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The Upanishads, Part 1

By Max Müller

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II, 1, 4

FOURTH KHANDA.
1. Brahman (in the shape of prâna, breath) entered into that man by the tips of his feet, and because Brahman entered (prâpadyata) into that man by the tips of his feet, therefore people call them the tips of the feet (prapada), but hoofs and claws in other animals.

2. Then Brahman crept up higher, and therefore they were (called) 1 the thighs (ûrû).

3. Then he said: 'Grasp wide,' and that was (called) the belly (udara).

4. Then he said: 'Make room for me,' and that was (called) the chest (uras).

5. The Sârkarâkshyas meditate on the belly as Brahman, the Ârunis on the heart 2. Both (these places) are Brahman indeed 3.

6. But Brahman crept upwards and came to the head, and because he came to the head, therefore the head is called head 4.

7. Then these delights alighted in the head, sight, hearing, mind, speech, breath.

8. Delights alight on him who thus knows, why the head is called head.

9. These (five delights or senses) strove together, saying: 'I am the uktha (hymn), I am the uktha 5.' 'Well,' they said, 'let us all go out from this body; then on whose departure this body shall fall, he shall be the uktha among us 1.'

10. Speech went out, yet the body without speaking remained, eating and drinking.

Sight went out, yet the body without seeing remained, eating and drinking.

Hearing went out, yet the body without hearing remained, eating and drinking.

Mind went out, yet the body, as if blinking, remained, eating and drinking.

Breath went out, then when breath was gone out, the body fell.

11. It was decayed, and because people said, it decayed, therefore it was (called) body (sarîra). That is the reason of its name.

12. If a man knows this, then the evil enemy who hates him decays, or the evil enemy who hates him is defeated.

13. They strove again, saying: 'I am the uktha, I am the uktha.' 'Well,' they said, 'let us enter that body again; then on whose entrance this body shall rise again, he shall be the uktha among us.'

14. Speech entered, but the body lay still. Sight entered, but the body lay still. Hearing entered, but the body lay still. Mind entered, but the body lay still. Breath entered, and when breath had entered, the body rose, and it became the uktha.

15. Therefore breath alone is the uktha.

16. Let people know that breath is the uktha indeed.

17. The Devas (the other senses) said to breath: 'Thou art the uktha, thou art all this, we are thine, thou art ours.'

18. This has also been said by a Rishi (Rv. VIII, 92, 32): 'Thou art ours, we are thine.'

Footnotes
206:1 These are all plays on words. Comm.

206:2 This does not appear to be the case either in the Kh. Up. V, 15; 17, or in the Satapatha-brâhmana X, 6, 1.

206:3 The pluti in tâ?i is explained as sâstrîyaprasiddhyarthâ.

206:4 All puns, as if we were to say, because he hied up to the head, therefore the head was called head.

206:5 Each wished to be identified with the uktha, as it was said before that the human body, mouth, nostrils, forehead were to be identified with the uktha. Cf. Kaush. Up. III, 3.

207:1 Cf. Kh. Up. V, 1; Brih. Up. VI, 1; Kaush. Up. II, 12-14; III, 2; Prasna Up. II, 1.