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.

॥ 3.1.8 ॥

Oblations that blaze and sink

याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच कत्ययमद्याध्वर्युरस्मिन् यज्ञ आहुतीर्होष्यतीति । तिस्र इति । कतमास्तास्तिस्र इति । या हुता उज्ज्वलन्ति या हुता अतिनेदन्ति या हुता अधिशेरते । किं ताभिर्जयतीति । या हुता उज्ज्वलन्ति देवलोकमेव ताभिर्जयति । दीप्यत इव हि देवलोको । या हुता अतिनेदन्ते पितृलोकमेव ताभिर्जयति । अतीव हि पितृलोकः । या हुता अधिशेरते मनुष्यलोकमेव ताभिर्जयति । अध इव हि मनुष्यलोकः ॥

In transliteration

yājñavalkyeti hovāca katyayamadyādhvaryurasmin yajña āhutīrhoṣyatīti | tisra iti | katamāstāstisra iti | yā hutā ujjvalanti yā hutā atinedanti yā hutā adhiśerate | kiṃ tābhirjayatīti | yā hutā ujjvalanti devalokameva tābhirjayati | dīpyata iva hi devaloko | yā hutā atinedante pitṛlokameva tābhirjayati | atīva hi pitṛlokaḥ | yā hutā adhiśerate manuṣyalokameva tābhirjayati | adha iva hi manuṣyalokaḥ ||

In English

"Yajnavalkya," he said, "how many oblations will the Adhvaryu offer in this sacrifice today?" "Three." "Which are those three?" "Those that, when offered, blaze up; those that, when offered, make a loud sound; those that, when offered, sink down." "What does he win by them?" "By those that blaze up when offered, he wins the world of the gods, for the world of the gods seems to shine. By those that make a loud sound when offered, he wins the world of the fathers, for the world of the fathers is high above. By those that sink down when offered, he wins the world of men, for the world of men is, as it were, below."

In plain words

Asvala asks how many oblations the Adhvaryu offers today. Yajnavalkya names three by behavior: those that flare up, those that crackle loudly, and those that settle down. By the blazing ones he wins the world of the gods (devaloka), since that world shines; by the loud ones, the world of the fathers (pitrloka), since it is high; by the sinking ones, the world of men (manushyaloka), since it lies low. Each world is won by meditating on its likeness to the oblation's behavior.

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