Aitareya Upanishad - 6

 

Chapter 2, Section 1

This section opens with an announcement, “Apakramanthu garbinyah (pregnant women, please vacate)”.  At the end of the section there is a similar announcement, only this time it requests the pregnant women to reenter the hall of study. This shows that women had free access to the Vedantic classes as students even in the ancient days.  As the process of procreation is going to be the topic, the Acharya did not want to expose the expectant mothers to certain thoughts the lecture would be focusing on. After they left the classes continued. 

Mantra 1

Om. purushe ha va ayam aadito garbho bhavati;

yat etat retah tat etat sarvebhyo angebhyastejah sambhootam;

aatmanyeva aatmaanam bibharti;

tatyada striyaam sinchati, atha enat janayati;

tatasya prathamam janma. II1II

Om! In a man, verily, is first produced that which (later) develops as the embryo. That which is the semen (or seed), is drawn from all his limbs, and is the essence of his strength and vigour. In his own very being, he holds that self (as semen).  When he pours this into a womb, he causes it (the Self, a child) to be born.  This is his First birth. 

The conception process begins in man, and develops later in the woman as the embryo and thereafter as the foetus.  The production of semen, the vital fluid in man, comes from the best part of food. It is formed from the condensation of the finest particles of strength and vitality within the human body. First the man holds and nourishes it in his own body and it is not different from him. When he injects this in woman’s body he procreates himself in the form of a foetus. Since the husband plays the primary role, it is he who is considered to be “pregnant” with the seed, ready to play his part in the creation process. The moment of conception is called his First birth.

Mantra 2

tat striya atmabhutam gacchati, yathaa svam-angam tathaa;

tasmat enaam na hinasti; saasyaitam atmanam atragatam bhaavayati. II2II 

That seed goes into the very “being” (womb) of the woman, as though it were her own limb.  Hence, the (foetus) does not injure her. She nourishes this Self (her husband’s), that has thus come into her.

The semen injected into the body of the mother gets assimilated with her body and becomes an indivisible part of her; hence she does not feel hurt or burdensome during pregnancy. The mother, whose role in receiving the semen was secondary, now takes over the primary role by nurturing the seed in her womb. The father, who has now to provide for her, plays the secondary role from this point forward.  The lady nourishes that foetus as the Self of her husband.

Mantra 3

sa bhavayitree bhavayitavya bhavati; tam stree garbham bibharti;

so’agra eva kumaram janmano’gre’dhibhavayati;

sa yatkumaram janmano’gre adhibhavayatyatmanam eva

tat bhaavayatyesham lokanam santatyaa; evam santata hime lokaah;

tat asya dviteeyam janma.II3II

With the role of the mother as nourisher, comes also her need to be well-nourished. She bears him as an embryo in her womb. He, the father, even before the child’s birth, and naturally thereafter, too, nourishes it.  The couple jointly, in nourishing the child from its birth onwards, feel it is their own self being nourished for the continuation of these worlds.  Thus are these worlds continued. This is the Second birth.

The pregnant woman who holds the foetus should therefore be taken care of well by every member of the family. While the mother protects the unborn child in her womb, the father takes care of the child after delivery till it gets fully grown up and becomes a sound person in the society. This act on his part is for maintaining the continuity of the race. This coming out of the womb and taking birth as a child is his Second birth.

Mantra 4

sah asya ayam aatmaa; punyebhyah karmabhyah pratidheeyate;

atha syaayam itara athma; kritakrityo vayogatah, praiti;

sah itah prayanneva, punarjaayate; tadasya triteeyam janma. II4II 

That Son who is the father’s own self, is initiated to perform the pious deeds.  Then the father who is the son’s other self, having had his sense of inward satisfaction and reaching a ripe old age, dies.  Though he has departed, “he” is born again.  This is his Third birth. 

The father himself becomes the son in the manner explained in the above Mantras. When the son comes of age, the father entrusts him with all the family duties and responsibilities and feels free from parental debt. After this, one day the father departs from the earth. Then according to his karma he is reborn again somewhere else in another womb. This is his Third birth. The First birth is when the potential human being is conceived in man and manifests as semen. This contains the hopes and aspirations of what man wants to achieve. The Second birth produces the physical instrument that would accomplish this hope. That instrument makes every effort to bring to fruition these hopes and aspirations of man.  Then comes the Third birth when he pursues that hope and aspiration in the next generation to continue the progress of mankind. This way the chain of birth and death continues so long as the man does not consider this chain as a bondage and torture and does not make effort to get released from it during his birth in the human form. Therefore, the Upanishad stresses the need for one to try to break this chain giving the example of one, who has got himself freed from the chain, that is given in the next two Mantras.

Mantra 5

tad uktam rishina – garbhe nu san anvesham avedamaham, devaanaam janimaani visvaa; satam ma pura aayaseerarakshannadhah, syeno javasa niradeeyamiti. garbha evaitachchayano, Vaamadeva evam uvacha. II5II

About this a rishi has said: “While yet in the embryo, I knew well all the births of these Deities!   A hundred iron citadels confined me down; yet, like a hawk in full flight, I burst through them all.”  The Rishi Vamadeva had spoken thus even while lying in the womb!

Transmigrating in this way, involved in the chain of birth and death through manifestation of the three states mentioned earlier, everyone remains in the cycle of samsara. If in any of the states, he succeeds to realize the Self as revealed in Vedas, he becomes freed then and there from all worldly bondages.  To illustrate this, Acharya quotes the example of Sage Vamadeva.  Sage Vamadeva, even while he was in his mother’s womb, obtained the Self-knowledge. He said at that very moment, “O, what an amazing thing that while living in the womb itself I came to know the reality about these deities i.e. inner senses and their several births. In other words, I knew that it is the inner organs and indriyas which are subjected to birth and death and not the Athma. Before I realized this secret I had to pass through several bodily cages, hard like iron. I had such a strong identity with them that it was very difficult for me to get rid of them. Now, by applying the full strength of knowledge I had gained, I had broken all the fetters and became detached and free from the shackles of samsara imposed by the body once and forever.  I have understood that I am not the body and I have no relation with the body”.

Mantra 6

sah evam vidvaan; asmacchareera-bhedaat; oordhva utkraamyamushmin swarge loke sarvaan kaamaan aaptvaa amritah samabhavat, samabhavat. II6II

Having gained knowledge of the Athma, and separated himself from body consciousness, he (Vamadeva) betook on his upward path; He attained the heavenly worlds of Bliss and all his desires. He became immortal – yes, he became immortal! 

Once the highest state of spiritual realisation is reached, the attainment “of the heavenly worlds of Bliss” accompanies it without saying. While still in his body, the realized sage Vamadeva experiences all the heavenly regions of Supreme Bliss. He enjoys all desires simultaneously as he feels totally fulfilled. Immortality covers all attainments in one sweep. It is the supreme fruit of realisation. In short he becomes a Jivan muktha who attains Videha mukthi on relinquishing the body. 

The repetition of the line “became immortal” twice is to denote that end of section 1 and chapter 2 as well is reached.  The chapter ends with the announcement “Yatha sthanam garbinyah (Pregnant women can resume their seats)”

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