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Hymn
24:Three Bonds and their Release
Rişhi:
Shunaĥshepaĥ Ajīgartiĥ
The
Symbolism of the Three Bonds
The last ten riks of this hymn and all the twenty-one of
the next are dedicated to Varuņa and deal with the liberation of
the rişhi Shunaĥshepaĥfrom the three bonds. The
commentator Sāyaņa and all the available English
translations regard these verses as referring to the parable of
the person Shunaĥshepaĥbeing offered as a substitute for
the missing sacrificial horse; even in the parable appearing in
the Rāmāyaņa and the purāņās, the immolation does
not take place since the supposedly disappeared sacrificial
horse appears mysteriously at the altar in response to the
prayer of Shunaĥshepaĥto the God Varuņa asking for his
release.
We give below the symbolic/psychological interpretation
due to Sri Aurobindo [Secret of the Veda, p.452].
“Ignorance, this matrix of sin, has in its substantial
effect the appearance of a triple cord of limited mind,
inefficient life, obscure physical animality, the three ropes
with which the rişhi Shunaĥshepaĥin the parable was bound
as a victim to the sacrificial post. The whole result is a
struggling or inert poverty of being; it is the meagreness of a
mortal undelight and the insufficiency of a being that collapses
at every moment towards death. When Varuņa, the Mighty, comes
and sunders this threefold restraint, we are freed towards
riches and immortality. Uplifted, the real man arises to his
true kingship in the undivided being. The upper cord flies
upward releasing the wings of the Soul into superconscient
heights; the middle cord parts both ways and all ways, the
constrained life breaking out into a happy breadth of existence;
the lower cord collapses downward taking with it the alloy of
our physical being to disappear and be dissolved in the stuff of
the inconscient. This liberation is the purport of the parable
of Shunaĥshepaĥand his two great hymns to Varuņa.''
In addition, the commentary on the specific verses throws
additional Light. Note that the Shunaĥshepaĥmeans a ray
of delight, shunaĥmeaning delight and shepaĥ, a
ray.
Since some indologists such as Rajindarlal Mitra, A.B.
Keith etc. are eager to claim the presence of human sacrifice in
vedic India, a separate essay on this topic, prepared by
Sri Kapāli Sāstry as a part of his commentary, is given at the
end of the book “Unveiling the Light in the Veda'' a compilation
of the works on Veda in English by Sri Kapāli Sāstry
published by Sadguru Publications and India Books Centre, New
Delhi, 2001. The book is compiled by R.L. Kashyap. This appendix
considers the quotations from the various brāhmaņa books
also.
MANTRA (1.24.1) : WHICH DEITY SHALL WE CALL
Among the
immortals which deity
With an
auspicious name shall we call?
Questioning I
ask: Who is that God who will restore us to the mighty Aditi
So that I may
behold again the Father and the Mother?
kasya
nūnam katamasya amŗtānām
which, in
doubt, of which kind, among the immortals,
manāmahe chāru devasya nāma;
(may we)
utter, auspicious, of the God, name,
ko no
mahyā aditaye
who, us, to
the great, to the infinite creatrix Aditi,
punar
dāt pitaram cha dŗsheyam mātaram cha.
again, may
give, father, and, (may I) see, mother, and.
Details:
Finding himself in the bonds of ignorance, rişhi Shunaĥshepaĥasks
which God should he invoke by name for release so that he may be
delivered to the infinite Mother Aditi and thus see both
his spiritual parents. Note the use of the word punar
again in line 4. He is originally from Aditi and he wants
to return to her.
He is her ray of light, soul in a human body. It is held
bound in three places based upon matter, life and mind. He
obtains his release. The idea of this secret knowledge is
mentioned in later mantrās of this hymn such as mantra
12.
Heaven, the Father, represents the consciousness of pure
Mind; Earth, the Mother, represents the consciousness of the
physical world, the waking state. When he gets liberation, he is
given the knowledge of these two states.
nūnam:
doubting, questioning.
MANTRA (1.24.2): AGNI, THE FIRST
Agni, the
first among the immortals,
His
auspicious name we will utter;
He will
restore us to the mighty Aditi
So that I may
behold the Father and the Mother.
agner
vayam prathamasya amŗtānām
Agni, us,
first, among immortals,
manāmahe chāru devasya nāma;
(may we)
utter, auspicious, of the God, name,
sa no
mahyā aditaye
he, us, to
the great, to the infinite creative Aditi,
punar
dātpitaram cha dŗsheyam mātaram cha.
again, may
give, father, and, (may I) see, mother, and.
