Sutra 3.3.25

25. On account of the difference of sense of piercing and so on.

The text of the Ātharvaṇikas exhibits at the beginning of their Upanishad some mantras, 'Pierce the śukra, pierce the heart.' The followers of the Sāma-veda read at the beginning of their rahasya-brāhmaṇa 'O God Savitṛ, promote the sacrifice.' The Kāṭhakas and the Taittirīyakas have 'May Mitra be propitious to us, may Varuṇa be propitious.' The Sāṭyāyanins have 'Thou art a white horse, a tawny and a black one!' The Kaushītakins have a Brāhmaṇa referring to the Mahavrata-ceremony, 'Indra having slain Vṛtra became great.' The Kaushītakins also have a Mahāvrata-brāhmaṇa. 'Prajāpati is the year; his Self is that Mahāvrata.' The Vājasaneyins have a Brāhmaṇa referring to the Pravargya, 'The gods sat down for a sattra-celebration.' With reference to all this a doubt arises whether these mantras and the sacrificial works referred to in the Brāhmaṇa texts form parts of the meditations enjoined in the Upanishads or not.—The Pūrvapakshin affirms this, on the ground that as the mantras and works are mentioned in the immediate neighbourhood of the meditations the idea of their forming parts of the latter naturally presents itself. Such mantras as 'pierce the heart' and works such as the pravargya may indeed—on the basis of direct statement (śruti), inferential mark (linga), and syntactical connexion (vākya), which are stronger than mere proximity—be understood to be connected with certain actions; but, on the other hand, mantras such as 'May Varuṇa be propitious' have no application elsewhere, and are suitable introductions to meditations. We therefore take them to be parts of the meditations, and hence hold that those mantras are to be included in all meditations.—This view the Sūtra sets aside 'on account of the difference of sense of piercing, and so on.' The inferential marks contained in texts such as 'pierce the śukra, pierce the heart'; 'I shall speak the right, I shall speak the true,' show that the mantras have an application in connexion with certain magical practices, or else the study of the Veda, and the like, and do not therefore form part of meditations. That is to say—in the same way as the mantra 'pierce the heart' enables us to infer that also the mantra 'pierce the śukra' belongs to some magical rite, so we infer from the special meaning of mantras such as 'I shall speak the right,' etc., that also mantras such as 'May Mitra be propitious' are connected with the study of the Veda, and do not therefore form part of meditations. That mantras of this kind and Brāhmaṇa passages relative to the Pravargya and the like are placed at the beginning of Upanishads is owing to their having, like the latter, to be studied in the forest.—Herewith terminates the adhikaraṇa of 'piercing and the like.'