Editing Vamana (section)

=== Brihadaranyaka Upanishad ===

{{blockquote|<poem>These are the three worlds. The organ of speech is this World (The Earth), the mind is the sky, and the vital force is that World (Heaven).
These are the three [[Vedas]]. The organ of speech is the [[RigVeda]], the mind is the [[Yajurveda|YajurVeda]], and the vital force the [[Samaveda|SamaVeda]].
These are the [[Deva (Hinduism)|Gods]], the [[Manes]] and [[Human|Men]]. The organ of speech is the gods, the mind the Manes, and the vital force men.
These are the father, mother and child. The mind is the father, the organ of speech the mother, and the vital force the child.</poem>|source=Brihadaranyaka Upanishad with commentary of [[Adi Shankara|Shankaracharya]] (translated by Swami Madhavananda, 1934), Section 5, Verses 4-7<ref>{{Cite book|last=Madhavananda|first=Swami Tr|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.20823|title=The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad|date=1934|pages=217–218}}</ref>|author=|title=}}

[[File:Agni deva.JPG|thumb|[[Agni]], God Of Fire.]]
The [[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] is one of the [[Mukhya]] or Principal 108 [[Upanishads]].<ref>Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 2, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120814691}}, pages 556-557</ref><ref>[[Paul Deussen]], [https://archive.org/stream/philosophyofupan00deus#page/22/mode/2up The Philosophy of the Upanishads], Motilal Banarsidass (2011 Edition), {{ISBN|978-8120816206}}, page 23</ref> From the last book of the [[Satapatha Brahmana]] (Kanva [[recension]]; this article cites the Madhyandina recension in the section above, which does not contain the Upanishad),<ref name="pauldeussen">Paul Deussen, Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120814684}}, pages 389-397</ref> it is a treatise on [[Ātman (Hinduism)|Atman]] (Soul or Self), and has been commented upon by figures such as [[Adi Shankara|Adi Shankar]] and [[Madhvacharya]].<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/Brihadaranyaka.Upanishad.Shankara.Bhashya.by.Swami.Madhavananda#page/n0/mode/2up Brihadaranyaka Upanishad with Adi Shankara's commentary] Swami Madhavananada (Translator)</ref><ref>Brihadaranyaka Upanisad with the commentary of Madhvacharya, Translated by Rai Bahadur Sriśa Chandra Vasu (1933), {{oclc|222634127}}</ref>

According to this [[Sruti]] scripture, the concept of the 'three worlds' does not just refer to physical reality (i.e. ground, atmosphere, and sky). It also has other - more mystical - meanings, including [[Vac (speech)|Speech]], [[Chandra|Mind]], and [[Prana|Vital Force]]. As such, the legend of Vamana striding over the three worlds in two or three steps also may have more mystical meanings, and those provided by the [[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] seem to be consistent with established Vedic concepts such as [[Pancha Bhoota]] (the [[Hindu]] [[classical element]]s). For example, it is stated by the above-quoted Upanishad that the first step on the earth also represents the organ of speech ('[[Vāc|vac]]' or 'vak'). According to other authoritative - including [[Sruti]] sources - the first step, ground, and speech are all represented by [[Agni]] (God of Fire; [[Vedi (altar)|fire-altars]] are key components of [[Yajna|sacrifices]]):

*[[Sayana]] states that the first step on the earth is represented by [[Agni]] (see above).
*The [[Taittiriya Samhita]] (Black [[Yajurveda]]) 1.7.11 states 'Agni with one syllable won speech'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/yv/yv01.htm|title=Black / Krishna YajurVeda: Kanda I|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref> (2.1.4 also explains the symbolic significance of the number three).<ref name="sacred-texts_yv02"/>
* The [[Shatapatha Brahmana]] (White Yajurveda) 3.2.2.13 states 'Agni is speech'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/sbr/sbe26/sbe2608.htm|title=Satapatha Brahmana Part II (SBE26): Third Kânda: III, 2, 2. Second Brâhmana|website=www.sacred-texts.com|access-date=2020-03-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bäumer|first1=Bettina|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPoIZaGGtiMC&pg=PA216|title=Kalātattvakośa: Primal elements-Mahābhūta|last2=Vatsyayan|first2=Kapila|date=1988|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|isbn=978-81-208-1402-8|pages=216 ('agnir vai vak')|language=en}}</ref>