Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upaniṣad 1:1:2

The beginning of this verse is quite complex, so I'll break it down word by word. You'll realise why commentaries written by experts are indispensable! And why it is necessary to refer to more than one, to work out what is going on. At the same time, why should you depend on pre-digested, pre-interpreted texts alone? Learning Sanskrit  helps me interpret and choose the version best suited to my 'self'. Perhaps it will do the same for you...Below I give you four expert interpretations of the same sentence. 

The syntax is obscure and can be read in a variety of ways. This is one of the reasons that every school, every sect in Hinduism has been able to interpret in their own way and draw succour from the same scripture. For this particular verse, I 'vibe' best with S. Radhakrishan's translation.

अहर्वा अश्वं पुरस्तान्महिमान्वाजायत 

Ahar vā aśvam purastān mahimān vajāyata

अहः वा अश्वम्  पुरस्तात् महिमान् वाजयत  

अहः - day; neuter noun अहन्  

वा - indeed, verily; on its own, it stresses the word preceding; it could mean 'or' and if it appears twice in the sentence, it means 'either, or'. 

अश्वम् - horse; masc. noun. here in the accusative. Normally meaning 'to the horse' (horse को), the second case sometimes is used like the dative 'for the horse'   

पुरस्तात् - as an adverb, means firstly, initially; as an indeclinable it means in front of before; in or from the east, eastward. [Because in their world view, the East was always 'before' them, ahead of them]

महिमान् - a golden sacrificial cup that is placed before the horse in the aśvamedha ceremony

वाजयत - past tense of √वाजय 1A to worship; to race, hasten; to urge, incite, impel 

The interpretation of this sentence seems to hinge on how you translate 'वा' पुरस्तात् वाजय and which case function you take for the accusative in अश्वम् 

S. Radhakrishnan's translation:

The day verily arose for the horse, as the vessel called mahiman appeared in front (of the horse). [appeared is supplied by SR]

Patrick Olivelle: 

The day, clearly, was born afterwards to be the sacrificial cup placed in front of the horse.

Sri Aurobindo:

Day was the grandeur that was borne before the horse as he galloped. [galloped is supplied by SA]

Swami Madhavananda:

The (gold) vessel called Mahiman in front of the horse, which appeared about it (i.e. pointing it out) is the day. [appeared supplied by SM]

And now the rest of the verse from S. Radhakrishnan:

Its (the day's) source is in the eastern sea (तस्य पूर्वे समुद्रे योनिः) The night verily arose for the horse, as the vessel called mahiman appeared behind (the horse). Its source is in the western sea (तस्यापरे समुद्रे योनिः) These two (एतौ ) verily arose (संबभूवतुः) on the two sides (अभितः) of the horse as the two sacrificial vessels (महिमानौ). Becoming a steed (हयः) he carried (अवहत्)  the gods (देवान्); as a stallion (वाजी)  the gandharvas; as a runner (अर्वा)  the demons (असुरान्), as a horse (अश्व:), men (मनुष्यान्) . The sea indeed is his relative (बंधु:)*, the sea is his source (योनिः)

And Patrick Olivelle's translation:

The day, clearly, was born afterwards to be the sacrificial cup placed in front of the horse, and its womb is in the eastern sea.  The night was born afterwards to be the sacrificial cup placed behind the horse, and its womb is in the western sea. These two came into being to be the sacrificial cups placed in front of and behind the horse. It became a racer and carried the gods. It became a charger and carried the gandharvas. It became a course and carried the demons. It became a horse and carried the humans. The sea, indeed, is its counterpart; the sea is its womb.


*बंधु: is translated in different versions as relative, brother, counterpart.

A quick word about the numbering, for those who are not familiar with it. In 1.1.2, the first 1 refers to the chapter or अध्याय।The next 1 refers to the hymn or ब्राह्मण and last digit refers to the verse. This the, was the second verse of the first hymn of the first chapter of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upaniṣad.

The visual from google images is a coin minted during the Gupta period to commemorate the Aśvamedha performed by Samudragupta, (c.335-375 AD). On the left is the tethered horse, and on the right, the queen carrying the ritual equipment.

Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upaniṣad 1:1:1

Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upaniṣad is the concluding section of the Śatapatha brāhmaṇa of the white (vājasaneyi) yajurveda. By tradition and on linguistic grounds, it is considered the oldest, and is the most important of the upaniṣad. Even the most conservative scholarly opinion places it at c. 800 B.C.E. 

