विषय

ब्रह्मविद्या का उपदेश।

पदार्थ

(अस्य) इस (ओदनस्य) सेचनसमर्थ अन्नरूप परमेश्वर का (शीर्षम्) शिर (ब्रह्म) वेद है, (अस्य) इसकी (पृष्ठम्) पीठ (बृहत्) प्रवृद्ध जगत् और (उदरम्) उदर (वामदेव्यम्) मनोहर परमात्मा से जताया गया [भूतपञ्चक] है। (अस्य) इसके (पक्षौ) दोनों पार्श्व (छन्दांसि) आनन्दप्रद वा पूजनीय कर्म और (मुखम्) मुख (सत्यम्) सत्य है। (विष्टारी) वह विस्तारवाला (यज्ञः) पूजनीय परमात्मा (तपसः) अपने ऐश्वर्य से (अधि) सबसे ऊपर (जातः) प्रकट हुआ है ॥१॥

भावार्थ

परमेश्वर सर्वशक्तिमान् सर्वव्यापक और सर्वान्तर्यामी है, उसकी उपासना सब मनुष्य नित्य करें ॥१॥

विषय

ब्रह्मौदन का स्वरूप

पदार्थ

१. (अस्य) = इस (ओदनस्य) = ब्रह्मौदन का (ब्रह्म) = ज्ञान ही (शीर्षम्) = सिर है। (बृहत्) = [बृहि वृद्धौ] हृदय की विशालता ही (अस्य पृष्ठम्) = इसकी पीठ है और (वामदेव्यम्) = सुन्दर दिव्य गुणोंवाला होता ही (उदरम्) = उदर है। ब्रह्मौदन को यदि एक पुरुष के रूप में चित्रित करें तो ये 'ब्रह्म, बृहत् और वामदेव्य' इसके भिन्न-भिन्न अङ्ग है। २. इसीप्रकार (छन्दांसि) = पापों को अपवारित करनेवाले वेदमन्त्र इस ओदन के (पक्षों) = पासे-पाव हैं तथा (सत्यम्) = सत्य (अस्य) = इसका (मुखम्) = मुख है। इसप्रकार (तपसः अधि) = ज्ञानग्रहणरूप तप से विष्टारी (यज्ञ: जात:) = हमारी सब शक्तियों का विस्तार करनेवाला यज्ञ उत्पन्न हुआ है, अर्थात् ज्ञान हमारे जीवनों में यज्ञ को जन्म देता है, उस यज्ञ को जो हमारी सब शक्तियों के विस्तार का साधन बनता है।

भावार्थ

हम ज्ञानभोजन करनेवाले बनें। इस ज्ञानग्रहणरूप तप से ही उस यज्ञ की भावना का हममें उदय होता है जो हमारी सब शक्तियों का विस्तार करती है।

भाषार्थ

(अस्य ओदनस्य) इस ओदनसाध्य गृहस्थयज्ञ का (शीर्षम्) शिरः स्थानीय है (ब्रह्म) ब्रह्मवेद अर्थात् अथर्ववेद, (पृष्ठम्) पीठ स्थानीय है (बृहत) परिमाण में बड़ा ऋग्वेद, (उदरम्) पेटस्थानीय है (वामदेव्यम्) वननीय या सुन्दरस्वरूप परमेश्वर का वर्णन करनेवाला सामवेद, (पक्षौ) दो पंखों के सदृश हैं (छन्दांसि) वैदिक छन्दोमय मन्त्र, (अस्य) इस गृहस्थयज्ञ का (मुखम्) मुख है (सत्यम्) सत्य व्यवहार या सत्य ब्रह्म, (विष्टारी यज्ञः) यह विस्तार करनेवाला गृहस्थयज्ञ (तपस: अधि) ब्रह्मचर्यरूपी तप से (जातः) प्रादुर्भूत हुआ है, या होता है।

विषय

विष्टारी ओदन, परम प्रजापति की उपासना और फल।

भावार्थ

(यज्ञः) यह यज्ञमय प्रजापति अर्थात् परमात्मा (विष्टारी) सर्वत्र विस्तृत, ब्रह्माण्ड रूप में विराट् देह करके फैला हुआ है। यह (तपसः अधिजातः) तपश्चर्या से प्रकट होता है। इसका एक नाम ‘ओदन’ है। (अस्य) इस (ओदनस्य) प्रजापतिरूप ओदन का (शीर्षम्) शिरोभाग (ब्रह्म) ब्रह्मज्ञान, वेद या शक्ति है और (अस्य पृष्ठम्) इसकी पीठ (बृहत्) यह विशाल ब्रह्माण्ड है और (उदरं) उदर भाग (वामदेव्यम्) वाम = जीव द्वारा अधिष्ठित संसार, स्थावर जंगम हैं। यज्ञपक्ष में—उस ओदन का शिरोभाग रथंतर साम, पृष्ठभाग बृहत् साम और उदरभाग वामदेव्य साम हैं। वर्णभेद से उसका शिरोभाग ब्राह्मण, पृष्ठभाग बृहत्-क्षत्र और वामदेव्य-वैश्य हैं। इसके (पक्षौ) दोनों पक्ष (छन्दांसि) छन्द हैं। (अस्य मुखम्) इसका मुख सत्य है। संवत्सर, पुरुष, आत्मा, परमात्मा, समाज, राष्ट्र, यज्ञ आदि प्रजापति के नाम से कहे जाते हैं सब पक्षों में ब्रह्म, बृहत्, वामदेव्य, छन्द आदि शब्दों के अर्थ इस रूप में समझिये।

