Chapter 1, Section 1
Original Sanskrit
आत्मा वा इदमेक एवाग्र आसीन्नान्यत्किञ्चचन । स ईक्षत लोकान्नु सृजा इति ॥ १ ॥
स इमाँल्लोकानसृजत । अम्भो मरीचीर्मापोऽदोऽम्भः परेण दिवं द्यौः प्रतिष्ठाऽन्तरिक्षं मरीचयः । पृथिवी मरो या अधस्तात्त आपः ॥ २ ॥
स ईक्षतेमे नु लोका लोकपालान्नु सृजा इति ॥ सोऽद्भ्य एव पुरुषं समुद्धृत्यामूर्छयत् ॥ ३ ॥
तमभ्यतपत्तस्याभितप्तस्य मुखं निरभिद्यत यथाऽण्डं मुखाद्वाग्वाचोऽग्निर्नासिके निरभिद्येतं नासिकाभ्यां प्राणः । प्राणाद्वायुरक्षिणी निरभिद्येतमक्षिभ्यां चक्षुश्चक्षुष आदित्यः कर्णौ निरभिद्येतां कर्णाभ्यां श्रोत्रं श्रोत्रद्दिशस्त्वङ्निरभिद्यत त्वचो लोमानि लोमभ्य ओषधिवनस्पतयो हृदयं निरभिद्यत हृदयान्मनो मनसश्चन्द्रमा नाभिर्निरभिद्यत नाभ्या अपानोऽपानान्मृत्युः शिश्नं निरभिद्यत शिश्नाद्रेतो रेतस आपः ॥ ४ ॥
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Sanskrit, covering all three chapters, the opening invocation and closing colophon.
1 In the beginning, the Self alone was all this; there was nothing else whatever. It considered: “Let me create worlds.”
2 It created these worlds: Ambhas, the Rays, Mara, and the Waters. Ambhas is beyond heaven; heaven is its foundation. The middle region is the Rays. The earth is Mara. What lies below is the Waters.
3 It considered: “Here are the worlds. Let me create guardians for them.” From the waters themselves it drew forth a person and gave him form.
4 It brooded over him with heat. As he grew hot, a mouth broke open, like an egg. From the mouth came speech, and from speech, fire. Nostrils broke open. From the nostrils came breath, and from breath, wind. Eyes broke open. From the eyes came sight, and from sight, the sun. Ears broke open. From the ears came hearing, and from hearing, the directions. Skin broke open. From the skin came hairs, and from the hairs, herbs and trees. A heart broke open. From the heart came mind, and from mind, the moon. A navel broke open. From the navel came the downward breath, and from the downward breath, death. A penis broke open. From the penis came seed, and from seed, the waters.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation, made independently and directly from the Sanskrit, covering all three chapters, the opening invocation and closing colophon.
1 At first, everything here was just the Self. There was absolutely nothing else. The Self thought, “I will make worlds.”
2 It made these worlds: Ambhas, the Rays, Mara, and the Waters. The world called Ambhas lies above heaven, with heaven as its base. The space between heaven and earth is the Rays. Earth is Mara. The Waters are below it.
3 The Self thought, “The worlds are here now. I will make their protectors.” It took a human figure out of the waters and shaped it.
4 It heated this figure. Under that heat, the figure's mouth opened like an egg breaking open. Speech came out of the mouth, and fire came from speech. The nostrils opened. Breath came from them, and wind came from breath. The eyes opened. Seeing came from them, and the sun came from seeing. The ears opened. Hearing came from them, and the directions came from hearing. The skin opened. Hair came from the skin, and plants and trees came from hair. The heart opened. The mind came from it, and the moon came from the mind. The navel opened. The downward-moving breath came from it, and death came from that breath. The penis opened. Semen came from it, and water came from semen.
About this section
Chapter 1, Section 1 is part of Aitareya Upanishad by Unknown. This page sets the Sanskrit original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 2 of 6 in the work, which is kept in the Hindu tradition.
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