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.

॥ 1.3.28 ॥

Lead me from death to immortality

अथातः पवमानानामेवाभ्यारोहः । स वै खलु प्रस्तोता साम प्रस्तौति । स यत्र प्रस्तुयात्तदेतानि जपेत् । असतो मा सद्गमय । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय । मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय । इति । स यदाहासतो मा सद्गमयेति मृत्युर्वा असत्सदमृतं मृत्योर्मामृतं गमयामृतं मा कुर्वित्येवैतदाह । तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमयेति । मृत्युर्वै तमो ज्योतिरमृतं मृत्योर्मामृतं गमयामृतं मा कुर्वित्येवैतदाह । मृत्योर्मामृतं गमयेति । नात्र तिरोहितमिवास्ति । अथ यानीतराणि स्तोत्राणि तेष्वात्मनेऽन्नाद्यमागायेत् । तस्मादु तेषु वरं वृणीत यं कामं कामयेत्तम् । स एष एवंविदुद्गातात्मने वा यजमानाय वा यं कामं कामयते तमागायति । तद्धैतल्लोकजिदेव । न हैवालोक्यताया आशास्ति य एवमेतत्साम वेद ॥

In transliteration

athātaḥ pavamānānāmevābhyārohaḥ | sa vai khalu prastotā sāma prastauti | sa yatra prastuyāttadetāni japet | asato mā sadgamaya | tamaso mā jyotirgamaya | mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamaya | iti | sa yadāhāsato mā sadgamayeti mṛtyurvā asatsadamṛtaṃ mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamayāmṛtaṃ mā kurvityevaitadāha | tamaso mā jyotirgamayeti | mṛtyurvai tamo jyotiramṛtaṃ mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamayāmṛtaṃ mā kurvityevaitadāha | mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamayeti | nātra tirohitamivāsti | atha yānītarāṇi stotrāṇi teṣvātmane'nnādyamāgāyet | tasmādu teṣu varaṃ vṛṇīta yaṃ kāmaṃ kāmayettam | sa eṣa evaṃvidudgātātmane vā yajamānāya vā yaṃ kāmaṃ kāmayate tamāgāyati | taddhaitallokajideva | na haivālokyatāyā āśāsti ya evametatsāma veda ||

In English

Now, then, comes the ascent through the Pavamana verses. The Prastotr indeed begins to chant the Saman; and as he begins it, let one murmur these: From the unreal lead me to the real. From darkness lead me to light. From death lead me to immortality. When he says, From the unreal lead me to the real, the unreal is death, the real is immortality; so he says, Lead me from death to immortality, make me immortal. When he says, From darkness lead me to light, darkness is death, light is immortality; so he says, Lead me from death to immortality, make me immortal. As for, From death lead me to immortality, there is nothing hidden in that. Then, in the remaining hymns, let one chant to win food for oneself; and in them let one choose a boon, whatever desire one desires. The Udgatr who knows this wins, for himself or for the sacrificer, whatever desire he desires by chanting. This indeed conquers the world. He who knows this Saman thus, for him there is no hope of being without a world.

In plain words

Now comes the abhyaroha, the ascent or upward meditation, done with the Pavamana verses. When the Prastotr (the priest who begins) starts to chant the Saman, one should softly recite these prayers: From the unreal lead me to the real (asato ma sad gamaya). From darkness lead me to light (tamaso ma jyotir gamaya). From death lead me to immortality (mrtyor ma amrtam gamaya). The text then explains them. In the first, the unreal (asat) means death, and the real (sat) means immortality; so it really means, lead me from death to immortality, make me immortal. In the second, darkness means death and light means immortality; so again it means, lead me from death to immortality. The third, from death to immortality, has nothing hidden, it says plainly what it means. Then, in the other hymns, one should chant to gain food for oneself, and in them one may ask for any boon one wishes. The Udgatr who knows this obtains by his chanting, for himself or for the one for whom he sacrifices, whatever he desires. This knowledge wins the world; for one who knows this Saman, there is no fear of being left without a world.

In the commentaries

Sri SankaraAdvaita

Sankara: the three prayers are a meditation in which the seeker, identifying with the vital breath, asks to be carried from death to immortality; he glosses unreal and darkness alike as death (ignorance and its world) and real and light as immortality (knowledge and one's true nature), the third prayer stating openly what the first two say covertly, and the whole secures the world of the Self for the knower.

Sri Sankara, Brhadaranyaka-bhasya 1.3.28 (via Madhavananda)

All mantras