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[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

THE UPANAYANA, OR INITIATION OF THE BR膧HMA峁咺CAL STUDENT^[1].

1. He says, 'I have come for Brahmacarya^[2]:' he thereby reports himself to the Brahman. He says, 'Let me be a 叠谤补丑尘补肠腻谤颈苍 (student):' he thereby makes himself over to the Brahman. He (the teacher) then says, 'What (ka) is thy name?'--now Ka is 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈: he thus initiates him after making him one belonging to 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈.

2. He then takes his (right) hand with, 'Indra's disciple thou art; Agni is thy teacher, I am thy teacher, O N.N.!'--now these are two most high and most powerful deities: it is to these two most high and most powerful deities he commits him; and thus his disciple suffers no harm of any kind, nor does he who knows this^[3].

3. He then commits him to the beings:--'To 笔谤补箩腻辫补迟颈 I commit thee, to the god 厂补惫颈迟峁� I commit thee;'--now these are two most high and most important deities: it is to these two most high and most important deities he commits him; and thus his disciple suffers no harm of any kind, nor does he who knows this.

4. 'To the waters, to the plants I commit thee,'--he thus commits him to the waters and plants.--'To Heaven and Earth I commit thee,'--he thus commits him to these two, heaven and earth, within which all this universe is contained.--'To all beings I commit thee for security from injury,'--he thus commits him to all beings for security from injury; and thus his disciple suffers no harm of any kind, nor does he who knows this.

5. 'Thou art a 叠谤补丑尘补肠腻谤颈苍,' he says, and thus commits him to the Brahman;--'sip water!'--water, doubtless, means ambrosia: 'sip ambrosia' is thus what he tells him;--'do thy work!'--work, doubtless, means vigour: 'exert vigour' is thus what he tells him;--'put on fuel!'--'enkindle thy mind with fire, with holy lustre!' is what he thereby tells him;--'do not sleep^[4]!'--'do not die' is what he thereby says to him;--'sip water!'--water means ambrosia: 'sip ambrosia' is what he thus tells him. He thus encloses him on both sides with ambrosia (the drink of immortality), and thus the 叠谤补丑尘补肠腻谤颈苍 suffers no harm of any kind, nor does he who knows this.

6. He then recites to him (teaches him) the 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨^[5];--formerly, indeed, they taught this (verse) at the end of a year^[6], thinking, 'Children, indeed, are born after being fashioned for a year^[7]: thus we lay speech (voice) into this one as soon as he has been born.'

7. Or after six months, thinking, 'There are six seasons in the year, and children are born after being fashioned for a year: we thus lay speech into this one as soon as he has been born.'

8. Or after twenty-four days, thinking, 'There are twenty-four half-months in the year, and children are born when fashioned for a year: we thus lay speech into this one as soon as he has been born.'

9. Or after twelve days, thinking, 'There are twelve months in the year, and children are born when fashioned for a year: we thus lay speech into this one as soon as he has been born.'

10. Or after six days, thinking, 'There are six seasons in the year, and children are born when fashioned for a year: we thus lay speech into this one as soon as he has been born.'

11. Or after three days, thinking, 'There are three seasons in the year, and children are born when fashioned for a year: we thus lay speech into this one as soon as he has been born.'

12. Concerning this they also sing the verse,--'By laying his right hand on (the pupil), the teacher becomes pregnant (with him): in the third (night) he is born as a 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 with the 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨^[8].' Let him, however, teach a 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 (the 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨) at once, for the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 belongs to Agni, and Agni is born at once^[9]: therefore, he should teach the 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 at once.

13. Now some teach an 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻产丑 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨, saying, 'The 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻产丑 is speech: we thus lay speech into him.' But let him not do so; for if, in that case, any one were to say of him, 'Surely, this (student) has taken away his (the teacher's) speech: he will become dumb;' then that would indeed be likely to come to pass: let him therefore teach him that 骋腻测补迟谤墨 厂腻惫颈迟谤墨.

14. And some recite it to him while he (the student) is standing or sitting on (the teacher's) right side; but let him not do this; for if, in that case, any one were to say of him, 'Surely, this (teacher) has born this (student) sideways, he will become averse to him;' then that would indeed be likely to come to pass: let him therefore recite it in a forward (easterly) direction to (the student) looking at him towards the west.

15. He (first) recites it by 辫腻诲补蝉^[10]: there being three breathings, the out-breathing, the up-breathing and the through-breathing; it is these he thus lays into him;--then by half-verses: there being these two (principal) breathings, the out-breathing and the up-breathing^[11], it is the out-breathing and the up-breathing he thus lays into him;--then the whole (verse): there being this one vital air (in man), he thus lays the whole vital air into the whole of him.

