अद्भ्यश्चैनं चन्द्रमसश्च दैवः प्राण आविशति ।स वै दैवः प्राणो यः संचरंश्चासंचरंश्च न व्यथतेऽथो न रिष्यति ।स एष एवंवित्सर्वेषां भूतानामात्मा भवति ।यथैषा देवतैवं सः ।यथैतां देवतां सर्वाणि भूतान्यवन्त्येवं हैवंविदं सर्वाणि भूतान्यवन्ति ।यदु किञ्चेमाः प्रजाः शोचन्त्यमैवासां तद्भवति ।पुण्यमेवामुं गच्छति ।न ह वै देवान् पापं गच्छति ॥बृह. १,५.२० ॥
In plain words
From the waters and from the moon the divine breath enters into him. That is the divine breath which, whether moving or not moving, does not tremble and does not come to harm. He who knows this becomes the self of all beings. As that deity is, so is he. As all beings favour that deity, so all beings favour one who knows this. Whatever sorrows these creatures suffer, those remain with them; only what is good goes to him. No evil goes to the gods.
The commentators
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.218· bhāṣya
तथा अद्भ्यश्चैनं चन्द्रमसश्च दैवः प्राण आविशति । स वै दैवः प्राणः किलक्षण इत्युच्यते— यः संचरन् प्राणि- भेदेषु असंचरन् समष्टिव्यष्टिरूपेण-अथवा संचरन् जङ्ग- मेषु असंचरन्स्थावरेषु-न व्यथते न दुःखनिमित्तेन भयेन युज्यते ; अथो अपि न रिष्यति न विनश्यति न हिंसा- मापद्यते । सः- यो यथोक्तमेव वेत्ति त्र्यन्नात्मदर्शनं सः- सर्वेषां भूतानामात्मा भवति, सर्वेषां भूतानां प्राणो भवति, सर्वेषां भूतानां मनो भवति, सर्वेषां भूतानां वाग्भवति- इत्येवं सर्वभूतात्मतया सर्वज्ञो भवतीत्यर्थः-सर्वकृच्च । यथैषा पूर्वसिद्धा हिरण्यगर्भदेवता एवमेव नास्य सर्वज्ञत्वे सर्वकृत्त्वे वा कश्चित्प्रतिघातः ; स इति दार्ष्टान्तिकनिर्देशः । किंच य- थैतां हिरण्यगर्भदेवताम् इज्यादिभिः सर्वाणि भूतान्यवन्ति पालयन्ति पूजयन्ति, एवं ह एवंविदं सर्वाणि भूतान्यव- न्ति - इज्यादिलक्षणां पूजां सततं प्रयुञ्जत इत्यर्थः ॥
In plain words
In that same way, the divine life-force from the waters and the moon enters him. What is the nature of that life-force? Moving among different creatures yet resting in the whole and the part, moving in mobile things yet still in stationary things, it suffers no agitation, nor is it touched by any terror born of grief. It is neither diminished, nor destroyed, nor injured. He who knows the Self as the three forms of sustenance becomes the self, the breath, the mind, and the speech of all beings. Realizing himself as everything, he becomes all-knowing and all-doing. Just as the ancient deity Hiranyagarbha meets with no obstruction in his omniscience and omniactivity, so this knower meets with none—this is the illustration's point. And just as all beings nourish and revere Hiranyagarbha through sacrifice, so do all beings constantly offer that same worship of reverence to the man who knows.
Close to the Sanskrit
In the same way, the divine prana from the waters and from the moon enters him. That divine prana, of what character is it said to be? Who moving in differences of beings, or not moving in aggregate and individual form, or moving in mobile things and not moving in stationary things, is not perturbed, is not joined by fear caused by sorrow; and moreover does not suffer, does not perish, does not attain injury. He who knows precisely thus the vision of the self as the three foods, he becomes the self of all beings, becomes the prana of all beings, becomes the mind of all beings, becomes the speech of all beings; thus in this manner, through being the self of all beings, he becomes omniscient, and omni-active. Just as this pre-existing Hiranyagarbha deity—just so, there is no obstruction whatsoever to this one's omniscience and omniactivity; this is the pointing out of the illustrated subject. Furthermore, just as all beings protect, nourish, and worship this Hiranyagarbha deity through sacrifices and the like, even so do all beings cherish one who knows thus—meaning that they continually offer him worship characterized by sacrifice and the like.
