Bhashya
आख्यायिका विद्यास्तुतय, प्रियाय पुत्राय पित्रोक्तेति—भृगुर्वै वारुणि ।वै-शब्द प्रसिद्धानुस्मारक, भृगुरित्येवनामा प्रसिद्धो अनुस्मार्यते, वारुणि वरुणस्यापत्य वारुणिवरुण पितर ब्रह्म विजिज्ञासु उपससार उपगतवान्—अधीहि भगवो ब्रह्म इत्यनेन मन्त्रेण ।अधीहि अध्यापयकथय ।स च पिता विधिवदुपसन्नाय तस्मै पुत्राय एतन्वचन प्रोवाच— अन्न प्राण चक्षु श्रोत्र मनो वाचमइति ।अन्न शरीर तदभ्यन्तर च प्राणम अत्तारम अन-न्तरमुपलब्धिसाधनानि चक्षु श्रोत्र मनो वाचम इत्येतानिब्रह्मापलब्धौ द्वाराण्युक्तवान् ।उक्त्वा च द्वारभूतान्येतान्य-न्नादीनि त भृगु होवाच ब्रह्मणो लक्षणम् ।कि तत् ?यत यस्मात् वा इमानि ब्रह्मादीनि स्तम्बपर्यन्तानि भूतानिजायन्ते, येन जातानि जीवन्ति प्राणान्धारयन्ति वर्धन्ते,विनाशकाले च यत्प्रयन्ति यद्ब्रह्म प्रतिगच्छन्ति, अभिसविशन्ति तादात्म्यमेव प्रतिपद्यन्ते, उत्पत्तिस्थितिलयकालेषु यदात्मता न जहाति भूतानि, तदेतद्ब्रह्मणो लक्षणम्, तद्ब्रह्म विजिज्ञासस्व विशेषेण ज्ञातुमिच्छस्व, यदेवंलक्षण ब्रह्म तद्आदिद्वारेण प्रतिपद्यस्वेत्यथ ।श्रुत्यन्तर च—'प्राणस्य प्राणमुत चक्षुषश्चक्षुरुत श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रमन्नस्यान्न मनसो ये मनो विदुस्ते निचिक्युर्ब्रह्म पुराणमग्र्यम्' इति ब्रह्मोपलब्धौ द्वाराण्येतानीति दर्शयति ।स भृगु ब्रह्मोपलब्धिद्वाराणि ब्रह्मलक्षण च श्रुत्वा पितु, तपो ब्रह्मोपलब्धिसाधनत्वेन अतप्यत तप्तवान् ।कुत पुनरनुपदिष्टस्यैव तपस साधनत्वप्रतिपत्तिर्भृगो ? सावशेषोक्ते ।अन्नादिब्रह्मण प्रतिपत्तौ द्वारलक्षण च यतो वा इमानि इत्याद्युक्तवान् ।सावशेष हि तत्, साक्षाद्ब्रह्मणोऽनिर्देशात् ।अन्यथा हि स्वरूपेणैव ब्रह्म निर्देष्टव्य जिज्ञासवे पुत्राय इदमित्थरूप ब्रह्म इति, न चैव निरदिशत्, किं तर्हि, सावशेषमेवोक्तवान् ।अतोऽवगम्यते नून साधनान्तरमप्यपेक्षते पिता ब्रह्मविज्ञान प्रतीति ।तपोविशेषप्रतिपत्तिस्तु सर्वसाधकतमत्वात्, सर्वेषा हि नियतसाध्यविषयाणा साधनाना तप एव साधकतम साधनमिति हि प्रसिद्ध लोके ।तस्मात् पित्रा अनुपदिष्टमपि ब्रह्मविज्ञानसाधनत्वेन तप प्रतिपेदे भृगु ।तच्च तपो बाह्यान्त करणममाधानम, तद्दारकत्वाद्वह्मप्रतिपत्ते, 'मनसश्चेन्द्रियाणा चह्यैकाग्र्य परम तप ।तज्ज्याय सवधर्मेभ्य स धर्म परउच्यत' इति स्मृत ।स च तपस्तप्त्वा ॥
In plain words
Tales are told to praise the pursuit of knowledge, as in the teaching given by a father to his beloved son: 'Bhrigu, the son of Varuna.' The word 'vai' is a traditional particle recalling a well-known name; Bhrigu, the son of Varuna, approached his father Varuna, desiring to know Brahman, with the prayer: 'Teach me, O revered one, about Brahman.' And that father, seeing his son approach him with the proper discipline, spoke these words: 'Food, the vital breath, the eye, the ear, the mind, speech.' By food he meant the physical body; internal to that is the vital breath, the consumer; and following those are the instruments of perception—eye, ear, mind, and speech—which he pointed out as the gateways leading to the realization of Brahman. Having thus named these sensory gateways, he gave Bhrigu the definition of Brahman. What is it? That source from which all these beings—from the highest creator down to a blade of grass—are born; by which, once born, they live and grow; and into which, at the time of dissolution, they return and merge in absolute identity, never losing their essential ground through all the phases of creation, preservation, and dissolution. This is the definition of Brahman; seek to know that specially. Investigate that Brahman through the initial gateway of food. Another scriptural text confirms that these are indeed the gateways to Brahman: 'Those who know the breath of breath, the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, the food of food, and the mind of mind—they have realized the ancient, primeval Brahman.' Having heard from his father both the gateways to Brahman and its defining marks, Bhrigu undertook the practice of austerity as the means to realize Brahman. How did Bhrigu come to understand penance as a means when his father had not explicitly commanded it? Because the father's instruction was incomplete. When defining Brahman through food and the gateways, the father had not pointed directly to