Kathopanishad- Verse 2 - kathopanishad-2-2-2-ham̐saḥ

Kathopanishad – Part 2 – Canto 2 – Verse 2 « »

हँसः शुचिषद्वसुरान्तरिक्षसद्-
होता वेदिषदतिथिर्दुरोणसत् ।
नृषद्वरसदृतसद्व्योमसद्
अब्जा गोजा ऋतजा अद्रिजा ऋतं बृहत् ॥ २॥

ham̐saḥ śuciṣadvasurāntarikṣasad-
hotā vediṣadatithirduroṇasat .
nṛṣadvarasadṛtasadvyomasad
abjā gojā ṛtajā adrijā ṛtaṃ bṛhat .. 2..

2 He is the sun dwelling in the bright heavens. He is the air in the interspace. He is the fire dwelling on earth. He is the guest dwelling in the house. He dwells in men, in the gods, in truth, in the sky. He is born in the water, on earth, in the sacrifice, on the mountains. He is the True and the Great.

Table of Contents

Sri Shankara’s Commentary (Bhashya) translated by S. Sitarama Sastri

And he the âtman does not live in the city of one body alone; but he lives in all cities. How hamsah ] one who moves; suchishat ] dwelling in heaven as the sun. Vasuh, one who animates all; dwells in the inter-space, as wind; hôtâ ] fire, according to the sruti ‘fire indeed is hôtâ;’ Vêdishat ] dwelling in Vêdi or earth, according to the srutis ‘ this Vêdi is the supreme nature of earth,’ etc. Atithih ] sômah. Durônasat ] dwelling in Durôna, i.e., vessel; or a Brâhmin dwelling in the house (Durôna) as a guest (atithih); nrishat ] dwelling in men; Varasat ] dwelling in betters, i.e., the Devas. Ritasat dwelling in rita, i.e., truth or sacrifice; Vyômasat dwelling in Vyôma, i.e., âkâsa, Abjâh ] those born in water, in the form of conch, mother of pearl, whale, etc.; gojâh ] those born of the earth in the form of corn, grain, etc.; ritajâh, those born in the form of appendages ta sacrifice; adrijâh ] those born of mountains in the form of rivers, etc.; though the âtman of all, he is ritam, i.e., of unchanging nature. Brihat, great, being the cause of all; even when the sun alone is described by the mantra, even then, from the fact that the sun is accepted as âtman in his nature, there is no conflict in this commentary. The meaning of the mantra is that the âtman of the universe is only one and all-pervading and there is no difference in the âtman.

Commentary by Swami Krishnananda of the great Divine Life Society

Haṁsaś śuciṣat, vasur antarikṣasat hotā vediṣat, atithir duroṇasat, nṛṣat, varasat, ṛtasat, vyomasat, abjā, gojā, ṛtajā, adrijā, ṛtam bṛhat (2.2.2). This is a Rigvedic mantra quoted here. It is not an ordinary passage. It is lifted from the Rigveda Samhita, and it has a way of pronunciation as a Veda mantra. This is a prayer to the sun, incidentally, a prayer or a description of Brahman, the Absolute, manifest as the sun in the firmament. Haṁsaḥ: This is the luminous sun of Consciousness. Śuciṣat: This is the pure Radiance dwelling in the heart of all. Vasuḥ: This is the Spirit that is moving in the air that blows everywhere. Antarikṣasat: This is the Great Being that appears as the vast expanse of space. Hotā: This is the Consciousness that appears as the performer of a sacrifice. Vediṣat: This is the Consciousness that appears as the altar of the sacrifice. Atithi: This is the Consciousness that appears as the guest that comes to one’s door. Duroṇasat: This is the Consciousness that appears as the vessels, the sanctified pots that are used in the sacrifice. Nṛṣat: This is the Consciousness that appears as human beings moving around us. Varasat: This is the Supreme Consciousness appearing as the gods in heaven. Ṛtasat: This is the Consciousness appearing as the rule and law operating in the cosmos. Vyomasat: This is the Consciousness appearing as the white space. Abjā: This is the Consciousness appearing as the waters of the ocean. Gojā: This is the Consciousness appearing as the very earth. Ṛtajā: This is the Consciousness appearing as the ultimate Truth. Adrijā: This is the Consciousness appearing as the hills and mountains. Ṛtam: This is the Truth. Bṛhat: This is the greatest Reality. Wonderful statement! Haṁsaś śuciṣat, vasur antarikṣasat hotā vediṣat, atithir duroṇasat, nṛṣat, varasat, ṛtasat, vyomasat, abjā, gojā, ṛtajā, adrijā, ṛtam bṛhat. This is a great mantra from the Rigveda Samhita, which you can repeat every day as your japa. This particular mantra has left nothing unsaid. Everywhere everything is. The Great One is pervading all things. Brahman is the Atman.

Links
Various resources on the Kathopanishad
Upanishad Series – Katopanishad Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Kathopanishad – Verse 2 – kathopanishad-2-2-2-ham̐saḥ – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning and Commentary by Adi Shankaracharya (Sankara Bhashya) – Katha-2-2-2