16. As to this they say, 'When one has admitted a 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 to a term of studentship, he should not carry on sexual intercourse, lest he should generate this 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺 from shed seed; for, indeed, he who enters on a term of studentship becomes an embryo.'

17. And concerning this they also say, 'He may nevertheless do so, if he chooses; for these creatures are of two kinds, divine and human,--these human creatures are born from the womb, and the divine creatures, being the metres (verses of scripture), are born from the month: it is therefrom he (the teacher) produces him, and therefore he may do so (have intercourse) if he chooses.'

18. And they also say, 'He who is a 叠谤补丑尘补肠腻谤颈苍 should not eat honey, lest he should reach the end of food, for honey, doubtless, is the utmost (supreme) essence of plants.' But 艢惫别迟补办别迟耻 膧ru峁噀ya, when eating honey, whilst he was a student, said, 'This honey, in truth, is the remainder (essential part) of the triple science (the Vedas), and he, indeed, who has such a remainder, is an essence.' And, indeed, if a 叠谤补丑尘补肠腻谤颈苍, knowing this, eats honey, it is just as if he were to utter either a 峁歬-verse, or Yajus-formula, or a S膩man-tune: let him therefore eat freely of it.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

With this chapter compare P膩raskara G峁沨yas奴tra II, 2, 17 seqq.; 膧艣val膩yana G峁沨yas奴tra I, 20 seqq.; 艢膩ṅkh膩yana G峁沨yas奴tra II, 1 seqq.

[2]:

That is, for religious (theological) studentship: 'I have come to be a student.'--S膩ya峁嘺 takes the aorist '膩g膩m' in an optative sense 'may I enter (or obtain),'--brahmac膩ri峁噊 bh膩vo brahmacarya峁� tad 膩g膩峁� pr膩pnuy膩m.

[3]:

Vidu峁�o'py etat phalam 膩ha, na sa iti, evam ukt膩rtha峁� yo veda j膩n膩ti so'py 膩rti峁� na pr膩pnot墨ty artha岣�, S膩y.

[4]:

'Do not sleep in the daytime!' P膩r., 膧艣v.

[5]:

For this verse, also called the 骋腻测补迟谤墨 (峁歡-veda S. III, 62, 10), see II, 3, 4, 39.

[6]:

S膩ya峁嘺 takes this in the sense of 'some only teach this (formula) a year after (or, after the first year),'--pur膩 p奴rvasminn upanayan膩d 奴rdhvabh膩vini sa峁僾atsarak膩le't墨峁璭 sati tam et膩峁� g膩yatrim anv膩hu岣�, kecid 膩c膩ry膩 upadi艣anti.

[7]:

Literally, made equal, or corresponding, to a year,--Sa峁僾atsar膩tman膩 k膩lena samyakparicchinn膩岣� khalu garbh膩 vyakt膩vayav膩岣� santa岣� praj膩yante utpadyante; ata upanayan膩nantaram 膩c膩ryasam墨pe garbhavad avacchinnas taduktaniyaman膩t sa峁僾atsarak膩la eva punar j膩yate, S膩y.

[8]:

膧c膩ryo m膩峁嘺vakam upan墨ya sam墨pavartin膩 tena garbh墨 bhavati garbhav膩n bhavati, ki峁� k峁泃v膩, 膩tm墨ya峁� dak峁�i峁嘺峁� hasta峁� 艣i峁�yamastaka p. 89 膩dh膩ya nik峁�ipya; sa garbhar奴po m膩峁嘺vakas t峁泃墨yasy膩峁� r膩trau vyat墨t膩y膩峁� j膩yate 膩c膩ry膩d utpadyate, j膩ta艣 ca 膩c膩rye峁噊padi峁ａ弓ay膩 s膩vitry膩 sahita san br膩hma峁噊 bhavati s膩vitr墨r奴pa峁� ca brahm膩dh墨ta iti br膩hma峁嘺 iti vyutpatti岣�, br膩hma峁嘺j膩titvam asya sampannam ity artha岣�, S膩y.

[9]:

Viz. immediately on the 'churning-sticks' being set in motion.

[10]:

The 骋腻测补迟谤墨 (厂腻惫颈迟谤墨) consists of three octosyllabic 辫腻诲补蝉, forming two half-verses of two and one p膩da respectively; whilst an 础苍耻峁ａ弓耻产丑 (厂腻惫颈迟谤墨) would consist of four octosyllabic 辫腻诲补蝉, two of which make a half-verse.

[11]:

That is, the breath of the mouth, and that of the nostrils.