Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 6.4.18

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What is the correct understanding of this mantra from the Brihadaaranyaka

Upanishad 6.4.18? I have seen people translating this to mean that one who

desires a son should eat the meat of a young bull. This makes no sense to me,

given the multiple references in the Rig Veda describing the cow to be something

which deserves protection.

 

I have the commentary of Madhva on this Upanishad, and strangely, he does not

comment on 6.4 at all. I also looked at the commentary published by the Gaudiya

Math, and it too simply ignores these mantras.

 

I would appreciate any light you can shed on this matter. Actually, I think this

section of the Brihadaaranyaka contains many "controversial" verses. But if they

are shruti, then Vaishnavas should accept them, should they not?

 

S. HariKrishna

[Guest guest]

>>>

What is the correct understanding of this mantra from the

Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 6.4.18?

<<<

 

Here is the mantra translation from Sri N.S. Anantharangachar's translation of

Brihadaranyaka upanishad. He is a great Sri Vaishnava scholar, and so, what you

read is what it is.

 

"He who wishes that a son should be born to him and that he should be a reputed

scholar, who will be frequenting the assemblies of learned scholars, who would

be speaking delightful and worth hearing words, who will be a master of all the

Vedas and who will attain a full term of life should have rice cooked with the

meat of a young bull or of a bull advanced in years and he and his wife should

eat with clarified butter, then they will be able to produce such a son".

 

If RV says cow should be protected, think about it.

Here we are talking about bull.

Another way of looking at this is first you have to protect something if you

want a guaranteed supply of it.

We should take care of water (protect it), air . earth etc. This does not mean

that we should not breath air, or drink water or till earth etc.

 

Hope this makes sense.

dAsan

K.S. tAtAchAr

 

PS: Perhaps now I can blame my parents for my lack of any of the

virtues mentioned about in a son!

[Guest guest]

ApadApamaHArthAram DhAthAram Sarva SampadAm LokAbhirAmam Sri AAmam bhuyO bhuyO

namAmyaham

 

GnyAnandamayam DEvam nirmala spatikAkrithim, AdhArama sarva vidyAnAm

HayagreevamupAsmahE!

 

With respect to the question on Brihadaranya Upanishath raised by Sriman Dr.

Hari krishna Susarla, I have the following response (although I am not qualified

and do not have the background):

 

The shloka in question is shloka #18 from ashtamodyaya (8th chapter), chathurtha

(4th) brAhmanam "Atha iche puthrome panditho........mAgam Soudaman pAcha ithvA.

sarpishmantha mashneeyathA Ishvarou janayithvA oukshenavArishabEnava"

 

Now, I strongly feel that the last two words (OukshenavA rishabhEnaA) have been

added later on by some miscreants. The proof for that is the previous four

shlokas (shloka #14, 15, 16, and 17) end with "yatha Ishvarou janayithavai"

 

shloka #14 "sa icheth puthro me shuklo jayEtha vedamanu bruveetha

sarvamayridhithi Ksheerodhnam pAcha ithvA. sarpishmantha mashneeyathA Ishvarou

janayithvou(maning if one wants white colored son following one veda and full

life, one should eat

Ksheerannam (rice cooked in milk).

 

shloka #15, "Atha ya iche puthro me kapila pingalo jayEtha dwou veda vanu

bruveetha sarva mayuriyadhithi dadyhonam pAcha ithvA. sarpishmantha mashneeyathA

Ishvarou janayithvou" (meaning if one wants yellow colorde son versed in two

vedas and full lfe, should eat curd rice mixed with ghee)

 

shloka # 16, "Atha icheth puthro me shyamalohithaksho jayetha thrivedha nanu

bruveetha sarva mAyuridhithyoddanam pAcha ithvA. sarpishmantha mashneeyathA

Ishvarou janayithvai" (meaning if one wantsdark or blue color son with red eyes,

versed in three vedas and full life, one should eat rice cooked in water mixed

with ghee).

 

shloka 16# "Athaya icheddhithA me panditha jayEtha sarva mayuriyAdhithi

thiloudhanam pAcha ithvA. sarpishmantha mashneeyathA Ishvarou janayithvai"

(meaning if one wants a daughter who is a scholar (versed in pandithyam) and

full life, one should eat rice cooked with sesme seed (pulagam) and mixed with

ghee).

