SECTION IX

The Brahman that is within all has been indicated

by a description of how, in the series of things begin-
ning with earth ranged according to their density, each
preceding item is pervaded by the succeeding one.
And that Brahman has been described as the Ruler of
the diverse forms of the Siitra (such as earth) which
are comprised in the differentiated universe, because
in it the indications of this relation are so much more
patent. The present section, named after sakalya, is
introduced in order to convey the immediacy and
directness of that Brahman by a reference to the
contraction and expansion of the different gods who
are ruled by It.
81Q \;t ~~: ~~!l: QSI;:;g , lfiRr ~r ~­
ifii!f"qfa'; ~ t(lqq- f1rfcl~r srf6q~, ~) aPCI-
~ f.r~lll~?r.~-,..qs 'JI1 :o!!i 'lRIT, 5Pal :a sn
~~ ; 81)-mfa ~' ~cr ~r tti$'4W'afa ;
!P.l~&ra- •aitmra ~, llie"a~ ~.:n ~~'i\'Rr ;
•~fa ; aitfilfcr (tcrr;sr, ~~iei\''4" ~q-r q'118Eit?tafu; tSN
~fir; aitf'irfa i{)crr;sr, ~fie~ ~en q~"qfa-; ~;
~Fa ~~;sr, 'lim ~~ qr~~~~ , ~ rl8 ;
an~ ~, m .. ~ q'(lijq@f-a£8 ; ~ dir ;

-m
aitfJrf8 (NR, m a~;sr '" "
1t ~n
Jtm, ~;sr 'Jft "
 J.g.I] BIJHADARAlfYAKA UPANI$AD 53 I

I. Then Vidagdha, the son of Sakala, asked

him. 'How many gods are there, Yajfiavalkya ?'
Yajfiavalkya decided it through this (group of
Mantras known as) Nivid (saying), 'As many as
are indicated in the Nivid of the Visvadevas-
three hundred and three. and three thousand and
three.' 'Very well.' said Siikalya, 'how many
gods are there, Ya.jfiavalkya ?' 'Thirty-three.'
'Very well,' said the other, 'how many gods are
there, Yajfiavalkya ?' 'Six.' 'Very well' said
Siikalya, 'how many gods are there, Yajfia-
valkya ?' 'Three.' 'Very well,' said the other,
'how many gods are there, Yajfiavalkya ?'
'Two.' 'Very well,' said Sakalya, 'how many
gods are there, Yiijfiavalkya ?' 'One and a
half.' 'Very well,' said the other. 'how many
gods are there, Yajfiavalkya ?' 'One.' 'Very
well,' . said Sakalya, 'which are those three
hundred and three and three thousand and
three?'
Then Vidagdha, the son of $akala, asked him,
'How many gods are there, Yiijiiavalkyai" Yiijna-
valkya decided the number asked for by Sakalya
through this Nivid that is just going to be mentioned.
'As many gods as are indicated in the Nivid of the
eulogistic hymn on the Visvadevas.' The Nivid is a
group of verses giving the number of the gods, which
are recited in the eulogistic hymn on the ViSvadevas.
'There are as many gods as are mentioned in that
 532 BljHADARAl!YAKA UPANI$AD
. [3·9·1

Nivid.' Which is that Nivid? The words of that

Nivid are quoted: 'Three hundred and three gods, and
again three thousand and three gods. So many gods
are there.' 'Very well/ said Sakalya, 'you know
their intermediate number correctly.' He next asks
the smaller number of these very gods, 'How many
gods are there, Yajiiavalkya?' (Yajfiavalkya. answers
one by one:) Thirty-three, six, three, two, one and a
half, and one. After asking the larger and ~he smaller
number of the gods, he now asks about their identity,
'Which are those three hundred and three, and three
thousand and three?'
~ {Nrq, ¥11\fill'l u;QtiiiRd, sp.tfij:tJ£1~4 ~
~ ~ , a '51tafit:a~ta ; 8li't ~, ~
~:, a•~JtnR~r:, a 'l(llfiN»J~, '(0$(~4 snuqfa~
!51tafit.\u~ttra n~ u
2. Yajfiavalkya said, These are but the
manifestations of them, but there are only thirty-
three gods.' 'Which are those thirty-three?'
'The eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras and the
twelve .Adityas-these are thirty-one, and Indra
and Prajapati make up the thirty-three.'
Yajiiavalkya said, 'These, the three hundred and
three etc., are but the manifestations of them, the
thirty-three gods. But really there are only thirty..
three gods.' 'Which are those thirty-three?' The
reply is being given: 'The eight Vasus, the eleven
Rudras and the twelve Adityas-these are thirty-one,
and Indra and Prajapati make up the thirty-three.'
 B]JHADAR'l4.!iYAKA UPANI$AD 533

