Chapter 1, Section 3
Original Sanskrit
स ईक्षतेमे नु लोकाश्च लोकपालाश्चान्नमेभ्यः सृजा इति ॥ १ ॥
सोऽपोऽभ्यतपत्ताभ्योऽभितप्ताभ्यो मूर्तिरजायत । या वै सा मूर्तिरजायतान्नं वै तत् ॥ २ ॥
तदेनत्सृष्टं पराङ्त्यजिघांसत्तद्वाचाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोद्वाचा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनद्वाचाऽग्रहैष्यदभिव्याहृत्य हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ३ ॥
तत्प्राणेनाजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोत्प्राणेन ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनत्प्राणेनाग्रहैष्यदभिप्राण्य हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ४ ॥
तच्चक्षुषाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोच्चक्षुषा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनच्चक्षुषाऽग्रहैष्यद्दृष्ट्वा हैवानमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ५ ॥
तच्छ्रोत्रेणाजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोच्छ्रोत्रेण ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनच्छ्रोत्रेणाग्रहैष्यच्छ्रुत्वा हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ६ ॥
तत्त्वचाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोत्त्वचा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनत्त्वचाऽग्रहैष्यत् स्पृष्ट्वा हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ७ ॥
तन्मनसाऽजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोन्मनसा ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनन्मनसाऽग्रहैष्यद्ध्यात्वा हैवान्नमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ८ ॥
तच्छिश्नेनाजिघृक्षत् तन्नाशक्नोच्छिश्नेन ग्रहीतुम् । स यद्धैनच्छिश्नेनाग्रहैष्यद्वित्सृज्य हैवानमत्रप्स्यत् ॥ ९ ॥
तदपानेनाजिघृक्षत् तदावयत् सैषोऽन्नस्य ग्रहो यद्वायुरनायुर्वा एष यद्वायुः ॥ १० ॥
स ईक्षत कथं न्विदं मदृते स्यादिति स ईक्षत कतरेण प्रपद्या इति । स ईक्षत यदि वाचाऽभिव्याहृतं यदि प्राणेनाभिप्राणितं यदि चक्षुषा दृष्टं यदि श्रोत्रेण श्रुतं यदि त्वचा स्पृष्टं यदि मनसा ध्यातं यद्यपानेनाभ्यपानितं यदि शिश्नेन विसृष्टमथ कोऽहमिति ॥ ११ ॥
स एतमेव सीमानं विदर्यैतया द्वारा प्रापद्यत । सैषा विदृतिर्नाम द्वास्तदेतन्नाऽन्दनम् । तस्य त्रय आवसथास्त्रयः स्वप्ना अयमावसथोऽयमावसथोऽयमावसथ इति ॥१२॥
स जातो भूतान्यभिव्यैख्यत् किमिहान्यं वावदिषदिति । स एतमेव पुरुषं ब्रह्म ततममपश्यत् । इदमदर्शनमिती ३ ॥ १३ ॥
तस्मादिदन्द्रो नामेदन्द्रो ह वै नाम तमिदन्द्रं सन्तमिन्द्र इत्याचक्षते परोक्षेण । परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः ॥ १४ ॥
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Sanskrit, covering all three chapters, the opening invocation and closing colophon.
1 It considered: “Here are the worlds and their guardians. Let me create food for them.”
2 It brooded over the waters with heat. From the heated waters a form arose. That form which arose was food.
3 Once created, the food tried to flee away. He tried to seize it with speech, but could not seize it with speech. Had he seized it with speech, merely naming food would have satisfied him.
4 He tried to seize it with breath, but could not seize it with breath. Had he seized it with breath, merely breathing toward food would have satisfied him.
5 He tried to seize it with sight, but could not seize it with sight. Had he seized it with sight, merely seeing food would have satisfied him.
6 He tried to seize it with hearing, but could not seize it with hearing. Had he seized it with hearing, merely hearing food would have satisfied him.
7 He tried to seize it with the skin, but could not seize it with the skin. Had he seized it with the skin, merely touching food would have satisfied him.
8 He tried to seize it with the mind, but could not seize it with the mind. Had he seized it with the mind, merely thinking of food would have satisfied him.
9 He tried to seize it with the penis, but could not seize it with the penis. Had he seized it with the penis, merely emitting seed would have satisfied him with food.
10 He tried to seize it with the downward breath, and took it in. This wind is indeed what grasps food; this wind indeed lives on food.
11 It considered: “How could this exist without me?” It considered: “By which way shall I enter?” It considered: “If speech speaks, if breath breathes, if sight sees, if hearing hears, if the skin touches, if the mind thinks, if the downward breath draws in, if the penis emits seed—then who am I?”
12 Splitting this very seam, it entered through that doorway. This doorway is called the Cleft; it is the place of joy. It has three dwellings, three dreams: “This is a dwelling; this is a dwelling; this is a dwelling.”
13 Once born, he surveyed the beings: “What else here would one speak of?” He saw this very person as Brahman, the all-pervading. “I have seen this!”
14 Therefore his name is Idandra; Idandra is indeed his name. Though his name is Idandra, they call him Indra indirectly. For the gods seem to love what is indirect; the gods seem to love what is indirect.
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 The Self thought, “Now there are worlds and their protectors. I will make food for them.”
2 It heated the waters. As they grew hot, something took shape in them. What took shape was food.
3 As soon as the food was made, it tried to get away. The person tried to catch it by speaking, but speaking couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply talking about food would have filled him up.
4 He tried to catch it by breathing, but breathing couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply breathing toward food would have filled him up.
5 He tried to catch it by looking, but looking couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply looking at food would have filled him up.
6 He tried to catch it by listening, but listening couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply hearing food would have filled him up.
7 He tried to catch it with his skin, but his skin couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply touching food would have filled him up.
8 He tried to catch it with his mind, but his mind couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply thinking about food would have filled him up.
9 He tried to catch it with his penis, but his penis couldn't catch it. If that had worked, simply releasing semen would have filled him up with food.
10 He tried to catch it with the downward-moving breath. With that, he swallowed it. This air is what takes hold of food. This air has food for its life.
11 The Self thought, “How could all this go on without me?” It thought, “Which way should I go in?” It thought, “If speaking is done by speech, breathing by breath, seeing by sight, hearing by hearing, touching by the skin, thinking by the mind, drawing in by the downward-moving breath, and releasing semen by the penis, then who am I?”
12 The Self split open this seam and went in through the opening. This doorway is called the Split. It is the place of happiness. The Self has three places to live and three dreams: “This is a place to live. This is a place to live. This is a place to live.”
13 After being born, he looked over the beings. “What else could anyone speak about here?” He saw this very person as Brahman, present everywhere. “I have seen this!”
14 That is why he is called Idandra. His name really is Idandra. Although he is Idandra, people call him Indra, using an indirect name. The gods seem to prefer indirect speech. The gods seem to prefer indirect speech.
About this section
Chapter 1, Section 3 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 4 of 6 in the work, which is kept in the Hindu tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the Hindu tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.