Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣadबृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्

Khila Kanda. Adhyaya 6, Brahmana 1. The contest of the organs: the vital breath is greatest

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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.

॥ 6.1.14 ॥

What the breath eats and wears

सा ह वागुवाच यद्वा अहं वसिष्ठास्मि त्वं तद्वसिष्ठोऽसीति । यद्वा अहं प्रतिष्ठास्मि त्वं तत्प्रतिष्ठोऽसीति चक्षुः । यद्वा अहं संपदस्मि त्वं तत्संपदसीति श्रोत्रम् । यद्वा अहमायतनमस्मि त्वं तदायतनमसीति मनः । यद्वा अहं प्रजातिरस्मि त्वं तत्प्रजातिरसीति रेतः । तस्यो मे किमन्नं किं वास इति । यदिदं किञ्चा श्वभ्य आ कृमिभ्य आ कीटपतङ्गेभ्यस्तत्तेऽन्नम् । आपो वास इति । न ह वा अस्यानन्नं जग्धं भवति नानन्नं प्रतिगृहीतं य एवमेतदनस्यान्नं वेद । तद्विद्वांसः श्रोत्रिया अशिष्यन्त आचामन्त्यशित्वाचामन्ति । एतमेव तदन्नमनग्नं कुर्वन्तो मन्यन्ते ॥

In transliteration

sā ha vāguvāca yadvā ahaṃ vasiṣṭhāsmi tvaṃ tadvasiṣṭho'sīti | yadvā ahaṃ pratiṣṭhāsmi tvaṃ tatpratiṣṭho'sīti cakṣuḥ | yadvā ahaṃ saṃpadasmi tvaṃ tatsaṃpadasīti śrotram | yadvā ahamāyatanamasmi tvaṃ tadāyatanamasīti manaḥ | yadvā ahaṃ prajātirasmi tvaṃ tatprajātirasīti retaḥ | tasyo me kimannaṃ kiṃ vāsa iti | yadidaṃ kiñcā śvabhya ā kṛmibhya ā kīṭapataṅgebhyastatte'nnam | āpo vāsa iti | na ha vā asyānannaṃ jagdhaṃ bhavati nānannaṃ pratigṛhītaṃ ya evametadanasyānnaṃ veda | tadvidvāṃsaḥ śrotriyā aśiṣyanta ācāmantyaśitvācāmanti | etameva tadannamanagnaṃ kurvanto manyante ||

In English

Speech said, That in which I am most prosperous, in that you are most prosperous. The eye said, That in which I am the firm support, in that you are the firm support. The ear said, That in which I am attainment, in that you are attainment. The mind said, That in which I am the abode, in that you are the abode. The seed said, That in which I am procreation, in that you are procreation. The breath asked, What then is my food, and what my clothing? Whatever there is, down to dogs, worms, insects, and moths, that is your food, and water your clothing. He who knows the food of the breath to be such, for him nothing is eaten that is not food, nothing received that is not food. The wise who have learned the Vedas, when about to eat, sip water, and when they have eaten, sip water again; thereby they think they keep this breath from being naked.

In plain words

Each organ yielded its glory to the breath: speech said, My prosperity is yours; the eye, My firmness is yours; the ear, My attainment is yours; the mind, My abode is yours; the seed, My procreation is yours. The breath asked, Then what is my food and my clothing? They answered, Everything there is, even down to dogs, worms, insects, and moths, is your food, and water is your clothing. Whoever knows the breath's food in this way eats nothing that is unfit and accepts nothing that is unfit as food. This is why the learned, versed in the Vedas, sip water just before eating and again just after: by doing so they hold that they clothe the breath, so that it is never left naked.

In the commentaries

Sri SankaraAdvaita

The organs surrender their several glories to the breath, owning that each is what it is only by the breath; all that exists is the breath's food and water its clothing, and the knower, treating every food as the breath's, sips water before and after eating to clothe the breath, so that for him no food is unfit and the breath is never left bare.

Sri Sankara, Brhadaranyaka-bhasya 6.1.14 (via Madhavananda)

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