1/fid ~ t:fil ; ~ ~ ~ qi!!JGilil;oc:tf{~

~·~('q!f4' ~ EM{iiil(4!4 ~·fOr ~ ~: ; u:as
ttW ri iamm aQOila'Elq .m n ~ n
3· 'Which are the Vasus ?' 'Fire, the
earth, the air, the sky, the sun, heaven, the
moon and the stars-these are the Vasus, for in
these all this is placed ; therefore they an~ called
Vasus.'
'Which are the Vasus?' The identity of each
group of the gods is being asked. 'Fire, the earth,'
etc.-from fire up to the stars are the Vasus. Trans-
forming themselves into the bodies and organs of all
beings, which serve as the support for their work and
its fruition, as also into their dwelling-places, these
~ods help every being to live, and they themselves live
too. Because they help others to live, therefore they
are called V asus.

'fKrit ~ t:fir ; ~ ~ srrurr:, at~Efllf«l: ;

it qqiQtl'iiiJ<l<ll'ii(C4~6filitP("qQ ~E(qf.a ; ~-
~ a~ t:f<r II ~ II
4· 'Which are the Rudras ?' 'The ten
organs in the human body, with the mind as the
eleventh. When they depart from this mortal
body, they make (one's relatives) weep. Because
they then make them weep, therefore they are
called Rudras,'
'Which are the Rudras?' 'The ten sensory and
motor organs in the human body, with the mind as
 534 BJ.lHADARA]iYAKA UPANI!$AD [3·9·4

the eleventh. When they, these organs; depart from

this mortal body. after a person has completely ex-
perienced the results of his past work, they make his
relatives weep. Because they then make them weep·
(Rud), therefore they are called Rudras.'

lltm iii ~cq·

dir ; ~ f ~~mt: ~!!~(~,
~am-~. ~ ttct ~~ qf~; ~ "'~·
~~ qf~ ~cpf~ da" II~ II
5· 'Which are the .Adityas ?' 'The twelve
months (are parts) of a year ; these are the
Adityas, for they go taking all this with them.
Because they go taking all this with them, there-
fore they are called .Adityas.'
'Which are the A.dityas?' 'It is well known that
the twelve months are parts of a year ; these are the
Adityas. How? For as they rotate they go taking a
person's longevity and the results of his work with
them. Because they go taking (.Ada) all this with
them, therejore they are called A.dityas.'

