6.5.1 to 6.5.4
The teacher asks the student to pay attention to what he is about to say. The mind is essentially formed of food; the prana is essentially formed of water and speech is essentially formed of fire. The Upanishad captures the state of mind of the student who says, “It is very difficult for me to understand all these things. Please clarify this a little more. That I am made up of the three elements and that I have nothing in me of my own are unheard of. This is strange indeed. It looks as if I cannot exist at all independently. I am ‘somebody else’. Unbelievable! Please explain further.” “Yes, I shall tell you, in detail, dear boy. Listen attentively.”
When a person eats food, the grossest part of food becomes faeces, the less gross part becomes flesh, and the subtlest part become mind. When water is drunk, its gross part becomes urine, the middle part become blood, and the subtle part become prana. When fire, i.e., oily things are eaten, the gross part become bone, the middle part becomes marrow, and the subtle ingredient become speech. It is well known that oily food enhances the capacity of speech. The term fiery speech is often used. Thus, the mind is sustained by food, prana by water and speech by fire. Svetaketu wants to know more.
“The problem of Svetaketu is stated thus: The body is a product of all the three elements in equal proportion; the food that is taken in also contains the three elements. Each of the elements contained in the body assimilates only the corresponding element contained in the food which is taken in and so it cannot transform a different element into its own form. Hence mind cannot be taken to be the product of anything other than earth. This problem is answered by stating that after triplication every element possesses the other two elements and so any particular aspect such as mind, praṇa and speech also contains the three elements earth, water and fire.” [ Swami Swahananda. Chandogya Upanisad (p. 321). RK Math, Mylapore, Chennai. Kindle edition]
6.6.1 to 6.6.5
The teacher explains that when curd is churned, the subtlest part, i.e., butter rises upwards and become clarified butter. Likewise, eaten food is assimilated by the digestive fire and the subtle part supports the mind. In the same manner, the subtle parts of drunk water and fire (oil) respectively support prana and speech. In this way it is considered that mind is made of food, prana of water, and speech of fire. Svetaketu wants to know more.
6.7.1 to 6.7.6
A man’s mental strength has 16 parts. To explain how the food supports the mind, Svetaketu is asked to drink water but not to eat for fifteen days. He does so. He is asked to recite the Vedas he has learnt. He is unable to do so. It shows that when the food supply is stopped for 15 days, mental strength has reduced considerably and he is unable to recite. It is like a single ember left over from a huge fire cannot burn. However, due to water, prana and life are sustained. Svetaketu is asked to eat food. He does so and is now able to recite the Vedas. It is like an ember of the size of a firefly which blazes when straw is added to it. Svetaketu has understood that mind is made of food, prana of water and speech of fire.
The sixth chapter is broadly divided in two parts. The first part is from sections 1 to 7 in which Brahman is real and world is mithya is taught. In the second part from sections 8 to 16, identity of jiva and Brahman is taught by analysing the state of sleep. One enjoys sleep. The Upanishad analyses sleep.
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