Chapter 2: The three births of a man

पुरुषे ह वा अयमादितो गर्भो भवति यदेतद्रेतः । तदेतत्सर्वेभ्योऽङ्गेभ्यस्तेजः सम्भूतमात्मन्येवऽऽत्मानं बिभर्ति तद्यदा स्त्रियां सिञ्चत्यथैनज्जनयति तदस्य प्रथमं जन्म

puruṣe ha vā ayamādito garbho bhavati yadetadretaḥ | tadetatsarvebhyo'ṅgebhyastejaḥ sambhūtamātmanyeva''tmānaṃ bibharti tadyadā striyāṃ siñcatyathainajjanayati tadasya prathamaṃ janma

First, the embryo arises in the man as seed. This seed is the vigour gathered from all his limbs; he carries himself within himself. When he places it in the woman, he gives it birth. That is his first birth.

तत्स्त्रिया आत्मभूयं गच्छति यथा स्वमङ्गं तथा । तस्मादेनां न हिनस्ति । साऽस्यैतमात्मानमत्र गतं भावयति

tatstriyā ātmabhūyaṃ gacchati yathā svamaṅgaṃ tathā | tasmādenāṃ na hinasti | sā'syaitamātmānamatra gataṃ bhāvayati

It becomes one with the woman, like a limb of her own body, and so it does her no harm. She nourishes this self of his that has come into her.

सा भावयित्री भावयितव्या भवति । तं स्त्री गर्भ बिभर्ति । सोऽग्र एव कुमारं जन्मनोऽग्रेऽधिभावयति । स यत्कुमारं जन्मनोऽग्रेऽधिभावयत्यात्मानमेव तद्भावयत्येषां लोकानां सन्तत्या । एवं सन्तता हीमे लोकास्तदस्य द्वितीयं जन्म

sā bhāvayitrī bhāvayitavyā bhavati | taṃ strī garbha bibharti | so'gra eva kumāraṃ janmano'gre'dhibhāvayati | sa yatkumāraṃ janmano'gre'dhibhāvayatyātmānameva tadbhāvayatyeṣāṃ lokānāṃ santatyā | evaṃ santatā hīme lokāstadasya dvitīyaṃ janma

She who nourishes should herself be cared for. The woman carries the child in her womb. The father cares for the child from its birth onward, and in caring for the child he cares for himself, for the continuance of these worlds; so these worlds go on. That is his second birth.

सोऽस्यायमात्मा पुण्येभ्यः कर्मभ्यः प्रतिधीयते । अथास्यायामितर आत्मा कृतकृत्यो वयोगतः प्रैति । स इतः प्रयन्नेव पुनर्जायते तदस्य तृतीयं जन्म

so'syāyamātmā puṇyebhyaḥ karmabhyaḥ pratidhīyate | athāsyāyāmitara ātmā kṛtakṛtyo vayogataḥ praiti | sa itaḥ prayanneva punarjāyate tadasya tṛtīyaṃ janma

This self of his, the son, is set in his place to carry on the holy works. Then the father's other self, his duties done and his years complete, departs. Departing from here, he is born again. That is his third birth.

तदुक्तमृषिणा गर्भे नु सन्नन्वेषामवेदमहं देवानां जनिमानि विश्वा शतं मा पुर आयसीररक्षन्नधः श्येनो जवसा निरदीयमिति । गर्भ एवैतच्छयानो वामदेव एवमुवाच

taduktamṛṣiṇā garbhe nu sannanveṣāmavedamahaṃ devānāṃ janimāni viśvā śataṃ mā pura āyasīrarakṣannadhaḥ śyeno javasā niradīyamiti | garbha evaitacchayāno vāmadeva evamuvāca

So the rishi said: while still in the womb I knew all the births of these devas. A hundred iron fortresses held me, yet like a hawk I broke out swiftly. Vamadeva spoke thus while yet lying in the womb.

स एवं विद्वानस्माच्छरीरभेदादूर्ध्व उत्क्रम्यामुष्मिन् स्वर्गे लोके सर्वान् कामानाप्त्वाऽमृतः समभवत् समभवत्

sa evaṃ vidvānasmāccharīrabhedādūrdhva utkramyāmuṣmin svarge loke sarvān kāmānāptvā'mṛtaḥ samabhavat samabhavat

Knowing this, when the body fell away he rose upward, and in the heavenly world, having gained all desires, he became immortal, he became immortal.