ऋषि | देवता | छन्द | स्वर

अथर्वा ऋषिः। ब्रह्मास्यौदनं विष्टारी ओदनं वा देवता। १-३ त्रिष्टुभः। ५ त्र्यवसाना सप्तपदाकृतिः। ६ पञ्चपदातिशक्वरी। ७ भुरिक् शक्वरी, ८ जगती। अष्टर्चं सूक्तम्॥

Subject

Worship and Self-Surrender

Meaning

This world of existence is an expansive cosmic yajna. The agent, object, food and fragrance of it all is the Lord Supreme, Brahma itself, the immanent efficient cause, the transcendent presiding power and the generator of yajnic food and form, Prakrti, for the participant souls of human and other orders (Gita, 9, 24; 8, 4; 4, 24). All this divine yajna is self-manifested and self-enacted by self-will, tapas (Rgveda 10, 90). Within the cosmic yajna of Purusha and Prakrti, the human order also is a yajna in its own epicyclic order, and within that order, Grhastha, home life of family, also is a yajna, and this it is our duty to extend. This sukta may better be read with the Purusha sukta (Rgveda 10, 90, Yajurveda 31, Atharva-veda 19, 6), reflections of which are found in the Upanishads and the Gita. This universe is an expansive yajna born of divine self-will, tapas, the presiding power and immanent one soul of which is the Supreme Cosmic Self. That is its content, odana, as well as its container, Adhi-yajna. Brahma, Supreme Soul, is its pinnacle, Veda is its climactic knowledge and wisdom. The expansive world of nature is its back and burden, the living world is its womb wherein it broods on itself and generates forms of life. Vedic verses are its joyous sides, and truth and law is its mouth proclaiming loud and bold with words and beauty of nature’s play. (The metaphor is extended to the form of yajna also: Yajna is expansive, born of divine as well as human tapas: The head of it is the Veda, Rathantara Sama, Brhat Sama is the back, Vamadevya Sama is the middle, Vedic verses are the sides, and truth is its mouth and tongue of flame.)

Subject

Brahmodana

Translation

The intellectual (the Brahma) is its head; the great (brhat) (princely power) is its back; and the producer of beautiful and pleasing things (Vamadeoya) (vaisya) is its belly; metres are its two wings; truth is its mouth. This well-swollen rice has been born out of the heat of the. sacrifice. (vistárin = extensive, name of a long drawn sacrifice; also the swelling or swollen rice. Tapas = fervour; penance.)

Translation

[N.B. In this hymn the description is mainly concerned with Brahmaudana, What is Brahmaudana? It is oblation element; which is prepared for the purpose of offeting oblations in the Yajna. This is prepared with the Vedic Mantras and mainly concerned with some capital samans therefore, it is called Brahmaudana. It represents the Yajna, house-hold life and Swargah which is pleasant life of a Grihastha possessing plenty of means and means of pleasure. The house-hold life with all its pleasure and pelf is the real Svarga. Svarga is not any particular locality of pleasure. The house-hold life full of all pleasure is called Svarga. A house-holding man enjoys pleasures of wife, children, food, honey, milk, ghee etc. This life is the life of prodigious nature. The couple leading this life proliferate worldly means, pleasure, progeny, culture and the acts fruitful in this life and in that life. With the extension and expension of self a house-holding couple extends his culture sacerdotal activities responsible for this life and that life. This has been expressed and represented in the hymn by planning the performance of Yajna known as Vistarin, Signifying to be extensive. This Yajna performed extends the prosperity of the house-hold life as well as the prosperity of Svarga which is to be attained in other life in the form of house-hold life. Here in the Verse 5 we find the term Banhistha of which the Bahishta of Islamic cult is the corrupted form and system of Bahishta a degenerated form. The well planned, mature and well-based scheme of household life or any thing else is called odana.] This Vistari Yajna (which is the symbol of extension) is produced from Tapas, the ferver and austerity. Veda is the head of this Odana, the oblation element (prepared for this Yajna). Brihat Saman is the back of it. Its belly is the Vamadevya Saman, the Samans concerned mainly with the adorable Divinity. The meters are the sides of this Odana and the truth or reality its face.

Translation

Veda is the head of this God. The vast universe is His back. The five elements created by God, are His belly. The pleasant, adorable deeds are His flanks. Truth is His face. The Vast Expanded God, through His supremacy is Most Exalted.

टिप्पणीः

१−(ब्रह्म) वेदः (अस्य) प्रत्यक्षस्य (शीर्षम्) शिरः (बृहत्) प्रवृद्धं जगत् (पृष्ठम्) पृष्ठभागः (वामदेव्यम्) वामदेवाड् ड्यड्ड्यौ। पा० ४।२।९। इति वामदेव−ड्य। वामदेवेन दृष्टं विज्ञातं विज्ञापितं वा-इति दयानन्दभाष्ये यजु० १२।४। वामो वल्गुरेव देवः, वामदेवः, परमेश्वरः, तेन विज्ञापितं भूतपञ्चकम् (उदरम्) उदरस्थानीयम् (ओदनस्य) अ० ४।१४।७। सेचनशीलस्य प्रवर्धकस्य अन्नरूपस्य वा परमात्मनः (छन्दांसि) चन्देरादेश्च छः। उ० ४।२१९। इति चदि आह्लादने-असुन्, चस्य छः। छन्दति, अर्चतिकर्मा-निघ० ३।१४। छन्दांसि छादनात्-निरु० ७।१२। आह्लादकर्माणि। अर्चनीय-कर्माणि (पक्षौ) पक्ष परिग्रहे-अच्। पार्श्वौ (मुखम्) (सत्यम्) याथार्थ्यम् (विष्टारी) अत इनिठनौ। पा० ५।२।११५। इति विस्तार-इनि। विस्तारवान् (जातः) प्रादुर्भूतः (तपसः) स्वैश्वर्यात् (अधि) उपरि (यज्ञः) यजनीयः। ओदनः। परमेश्वरः ॥