thathvamasi- chandhogya upanishat 6

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annam aSitham

threDhaa viDheeyathe thasya yaH sThvishTaH Dhaathuh thath pureesham bhavathi yo

madhyamah thath maamsam yo aNishTaH thath manaH

 

The food eaten becomes divided in to three parts.

The grossest becomes the refuse matter

to be excreted. The part of middle nature becomes the nutrient and forms the

flesh. The subtlest part becomes the mind.

 

aapaH

peethaa threDhaa viDheeyanthe thaasaam yaH sThavishTaH DhaathuH than moothram

bhavathi yo maDhyam thath lohitham yo aNishTaH saH praaNaH

 

The water drunk becomes three kinds. The grossest

becomes the urine, the middle part becomes blood and the subtlest part becomes

praNa, vital air.

 

PraNa is not created by water but to remain in the

body it requires water.

thejo

aSitham threDhaa viDheeyathe thasyayaH sThavishTaH DhaathuH thath asThi

bhavathi yo maDhyamaH saH majjaa yo aNishTaH saa vaak

 

Fire eaten ( in the form of ghee and oil) become

three kinds, the grossest becomes the bones the middle part becomes the marrow

and the subtlest becomes the speech.

 

The truth of these statements are further explained

in a later passage.

 

annamaya

hi sowmya aapomayah praanaH thejomayee vaak ithi bhooya eva maam bhagavan

vijjnaapayathu ithithaThaa somya ithi hovaacha

 

Thus my dear boy the mind is made up of food, (earth), prana is made up of

water and the speech is made up of fire, (said the father) Explain it further

to me .revered one, (said the son) sure (said the father )

 

Svetha kethu is not able to understand how these

three are na made up of earth, water and fire respectively while the earth

itself is the combination of the three elements. The father explains further.

 

dhaDhnaH

sowmya maThyamaanasya yo aNimaa sa oorDhvaH samudheeshathi thatn sarpiH ithi

 

When the curd is being churned the subtlest part

rises up and that becomes ghee. That is, when the curd is churned the subtlest

part which is butter rises up and that becomes ghee when heated, this is the

thejas part.

 

evameva

khalu soumya annasya aSyamaanasyayo aNimaa sa oorDhvaH samudheeshathi thath

mano bhavathi

 

similarly my dear, of the food which is eaten the

subtle part rises above and become the mind.

 

The food eaten is digested with the help of

digestive juices and the jataragni, the element of water and fire and that

which is not digested goes out and the part which is neither gross nor subtle

forms the nutrient which causes the growth of the flesh and the subtle part

forms the mind.

 

apaam soumya

peeyamaanaanaam yo aNimaa sa oorDhvaH samudheeshathi s praaNo bhavathi

 

The subtlest part of water drunk thus, my dear,

rises above and becomes prana.

 

thejasaH

soumya asyamaanasya yo aNimaa sa oorDhvam samudheeshathi saa vaak bhavathi

 

The subtlest part of fire eaten thus, my dear,

rises above and becomes speech.

 

annamaya hi

soumya mana aapomayaH praaNaH thejomayaa vaak ithi bhooya eva maa bhagvan

vijnaapayathu ithi thaThaa soumya ithi hovaacha

 

Thus the mind is made up of food(earth) prana of

water and speech of fire, (said father, the son asked) explain it further

please revered one, (father said ) let it be so my dear.

 

Then Uddhalaka Aruni illustrated this by means of a

practical lesson.