43. Earth Is Manifested

Adhyaya 3 Pada 3 AdhikaraNa 6

Earth Is Manifested From Water, and the Word "Anna" in
the ChAndogya UpaniShad Means "Earth"


Introduction by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


In the ChAndogya UpaniShad it is said:


tA Apa aikShanta bahvayaH syAma prajAyemahIti tA annam
asR^ijanta


"Water thought: .aI shall become many. I shall father
many children..a Then water created anna."

What is the meaning of the word "anna" here? Does it
mean "barley and other food", or does it mean
earth"?

In the ChAndogya UpaniShad it is said:


tasmAd yatra kvacana varShati tad eva bhUyiShTham annaM bhavaty
adbhya eva tad adhy annAdyaM jAyate


"Therefore, whenever it rains there is abundant
anna. In this way anna is produced by water."

This passage seems, therefore, to support the idea that the
word "anna" here means barely and other food". To explain
the proper meaning here, the author of the sUtras speaks the
following words.


SUtra 11


pR^ithivy-adhikAra-rUpa-shabdAntarebhyaH

pR^ithivi - earth; adhikAra - context; rUpa - color;shabda - quotes
from the shruti-shAstra; antarebhyaH - because of other.


"Because its color, its context, and other quotes from the
shruti-shAstra, all confirm that earth is the proper meaning.

Purport by shrIla Baladeva VidyAbhUShaNa


Here the meaning "earth" should be accepted. Why?
Because of the context and other reasons. It should be accepted
because the context (adhikAra) of the passage is a description of
the creation of the five material elements. It is also so,
because the "anna" here is described as being black in
color (rUpa), in the words:


yat kR^iShNaM tad annasya

"That anna is black in color."

It is also so because in other scriptures (shAstrAntarebhyaH)
it is said (in the TaittirIya UpaniShad):


adbhyaH pR^ithivI


"From water, earth is manifested."

The passage: "Therefore, whenever it rains there is
abundant anna. In this way anna is produced by water," clearly
uses the word "anna" to mean "food". However,
because this passage is in the context of a description of the
five material elements being manifested one from the other, the
"food" here is a metaphor for "earth". Thus the
two meanings "food" and "earth" combine in the
word "anna" in this passage.