तस्य ह वै प्रणवस्य या पूर्वा मात्रा सा प्रथमः पादो भवति द्वितीया द्वितीयस्य तृतीया तृतीयस्य चतुर्थ्योतानुज्ञात्रनुज्ञाविकल्परूपा तया तुरीयं चतुरात्मानमन्विष्य चतुर्थपादेन च तया तुरीयेणानुचिन्तयन्ग्रसेत्तस्य ह वा एतस्य प्रणवस्य या पूर्वा मात्रा सा पृथिव्यकारः स ऋग्भिरृग्वेदो ब्रह्मा वसवो गायत्री गार्हपत्यः सा प्रथमः पादो भवति च सर्वेषु पादेषु चतुरात्मा स्थूलसूक्ष्मबीजसाक्षिभिर्द्वितीयान्तरिक्षं स उकारः स यजुर्भिर्यजुर्वेदो विष्णुरुद्रास्त्रिष्टुब्दक्षिणाग्निः सा द्वितीयः पादो भवति च सर्वेषु पादेषु चतुरात्मा स्थूलसूक्ष्मबीजसाक्षिभिस्तृतीया द्यौः स मकारः स सामभिः सामवेदो रुद्रादित्या जगत्याहवनीयः सा तृतीयः पादो भवति भवति च सर्वेषु पादेषु चतुरात्मा स्थूलसूक्ष्मबीजसाक्षिभिर्यावसानेऽस्य चतुर्थ्यर्धमात्रा सा सोमलोक ओंकारः साथर्वणैर्मन्त्रैरथर्ववेदः संवर्तकोऽग्निर्मरुतो विराडेकर्षिर्भास्वती स्मृता चतुर्थः पादो भवति भवति च सर्वेषु पादेषु चतुरात्मा स्थूलसूक्ष्मबीजसाक्षिभिर्मात्रामात्राः प्रतिमात्राः कृत्वोतनुज्ञात्रनुज्ञाविकल्परूपं चिन्तयन्ग्रसेज्ज्ञोऽमृतो हुतसंवित्कः शुद्धः संविष्टो निर्विग्न इममसुनियमेऽनुभूयेहेदं सर्वं दृष्ट्वा स प्रपञ्चहीनोऽथ सकलः साधारोऽमृतमयश्चतुरात्माथ महापीठे सपरिवारं तमेतं चतुःसप्तात्मानं चतुरात्मानं मूलाग्नावग्निरूपं प्रणवं सन्दध्यात्सप्तात्मानं चतुरात्मानमकारं रुद्रं भ्रूमध्ये सप्तात्मानं चतुरात्मानं चतुःसप्तात्मानं चतुरात्मानमोङ्कारं सर्वेश्वरं द्वादशान्ते सप्तात्मानं चतुरात्मानं चतुःसप्तात्मानमोङ्कारं तुरीयमानन्दामृतरूपं षोडशान्तेऽथानन्दामृतेनैतांश्चतुर्धा संपूज्य तथा ब्रह्माणमेव विष्णुमेव रुद्रमेव विभक्तांस्त्रीनेवाविभक्तांस्त्रीनेव लिङ्गरूपनेव च संपूज्योपहारैश्चतुर्धाथ लिङ्गात्संहृत्य तेजसा शरीरत्रयं संव्याप्य तदधिष्ठानमात्मानं संज्वाल्य तत्तेज आत्मचैतन्यरूपं बलमवष्टभ्य गुणैरैक्यं संपाद्य महास्थूलं महासूक्ष्मे महासूक्ष्मं महाकारणे च संहृत्य मात्राभिरोतानुज्ञात्रनुज्ञाविकल्परूपं चिन्तयन्ग्रसेत्
tasya ha vai praṇavasya yā pūrvā mātrā sā prathamaḥ pādo bhavati dvitīyā dvitīyasya tṛtīyā tṛtīyasya caturthyotānujñātranujñāvikalparūpā tayā turīyaṃ caturātmānamanviṣya caturthapādena ca tayā turīyeṇānucintayangrasettasya ha vā etasya praṇavasya yā pūrvā mātrā sā pṛthivyakāraḥ sa ṛgbhirṛgvedo brahmā vasavo gāyatrī gārhapatyaḥ sā prathamaḥ pādo bhavati ca sarveṣu pādeṣu caturātmā sthūlasūkṣmabījasākṣibhirdvitīyāntarikṣaṃ sa ukāraḥ sa yajurbhiryajurvedo viṣṇurudrāstriṣṭubdakṣiṇāgniḥ sā dvitīyaḥ pādo bhavati ca sarveṣu pādeṣu caturātmā sthūlasūkṣmabījasākṣibhistṛtīyā dyauḥ sa makāraḥ sa sāmabhiḥ sāmavedo rudrādityā jagatyāhavanīyaḥ sā tṛtīyaḥ pādo bhavati bhavati ca sarveṣu pādeṣu caturātmā sthūlasūkṣmabījasākṣibhiryāvasāne'sya caturthyardhamātrā sā somaloka oṃkāraḥ sātharvaṇairmantrairatharvavedaḥ saṃvartako'gnirmaruto virāḍekarṣirbhāsvatī smṛtā caturthaḥ pādo bhavati bhavati ca sarveṣu pādeṣu caturātmā sthūlasūkṣmabījasākṣibhirmātrāmātrāḥ pratimātrāḥ kṛtvotanujñātranujñāvikalparūpaṃ cintayangrasejjño'mṛto hutasaṃvitkaḥ śuddhaḥ saṃviṣṭo nirvigna imamasuniyame'nubhūyehedaṃ sarvaṃ dṛṣṭvā sa prapañcahīno'tha sakalaḥ sādhāro'mṛtamayaścaturātmātha mahāpīṭhe saparivāraṃ tametaṃ catuḥsaptātmānaṃ caturātmānaṃ mūlāgnāvagnirūpaṃ praṇavaṃ sandadhyātsaptātmānaṃ caturātmānamakāraṃ rudraṃ bhrūmadhye saptātmānaṃ caturātmānaṃ catuḥsaptātmānaṃ caturātmānamoṅkāraṃ sarveśvaraṃ dvādaśānte saptātmānaṃ caturātmānaṃ catuḥsaptātmānamoṅkāraṃ turīyamānandāmṛtarūpaṃ ṣoḍaśānte'thānandāmṛtenaitāṃścaturdhā saṃpūjya tathā brahmāṇameva viṣṇumeva rudrameva vibhaktāṃstrīnevāvibhaktāṃstrīneva liṅgarūpaneva ca saṃpūjyopahāraiścaturdhātha liṅgātsaṃhṛtya tejasā śarīratrayaṃ saṃvyāpya tadadhiṣṭhānamātmānaṃ saṃjvālya tatteja ātmacaitanyarūpaṃ balamavaṣṭabhya guṇairaikyaṃ saṃpādya mahāsthūlaṃ mahāsūkṣme mahāsūkṣmaṃ mahākāraṇe ca saṃhṛtya mātrābhirotānujñātranujñāvikalparūpaṃ cintayangraset
