Aṭharvan replied: "Because He increases bṛhaṭi and causes to increase everything (bṛhanṭi); so he is called Parabrahman. Why is He called Āṭmā? Since He obtains (āpnoṭi) everything, since He takes back everything and since He is everything, so he is called Āṭmā. Why is He called Maheśvara (the great Lord)? Since by the sound of the words Mahaṭ-Īśa (the great Lord) and by His own power, the great Lord governs everything. Why is He called Ḍaṭṭāṭreya? Because the Lord being extremely pleased with Aṭri (Ṛshi) who was performing a most difficult penance and who had expressed his desire to see Him who is light itself, offered Himself (ḍaṭṭa) as their son, and because the woman Anasūyā was his mother and Aṭri was his father. Therefore he who knows the (secret) meaning knows everything. He who always contemplates on the supreme that It is himself becomes a knower of Brahman. Here these ślokas (stanzas) occur (to memory). 'He who contemplates always the Lord of Lords and the ancient thus—as Ḍaṭṭāṭreya, the beneficent, the calm, of the colour of sapphire, one who delights in his own māyā and the Lord who has shaken off everything, as naked and as one whose whole body is besmeared with the holy ashes, who has matted hair, who is the Lord of all, who has four arms, who is bliss in appearance, whose eyes are like full-blown lotus, who is the store of jñāna and yoga, who is the spiritual instructor of all the worlds and who is dear to all the yogins, and one who is merciful towards His devotees, who is the witness of all and who is worshipped by all the siḍḍhas is freed from all sins and will attain (the Spirit).'

"Om Saṭyam (truth). Thus ends the Upanishaḍ."

Footnotes

173:1 Under yama and niyama Paṭañjali has five kinds only.

175:1 In the explanation one more posture is introduced.

176:1 In Varāha Upanishaḍ and later on, this is named "Kanḍha". Herein is described the web of life.

177:1 This should be perhaps—between Piṅgalā and Payasvinī is Pūshā.

177:2 Yaśasvinī should be "Śāṅkhinī."

178:1 Here the process of digestion of food is described.

179:1 Both by physical protection and that of manṭras to scare away evil spirits.

179:2 He is the son of Śiva, having an elephant's face symbolical of wisdom. He is considered as the remover of all obstacles, and as such is he invoked and worshipped in the beginning of every religious rite.

179:3 Idā and Piṅgalā are the two nādis upon which our breaths alternate from the left nostril to the right and vice versa and between which is Sushumnā. Hence these two terms are applied to and mean the left and right nostrils.

179:4 According to Yogaṭaṭṭva-Upanishaḍ, a māṭrā is the time occupied in circling the knee once with the palm of the hand and filliping the fingers.

179:5 According to Varāha-Upanishaḍ the seat of fire is the mūlāḍhāra (sacral plexus).