Mahā Nārāyaṇa Upanishad | Section 68-72

auṁ tadbrahma | auṁ tadvāyuaḥ | auṁ tadātmā | auṁ tatsatyam |
auṁ tatsarvam | auṁ tatpurornamaḥ || 1||

1. Om that is Brahman. Om that is Vāyu. Om that is the finite self. Om that is the Supreme Truth. Om that is all. Om that is the multitude of citadels (the bodies of creatures). Salutations to Him!

Commentary:

Here this formula and the immediately succeeding one are given for japa to be performed in order to remove all one’s sins.

In the other place this formula is given as a substitute for Gāyatrī together with its subsidiaries given for mental repetition when a person performs prāṇāyāma.

Both Bhaṭṭabhāskara and Sāyana explain the mantra adopting two philosophical view-points:

The syllable Om commencing each phrase announces that the passage is meant for magnifying Paramātman, and also for emphasising His all-pervasive and all-inclusive nature.

According to Bhaṭṭabhāskara, Brahma here stands for expanding Prakṛti, which is but a mode of Brahman, Vāyu stands for the power of the Supreme perceptible as universal movement, Ātman for the individual self, and the word Sarva stresses the all-creating nature of the Supreme.

He takes the term puru in the sense of great or strong and explains namaḥ as namana or transformation, and so the phrase purornamaḥ is explained as the transformation of the universe into the shape which is powerful—or as the transformation of the Supreme Reality as Parāśaktī into the form of the universe.

Sāyana interprets Vāyu as Hiraṇyagarbha or Sūtrātman embodying the power of knowledge and activity inherent in the universe, and Ātman as the individual soul—both being derived from the Supreme.

He accepts the reading puro namaḥ and explains puraḥ as the nominative plural of pūḥ meaning a walled city, to which the gross and subtle body of creatures are often compared in the scriptures.

In the view of Sāyana, three alternative measures of breath are used in the act of prāṇāyāma according to the breathing capacity of individual aspirants.

oṁ antaśvarati bhūteṣu guhāyāṁ viśvamūrtiṣu | tvaṁ
yajñastvaṁ vaṣaṭkārastvamindrastvaɱ rudrastvaṁ viṣṇustvaṁ
brahma tvaṁ prajāpatiḥ | tvaṁ tadāpa āpo jyotī raso'mṛtaṁ
brahma bhūrbhuvaḥ suvarom || 2||

2. That Supreme Being moves inside the heart of created beings possessing manifold forms. O Supreme, Thou art the sacrifice, Thou art the expression Vaṣaṭ, Thou art Indra, Thou art Rudra, Thou art Brahma, Thou art Prajāpati, Thou art That, Thou art the water in the rivers and the ocean, Thou art the sun, Thou art flavour, Thou art ambrosia, Thou art the body of the Vedas, Thou art the threefold world and Thou art Om.

Commentary:

The first line here announces that the Supreme described above is hidden in the hearts of all created beings, in the various shapes and the fauna and flora of the world.

In the next, the worshipper directly addresses the Supreme and exclaims: Thou art the sacrifice etc.

Words like Vaṣat, Svāhā, Svadhā, and Hanta are employed, as specified before, while making offerings to gods, manes and men.

Great gods like Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva, the progenitor of mankind, sacrifices and formulas, of offering, water and light, and other facts of the world are indiscriminately collected here and asserted to be one with the Supreme. The worshipper thereby thinks that there is nothing other than the Supreme and that everything has its value derived from the Supreme.

According to Sāyana, the mantra is employed for the contemplative worship of the Supreme after Gāyatrī-visarjana connected with the twilight-devotion.

śraddhāyāṁ prāṇe niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi |
śraddhāyāmapāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi |
śraddhāyāṁ vyāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi |
śraddhāyāmudāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi |
śraddhāyāɱ samāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi |
brahmaṇi ma ātmāmṛtatvāya || 1||

1. Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into prāṇa with reverence. Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into apāna with reverence. Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Vyāna with reverence. Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Udāna with reverence. Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Samāna with reverence.

