Khanda 2.18
Verses
Verse 2.18.1
अजा हिंकारोऽवयः प्रस्तावो गाव उद्गीथोऽश्वाः प्रतिहारः पुरुषो निधनम्। एता रेवत्यः पशुषु प्रोताः॥२.१८.१॥
बकरी हिंकार है, भेड़े प्रस्तव हैं। गायें उद्गीथ हैं, घोड़े प्रतिहार हैं। आदमी निधन है। ये रेवती के गीत जानवरों में बुने हुए हैं।
Verse 2.18.2
स य एवमेता रेवत्यः पशुषु प्रोताः वेद पशुमान् भवति सर्वम् आयुर् एति ज्योग् जीवति महान् प्रजया पशुभिर् भवति महान् कीर्त्या। पशून्न निन्देत्—तद् व्रतम्॥२.१८.२॥
जो यह समझता है कि रेवती के गीत जानवरों में बुने हैं, उसके पास जानवर आते हैं। वो पूरी उम्र तक जीवता है, लंबी ज़िन्दगी जीवता है। वो बच्चों और जानवरों से बड़ा होता है, और नाम से भी बड़ा होता है। वो जानवरों को बुरा नहीं कहता, ये उसका व्रत है।
Inside Khanda 2.18
Key teachings
- • The Sāma's five musical divisions—Hiṅkāra, Prastāva, Udgeetha, Pratihāra, and Nidhana—are identified with goats, cattle, horses, and human beings respectively, establishing a sacred correspondence between the Vedic chant and the animal kingdom. • These correspondences are called 'Revatī'—the abundant, wealth-bearing ones—because they are 'woven into' (protāḥ) all domestic animals, signifying that the cosmic sound underlies and sustains animal life. • The knower of this esoteric mapping gains tangible fruits: ownership of livestock, fullness of lifespan, longevity, greatness through progeny and cattle, and widespread fame. • The section culminates in an ethical injunction—'pashūn na nindet' (one should not disparage animals)—elevated to the status of a vrata (sacred vow), linking metaphysical knowledge with moral conduct. • This passage exemplifies the Upanishadic method of adhyāropa-apavāda: using symbolic correspondences to reveal the all-pervading nature of Brahman through Sāma Veda.
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