The opening verse outlines the equivalence between the sacrificial horse and the cosmos. The anatomical detail and cosmic equivalence clearly marks a transition from the sacrificial tradition (karma-kāṇḍa) to the pursuit of knowledge (jñana kāṇḍa) in the Brāhmiṇical scriptures.

Vājasaneyi is the patronymic of the sage Yajñavalkya, who tradition has it, founded this school. He plays a central role in propounding some of the key ideas of the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka upaniṣad, which were to inform Uttara Mimāṃsā (Vedānta) thinking centuries later. The text has been preserved in two rescensions - the Mādhyandhina and the Kāṇva. This translation comes from the Kāṇva rescension. I have taken the support of S. Radhakrishnan's and Patrick Olivelle's translations. It's a tough text to comprehend, and absorb, so I'll only be doing one verse at a time. 

1.1.1 The head (शिरः) of the sacrificial horse (अश्वस्य मेधस्य) , clearly, is the dawn (उषा); its sight (चक्षु:) is the sun (सूर्य) ; its breath (प्राणः) is the wind (वातः) ; its wide open mouth (व्यात्तम्) is the fire common to all men (अग्निर्वैश्वानरः). The body (आत्मा)* of the sacrificial horse is the year (संवत्सर:); its back (पृष्ठम्)  is the sky (द्यौ) ;  its abdomen (उदरम्) is the intermediate region (अन्तरिक्षम्); its flanks (पाजस्य) are the quarters; its ribs (पार्श्वम्) are the intermediate quarters (अवान्तारादिशः) ; its limbs are the seasons; its joints (परवाणि) are the months and fortnights; its feet (प्रतिष्ठा) are the days and the nights; its bones (अस्थीनि) are the stars; its flesh (मांसानि)  is the clouds (नभ ); its stomach contents (ऊवध्यम् ) are the sand (सिकता:) ; its intestines (गुदा) are the rivers (सिन्धवः) ; its liver (यकृत्) and lungs (क्लोमानः)  are the hills; its body hairs (लोमानि) are the herbs (ओषधयः)  and the trees (वनस्पतयः) ; its fore-quarter (पूर्वार्धः)  is the rising sun (उद्यन्); and its hind-quarter (जघनार्धः) is the setting sun (निम्लोचन्). When it yawns (विजृम्भते) lightening flashes (विद्योतते); when it shakes itself (विधूनुते) it thunders (स्तनयति) ; and when it urinates (मेहती), it rains (वर्षति); its voice [neighing] indeed, is speech itself. (वागेवास्य वाक्)

* Both S. Radhakrishnan and Olivelle translate आत्मा as body.

Patañjali's yogasūtra 1:14

{1:14} 

स तु दीर्घकालनैरन्तर्यसत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः 

sa tu dīrgha kāla nairantaryasatkārāsevito dṛḍhabhūmi

स: तु दीर्घ काल नैरन्तर्य  सत्कारः आसेवितः दृढ+भूमिः 

It (abhyāsa)* becomes firmly grounded [in being] continued for a long time, without interruption and with reverent devotion.

स: - That; masc. nominative singular of pronoun तत्

तु - indeed, verily; indeclinable

दीर्घ - very long; adjective

काल - time; era; masc. noun 

नैरन्तर्य - uninterrupted, without a gap 

सत्कारः - reverence, devotion, earnestness

आसेवितः - practised assiduously; past participle from ā√sev (1Ā)

दृढ - firm, fixed, strong, resolute, established

भूमिः - ground

In order for the practitioner of yoga to be firmly established on the path of yoga, three conditions need to be fulfilled, as outlined in this sūtra:

a) it must be practised for a long time
b) it must be uninterrupted
c) the endeavour must be accompanied by devotion, in a spirit of reverence

* BKS Iyengar reads this as: 

Long, uninterrupted, alert practice is the firm foundation (for restraining the fluctuations). 

While the sentence is perfectly valid, I don't agree with his translation because भूमिः which he is reading as foundation (that's fine) is a feminine noun. So it would have  been सा instead of सः at the beginning of the sūtra. 