Of that praṇava the first measure is the first foot, the second — the second, the third — the third, and the fourth has the form of the weft, the permitter, the permission and the discrimination; by it, having sought out the fourth, the fourfold, and contemplating it with the fourth measure together with the fourth foot, let him swallow all. And of this praṇava the first measure is the earth, the sound “a”; it — with the ṛcs the Ṛg-veda, Brahmā, the Vasus, the gāyatrī, the householder's fire: it is the first foot, and in all the feet it is fourfold — by the gross, the subtle, the seed and the witness. The second — the middle region, the sound “u”, the Yajur-veda, Viṣṇu, the Rudras, the triṣṭubh, the southern fire. The third — heaven, the sound “m”, the Sāma-veda, the Rudras and Ādityas, the jagatī, the offering fire. And the fourth, the half-measure at the close, — the world of Soma, the Oṁkāra, the Atharva-veda, the fire of dissolution, the Maruts, virāṭ, Ekarṣi, the shining one. Having made the measures and half-measures commensurate and contemplating the form of the weft, the permitter, the permission and the discrimination, let him swallow. And then, knowing, immortal, pure, entered and unafraid, having experienced all this here and seen it — free of multiplicity, then whole, supported, made of immortality, fourfold — on the great throne let him set with its retinue this four-seven-fourfold one: in the root fire — the praṇava in the form of fire, between the brows — the sound “a”, Rudra, at the end of twelve — the Oṁkāra, the Lord of all, at the end of sixteen — the fourth Oṁkāra, in the form of bliss and immortality; and, having honoured these four with the immortality of bliss, and Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra — the three divided and the three undivided, and in the form of the sign — having honoured them with offerings on four sides, and having withdrawn from the sign, embraced the three bodies with light, kindled the Ātman that is their ground, leaned on that force whose form is the consciousness of the Ātman, brought about oneness with the qualities, withdrawn the great gross into the great subtle and the great subtle into the great cause — contemplating by the measures the form of the weft, the permitter, the permission and the discrimination, let him swallow.
3b10f31a6c0b · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC
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The longest and hardest paragraph of the book, and it is all an instruction for practice.
First the chart of the praṇava is repeated, familiar from the second Upaniṣad of the pūrva: earth — “a” — the Ṛg-veda — Brahmā; the mid-air — “u” — the Yajur-veda — Viṣṇu; heaven — “m” — the Sāma-veda — the Rudras; the world of Soma — the half-measure — the Atharva-veda.
Then comes what the pūrva lacked: the naming of the places in the body where all this is set.
Mūlāgni — “the root fire”, at the base; bhrū-madhya — between the brows; dvādaśānta — “the end of twelve”, that is, twelve fingers above the head; ṣoḍaśānta — “the end of sixteen”.
This is the count of the stations of ascent, known from the yogic books. We met the same in the third paragraph of the Jābāla, where the avimukta was located at the meeting of brows and nose.
Then — the honouring of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra “divided and undivided”, and at last the withdrawal: the great gross into the great subtle, the subtle into the cause.
And everything ends with the same word: graset, “let him swallow”.
I will speak honestly of the state of this passage. It is obscure, and part of it is corrupted in our witnesses: the sequence of actions cannot everywhere be restored. I have translated it as it stands, without smoothing and without inventing connectives.
What is clear in it is the main thing: the practice goes from below upward and from the gross to the subtle, and at every step the former is not discarded but taken in.