अथातः पवमानानामेवाभ्यारोहः; स वै खलु प्रस्तोता साम प्रस्तौति, स यत्र प्रस्तुयात्, तदेतानि जपेत्—असतो मा सद्गमय, तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय, मृत्योर्मामृतं गमयेति; स यदाहासतो मा सद्गमयेति, मृत्युर्वा असत्, सदमृतम्, मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय, अमृतम् मा कुर्वित्येवैतदाह; तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमयेति, मृत्युर्वै तमः, ज्योतिरमृतम्, मृत्योर्मामृतं गमय, अमृतं मा कुर्वित्येवैतदाह; मृत्योर्मामृतं गमयेति नात्र तिरोहितमिवास्ति । अथ यानीतराणि स्तोत्राणि तेष्वात्मनेऽन्नाद्यमागायेत्, तस्मादु तेषु वरं वृणीत यं कामं कामयेत तम्; स एष एवंविदुद्गातात्मने वा यजमानाय वा यं कामं कामयते तंआगायति; तद्धैतल्लोकजिदेव; न हैवालोक्यताया आशास्ति य एवमेतत्साम वेद ॥ २८ ॥
इति तृतीयं ब्राह्मणम् ॥athātaḥ pavamānānāmevābhyārohaḥ; sa vai khalu prastotā sāma prastauti, sa yatra prastuyāt, tadetāni japet—asato mā sadgamaya, tamaso mā jyotirgamaya, mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamayeti; sa yadāhāsato mā sadgamayeti, mṛtyurvā asat, sadamṛtam, mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamaya, amṛtam mā kurvityevaitadāha; tamaso mā jyotirgamayeti, mṛtyurvai tamaḥ, jyotiramṛtam, mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamaya, amṛtaṃ mā kurvityevaitadāha; mṛtyormāmṛtaṃ gamayeti nātra tirohitamivāsti | atha yānītarāṇi stotrāṇi teṣvātmane’nnādyamāgāyet, tasmādu teṣu varaṃ vṛṇīta yaṃ kāmaṃ kāmayeta tam; sa eṣa evaṃvidudgātātmane vā yajamānāya vā yaṃ kāmaṃ kāmayate taṃāgāyati; taddhaitallokajideva; na haivālokyatāyā āśāsti ya evametatsāma veda || 28 ||
iti tṛtīyaṃ brāhmaṇam ||28. Now therefore the edifying repetition (Abhyāroha) only of the hymns called Pavamānas. The priest called Prastotṛ indeed recites the Sāman. ‘While he recites it, these Mantras are to be repeated: From evil lead me to good. From darkness lead me to light. From death lead me to immortality. When the Mantra says, ‘From evil lead me to good,’ ‘evil’ means death, and ‘good’ immortality, so it says, ‘From death lead me to immortality, i.e. make me immortal.’ When it says, ‘From darkness lead me to light,’ ‘darkness’ means death, and ‘light,’ immortality; so it says, ‘From death lead me to immortality, or make me immortal.’ In the dictum, ‘From death lead me to immortality,’ the meaning does not seem to be hidden. Then through the remaining hymns (the chanter) should secure eatable food for himself by chanting. Therefore, while they are being chanted, the sacrificer should ask for a boon—anything that he desires. Whatever objects this chanter possessed of such knowledge desires, either for himself or for the sacrificer, he secures them by chanting. This (meditation) certainly wins the world (Hiraṇyagarbha). He who knows the Sāman (vital force) as such has not to pray lest he be unfit for this world.
A repetition of Mantras is being prescribed for one who knows the vital force as such. The meditation by knowing which one is entitled to this repetition of Mantras has been mentioned. Now, because this repetition of Mantras by one possessed of such knowledge produces the result of elevation to divinity, therefore it is being described here. This repetition, being connected with chanting, may be thought applicable to every chant; so it is restricted by the mention of the Pavamānas. But since one may think that it should be done with all the three Pavamānas, the time is being further restricted: The priest called indeed recites the Sāman. While he recites it, i.e. when he begins to chant the Sāman, these Mantras are to be repeated. And this repetition of Mantras is called ‘Abhyāroha,’ because through this repetition one possessed of such knowledge ‘advances towards’ the realisation of one’s innate divinity. The plural in ‘these’ indicates that there are three Yajus Mantras. The use of the accusative case and the fact that these Mantras occur iii a Brāhmaṇa or explanatory portion of the Vedas, indicate that the usual accent should be used in these words, and not the special intonation[21] used in the hymns. This repetition of Mantras is to be done by the sacrificer.
