Aitreya Upanishad: Verse 1.3.14
तस्मादिदन्द्रो नामेदन्द्रो ह वै नाम। तमिदन्द्रं सन्तमिन्द्र इत्याचक्षते परोक्षेण। परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः, परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः॥१४॥
तस्मात् । इदन्द्रः । नाम । इदन्द्रः । ह । वै । नाम । तम् । इदन्द्रम् । सन्तम् । इन्द्रः । इति । आ-चक्षते । परोक्षेण । परोक्ष-प्रियाः । इव । हि । देवाः । परोक्ष-प्रियाः । इव । हि । देवाः ॥१४॥
tasmād idandro nāmedandro ha vai nāma | tam idandraṃ santam indra ity ācakṣate parokṣeṇa | parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ, parokṣapriyā iva hi devāḥ ||14||
इसलिए उसका नाम इदन्द्र है। लेकिन लोग उसे सीधा इन्द्र बुलाते हैं। देवता भी ऐसे ही हैं, वो छुपा के बात करना पसंद करते हैं। वो डायरेक्ट नहीं बोलते, थोड़ा राउंडअबाउट रहते हैं।
Therefore his name is ‘Idandra’ indeed. Though he is ‘Idandra’, they refer to him indirectly as ‘Indra’; for the gods, as it were, delight in what is indirect—yes, the gods delight in what is indirect.
- तस्मादिदन्द्रो → तस्मात् + इदन्द्रः (त् + इ → दि)
- नामेदन्द्रो → नाम + इदन्द्रः (अ + इ → ए)
- तमिदन्द्रं → तम् + इदन्द्रम् (म् + इ → मि)
- इत्याचक्षते → इति + आचक्षते (इति + आ → इत्या)
- परोक्षप्रिया → परोक्ष + प्रियाः (तत्पुरुष-समास)
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Parokṣa (indirect/veiled expression) and the esoteric style of Vedic revelation; Indra as a name-form pointing to realized consciousness
- The mahavakyas
- Indirectly supports “प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म (prajñānaṃ brahma)” by linking ‘Idandra’ (the knower/see-er of ‘this’) with the divine principle; also resonates with Upaniṣadic preference for indirect pointers (lakṣaṇā) toward Brahman.
- Veda
- Rig
- Shakha
- Śākala (Ṛgveda)
- Chandas
- Prose
Yoga and practice
(1) Encourages subtle contemplation: move from literal names/forms to the indicated reality (lakṣya). (2) Mantra-japa/meditation on ‘Indra’ as a symbol of awakened knowing, while discerning the indicated meaning beyond the word. (3) Cultivates inwardness (antar-mukhatā): the ‘hidden’ is accessed through silence, inquiry, and refined attention.
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