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N. M. Kansara
(Sraddha) i.e. Water, Soma, Rain (vrsti), Semen (retas), and Foetus (garbha) are said to respectively give rise to Soma, Rain, Semen, Foetus, and Person.
Further, the Upani şad adds that those who know this doctrine of five fires, and those who stay in the forest and meditate on faith as austerity (or with faith and austerity) go to the light and from light to the day, from day to the brighter half of the month of the waxing moon), from the brighter half of the month to the six months during which the sun moves northward, from those months to the year, from the year to the sun, from sup to the moon, and from the moon to the lightoing. In the lightning, there is a person who is non-human. He leads them to Brahma. This is the path leading to the gods.5
With reference to the path of the fathers, the Upanişad elaborates as follows: But those, who in the village practise a life of sacrifices and perform works of public utility and almsgiving they pass into the smoke, from smoke to night, from night to the latter dark half of the month, from the dark half of the month to the six months in which the sun moves southwards, but they do not reach the year. From those months they go to the world of the fathers, from the world of the fathers to the space from space to the moon. That is the king Soma. That is the food of gods. That the gods eat. Having dwelt there as long as there is residue of good works they return again by that course by which they came to space, from space into air; and after having become air they become smoke; after having become smoke, they become mist. After having become mist they become cloud, after having become cloud they rain down. They are born here as rice and barley, borbs and trees, as sesamum plants and beans. From thence release becomes extremely difficult for whoever eats the food and sows the seed he becomes like unto him. Those whose conduct here has been good will quickly attain the good birth of a Brāhmin, a Ksatriya or a Vaiśya. But those whose conduct here has been evil, will quickly attain an evil birth of a dog, a hog or a Caņdāla.
But on neither of these ways are those small creatures which are continually revolving those of whom it is said be borne and die. Thoir's is a third state. By this it comes about that world becomes full. Therefore let one seek to guard himself.?
And finally the Upanişad adds that he who knows these five fires thus is not stained by evil ... ... He becomes pure, clean and obtains a virtuous world.
Coming to the Brahmasūtras, in III.i., we find that the first sutra starts with the proposition that the soul departs from the body enveloped
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