Details:
His intuition or the grace of Gods or teacher indicates that he
has to contact Agni, the First; the manifestation of other Gods
comes later.
Sub Hymn
to Savitŗ -Bhaga
MANTRA (1.24.3): OUR APPROPRIATE SHARE
O God Savitŗ
, lord of the precious, who offers sustained protection
We seek from
you the portion appropriate for us in all ways.
abhi
tvā deva savitar
., towards
you, God, Savitŗ ,
īshānam
vāryāņām;
lord, of the
excellent,
sadāvan
bhāgam īmahe.
ever-protected, portion, seek.
Details:
By the grace of Agni, the rişhi approaches the God
Savitŗ with this mantra, the first of three riks
in this subhymn.
The portion asked for is not merely of life-span, wealth
etc. This wealth is in the hands of God. When it is desired by
those who are not competent for it, it causes problems. Hence
the phrase "portions appropriate for us'. This idea is amplified
in the next verse.
sadāvan: sadā + avan,
continuously + protected.
bhāgam:
share fit for us.
abhi īmahe:
(we) seek everywhere or on all sides.
MANTRA (1.24.4): PORTION BEYOND CENSURE
The share
which is devoid of inconsistency
Which is
beyond censure and
Which is free
from hate is placed in your hands.
yash
chidhdi ta itthā bhagaĥ
which, .,
your, devoid of inconsistency, portion,
shashamānaĥ purā nidaĥ;
lauded,
before, censure,
adveşho
hastayor dadhe.
no hate,
hands, laid.
Details:
As mentioned in the earlier mantra, the share is in the
hands of God and he gives it to us directly. He gives that part
which does not cause hate, cavil or inconsistency. The hate or
ill-will, caused by human or non-human agencies, will happen
only if the gift is given at the wrong time or place.
nidaĥ:
censure, discussed in (1.4.5), Vol. 2.
MANTRA (1.24.5): ATTAIN THE HIGH STATE
We, devotees
of the lord Bhaga, are yours;
Increased by
your doings,
We attain the
highest station and enjoy your felicities.
bhaga
bhaktasya te vayam
lord
Bhaga, devotee of, (are) yours, we belong to,
udashema tav āvasā;
(mat we)
attain, by your (doing), by our increase,
mūrdhānam rāya ārabhe.
The highest
step, wealth or felicities, begin to enjoy.
Details:
bhaga:
denotes both the share in the yajňa and also the deity Bhaga,
one of the solar powers, who apportions to each devotee his
share of the felicities. Here the God Savitŗ is in the form of
the God Bhaga.
Hymn To
Varuņa
MANTRA (1.24.6): VARUNA'S MATCHLESS STRENGTH
Your might,
your strength of endurance or
Your fury
cannot be attained by the soaring birds;
Neither the
incessantly flowing rivers
Nor the wind
can affect your might.
nahi te
kşhatram na saho na
not, your,
might, not, strength, not,
manyum
vayashchan āmī patayanta āpuĥ;
fury, birds,
these, soaring, attain,
nemā
āpo animişham charantīr na
not these,
rivers, continuous, moving or flowing, not,
ye
vātasya praminanti abhvam.
., wind,
affect, the powerful might.
Details:
The powerful might of Varuņa exceeds whatever is
distinguished in the world by its speed or strength.
The ten mantrās beginning with this are addressed to
Varuņa, the lord of infinities. He lauds Varuņa by the grace of
Savitŗ , the all-impeller.
MANTRA (1.24.7): THE RADIANCE ESTABLISHED IN US
The king
Varuņa (shining) in the baseless heaven
Of pure
understanding holds aloft a mass of delight-giving radiance
above;
Its rays
stream below with their base above;
May these
rays of radiance become established in us.
abudhne
rājā varuņo
without
support, king, Varuņa,
vanasy
ordhvam stūpam dadate pūtadakşhaĥ;
delight-giving, above, mass, holds aloft, of pure understanding,
nīchīnāĥ sthur upari budhna
downwards,
stand, above, support,
eşhām
asme antarnihitāĥ ketavaĥ syuĥ.
these, in us,
within, established, rays, are.
Details:
stūpa
is undoubtedly mass. By association it is to be taken as the
mass of Light or Radiance. This mass of Light with its source
above is borne by Varuņa who pervades all, but himself stands
above. This mass of Light is full of consciousness and spreads
its rays of knowledge. These rays
are full of delight and they stream downwards towards the earth
and get established within all the seekers on earth.
abudhne:
without support, i.e., the heaven above.
