भीषा अस्मात् वातः पवते भीषा उदेति सूर्यः भीषा अस्मात् अग्निः च इन्द्रः च मृत्युः धावति पञ्चमः इति सा एषा आनन्दस्य मीमांसा भवति युवा स्यात् साधु युवा अध्यायकः आशिष्ठः दृढिष्ठः बलिष्ठः तस्य इयम् पृथिवी सर्वा वित्तस्य पूर्णा स्यात् सः एकः मानुषः आनन्दः ते ये शतम् मानुषाः आनन्दाः सः एकः मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणाम् आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् मनुष्यगन्धर्वाणाम् आनन्दाः सः एकः देवगन्धर्वाणाम् आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् देवगन्धर्वाणाम् आनन्दाः सः एकः पितृणाम् चिरलोकलोकानाम् आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् पितृणाम् चिरलोकलोकानाम् आनन्दाः सः एकः आजानजानाम् देवानाम् आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् आजानजानाम् देवानाम् आनन्दाः सः एकः कर्मदेवानाम् देवानाम् आनन्दः ये कर्मणा देवान् अपियन्ति श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् कर्मदेवानाम् देवानाम् आनन्दाः सः एकः देवानाम् आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् देवानाम् आनन्दाः सः एकः इन्द्रस्य आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् इन्द्रस्य आनन्दाः सः एकः बृहस्पतेः आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् बृहस्पतेः आनन्दाः सः एकः प्रजापतेः आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य ते ये शतम् प्रजापतेः आनन्दाः सः एकः ब्रह्मणः आनन्दः श्रोत्रियस्य च अकामहतस्य सः यः च अयम् पुरुषे यः च असौ आदित्ये सः एकः सः यः एवंवित् अस्मात् लोकात् प्रेत्य एतम् अन्नमयम् आत्मानम् उपसङ्क्रामति एतम् प्राणमयम् आत्मानम् उपसङ्क्रामति एतम् मनोमयम् आत्मानम् उपसङ्क्रामति एतम् विज्ञानमयम् आत्मानम् उपसङ्क्रामति एतम् आनन्दमयम् आत्मानम् उपसङ्क्रामति तत् अपि एषः श्लोकः भवति
bhīṣā asmāt vātaḥ pavate bhīṣā udeti sūryaḥ bhīṣā asmāt agniḥ ca indraḥ ca mṛtyuḥ dhāvati pañcamaḥ iti sā eṣā ānandasya mīmāṃsā bhavati yuvā syāt sādhu yuvā adhyāyakaḥ āśiṣṭhaḥ dṛḍhiṣṭhaḥ baliṣṭhaḥ tasya iyam pṛthivī sarvā vittasya pūrṇā syāt saḥ ekaḥ mānuṣaḥ ānandaḥ te ye śatam mānuṣāḥ ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ manuṣyagandharvāṇām ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam manuṣyagandharvāṇām ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ devagandharvāṇām ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam devagandharvāṇām ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ pitṛṇām ciralokalokānām ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam pitṛṇām ciralokalokānām ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ ājānajānām devānām ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam ājānajānām devānām ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ karmadevānām devānām ānandaḥ ye karmaṇā devān apiyanti śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam karmadevānām devānām ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ devānām ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam devānām ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ indrasya ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam indrasya ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ bṛhaspateḥ ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam bṛhaspateḥ ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ prajāpateḥ ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya te ye śatam prajāpateḥ ānandāḥ saḥ ekaḥ brahmaṇaḥ ānandaḥ śrotriyasya ca akāmahatasya saḥ yaḥ ca ayam puruṣe yaḥ ca asau āditye saḥ ekaḥ saḥ yaḥ evaṃvit asmāt lokāt pretya etam annamayam ātmānam upasaṅkrāmati etam prāṇamayam ātmānam upasaṅkrāmati etam manomayam ātmānam upasaṅkrāmati etam vijñānamayam ātmānam upasaṅkrāmati etam ānandamayam ātmānam upasaṅkrāmati tat api eṣaḥ ślokaḥ bhavati
"Out of fear of Him the wind blows, out of fear the sun rises, out of fear of Him run fire and Indra, and Death, the fifth." This is the inquiry into bliss. Let there be a youth — a good youth, well read, quick, firm, strong, and let all this earth be full of wealth for him: that is one human bliss. A hundred human blisses are one bliss of the human gandharvas — and of one learned in scripture who is unstricken by desire. A hundred blisses of the human gandharvas are one bliss of the divine gandharvas — and of one learned in scripture who is unstricken by desire. A hundred blisses of the divine gandharvas are one bliss of the forefathers in their long-lasting worlds — and of one learned in scripture… A hundred blisses of the forefathers are one bliss of the gods by birth… A hundred blisses of the gods by birth are one bliss of the gods by deeds, who by their works have entered among the gods… A hundred blisses of the gods by deeds are one bliss of the gods… A hundred blisses of the gods are one bliss of Indra… A hundred blisses of Indra are one bliss of Bṛhaspati… A hundred blisses of Bṛhaspati are one bliss of Prajāpati… A hundred blisses of Prajāpati are one bliss of Brahman — and of one learned in scripture who is unstricken by desire. He who is in man and He who is in the sun are one. He who knows thus, departing from this world, ascends to the self made of food, ascends to the self made of breath, ascends to the self made of mind, ascends to the self made of discernment, ascends to the self made of bliss. Of that there is also a verse.
0852c0d6bee3 · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:50:25 PM UTC
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First, awe: bhīṣāsmād vātaḥ pavate — "out of fear of Him the wind blows, out of fear the sun rises, out of fear run Agni, Indra — and Death, the fifth": a verse shared with the Kaṭha (6.3): the cosmos is disciplined by reverence; Death itself is on errands. This preamble is needed so that the arithmetic of joy that follows may not look like hedonism: what is spoken of is the bliss of Him before whom sun and death tremble.
Then the ānandasya mīmāṁsā, "the inquiry into bliss": the unit of measure is the happiness of the finest of youths: good, learned, firm, strong, with all the earth for his wealth. Then the scale multiplies by a hundred: human gandharvas, divine gandharvas, the forefathers, the gods by birth, the gods by deeds, the gods, Indra, Bṛhaspati, Prajāpati, Brahman: ten steps of a hundredfold each — the bliss of Brahman is 10^20 youthful happinesses: a number that explodes the imagination, and that is its purpose: to show incommensurability.
But the true jewel is the refrain: śrotriyasya cākāmahatasya — "and [such too is the bliss] of one learned in scripture, unstricken by desire": on every rung of the ladder! The sage purified of desires is here and now equal in bliss to every heaven — up to Brahman: not after death, not for merit, but by freedom from being kāma-hata, "wounded by desire": desire is a wound through which joy drains away; a whole (healed) vessel is full on any storey. And the finale: "He who is in man and He who is in the sun are one": the knower passes through all five sheaths — ascending through food, breath, mind, discernment, bliss — home.