The text describes the shape of Vaisvânara, of whom heaven, &c., down to
earth constitute the several limbs; and it is known from Scripture and
Smriti that such is the shape of the highest Self. When, therefore, we
recognise that shape as referred to in the text, this supplies an
inferential mark of Vaisvânara being the highest Self.--The 'thus' (iti)
in the Sûtra denotes a certain mode, that is to say, 'a shape of such a
kind being recognised in the text enables us to infer that Vaisvânara is
the highest Self.' For in Scripture and Smriti alike the highest Person
is declared to have such a shape. Cp. e.g. the text of the Átharvanas.
'Agni is his head, the sun and moon his eyes, the regions his cars, his
speech the Vedas disclosed, the wind his breath, his heart the Universe;
from his feet came the earth; he is indeed the inner Self of all things'
(Mu. Up. II, I, 4). 'Agni' in this passage denotes the heavenly world,
in agreement with the text 'that world indeed is Agni.' And the
following Smrriti texts: 'He of whom the wise declare the heavenly world
to be the head, the ether the navel, sun and moon the eyes, the regions
the ears, the earth the feet; he whose Self is unfathomable is the
leader of all beings'; and 'of whom Agni is the mouth, heaven the head,
the ether the navel, the earth the feet, the sun the eye, the regions
the ear; worship to him, the Self of the Universe!'--Now our text
declares the heavenly world and so on to constitute the head and the
other limbs of Vaisvânara. For Kaikeya on being asked by the Rishis to
instruct them as to the Vasvânara Self recognises that they all know
something about the Vaisvânara Self while something they do not know
(for thus only we can explain his special questions), and then in order
to ascertain what each knows and what not, questions them separately.
When thereupon Aupamanyava replies that he meditates on heaven only as
the Self, Kaikeya, in order to disabuse him from the notion that heaven
is the whole Vaisvânara Self, teaches him that heaven is the head of
Vaisvânara, and that of heaven which thus is a part only of Vaisvânara,
Sutejas is the special name. Similarly he is thereupon told by the other
Rishis that they meditate only on sun, air, ether, and earth, and
informs them in return that the special names of these beings are 'the
omniform,' 'he who moves in various ways,' 'the full one,''wealth and
'firm rest,' and that these all are mere members of the Vaisvânara Self,
viz. its eyes, breath, trunk, bladder, and feet. The shape thus
described in detail can belong to the highest Self only, and hence
Vaisvânara is none other but the highest Self.
The next Sûtra meets a further doubt as to this decision not yet being
well established.
27. Should it be said that it is not so, on account of the word, &c.,
and on account of the abiding within; we say, no; on account of
meditation being taught thus, on account of impossibility; and because
they read of him as person.
An objection is raised. Vaisvânara cannot be ascertained to be the
highest Self, because, on the account of the text and of the abiding
within, we can understand by the Vaisvânara in our text the intestinal
fire also. The text to which we refer occurs in the Vaisvânara-vidyâ of
the Vâjasaneyins, 'This one is the Agni Vaisvânara,' where the two words
'Agni' and 'Vaisvânara' are exhibited in co-ordination. And in the
section under discussion the passage, 'the heart is the Gârhapatya fire,
the mind the Anvâhârya-pakana fire, the mouth the Âhavanîya fire' (Ch.
Up. V, 18, 2), represents the Vaisvânara in so far as abiding within the
heart and so on as constituting the triad of sacred fires. Moreover the
text, 'The first food which a man may take is in the place of Soma. And
he who offers that first oblation should offer it to Prâna' (V, 19, 1),
intimates that Vaisvânara is the abode of the offering to Prâna. In the
same way the Vâjasaneyins declare that Vaisvânara abides within man, viz.
in the passage 'He who knows this Agni Vaisvânara shaped like a man
abiding within man.' As thus Vaisvânara appears in co-ordination with
the word 'Agni,' is represented as the triad of sacred fires, is said to
be the abode of the oblation to Breath, and to abide within man, he must
be viewed as the intestinal fire, and it is therefore not true that he
can be identified with the highest Self only.
This objection is set aside by the Sûtra. It is not so 'on account of
meditation (on the highest Self) being taught thus,' i.e. as the text
means to teach that the highest Brahman which, in the manner described
before, has the three worlds for its body should be meditated upon as
qualified by the intestinal fire which (like other beings) constitutes
Brahman's body. For the word 'Agni' denotes not only the intestinal fire,
but also the highest Self in so far as qualified by the intestinal fire.--
But how is this to be known?--'On account of impossibility;' i.e.
because it is impossible that the mere intestinal fire should have the
three worlds for its body. The true state of the case therefore is that
the word Agni, which is understood to denote the intestinal fire, when
appearing in co-ordination with the term Vaisvânara represented as
having the three worlds for his body, denotes (not the intestinal fire,
but) the highest Self as qualified by that fire viewed as forming the
body of the Self. Thus the Lord also says, 'As Vaisvânara fire I abide
in the body of living creatures and, being assisted by breath inspired
and expired, digest the fourfold food' (Bha Gî. XIV, 15). 'As Vaisvânara
fire' here means 'embodied in the intestinal fire.'--The Chândogya text
under discussion enjoins meditation on the highest Self embodied in the
Vaisvânara fire.--Moreover the Vâjasaneyins read of him, viz. the
Vaisvânara, as man or person, viz. in the passage 'That Agni Vaisvânara
is the person' (Sa. Brâ. X, 6, 1, 11). The intestinal fire by itself
cannot be called a person; unconditioned personality belongs to the
highest Self only. Compare 'the thousand-headed person' (Ri. Samh.), and
'the Person is all this' (Sve. Up. III, 15).