MANTRA (1.24.8): REPELLER OF AFFLICTIONS
The regal
Varuņa prepares the wide pathway
For the
Divine Sun to follow;
In the unlit
parts (of the human) he prepares for the treads of his feet;
He is the
repeller of whatever afflicts the heart.
urum hi
rājā varuņash chakāra
wide, king,
VarunÙa, prepares,
sūryāya
panthām anvetavā u;
for Savitŗ ,
way, for giving in order, .,
apade
pādā pratidhātave akar
in the
untrodden or inaccessible, steps, to place, prepares,
utā
pavaktā hŗdayā vidhashchit.
again,
repeller, heart, assails.
Details:
Spiritual experiences cannot take place in a human body without
preparation. The spiritual energies need specific pathways. The
deity Varuņa prepares these pathways in the space which is
untrodden or unlit.
The heart is the dwelling place of the inner self of man.
Even that place is struck by the powers of darkness. Varuņa
repels these forces of evil and darkness afflicting the heart.
As an illustration of the quality of existing
translations, we reproduce the summary translation by Griffith.
“Varuņa, king, of hallowed might, sustaineth erect the Tree's
stem in the baseless region.
Its rays, whose root is high above, stream downwards. Deep
may they sink within us and be hidden.''
Note that key words in the text like hŗdaya heart
are ignored. The reader can figure out the meaning of the
translation.
The meaning of path:
“The
path is a continuous making and building of new Truth, new
powers, higher realisations, new worlds. All heights to which we
can climb from the basis of our physical existence are described
symbolically as mountain summits on earth RV (1.10.2), and
Varuņa of the vision holds them all in himself.'' (Sri
Aurobindo, Secret of the Veda, p. 455).
utāpavaktā: uta + apavaktā,
again + repeller.
MANTRA (1.24.9): LIBERATION FROM SIN
O Lord,
plentiful are your healers, a hundred, a thousand;
Hence may
your gracious and profound thoughts flow wide and deep (towards
us through them);
Turn away and
remove far from us the demon of sin and death;
Liberate us
completely from the sin done by us.
shatam
te rājan bhişhajaĥ sahasram urvī
hundred,
your, king, physicians, thousand, wide,
gabhīrā
sumatişh ţe astu;
profound,
auspicious thoughts, your, be,
bādhasva dūre nirŗtim parāchaiĥ
remove,
(place) faraway, the demon of evil, (by making him) retreat or
turn away,
kŗtam
chid enaĥ pra mumugdhyasmat.
done by us,
., sin, superbly, free, us.
Details:
Nirŗti
is the Universal force of death and sin, the root cause of all
evil in the world. Sin is any action, physical, verbal, mental,
done knowingly or unknowingly, contrary to the law of Truth.
Elimination of both is possible by the grace of Varuņa.
Varuņa is capable of warding of the effects of sin. Varuņa heals
us through his devotees, the physicians.
MANTRA (1.24.10): LAWS OF VARUNA
Where do
these stars go in daytime,
Which are
high above and seen at night?
Unobstructed
are the laws of Varuņa
And so does
the moon shine superbly at night.
amī ya
ŗkşhā nihitāsa uchchā
these, .,
stars, established, high,
naktam
dadŗshre kuhachid div eyuĥ;
night, seen,
where, daytime, go,
adabdhāni varuņasya vratāni
unobstructed,
of Varuņa, laws,
vichākashach chandramā naktam eti.
shining
superbly, moon, night, goes.
Details:
Due to the laws of Varuņa in this Universe, the stars are
not seen during the day in the light of the Sun; the moon lights
up the nights. The regulations of the physical nature are but
one aspect of the laws of Varuņa.
diveyuĥ: diva + īyuĥ,
daytime + go.
MANTRA (1.24.11): LONG LIFE
I implore you
with the mantra adoring That, the Supreme;
Yajamāna
prays for that with the offerings;
O
Widely-lauded Varuņa, be not be disdainful; take heed of our
prayer;
Do not let
our longevity be robbed.
tat vā
yāmi brahmaņā vandamānas tad ā
that
(Supreme), you, implore, with mantra, lauding, That, .,
shāste
yajamāno havirbhiĥ;
prays,
yajamāna, offerings,
aheļamāno varuņeha bodhi urushamsa
undisdainful,
Varuņa, here, take heed, O Widely lauded one,
mā na
āyuĥ pramoşhīĥ.
no, our,
longevity, diminish or rob.