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.219· bhāṣya
अथेदमाशङ्क्यते- सर्वप्राणिनामात्मा भवतीत्युक्तम् ; तस्य च सर्वप्राणिकार्यकरणात्मत्वे सर्वप्राणिसुखदुःखैः सं- बध्येतेति- तन्न । अपरिच्छिन्नबुद्धित्वात्- परिच्छिन्नात्मबु- द्धीनां ह्याक्रोशादौ दुःखसंबंधो दृष्टः-, अनेनाहमाक्रुष्ट इति ; अस्य तु सर्वात्मनो य आक्रुश्यते यश्चाक्रोशति तयो- रात्मत्वबुद्धिविशेषाभावान्न तन्निमित्तं दुःखमुपपद्यते । मरणदुःखवच्च निमित्ताभावात्- यथा हि कस्मिंश्चिन्मृते
In plain words
An objection is raised: if the knower is the self of all creatures, wouldn't he be touched by everyone's joys and sorrows? This is refuted because his intellect is unconditioned. Ordinary people with a limited sense of self experience pain when insulted, thinking 'I have been abused.' But for the universal self, both the abuser and the abused are his own reality; without a sense of separation, no sorrow can arise. Just as the death of a stranger brings no grief...
Close to the Sanskrit
Now this is doubted: it has been stated that he becomes the self of all living beings. And with that state of being the self of all beings' bodies and senses, would he be connected with the happiness and sorrow of all beings? That is not so, because of having an unconditioned intellect. For connection with sorrow is seen in the case of those whose intellect conceives the self as limited, thinking 'I have been reviled by this one.' However, for this universal self, since both the one who is reviled and the one who reviles are his own self, in the absence of a distinct notion of identity, sorrow caused by that is not appropriate. And due to the absence of a cause, like the sorrow of death—just as when someone is dead...
Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam· Leaf 8.220· bhāṣya
कस्यचिद्दुःखमुत्पद्यते- ममासौ पुत्रो भ्राता चेति- पुत्रा- दिनिमित्तम् , तन्निमित्ताभावे तन्मरणदर्शिनोऽपि नैव दुःख- मुपजायते, तथा ईश्वरस्यापि अपरिच्छिन्नात्मनो ममत्वता- दिदुःखनिमित्तमिथ्याज्ञानादिदोषाभावात् नैव दुःखमुपजा- यते । तदेतदुच्यते--यदु किंच यत्किंच इमाः प्रजाः शोच- न्ति अमैव सहैव प्रजाभिः तच्छोकादिनिमित्तं दुःखं संयुक्तं भवति आसां प्रजानाम् परिच्छिन्नबुद्धिजनितत्वात्; सर्वा- त्मनस्तु केन सह किं संयुक्तं भवेत् वियुक्तं वा । अमुं तु प्राजापत्ये पदे वर्तमानं पुण्यमेव शुभमेव- फलमभिप्रेतं पुण्यमिति- निरतिशयं हि तेन पुण्यं कृतम् , तेन तत्फल- मेव गच्छति ; न ह वै देवान्पापं गच्छति, पापफलस्यावस- राभावात्- पापफलं दुःखं न गच्छतीत्यर्थः ॥
In plain words
A man feels grief when he thinks, 'This is my son, this is my brother.' When that cause is absent, even if he sees that person die, no grief arises. In the same way, because the Lord, being the unconditioned Self, is free from ignorance, attachment, and the delusions that cause sorrow, no grief ever arises for Him. Thus it is said: 'Whatever these creatures grieve, they grieve along with their creatures,' because their minds are limited. But for the universal Self, with what could anything be united or separated? As for the one who attains the station of Prajapati, only pure and auspicious fruit awaits him, for his merit is supreme, and he attains that very reward. Sin never reaches the gods, for there is no room for the fruit of sin—meaning that sorrow never touches them.
Close to the Sanskrit
Sorrow arises for someone—thinking 'this is my son, this is my brother'—caused by a son or the like; in the absence of that cause, even for one who sees his death, sorrow does not arise at all. Similarly, for the Lord also, who is of unconditioned self, there being no faults like false knowledge which are causes of sorrow through a sense of mine-ness, sorrow does not arise at all. This is spoken: 'Whatever these creatures grieve, along with the creatures themselves, that sorrow caused by grief and the like is joined to them,' because of being produced by a conditioned intellect; but for the universal self, with whom what could be joined or separated? But for this one residing in the status of Prajapati, an auspicious, beneficial fruit alone is intended as merit; for supreme merit has been done by him, therefore he goes to that very fruit; sin indeed does not go to the gods, due to the absence of occasion for the fruit of sin—meaning that sorrow, the fruit of sin, does not go.