Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (with the Commentary of Śaṅkarācārya)
by Swāmī Mādhavānanda | 1950 | 272,359 words | ISBN-10: 8175051027
This Upanishad is widely known for its philosophical statements and is ascribed to Yajnavalkya. It looks at reality as being indescribable and its nature to be infinite and consciousness-bliss. Ethics revolve around the five Yajnas or sacrifices. This book includes the english translation of the Bhāṣya of Śaṅkara. The Shankara-Bhashya is the most ...
Section XI - The Supreme Austerities
Verse 5.11.1:
एतद्वै परमं तपो यद्व्याहितस्तप्यते, परमं हैव लोकं जयति य एवं वेद; एतद्वै परमं तपो यं प्रेतमरण्यं हरन्ति; परमं हैव लोकं जयति य एवं वेद; एतद्वै परमं तपो यं प्रेतमग्नावभ्यादधति, परमं हैव लोकं जयति य एवं वेद ॥ १ ॥
इति एकादशं ब्राह्मणम् ॥etadvai paramaṃ tapo yadvyāhitastapyate, paramaṃ haiva lokaṃ jayati ya evaṃ veda; etadvai paramaṃ tapo yaṃ pretamaraṇyaṃ haranti; paramaṃ haiva lokaṃ jayati ya evaṃ veda; etadvai paramaṃ tapo yaṃ pretamagnāvabhyādadhati, paramaṃ haiva lokaṃ jayati ya evaṃ veda || 1 ||
iti ekādaśaṃ brāhmaṇam ||1. This indeed is excellent austerity that a man suffers when he is ill. He who knows as above wins an excellent world. This indeed is excellent austerity that a man after death is carried to the forest. He who knows as above wins an excellent world. This indeed is excellent austerity that a man after death is placed in the fire. He who knows as above wins an excellent world.
This indeed is excellent austerity. What is it? That a man suffers when he is ill, attacked with fever etc. One should think that this is excellent austerity, for both entail suffering. For a sage who thinks like that, without either condemning the disease or being dejected over it, that austerity itself serves to wipe out his evils. He who knows as above has his evils burnt by this austerity in the form of meditation, and wins an excellent world. Similarly a dying man thinks from the very beginning—what?—this indeed is excellent austerity that after death he is carried to the forest by the priests for the funeral ceremony. He thinks that it will be an excellent austerity for him, because in both there is this journey from the village to the forest; for it is well known that retirement from the village to the forest is excellent austerity. He who knows as above wins an excellent world. Similarly) this indeed is excellent austerity that man after death is placed in the fire, because in both there is this entering into the fìre. He who knows as above wins an excellent world,