Details:
Premature death itself is a transgression of the Law. Sacred is
the life consecrated to God. Taking that life away is equivalent
to obstructing the Divines's actions.
ā + shāste:
prays.
tat:
That, the Supreme.
MANTRA (1.24.12): KNOWLEDGE OF THE HEART
That itself
becomes the night; That becomes the day, this they tell me;
This too
illumines the knowledge of the heart;
Invoked by
Shunaĥshepaĥin bonds,
May the king
Varuņa release us (from bondage).
tadin
naktam tad divā mahyam āhus tad ayam
that itself,
night, that, day, me, tell, that, this,
keto
hŗda ā vi chaşhţe;
knowledge,
heart, all sides, illumines,
shunaĥshepo yam ahvad gŗbhītaĥso
Shunaĥshepaĥ,
whom, (he) called, bound, he,
asmān
rājā varuņo mumoktu.
us, king,
Varuņa, release.
Details:
The first line is akin to the famous passage in
Bŗhadāraņyaka. U. (2.4.14), and (4.5.15), yatra vā asya
sarvam ātmaivabhūt “where ātman has become
everything.''
The first line has the phrase, "they tell me'. The
rişhi is not satisfied. He wants experience. This is given
in the second line. The knowledge illumines the heart. The
knowledge is that everything including himself have descended
from Aditi. Hence there should be a method for returning
to that state of consciousness.
MANTRA (1.24.13): BOUND IN THREE STATIONS
Shunaĥshepaĥ,
who was held captive
And bound to
the tree (of life) in three places, invoked the son of Aditi
(Varuņa);
May he, the
king Varuņa, who knows, deliver him;
May the
unassailable Varuņa release him from the bonds.
shunaĥshepo hi ahvad gŗbhītas
Shunaĥshepaĥ,
hence, invoked, held (captive),
trişhv
ādityam drupadeşhu badhdaĥ;
three places,
son of Aditi, in the tree (of life), bound,
avainam
rājā varuņaĥsasŗjyād vidvān
., him, king,
Varuņa, release, knowing (the means of liberation),
adabdho
vimumoktu pāshān.
unassailable,
release, the ropes or bonds.
Details:
The tree is the tree of life on Earth. The rişhi is bound
to it in three places, namely physical body, life and mind. The
Ray of Delight, Shunaĥshepaĥ, is imprisoned in these
three realms. This aspect has been mentioned earlier in the
introduction to this hymn.
avo + sasŗjyād:
may he release; sŗj, to free.
MANTRA (1.24.14): FREEDOM BY SURRENDER
O Varuņa, we
avert your disregard by surrender,
By yajňa and
by offerings;
O Supreme
Knower and Mighty One, dwelling in us,
Loosen for us
the bonds of our sins.
ava te
heļo varuņa namobhir ava
., your,
disregard, Varuņa, homage, .,
yajňebhir īmahe havirbhiĥ;
by yajňa,
avert, by offerings,
kşhayan
asmabhyam asura prachetā
dwelling (in
us), for us, mighty, O Knower,
rājann
enāmsi shishrathaĥ kŗtāni.
Supreme,
sins, loosen (them), done by us.
Details:
There are three steps in the liberation. First is
surrender. The second is to offer all we have to the Divine. The
third is to recognize the principle of yajňa as the
collaboration in all activities between the Divine powers and us
humans.
ava + īmahe: avemahe,
to avert.
MANTRA (1.24.15): LIVE IN THE LAW OF ADITI
O Varuņa,
loosen for us the bond above,
The bond
below and the one in the middle;
O Son of
Aditi, in your law
May we live
faultless for the sake of Aditi.
ud
uttamam varuņa pāsham asmad
., one
highest, Varuņa, bond, from us,
ava
adhamam vi madhyamam shrathāya;
., the one
below, ., the one in the middle, loosen,
atha
vayam āditya vrate
then, we, son
of Aditi, divine actions or law,
tava
anāgaso aditaye syāma
your,
sinless, for Aditi, be.
Details:
After the release from the bondage, the rişhi continues
to live; but his life is for the sake of the infinite Aditi.
Since he is living in her consciousness, it is faultless.
This verse is similar to the last verse in the next hymn
(1.25.21).
ut + shrathāya:
pull and loosen.
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