the inner essence of Brahman itself. Had he wished, he could have defined Brahman directly in its true nature, but he did not do so; he left the instruction incomplete. Hence it is understood that the father implicitly expected another means to complete the realization of Brahman. Among all spiritual practices, austerity is universally renowned as the most effective instrument for achieving any fixed goal. Therefore, though uninstructed by his father, Bhrigu took up austerity as the supreme means to know Brahman. And that austerity is nothing other than the complete concentration of the outer senses and the inner mind, for it serves as the direct portal to the realization of Brahman, as the tradition declares: 'The one-pointedness of the mind and the senses is supreme austerity; it stands above all duties and is declared to be the highest dharma.' And he, having performed that austerity...
Close to the Sanskrit
The stories are for the praise of knowledge, as spoken by the father to the beloved son: 'Bhrigu, verily, a Varuṇi.' 'Vai' is a well-known remembrancer, the name Bhrigu alone is famously recalled; 'Vāruṇi' meaning the offspring of Varuṇa, Varuṇi approached his father Varuṇa desiring to know Brahman, with this mantra: 'Teach me, O venerable one, Brahman.' Teach, instruct. And that father spoke this word to that son who had approached according to rule: 'Food, prana, eye, ear, mind, speech.' Food is the body, and internal to that, prana as the consumer, and subsequently the means of attainment—eye, ear, mind, speech—these he stated as gateways in the attainment of Brahman. Having spoken, having made these food and others as gateways, he spoke to that Bhrigu the definition of Brahman. What is that? From which indeed these beings beginning with Brahma and ending with a blade of grass are born, by which having been born they live, sustaining breaths and growing, and at the time of destruction what they go towards, what they enter into, attaining identity indeed, which selfhood beings do not abandon during creation, preservation, and dissolution—this is the definition of Brahman; desire to know that specially, wish to know Brahman which has this definition through the initial gateway. And another scriptural passage shows that these are gateways in the attainment of Brahman: 'He who knows the prana of prana, the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, the food of food, and the mind of mind—they have perceived the ancient, primeval Brahman.' That Bhrigu, having heard from the father the gateways for the attainment of Brahman and the definition of Brahman, practiced austerity as a means for the attainment of Brahman. Whence came Bhrigu's understanding of austerity as a means, even though uninstructed? Because the statement was incomplete. In the realization of food and other forms of Brahman, he stated the definition of gateways as 'from which etc.' That was indeed incomplete, because Brahman was not directly indicated. Otherwise, Brahman ought to be pointed out to the inquiring son directly in its own nature as 'Brahman is of this form,' but he did not point it out thus. What then? He spoke it with remainder. Hence it is understood that the father certainly expects another means regarding the knowledge of Brahman. The realization of a specific austerity is due to its being the most effective means for all, for among all means having fixed objects of attainment, austerity is indeed famed in the world as the most effective means. Therefore, Bhrigu assumed austerity as a means to the knowledge of Brahman, even though uninstructed by the father. And that austerity is the concentration of the external and internal organs, because it is the gateway to the realization of Brahman, as remembered: 'The one-pointedness of the mind and the senses is indeed supreme austerity; that is greater than all duties, that is declared to be the supreme duty.' And he, having performed austerity...