Continuation of Part 1, please read the intro/background there.
This post delves into the Chandogya Upanishad, the second 'book' in the translation I am working from.
The Rig is speech. The Sāman is breath (prāṇa). The Udgītha is this syllable "Om."
Verily, this is a pair—namely speech and breath, and also the Rig and the Sāman.
This pair is joined together in this syllable "Om."
Verily, when a pair come together, verily, the two procure each the other’s desire.
A procurer of desires, verily, indeed, becomes he who, knowing this thus, reverences the Udgītha as this syllable.
Verily, this syllable is assent; for whenever one assents to anything he says simply ‘Om.’1 This, indeed, is fulfillment - that is, assent is.
A fulfiller of desires, verily, indeed, becomes he who, knowing this thus, reverences the Udgītha as this syllable.
This threefold knowledge proceeds with it: saying "Om," one calls forth; saying "Om," one recites; saying "Om," one sings aloud, to the honor of that syllable, with its greatness, with its essence.
-- Chand. 1.1.5-9
A nice little section around the importance Udgitha or "loud chanting". I attend a Kirtan about once a month, and while not tied to a specific religious practice, I find group out-loud chanting very enjoyable. The remaining Khanda in the First Prapathaka speak further to the importance of breathe, meditation and Om, though it reads kind of like creation story.
One rubs the fire-sticks together - that is a Hiṅkāra.
Smoke is produced - that is a Prastāva.
It blazes - that is an Udgītha.
Coals are formed - that is a Pratihāra.
It becomes extinct - that is a Nidhana.
It becomes completely extinct - that is a Nidhana.
This is the Rathantara Sāman as woven upon fire.
-- Chand. 2.12.1
Most of the second Prapathaka is all about how the syllables of the chants are related to the world. It feels very light in content to me (being non-polytheistic), but definitely shows how strongly tied they believe human actions of reverence are connected to everything in daily life.
Verily, what is called Brahma - that is the same as what the space outside of a person is. Verily, what the space outside of a person is - that is the same as what the space within a person is. Verily, what the space within a person is - that is the same as what the space here within the heart is. That is the Full, the Non-active. Full, non-active prosperity he obtains who knows this.
-- Chand. 3.12.7
Now, the light which shines higher than this heaven, on the backs of all, on the backs of everything, in the highest worlds, than which there are no higher - verily, that is the same as this light which is here within a person.
-- Chand. 3.13.7
More "everything is one" philosophy shining through these ancient texts!
He who consists of mind, whose body is life (prāṇa), whose form is light, whose conception is truth, whose soul (ātman) is space, containing all works, containing all desires, containing all odors, containing all tastes, encompassing this whole world, the unspeaking, the unconcerned - this Soul of mine within the heart is smaller than a grain of rice, or a barley-corn, or a mustard-seed, or a grain of millet, or the kernel of a grain of millet; this Soul of mine within the heart is greater than the earth, greater than the atmosphere, greater than the sky, greater than these worlds.
-- Chand. 3.14.2
I was tempted to lump this in with the last two, but its point is much stronger and deserves to stand alone. You are tiny, but you are everything.
After having become cloud, he rains down. They are born here as rice and barley, as herbs and trees, as sesame plants and beans. Thence, verily, indeed, it is difficult to emerge; for only if some one or other eats him as food and emits him as semen, does he develop further.
-- Chand. 5.10.6
Much of the Fifth Prapathaka regards the Breath and Soul, and this middle section is about the path of the soul for reincarnation. I believe in reincarnation, but have not learned much about it from the traditional Indian viewpoint. This passage struck me because I've simply never thought about being reincarnated as a grain and the path back into the human circle of consciousness. If you count the myriad of species on this planet, an astronomical number even before considering plants, the odds of a soul "landing" in a human are slim at best. If this is your belief system, all the more reason to cherish life!