 

Now, in all these four shlokas, the stuff to be eaten is mentioned in the middle

before the words " pAcha ithva..". and all of these shlokas end with "yathA

Ishvarou janayithavai".

Then it appears that the last two word were inserted later on and therefore the

words "OukshnevArishbhEnavA" should be discounted. Moreover, there might be

several meanings fror the word MAgum Soudhanam. Vedic language uses sanskrith

and also other older languages. For instance, as pointed out by our beloved

swamiji, the word Kishta is used some times in Vedas when refering to Krishna,

and the word Kishta is used by janapadas and adivasis. The word mAgam soudhnam

might be reffering to mango pickle or some other fruit.

 

Even if the last two words were to be original, they certainly may denote root

or stem of some plant. For instance, the word go is part of a gorinta leaf,

gomedhi gem, etc. Also, Rajma is used in hindi when reffering to kidney beans.

If there is hindi poem encouraging to eat Rajma, it does not mean that one

should go and kill mother of the king and eat, instead it aks one to eat the

kidney beans. Yes, cannibals may tend to interpret that way.

 

Sri Veda Vyasa has recommended interpreting the vedas with the aid of puranas.

All sathvik puranas echo that meat eating should be obstained. The writer of the

shloka (Sri Veda Vyasa ) perhaps never drempt taht one day the society will be

so degraded that even brhamans start eating meet and this shloka will be

interpreted as encouraging to eat meet that too beaf. Killing a cow or bull

leads one straight into the hell (narakam) unless Sriman Narayana intervenes.

 

The Vedas and upanishaths should be interpretted using puranas and Srimath

Bhagavath Geetha. Since, Lord Shree Krishna has seen that the confusion is

emerging in interpretting the vedic literature and upanishaths in particular, he

summarized the meaning of the uanishaths in his marvelous and mejestic Bhagavth

Githa.

 

Leaving all these arguments, let us examine in the history of mankind (from

antiquity to the present), did any one who ate beef become a spritual scholar

with renounciation etc? In the history (Srimath Bhagavatham, Sri Ramayanam,

etc.) such people have become chanadalas and rakshasas. Eating beef might be for

mlechas but not for hindus and Vaishnavas.

 

For a Sri Vaishnava, the question of doing some thing to fillfill wants is

non-existing. For us, the fulfiller of our wishes is Lord Krishna (Sriman

Narayana), and therefore the interpretation of such usesless shlokas is out of

question.

 

As for as the answers to any questions, they can be easily found by meditating

on the lotus feet of Lord ASri Venkateswara, as He is the origin of all

Knowledge (Vidya).

 

With all glories to Lord Sri Venkateswara, and to Surahbhi and family,

 

I remain.

Sincerely

Narender P. Reddy

 

 

> "Hari Krishna Susarla"

> Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 6.4.18

> What is the correct understanding of this mantra from the Brihadaaranyaka

Upanishad 6.4.18? I have seen people translating this to mean that one who

desires a son should eat the meat of a young bull. This makes no sense to me,

given the multiple references in the Rig Veda describing the cow to be something

which deserves protection.

>

> I have the commentary of Madhva on this Upanishad, and strangely, he does not

comment on 6.4 at all. I also looked at the commentary published by the Gaudiya

Math, and it too simply ignores these mantras.

>

> I would appreciate any light you can shed on this matter. Actually, I think

this section of the Brihadaaranyaka contains many "controversial" verses. But if

they are shruti, then Vaishnavas should accept them, should they not?

> S. HariKrishna

>

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

QUESTION)

Thanks for all the responses. However, I would like to know what the official

Sri Vaishnava position on the matter is. Could H.H. Chinna Jeeyar Swami give a

response to the question regarding this verse?

Namo Narayanaya

Hari Krishna Susarla

 

ANS:

JAI SRIMANNARAYANA!

WE WILL SEE THE TEXT AND TRY TO EXPLAIN ABOUT THE MANTHRA. RIGHT NOW, WE ARE IN

'ACHARYA SEVA YATHRA' ENROUTE TO ASSAM. ONLY AFTER RETURNING FROM THIS TRIP,

PROBABLY JULY, WE MAY REPLY. YOU MAY WAIT. OK!

=Chinnajeeyar=