Patañjali's yogasūtra 1:13 yatnaḥ & abhyāsaḥ

{1:13}

तत्र स्तिथौ यत्नो ऽभ्यासः 

tatra stithau yatno ‘bhyāsaḥ 

तत्र स्तिथौ यत्नः अभ्यासः 

[with respect to being] Firmly established there [in the state of citta-vṛitti-nirodha],  [are] effort and practice. 

तत्र - there 

स्तिथौ - locative of स्तिथ being established, firm. The locative here is used in the sense of 'with respect to' which is one of the functions of this case.

यत्नः - effort, endeavour, exertion, to try; masculine noun

अभ्यासः - practice, repetition, exercise

Almost all the commentators take this sūtra to mean that practice and effort are the way to reach the state of cessation of mental fluctuations. The yogasūtras will now go on to outline many different ways to bring about this cessation - but common to all the methods are a) effort and b) constant repetition.

Vidyākara's subhāṣita ratna kośa: anurāga vrajyā :

When one thinks ‘subhāṣita’ the first name that comes to mind is usually Bhartṛhari, whose ‘śatakas’ are widely renowned. But there are other collections of subhāṣitāni which are of literary and socio-historical importance. One such anthology is the subhāṣita ratna kośa of Vidyākara, the upādhyaya (abbot) of the Jagaddala monastry in Northern Bengal* in the 12^th cen A.D. 

He not just wrote himself, but collated the works of his favourite poets writing between the 5^th and the 12^th cen AD, including Bhartṛhari (400AD) Bhavabhūti (725 AD), Dharmakīrti (700 AD),  as well as a slew of 10^th-12^th cen Sanskrit poets like Manovinoda,  Rājaśekhara and Vallana.

Vidyākara's  subhāṣita ratna kośa contains collections (vrajyā)** on religion, country life, ethics, the seasons  and most fascinatingly, not just on love, but erotica. Fascinating, because he was a Buddhist monk.  How a monk comes to appreciate, collect and write erotic subhāṣitāni  begs a thought. 

Finally a word about the genre. Subhāṣitāni are almost always associated with pithy ethical and moral aphorisms. In fact a subhāṣita, by definition just means 'well-spoken', 'well said', a well turned phrase or verse - su+bhāṣita, from the root bhāṣ (1A), to speak.  Hence the inclusion of a variety of topic in these collections.  In the coming week, I'll translate a few subhāṣitāni from the anurāga vrajyā of Vidyākara's subhāṣita ratna kośa. Prepare to be at least a bit surprised...

This one, by the celebrated Manovinoda is about the beauty of a girl's swelling-breast pasted with saffron, surrounded by a pearl necklace, upstaging the beauty of the full-moon. 

अयं लोलन्मुक्तावलिकिरिणमालापरिकरः

स्फुतस्येन्दोर्लक्ष्मीं  क्षपयितुमलम् मन्मथासुहृत् 

विशालः श्यामायाः स्खलितघननीलांशुकवृतिः

स्तनाभोगः स्निह्यन्मसृणघु  सृणiलेपसुभगः  

Vigraha:

अयं लोलन् मुक्ता आवलि  किरण माला परिकरः 

स्फुटः इन्दोः लक्ष्मीम् क्षपयितुम् अलम् मन्मथासुहृत्

विशालः श्यामायाः स्खलित घन नीलांशुक वृतिः

स्तनाभोगः स्निह्यत् मसृण घुसृण आलेप सुभगः  

[One of a few possible] Anvaya:

अयं  श्यामायाः मसृण घुसृण आलेप स्निह्यत् स्तनाभोगः (विशालः मन्मथासुहृत्  सुभगः) लोलन् मुक्ता आवलि किरण माला परिकरः, घन नीलांशुक वृतिः स्खलित, स्फुटः इन्दोः लक्ष्मीम् क्षपयितुम् अलम् 

This orb [full breast] of the dark girl, large, pleasing, moist with smooth saffron paste, heaving, surrounded by a necklace of pearls [which is like] a garland of moon-beams, its dark blue covering [having] slipped, [this] friend of Love [the breast], is enough to upstage the beauty of the full moon.