The plunderer of gold, the liquor-drinker,
The invader of a teacher’s bed, the Brahman-killer -
These four sink downward in the scale,
And, fifth, he who consorts with them.
But he who knows these five fires thus, is not stained with evil, even though consorting with those people. "He becomes pure, clean, possessor of a pure world, who knows this - yea, he who knows this!"
-- Chand. 5.10.9-10
Continuing the previous theme -- advice on how make sure you're working your way up the scale.
"How from Non-being could Being be produced? On the contrary, my dear, in the beginning this world was just Being, one only, without a second."
-- Chand. 6.1.2
Kind of a throw-away line in another creation story. But this reminds me of the book Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt [Amazon link]. A worthy read that hits a lot of different bases.
When a person here is deceasing, my dear, his voice goes into his mind; his mind, into his breath; his breath, into heat; the heat, into the highest divinity. That which is the finest essence - this whole world has that as its soul. That is Reality (satya). That is Ātman (Soul). That art thou, Śvetaketu.
--Chand. 6.8.6-7
On death, the concluding part of the root of man as Being. What grabbed me here is the phrase "That art thou". This translates from the original "Tat Tvam Asi", a phrase I have grown quite fond of since hearing it from a wallah during a kirtan. Looking it up on Wikipedia just now, the origin of the phrase is actually this very passage -- I knew there was a reason I was reading this text!
"Of this great tree, my dear, if some one should strike at the root, it would bleed, but still live. If some one should strike at its middle, it would bleed, but still live. If some one should strike at its top, it would bleed, but still live. Being pervaded by Ātman (Soul), it continues to stand, eagerly drinking in moisture and rejoicing.
If the life leaves one branch of it, then it dries up. It leaves a second; then that dries up. It leaves a third; then that dries up. It leaves the whole; the whole dries up. Even so, indeed, my dear, understand," said he.
"Verily, indeed, when life has left it, this body dies. The life does not die.
That which is the finest essence - this whole world has that as its soul. That is Reality. That is Ātman (Soul). That art thou, Śvetaketu."
"Do you, Sir, cause me to understand even more."
"So be it, my dear," said he.
-- Chand. 6.11.1-3
When life has left it, this body dies. The life does not die.
The Ninth through Sixteenth Khandas provide some nice examples of the Tat Tvam Asi philosophy, for bees, rivers, trees, fig seeds, salt water, blinded traveler, sick man, theif. They're all concise and well worded, but this is my favorite of the group.
... even so here on earth one who has a teacher knows: "I belong here only so long as I shall not be released from the body. Then I shall arrive home."
--Chand. 6.14.2
Wow.
The seer sees not death,
Nor sickness, nor any distress.
The seer sees only the All,
Obtains the All entirely.
--Chand. 7.26.2
As here on earth the world which is won by work becomes destroyed, even so there the world which is won by merit becomes destroyed.
Those who go hence without here having found the Soul (Ātman) and those real desires (satya kāma) - for them in all the worlds there is no freedom. But those who go hence having found here the Soul and those real desires - for them in all worlds there is freedom.
--Chand. 8.1.6
On the soul. I wanted to quote this whole section - there's a great bit on how the small space within a lotus flower is boundless and contains everything. But I think this is the crux - earthly objects will all eventually be destroyed, but the free soul is limitless.
So, just as those who do not know the spot might go over a hid treasure of gold again and again, but not find it, even so all creatures here go day by day to that Brahma-world (brahma-loka), but do not find it; for truly they are carried astray by what is false.
--Chand. 8.3.2
Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there - false coverings.
Verily, these are the three syllables: sat-ti-yam. The sat (Being) - that is the immortal. The ti - that is the mortal. Now the yam - with that one holds the two together. Because with it one holds the two together, therefore it is yam. Day by day, verily, he who knows this goes to the heavenly world.
--Chand. 8.3.5
I'm continually fascinated by how Sanskrit words are constructed from root syllables and sounds.
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