिर्बुभूषति न हैवालं भार्येभ्यो भवति । अथ य एवैतमनुभवति यो वैतमनु भार्यान्बुभूर्षति स हैवालं भार्येभ्यो भवति ॥

In transliteration

te devā abruvan | etāvadvā idaṃ sarvaṃ yadannam | tadātmana āgāsīḥ | anu no'sminnanna ābhajasveti | te vai mābhisaṃviśateti | tatheti taṃ samantaṃ pariṇyaviśanta | tasmādyadanenānnamatti tenaitāstṛpyanti | evaṃ ha vā enaṃ svā abhisaṃviśanti bhartā svānāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ puraetā bhavatyannādo'dhipatirya evaṃ veda | ya u haivaṃvidaṃ sveṣu pratirbubhūṣati na haivālaṃ bhāryebhyo bhavati | atha ya evaitamanubhavati yo vaitamanu bhāryānbubhūrṣati sa haivālaṃ bhāryebhyo bhavati ||

In English

The gods said: Just this much is all there is, this food; and you have chanted it for yourself. Let us share in this food. Then enter into me, it said. So be it, they said, and they entered it all around. Therefore by whatever food the breath eats, by that these are satisfied. Thus do his own people come to him; he becomes their support, their best, their leader, the eater of food, their ruler, who knows this. And whoever among his own would wish to rival such a knower fails to support his dependents. But he who follows him, who under him wishes to maintain his dependents, he indeed is able to support them.

In plain words

The gods, the other organs, said: this food is the whole of what there is, and you have chanted it for yourself; give us too a share in this food. The breath said: then enter into me. They agreed and entered it on every side. So whatever food the breath eats, the organs are nourished by it. In the same way, one who knows this is joined by his own people, and he becomes their supporter, their best, their leader, the eater (the provider) and ruler. Anyone of his kin who tries to rival such a knower cannot maintain his own dependents; but one who lives in accord with him, seeking to support his dependents under him, is able to maintain them.

All mantras