अयं - this; masc., nominative, sing. of idam   
श्यामायाः -of the dark girl; genitive sing. of fem. noun श्यामा 
मसृण - smooth, soft, tender; adjective describing [the] breast
घुसृण - saffron; neuter noun
आलेप - act of smearing, anointing; masc. noun
स्निह्यत् - sticky, moist
स्तनाभोगः - orb, curve or fullness of the breast; masc, noun
विशालः - large; adj for breast
मन्मथासुहृत्  - friend of the god of Love
सुभगः - pleasing; adj for breast
लोलन् - rolling, heaving
मुक्ता - pearl; fem noun
आवली  - line, row; masc. noun 
किरण - sun/moon beam; masc. noun
माला - garland; fem noun
परिकरः - surrounded
घन - dark, like a cloud
नीलांशुक - blue garment
वृतिः - covering
स्खलित - dropped, fallen
स्फुटः - blossomed, bloomed here - full
इन्दोः - of the moon; genitive singular of इन्दुः masc. noun
लक्ष्मीम् - splendour, grace, beauty; accusative singular of लक्ष्मी 
क्षपयितुम् - to throw, cast down, strike down, to cause to descend. From the root क्षिप् (6P)
अलम् - enough; indeclinable

anurāga vrajyā is section 17 in the collection. Parts of Daniel Ingalls's translation into English can be read here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AjEdCVZ5uoQC&pg=PA107&lpg=PA107&dq=Manovinoda+poet&source=bl&ots=1sn5AN2CTN&sig=sqwgafCWnGhOZwPm6kpL3RCgNlk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_q_2UKaiPMKc0AWgwYDQDw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Manovinoda%20poet&f=false

 *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidyakara
** division; belonging to a fold or pen

Patañjali's yogasūtra 1:12 abhyāsa & vairāgya

Patañjali's yogasūtras 1:1-11* were about the purpose of yoga and a description of citta-vṛittis. From this sūtra on, we learn how to suppress or block them. 

{1:12} 

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः 

abhyāsavairāgyābhyāṃ tan nirodhaḥ

Their inhibition [is brought about] by [persistent] practice and non-attachment

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्याम्  तत् निरोधः

अभ्यास - repetition  exercise, drill, practice; masculine noun

वैराग्य - disinclination, indifference to worldly objects, freedom from all worldly desires; neuter noun

अभ्यासवैराग्याभ्याम् = a dvandva compound अभ्यास+वैराग्य with a dual instrumental ending = by means of these two [अभ्यास, वैराग्य] 

तत् - genitive plural तेषाम् (of the citta-vṛittis)  in compound, and in sandhi before the 'na' of nirodha

निरोधः - obstruction, stoppage, inhibition, blockage; masc noun from √rudh 

*(These sūtras are translated on this blog in previous posts)

What is citta-vṛitti?

The next lot of sūtras will tell us how to bring about nirodha (stoppage, blockage) of the citta-vṛittis. But before we proceed, it's important to review what we've read so far. We've learned that there are five types of citta-vṛittis, which can be painful, pleasant, or neither - just neutral. The fundamental definition of yoga is to suppress these vṛittis, so that the spiritual element (puruṣa) which is trapped in our body constituted of the material principle (prakṛiti), can come back into it's own true self (svaroopa).

I've had some queries on what exactly a vṛitti is, since it is defined differently in dictionaries, so here goes: vṛitti is a feminine noun formed from √vṛt (वृत्)  and the primary (क्विप् ) suffix ति। √vṛt  means to move, to turn, to advance, to occur; and vṛitti in spoken Sanskrit normally means conduct, profession, livelihood. But as a technical yogic term, it comes to mean something akin to 'activity'. Let's see what different commentators call it in conjunction with the citta:

I.K Taimini calls it a 'modification of the mind'

Swami Vivekananda: 'mind stuff taking various forms'

Swami Satyananda Saraswati: 'circular patters of consciousness'

B.K.S Iyengar: 'movements in the consciousness' 

Bangali Baba trans. Vyāsa: 'mental operations'

Trevor Leggett trans. Śankarācarya: 'mental processes'
Sadhakas, Yoga Institute Santa Cruz: 'mental modifications'

So you can see right away that although the basic idea is the same, the choice of how to render it into English varies.  To reiterate a constant theme of this blog, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record - you can read several translations and keep triangulating - or you could just learn Sanskrit and relate to the Sūtra yourself!!

Coming next: how to bring about  nirodha - stoppage/suppression/blockage of these vṛittis. (nirodha from ni+√rudh [7U])