tm:r ~:, llfimr. m~ ; ~~~~~:,

w= sra•qf<IRRr, lfiem= ~;Q~der; ~firRm;
~~~;~{fan~ II
6. 'Which is Indra, and which is Praja-
pati ?' 'The cloud is Indra, and the sacrifice is
Prajapati.' 'Which is the cloud ?• 'Thunder
(strength).' 'Which is the sacrifice? • 'Animals.'
 B].lHADifRA.I~lYAKA. UPANI~AD 535

'Which is Indra, and which is Prajapati?' 'The

cloud is Indra. and the sacrifice is Prajapati.' 'Which
is the cloud?' 'Thunder..' i.e. vigour or strength,
which kills others ; that is Indra, for it is his function.
'Whicl1 is the sacrifice?' 'Animals.' for they are the
means of a sacrifice. Because a sacrifice has no form
of its own and depends on its means, the animals,
therefore they are called sacrifice.

16ait mra-; sri~~~ ~~ :q w:c•i*l•wa~

"ilf~ ~' ~ ~' ~ tfW ~ l!l'n II " II
J. 'Which are the six (gods)?' 'Fire, the
earth, the air the sky, the sun and heaven-
these are the six. Because all those (gods) are
(comprised in) these six.'
'Which are the six (gods)?' The same gods, fire
and the rest, that are classed as Vasus, leaving out the
moon and the stars, become six in number. 'Because
all those (thirty-three and other gods) that have been
spoken of are these six.' In other words, the Vasus
and others that have been enumerated as details are
included in these six.

'li(l'it a 1Plt ftter d8 ; {il 'IW ~ ~=,

~ ~ ri ~ d8; ~ m11:tq•fftra;
q ~ ~~~; ~~ rnr; ~S'f ~
~fa II ~ II
8. ''Which are the three gods?' 'These
three worlds, because in these all those gods
are comprised.' 'Which are the two gods?'
 B~HADARA1JYAKA UPANI!;AD

'Matter and the vital force. 1 ' 'Which are the

one and a half?' 'This (air) that blows.'
'Which are the three gods?' 'These three worlds:
The earth and fire taken together make one god, the
sky and air make another, and heaven and the sun
make a third : these are the three gods. Because in
these three gods all the gods are comprised, therefore
these arc the three gods ; this is the view of a certain
section of philologists. 'Which are the two gods?'
'Matter and the vital force'-these are the two gods ;
that is to say, these include all the gods that have been
enumerated. 'Which are the one and a half?' 'This
air that blows:
~'~:, Q~qa€fl ~ ~, ant~ d8 ;
~w;~~((,~~d"ir;~~~
~ra; snor ~fa.~ iitm" ~~~ n au
g. 'Regarding this some say, "Since the
air blows as one substance, how can it be one and
a half ?" It is one and a half because through
its presence all this attains surpassing glory.'
'Which is the one god ?' 'The vital force
(Hira.l).yagarbha) ; it is Brahman, which is called
Tyat (that).'
'Regarding this some say in objection, "Since the
air blows as one substance. how can it be one and a
half?" It is one and a half because through its
presence all this attains surpassing glory.' 'Which is
the one god?' 'The vital force ; it, the vital force, is
1 The vital force in its cosmic aspect, or HiraJ;lyagarbha,
is meant. So also in the next paragraph.
3·9·!0] B{lHADARAl:IYAKA UPANI!jAD 537

Brahman, fm; it is vast, being the sum total of all the

gods. And this Brahman is called Tyat (that),' which
is a word denoting remoteness. Thus the gods are one
as well as many. The infinite number of gods are
included in the limited number mentioned in the Nivid ;
these again are included in the successive (smaller)
numbers, thirty-three and so on, up to the one vital
force. It is this one vital force which expands into all
those numbers up to the infinite. Thus the vital force
alone is one and infinite as well as possessed of the
intermediate numbers. That this one god, the vital
force, has different names, forms, activities, attributes
and powers is due to individual differences of quali-
fication.1
Now eight other forms of that same vital force
which is a form of Brahman are being set forth :
'lfif~ ~•qait'(, atfir~en:, ~tftfu:, ~
ci (f 9;~ N=ar~m:r;r: ~r~, 9 t it~
~11.n.-~~ 1 ~ f!.l'r at{ (f ~ ~~: ~NUi
• .A- ~
~ ;q Q;1f(q ~·~·~= ~: {=I ~:, ~ ~~ ;
~ 'til ~fif ; st~fa tRfil II ~ o II
IO. 'He who knows that being whose abode
is the earth, whose instrument of vision is fire,
whose light is the Manas, and who is the ulti-
mate resort of the entire body and organs, knows
truly, 0 Yajfi.avalkya.' 'I know that being of
1 People perform different kinds of meditation and rites.
and acquire different grades of mental culture, thereby attain-
ing identity with :fire etc. which are all parts of the cosmic
vital force. Hence the above differences.