Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣadबृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्

Yajnavalkya Kanda. Adhyaya 3, Brahmana 1. Yajnavalkya at Janaka's sacrifice: the eight seizers

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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.

॥ 3.1.10 ॥

Asvala falls silent

याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच कत्ययमद्योद्गातास्मिन् यज्ञे स्तोत्रियाः स्तोष्यतीति । तिस्र इति । कतमास्तास्तिस्र इति । पुरोनुवाक्या च याज्या च शस्यैव तृतीया । कतमास्ताः । या अध्यात्ममिति । प्राण एव पुरोनुवाक्यापानो याज्या व्यानः शस्या । किं ताभिर्जयतीति । पृथिवीलोकमेव पुरोनुवाक्यया जयत्यन्तरिक्षलोकं याज्यया द्युलोकं शस्यया । ततो ह होताश्वल उपरराम ॥

In transliteration

yājñavalkyeti hovāca katyayamadyodgātāsmin yajñe stotriyāḥ stoṣyatīti | tisra iti | katamāstāstisra iti | puronuvākyā ca yājyā ca śasyaiva tṛtīyā | katamāstāḥ | yā adhyātmamiti | prāṇa eva puronuvākyāpāno yājyā vyānaḥ śasyā | kiṃ tābhirjayatīti | pṛthivīlokameva puronuvākyayā jayatyantarikṣalokaṃ yājyayā dyulokaṃ śasyayā | tato ha hotāśvala upararāma ||

In English

"Yajnavalkya," he said, "how many hymns of praise will the Udgatr chant in this sacrifice today?" "Three." "Which are those three?" "The introductory hymn, the offering hymn, and the hymn of praise as the third." "Which are the ones that pertain to the body?" "The Prana is the introductory hymn, the Apana the offering hymn, the Vyana the hymn of praise." "What does he win by them?" "By the introductory hymn he wins the world of earth, by the offering hymn the world of the mid-region, by the hymn of praise the world of heaven." Thereupon the Hotr Asvala fell silent.

In plain words

Asvala asks how many chant-hymns (stotriya) the Udgatr will sing. Yajnavalkya names three, the puronuvakya, the yajya, and the sasya, then gives their bodily counterparts: Prana is the introductory hymn, Apana the offering hymn, Vyana the hymn of praise. By these he wins, in turn, the world of earth (prthivi), the mid-region (antariksa), and heaven (dyuloka). With this answer the Hotr Asvala had no more to ask and fell silent.

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