Chandogya Upanishad (english Translation)
by Swami Lokeswarananda | 165,421 words | ISBN-10: 8185843910 | ISBN-13: 9788185843919
This is the English translation of the Chandogya-upanishad, including a commentary based on Swami Lokeswarananda’s weekly discourses; incorporating extracts from Shankara’s bhasya. The Chandogya Upanishad is a major Hindu philosophical text incorporated in the Sama Veda, and dealing with meditation and Brahman. This edition includes the Sanskrit t...
Verse 7.7.1
विज्ञानं वा� ध्यानाद्भूयः विज्ञाने� वा ऋग्वेद� विजानाति यजुर्वेद� सामवेदमाथर्वणं चतुर्थमितिहासपुराण� पञ्चमं वेदाना� वेदं पित्र्यंराशि� दैवं निधि� वाकोवाक्यमेकायनं देवविद्यां ब्रह्मविद्या� भूतविद्यां क्षत्रविद्या� नक्षत्रविद्यांसर्पदेवजनविद्यां दिवं � पृथिवी� � वायु� चाकाशं चापश्च तेजश्च देवांश्च मनुष्यांश्� पशूंश्� वयांसि � तृणवनस्पतीञ्छ्वापदान्याकीटपतङ्गपिपीलक� धर्म� चाधर्म� � सत्य� चानृतं � साधु चासाधु � हृदयज्ञं चाहृदयज्ञं चान्नं � रस� चेमं � लोकममु� � विज्ञानेनै� विजानाति विज्ञानमुपास्स्वेत� � �.�.� �
vijñāna� vāva dhyānādbhūya� vijñānena vā ṛgveda� vijānāti yajurveda� sāmavedamātharvaṇa� caturthamپpurāṇa� pañcama� vedānā� veda� pitryaṃrāśi� daiva� nidhi� DZⲹekāyana� devavidyā� brahmavidyā� ūٲvidyā� kṣatravidyā� Բṣaٰvidyāṃsarpadevajanavidyā� diva� ca pṛthivī� ca vāyu� cākāśa� cāpaśca tejaśca devāṃśca manuṣyāṃśca paśūṃśca vayāṃsi ca ṛṇvanaspatīñchvāpadānyākīṭa貹ٲṅgpipīlaka� dharma� cādharma� ca satya� cānṛta� ca cā ca hṛdayajña� cāhṛdayajña� cānna� ca rasa� cema� ca lokamamu� ca vijñānenaiva vijānāti vijñānamupāssveti || 7.7.1 ||
1. վñԲ [the practical application of knowledge] is certainly superior to meditation. Through vijñāna one knows the Ṛg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the 峾 Veda, and the fourth—the Atharva Veda; then the fifth—history and the ʳܰṇa; also, grammar, funeral rites, mathematics, the science of omens, the science of underground resources, logic, moral science, astrology, Vedic knowledge, the science of the elements, archery, astronomy, the science relating to snakes, plus music, dance, and other fine arts; also heaven and earth; air, space, water, and fire; the gods and human beings; cattle and birds; creepers and big trees; animals of prey as well as worms, fleas, and ants; merit and demerit; truth and untruth; good and evil; the pleasant and the unpleasant; food and water; and this world and the other world. One knows all this through vijñāna. Worship vijñāna.
Word-for-word explanation:
վñԲm vāva dhyānāt bhūya�, vijñāna [i.e., the practical application of knowledge] is certainly superior to meditation; vijñānena vai vijānāti, through vijñāna one knows; ṛg vedam yajur vedam sāma vedam ātharvaṇam caturtham, the Ṛg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the 峾 Veda, and the fourth, the Atharva Veda; پ purāṇam pañcamam, history and the ʳܰṇa, as the fifth; vedānām vedam, grammar [lit., the Veda of the Vedas]; pitryam, rites offered out of respect to the ancestors; ś, mathematics; daivam, the science of meteors and other natural phenomena [and omens]; nidhim, the science of underground resources; DZⲹ, logic; ⲹԲ, moral science; deva-峾, astrology; brahma-峾, knowledge of the Vedas; ūٲ-峾, geology; kṣattra-峾, archery; Բṣaٰ-峾, astronomy; sarpa [-峾], snakecharming; devajana-峾, fine arts; divam ca, heaven; pṛthivīm ca, and the earth; vāyum ca, and air; ākāśam ca, and space; āpa� ca, and water; ٱᲹ� ca, and fire; devān ca, and the gods; manuṣyān ca, and human beings; paśūn ca, and animals; vayāṃsi ca, and birds; ṛṇ-Բ貹ī, creepers and big trees; ś貹Ծ, animals of prey; īṭa-貹ٲṅg-辱ī첹, worms, fleas, and ants; dharmam ca adharmam ca, merit and demerit; satyam ca anṛtam ca, and truth and untruth; ca a ca, and good and evil; hṛdayajñam ca ahṛdayajñam ca, pleasant and unpleasant; annam ca rasam ca, food and water; imam ca lokam amum ca, this world and the other world; vijñānena eva vijānāti, one knows this through vijñāna; vijñānam upāssva iti, worship vijñāna.
Commentary:
վñԲ is higher than Բ, meditation. What is vijñāna? It is knowledge of the meaning of the scriptures (vjñānam śāstrārthaviṣayam jñānam). There are so many scriptures, but suppose you are able to recite all of them from memory. That is not enough. You must understand the real purport of what each is saying and then put the teachings into practice.
Some people have one book that they read over and over again. It may be the ī or The Gospel
When Swami Turiyananda was young he would read one verse at a time from the ī and spend the whole day, or the next several days, meditating on it. He would not go on to the next verse until he had realized the truth of the one he had just read. This is vijñāna, and this is why vijñāna is higher than meditation.