Tr. Varuna, pray loosen from us the bond above; loosen the bond below; loosen the bond between; for then we, son of Aditi, live for Aditi faultless in thy law.
Varuņa, O Varuna; uttamam the highest, the topmost; pāśam bond; asmat from us; ut śrathaya pull and loosen; similarly madhyamam the middle bond; vi śrathaya separate and loosen; atha then; āditya O son of Aditi; vayam we Shunahshepas, delightful Rays of knowledge become human; tava vrate in thy divine action; anāgasaḥ faultless, sinless; aditaye for the Mother of Gods, the infinite field of the Self; bhavema may we be.
The true essential meaning of this hymn is plain, it can be understood from the explanation also. Note the spiritual secret import denoted by the meaning of the constituents of the name of the Seer. Thus do the names of Seers of Mantra like Kanva; Kakshivan, Gotama, etc. signify their spiritual opulence, state, activity, etc. Thus Rishi Shunashepa also, bears a name the meaning of whose constituents signifies one who is a ray of Delight—the word sunah meaning delight and sepa ray. Hence this is the secret meaning of the hymn.
Aditi is the Consciousness full of Infinite Existence. All the universe is born from her, so also are born the Gods, overlords of the worlds. Her ray of delight, verily, is the soul though human. It has entered the microcosm made of the five elements and is held and bound there in three main places based upon matter, life and mind. He lives there and obtains release from the bondage by the grace of Varuna preceded by the favours of many Gods. That part of the Mantra which says, “this too the knowledge of the heart doth illumine”, can illumine the whole purport of the hymn to those whose mind is laved in investigation. There is no doubt that all the Riks reveal a tendency to the esoteric.
Here the old commentators citing the story of Shunashepa, discourse on the killing of Shunashepa and veil the profound meaning of the hymn. In other places too, the Brahmanas which set out to explain the meaning of the mantras or to dilate upon the propriety of the mantras, turn out to be coverings that veil. It is Aitareya Brahmana (Chap. 33) that first narrates the story of Shunashepa. The Puranas tell, the same story enlarged. The commentators consider that the Vedic hymn is the seed of the narration in the Brahmana and the Brahmana the basis of the stories in the Purana. Thus they determine the import of the hymn on the basis of what is said in the Brahmana. Elsewhere the meaning of the mantra is said on the basis of stories in the Purana. Just as they seek to explain the mantra, ‘This Vishnu bestrode', with the aid of the Puranic story of the Avatar of the Dwarf (Vamana) and not take this mantra as the basis of the legend of the Dwarf-Avatar, thus many are the hymns which are commented upon as illustrations to substantiate the veracity of the Puranic stories. Let it be. Another question arises. If it be said : may be the essential import of this hymn is as stated here; but according to the story narrated in the Brahmana it is to be inferred that there was before in the sacrifices of the Aryans the custom of human sacrifice, we say no. How? The words of the Brahmana itself is the authority. In the narrative of the Brahmana this is what is said by Shunashepa : "Then Shunashepa looked round and said, 'woe! They mean to kill me as if I were no human! I shall hasten to the Deities." Here it must be noted, Sayana's commentary has for the prelude the Sruti which prohibits the sacrifice of a human victim : "Elsewhere after the pari-agnikaraṇa one releases the Purusha and also the foresters out of non-injury-as per this Sruti they let man go after the pari-agnikarana. But these people desire to kill me as if I were not human to immolate me like a goat or other victim different from man”. pari-agnikarana is to thrice circle round with a lighted darbha-weed. Thereafter the man is released. This leaves no doubt that there was no human sacrifice.
Then what is the basis for this custom, what is the meaning of Purusha-medha? Here the Veda of the Adhvaryu branch is the only support. There is no separate section of mantras in the Taittiriya Samhita for the Purusha Medha, but there is in the Taittiriya Brahmana (III. 4). There are also mantras in Shukla Yajurveda; there are two chapters there relating to Purusha Medha (Chaps. 30-31). The purpose and the truth of the Purusha Medha are clearly understood from the sentences of the Veda themselves. We will cite the relevant lines from commentator Mahidhara :
“After tying all of them with the famous Purusha Hymn, ‘Thousand-headed Person', of sixteen Riks forming a section, seated on the right, he lauds as the hotr all these tied persons and then in the order of tying, sprinkles water according to the deities. After the pari-agnikarana of Brahmanas, etc, each is consigned to the purpose of the respective Devata, saying 'This to Brahman', 'This to Kshatra', etc. Then he releases and sets free all beginning with the Brahmanas."
This is the purport. The Person manifest in the form of persons of many classes is one, with limbs; from the Devatas constituting his limbs are derived all these varied persons. Arriving at this conclusion by knowledge and by action, they say, 'After the Purusha-Medha one must go to the forest and renounce.'
Here the second chapter is of the Purusha Sukta. That is the chief Purusha-Medha Mantra by which the Purusha is lauded. Here the commentary of Uvvata has got to be noted. “Being himself the supreme Self, Knowledge, Bliss, etc. the Purusha-medha sacrifice is Prajapati (Lord of the peoples), embodied in the world, Time, Agni, etc. cause of the birth, maintenance and withdrawal of the persons, donor of Heaven, beatitude, divine opulence and liberation, the body which is the cause of knowledge and action conjointly—“Sacrifice is His Self' says the smrti. In the section 'Thousand-headed Person' of sixteen Riks-anustubh in metre, ending with one in triştub -, with 'Brahmana to Brahman', etc. the limbed Person is lauded through the embodied limbs."
It has become necessary to say that human sacrifice was never there in the Vedic sacrifices. In Yajurveda are to be noted the names of the several castes and several classes of those that are enjoined in the Purusha Medha and their deities. We stop here to avoid prolixity. It is a vulgar version that human sacrifice for Gods is enjoined in the Vedas. The ancient Rishis have the divine eye, are endowed with spirituality; let it not be falsely propagated that these our Aryans of old were gross- sighted, devoted to external sacrifice and addicted to human sacrifice for Gods. That is why we have said this in brief.
This release from the hold of bondages may be the mystery unveiled in the untying of all the knots spoken of in the Upanishads. It is the considered conclusion of the practising Vedantins that the knots are knots of ignorance, bonds of the three-fold body like the gross etc. There is no doubt whatsoever that the triple bondage corresponds to the three knots famous in Tantra Yoga under the names of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra. Here in fact—it must be noted- the triple bondage obstructs the entry and spread of the Truth-Light in the threefold being of mind, life and body. Release from it is possible by the grace of God Varuna.
Thus ends the fifteenth Group in the second Chapter of the first Eighth.