By these oblations may my Self be united with the Supreme, so that I may attain Immortality!

Commentary:

Agnihotra is a primary and fundamental rite during the performance of which oblations to the Supreme are offered in the consecrated fire. This rite is usually performed in the external fire in which the Supreme is invoked.

At the commencement of dinner a similar worship is offered into the Divine Fire Vaiśvānara, dwelling within man and manifesting Itself through the fivefold breath. This is called Prānāgni- hotra and there is an Upaniṣad entirely devoted to the description of it, by the same name.

Every twice-born religious aspirant, before he lays hand on the food which is set before him, ceremoniously purifies it, reverences it and parcels, with his thumb and two other fingers variously combined, a small quantity of it five times and places in the mouth mentally repeating each one of these formulas. Finally he prays that he might be united to the Supreme by this act of devotion

Thus the food-seeking instinct is given a direction to God before it is satisfied in the natural way.

Life is maintained by the various vital activities in the body subsumed under the five-fold prāṇa which is a manifestation of the Supreme on the physical plane. These offerings are, therefore, really made to God within.

Therefore it is amṛta-homa which implies not only introduction of tasty food into the mouth but also a symbolic offering of the finite self into the Infinite Supreme Brahman. This is stressed by the concluding words.

amṛtopastaraṇamasi .. 2..

2. O water, thou art the spread out seat of Anna-Brāhman, the immortal food!

Commentary:

This formula is repeated and a small quantity of water is sipped before one starts eating. Anything which one considers precious or valuable is placed in a container and covered.

Here the small quantity of water taken in is supposed to be an upastarana or seat on which subsequent morsels are placed.

After sipping the water oblations are offered. Details of this practice and the philosophical significance of it are given at Chāṇḍogya Upaniṣad V. 2 2.

śraddhāyāṁ prāṇe niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi . śivo mā
viśāpradāhāya . prāṇāya svāhā ..
śraddhāyāmapāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi . śivo mā
viśāpradāhāya . apānāya svāhā ..
śraddhāyāṁ vyāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi . śivo mā
viśāpradāhāya . vyānāya svāhā ..
śraddhāyāmudāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi . śivo mā
viśāpradāhāya . udānāya svāhā ..
śraddhāyāɱ samāne niviṣṭo'mṛtaṁ juhomi . śivo mā
viśāpradāhāya . samānāya svāhā ..
brahmaṇi ma ātmāmṛtatvāya .. 3..

3. Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Prāṇa with reverence: O thou offered substance, be auspicious and get assimilated into me, so that I may not be consumed by hunger. Prāṇāya svāhā!

Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Apāna with reverence. O thou offered substance, be auspicious and get assimilated into me, so that I may not be consumed by hunger. Apānāya svāhā!

Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Vyāna with reverence. O thou offered substance, be auspicious and get assimilated into me, so that I may not be consumed by hunger. Vyānāya svāhā!

Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Udāna with reverence. O thou offered substance, be auspicious and get assimilated into me, so that I may not be consumed by hunger. Udānāya svāhā!

Firm in my religious faith, I offer this oblation of ambrosia into Samāna with reverence. O thou offered substance, be auspicious and get assimilated into me, so that I may not be consumed by hunger. Samānāya svāhā!

by these oblations may my Self be united with the Supreme, so that I may attain Immortality.

Commentary:

This set of five formulas is a repetition of Section 69 part 1 with the insertion of the clause śivo mā viśāpradāhāya. After each oblation and before the Svāhā formula mentioning the name of each breath, this is inserted. This Section is proposed as an alternative for Section 69  part 1 to function in the same context.

amṛtāpidhānamasi .. 4..

4. O water, thou art the cover for Anna-Brahman, the immortal food.

Commentary:

This mantra is repeated mentally when a small quantity of water is sipped after the dinner is completed. This last morsel of water, covets, as it were, the ingested food.

