Aitareya Upanishad | by Shankara | I ii 1-5

CHAPTER II

Tāḥ etāḥ devatāḥ, these deities — Fire and others; sṛṣṭā, that had been created as the rulers of the regions, by God; (fell) asmin into this; mahati arṇave, vast ocean — of the world

which is like a vast ocean, that is filled with the water of sorrow arising from ignorance, desire, and action; that is infested with huge sea-animals in the form of acute disease, and age, and death;

that has no end and limit and provides no resting place; that affords only momentary respite through the little joy arising from the contact of senses and objects;

that is full of the high waves in the shape of hundreds of evil, stirred up by the gale of hankering for the objects of the 5 senses;

that resounds with the noise of cries and shrieks of “alas! alas!” etc., issuing from the beings condemned to various hells like Mahāraurava;

that has the raft of knowledge, furnished with such provisions for the way as truth, simplicity, charity, compassion, non-injury, control of inner bg-sky and outer organs fortitude, etc., that are the embellishments of the heart;

that has good company and renunciation of everything as its track;
and that has emancipation as its shore.

Into this vast ocean prāpatan, (they) fell. This is the construction.

Hence the idea sought to be imparted here is that even the attainment of the state of merger in the deities, viz. Fire and others, that was explained (earlier), and that is the result of the combined practice of meditation and karma — (even this) is not adequate for the removal of the sorrows of the world.

Since this is so, therefore, after having grasped this fact, one should, for the eradication of all the worldly miseries, realise the supreme Brahman as the Self of one’s own as also of all beings—

- the Self which is possessed of the characteristics to be mentioned hereafter, and which has been introduced as the source of the origination, continuance, and dissolution of the universe.

Therefore in accordance with the Vedic text,
“There is no other path for reaching there” (Śv. III. 8, VI. 15),

 it follows that,

“This that is the knowledge of the oneness of Brahman and the Self, is the path, this is the karma, this is Brahman, this is truth” (Ai. Ā. II. i. 1).

(He, the Creator) anvavārjat, suffused, i.e. endowed, tam, Him — who was the source of the organs, their seats, and their deities, the Being (i.e. Virāṭ) who was the first begotten and the Self in the form of a lump; aśanāyā-pipāsābhyām, with hunger and thirst.

Since He (the first begotten), the source of all, was afflicted with the defects of hunger etc., His products, the deities, are also subject to hunger etc.

Then tāḥ, those deities; being afflicted with hunger and thirst; enam, to Him, to the grandsire, to the Creator (of the body of Virāṭ); abruvan, said; iti, this:

Prajānīhi, provide; naḥ, for us; āyatanam, an abode; pratiṣṭhitāḥ yasmin, staying where - and becoming able; annam adāma we can eat food.

God, having been told so, tābhyaḥ, for them, for the deities; ānayat gām, brought a cow; having gathered up a lump of the size of a cow from that very water, just as before, and having fashioned it.

He showed it to them.
Tāḥ, they; on their part, having seen the bovine form; abruvan, said:

Ayam, this one — this lump; na vai, is not certainly; alam, adequate; naḥ, for us — fit to serve as a seat while eating food; that is to say, it is not sufficient so far as eating is concerned.

The cow having been rejected, He ānayat, brought; aśvam, a horse; tābhyaḥ, for them.

Tāḥ, they, abruvan, said; iti, this—just as before:
“Ayam, na vai alam naḥ, this is not certainly serviceable for us.”

When all else had been rejected, tābhyaḥ, for them; ānayat (He) brought; puruṣaṁ, a man, their progenitor.

Having seen that man, that was their source, they became free from misery, and tāḥ, they; abruvan, said; iti, this:

“This abode is sukṛtaṁ bata, well created, to be sure.”

As a result puruṣaḥ vāva, man is indeed; sukṛtaṁ, virtue itself—behaving thereby become the source of all virtuous deeds.

Or he is called sukṛta, (lit.) created by oneself, because God created man by Himself, through His own Māyā.

God thought that this abode was liked by them, since all beings love the source from which they spring; and so He abravīt said, tāḥ to them; iti, this:

“Praviśata, enter; yathāyatanam, into the respective abode — into the dwelling that suits each for such activities as speaking etc.”

Just as the commander of armies etc. (enter into a city at the bidding of the king), so having got the permission of God in the words,

“Let this be so”, Agniḥ, Fire, the deity that identifies himself with the organ of speech; bhūtvā, becoming, vai, speech itself; prāviśat, entered; mukham, into the mouth, which was his source.

Similarly are the rest to be explained:

Vāyuḥ, Air, entered nāsike, into the nostrils.
Ādityaḥ, the Sun; akṣiṇī, into the eyes;
diśaḥ the Directions; karṇau into the ears;
oṣadhi-vanaspatayaḥ the Herbs and Trees; tvacaṁ, into the skin;
candramāḥ, the moon; hṛdayam, into the heart;
mṛtyuḥ, Death; nābhim, into the navel (i.e.: the root of the anus);
āpaḥ, Water, śiśnam into the generative organ.

When the gods had thus found their abodes, aśanāyā-pipūse Hunger and Thirst, being without abodes, abrūtām, said, to that God:

“Āvābhyām, for us abhiprajānīhi, think of, i.e. provide; some abode.”

God, having been told thus, abravīt, said; te, to them two—to Hunger and Thirst:

“Since you are but feelings, you cannot possibly enjoy food without being supported by some conscious being.

Therefore etāsu eva, among these beings themselves; devatāsu, among the deities, viz. Fire etc. --in the corporeal context, as also in the divine context; ābhajāmi vām, I favour you by assigning your livelihood.

Karomi, I make you; bhāginyau, sharers; etāsu, among these gods. Whatever allotment, consisting of oblation etc., is assigned to any deity, I make you share in that very portion.”

Since God ordained thus in the beginning of creation, tasmāt, therefore; even today; yasyai kasyai ca devatāyai for whichsoever deity; haviḥ, oblation — such as porridge, cake, etc.; gṛhyate, is taken up; asyām, in that deity; aśanāyā-pipāse Hunger and Thirst; bhāginyau eva bhavataḥ, become sharers indeed.