With regard to the Upanishad, we must distinguish between the Aitareya-upanishad, properly so-called, which fills the fourth, fifth, and sixth adhyâyas of the second Âranyaka, and the Mahaitareya-upanishad[1], also called by a more general name Bahvrika-upanishad, which comprises the whole of the second and third Âranyakas.
The Persian translator seems to have confined himself to the second Âranyaka[2], to which he gives various titles, Sarbsar, Asarbeh, Antrteheh. That Antrteheh انترته is a misreading of ایتژره was pointed out long ago by Burnouf, and the same explanation applies probably to اسرره, asarbeh, and if to that, then to Sarbsar also. No explanation has ever been given why the Aitareya-upanishad should haye been called Sarvasâra, which Professor Weber thinks was corrupted into Sarbsar. At all events the Aitareya-upanishad is not the Sarvasdra-upanishad, the Oupnek'hat Sarb, more correctly called Sarvopanishatsira, and ascribed either to the Taittiriyaka or to the Atharva-veda[3].
The Aitareya-upanishad, properly so called, has been edited and translated in the Bibliotheca Indica by Dr. Röer. The whole of the Aitareya-Aranyaka with Sâyana's commentary was published in the same series by Rajendralal Mitra.
Though I have had several MSS. of the text and commentary at my disposal, I have derived little aid from them, but have throughout endeavoured to restore that text which Saṅkara (the pupil of Govinda) and Sâyana had before them. Sâyana, for the Upanishad portion, follows Saṅkara commentary, of which we have a gloss by Ânandagñâna.
Colebrooke in his Essays (vol. ii, p. 42) says that he
- ↑ This may have been the origin of a Rishi Mahaitareya, by the side of the Rishi Aitareya, mentioned in the Âsvalâyana Grihya-sûtras III. 4 (ed. Stenzler). Professor Weber takes Aitareya and Mahitareya here as names of works, but he admits that in the Sâṅkhâyana Grihya-sûtras they are clearly names of Rishis (Ind. Stud. I. p. 389)
- ↑ He translates II, 1-II, 3, 4, leaving out the rest of the third adhyâya; afterwards II, 4-II, 7.
- ↑ Bibliotheca India, the Atharvana-upanishads, p. 394.