These are the Yajus Mantras in question: From evil lead me to good. From darkness lead me to light. From death lead me to immortality. The meaning of the Mantras is hidden. So the Brāhmaṇa itself explains them: When the Mantra says, ‘From evil lead me to good,’ what is the meaning? ‘Evil’ means death, i.e. our natural actions and thoughts; ‘evil,’ because they degrade us very much; and ‘good,’ i.e. actions and thoughts as they are regulated by the scriptures, means immortality, because they lead to it. Therefore the meaning is, ‘From evil actions and ignorance lead me to actions and thoughts that are regulated by the scriptures, i. e. help me to identify myself with those things that lead to divinity.’ The import of the sentence is being stated: So it says, ‘Make me immortal.’ Similarly, when it says, ‘From darkness lead me to light,’ ‘darkness’ means death. All ignorance, being of the nature of a veil, is darkness; and it again is death, being the cause of it. And ‘light’ means immortality, the opposite of the above, one’s divine nature. Knowledge, being luminous, is called light; and it again is immortality, being of an imperishable nature. So it says, ‘From death lead me to immortality, or make me immortal,’ as before, i, e. help me to realise the divine status of Virāj. The first Mantra means, help me to identify myself with the means of realisation, instead of with things that are not such; while the second one means, help me to go beyond that even—for it is a form of ignorance —and attain identity with the result. The third Mantra, ‘From death lead me to immortality gives the combined meaning of the first two, and is quite clear. In this the meaning does not seem to be hidden as in the first two, i. e. it should be taken literally.
Then, after chanting for the sacrificer with the three Pavamānas, through the remaining hymns the chanter who knows the vital force and has become identified with it, should secure eatable food for himself by chanting, just like the vital force. Because this chanter knows the vital force as above described, therefore he is able to obtain that desired object. Therefore, while they are being chanted, the sacrificer should ask for a boon—anything that he desires. Because whatever objects this chanter possessed of such knowledge desires, either for himself or for the sacrificer, he secures them by chanting. This sentence should precede the one before it (for the sake of sense).
Thus it has been stated that meditation and rites together lead to identification with Hiraṇyagarbha. There is no possibility of a doubt regarding this. Therefore a doubt is being raised as to whether, in the absence of rites, meditation alone can lead to that result or not. To remove it, the text says: This meditation on the vital force certainly wins the world (Hiraṇyagarbha[22]), even if it is disjoined from the rites. He has not to pray lest he he unfit for this world, for one who has already realised his identity with Hiraṇyagarbha cannot possibly pray for the attainment of him. A man who is already in a village is not eager about when he will reach it, as a man who is in a forest is. Expectation is always about something remote, something other than one’s self; it is impossible with regard to one’s own self. Therefore there is no chance of his fearing lest he should ever miss identity with Hiraṇyagarbha.
Who gets this result? He who knows this Sāman as such, meditates upon the vital force whose glories have been described above, till he realises his identity with it in the following way:
‘I am the pure vital force, not to be touched by the evils characteristic of the Asuras, viz. the attachment of the senses to their objects. The five organs such as that of speech have, by resting on me, been freed from the defects of these evils, which spring from one’s natural thoughts, and have become fire and so forth; and they are connected with all bodies by partaking of the eatable food that belongs to me. Being Āṅgirasa, I am the self of all beings. And I am the self of speech manifesting itself as Ṛc, Yajus, Sāman and Udgītha, for I pervade it and produce it. I am transformed into a chant as Sāman, and have the external wealth or embellishment of a good voice; and I also have a more intimate treasure, consisting of fine articulation according to phonetics. And when I become the chant, the throat and other parts of the body are my support. With these attributes I am completely present in all bodies beginning with that of a white ant, being formless and all-pervading.’