śraddhāyāṁ prāṇe niviśyābhṛtaɱ hatam |  prāṇamatrenāpyāyasva
śraddhāyāṁapāne niviśyābhṛtaɱ hatam | apānamatrenāpyāyasva
śraddhāyāṁ vyāne niviśyābhṛtaɱ hatam | vyānamatrenāpyāyasva
śraddhāyāmudāne niviśyābhṛt hatam | udānamatrenāpyāyasva
śraddhāyāṁ samāne niviśyābhṛtaɱ hatam | samānamatrenāpyāyasva

1. Firm in my religious faith, I have offered this oblation of ambrosia into Prāṇa with reverence: O Prāṇa, increase the power of my in- breath by this food!

Firm in my religious faith, I have offered this oblation of ambrosia into Apāna with reverence: O Apāna, increase the power of my out-breath with this food!

Firm in my religious faith, I have offered this oblation of ambrosia into Vyāna with reverence: O Vyāna, increase the power of my diffused breath with this food!

Firm m my religious faith, I have offered this oblation of ambrosia into Udāna with reverence: O Udāna, increase the power of my up-breath with this food!

Firm m my religious faith, I have offered this oblation of ambrosia into Samāna with reverence: O Samāna, increase the power of my middle breath with this food!

Commentary:

These five formulas are repeated at the end of the dinner and before one leave his seat.

aṅguṣṭhamātraḥ puruṣo'ṅguṣṭhaṁ ca samāśritaḥ .
īśaḥ sarvasya jagataḥ prabhuḥ prīṇātu viśvabhuk .. 1..

1. May the Supreme Lord be gratified (by this meal just taken)—Who is the ruler of all the world and the enjoyer of all, Who as the person dwelling in the body, is of the size of the thumb, and Who is the support of the body—imparting to it sentience and activity from the toe to the crown.

Commentary:

After the dinner and the rinsing of the mouth, and ablution of hand and feet, it is customary to pour some quantity of water on one’s right toe symbolically. This Anuṣṭubh stanza is repeated at that time contemplating on the identity of oneself with the Supreme.

When the mind is not distracted by hunger, it is the duty of a person to remind himself that he is not different from the Divine Reality—the one Principle that rules and supports the universe—the real Enjoyer of the food eaten by every creature.

Elsewhere in this work it has been stated that the Supreme Person and the Person dwelling in man are not different. The space inside the heart is equal in measure to the size of the thumb, and so the Supreme perceived in the heart as the individual Soul is also spoken of here as having the size of the thumb.

Man considers that he is only an instrument of God and the satisfaction he has derived by the repast really belongs to God—the enjoyer of the whole universe.

It is believed that the Kālāgni Fire which will finally destroy the universe is hidden at the root of the universe. Similarly the fire which consumes the food eaten is also supposed to dwell at the toe, by which man is rooted to the earth.

Pouring water on the toe, therefore, is a symbolic act of propitiation. The whole body, by a yogic process, is purified ceremoniously by rousing the energy that is supposed to dwell at the foot or toe.

vāṅ ma āsan | nasoḥ prāṇaḥ | akṣyoścakṣuḥ | karṇayoḥ śrotram |
bāhuvorbalam | uruvorojaḥ | ariṣṭā viśvānyaṅgāni tanūḥ |
tanuvā me saha namaste astu mā mā hiɱsīḥ || 1||

1. O Lord, after repast my powers of speech, of breath, of sight, and of hearing, are firm in their respective stations i.e., mouth, nostrils, eyes and ears, so also strength and vitality have returned to my aims and thighs. My subtle body and my gross body with all its limbs are now free from inadequacy. My salutation to Thee! Do not cause any hurt to me and mine!

Commentary:

This formula is prescribed for reflection after dinner:

The religious aspirant here states that the powers of the senses and limbs, which have been reduced by the long period that intervened after the previous meal, have now been restored by the present repast supplied, through the grace of the Lord.

The first mantra of Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad, according to many commentators, declares:

All this is the dominion of the Lord, enjoy whatever is granted you by Him without coveting anything belonging to others —So the food eaten is supplied by the Divine Providence.

The devotee of God offers his thankful reverence to the Creator and beseeches Him not to hurt him and all that belongs to him.