SAUNDARANANDA 1.28: Going Up

ath' oda-kalashaM gRhya
teShaaM vRddhi-cikiirShayaa
muniH sa viyad utpatya
taan uvaaca nRp'-aatmajaaN

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1.28
One day, while holding a jug of water,

In his desire to nurture the princes' growth

The sage went up, into the air.

Then he said to them:

COMMENT:
Forgetting himself in his desire to help the young princes, the sage went up.

There is always something mysterious or even miraculous about a spontaneous happening like this, but when it happens it is real, not fantastic.

It is open to empirical observation, for example in the laboratory of Alexander work, that when a person forgets himself of herself, he or she tends to go up.

What we are dealing with here is not the fruit of the imagination of a JK Rowling as she sits in a coffee shop chewing her pen, nursing her coffee and dangling her legs. This is the testimony of Ashvaghosha, a buddha-ancestor whose arse was firmly anchored on a sitting cushion.

I was taught also that the most important matter was to anchor my arse to a sitting cushion. At the same time, if I have understood what Ashvaghosha is really saying in this verse, it is largely thanks to FM Alexander.

EH Johnston:
One day, in order to establish their prosperity, the sage flew up into the air with a jar of water and addressed the princes :--

Linda Covill:
One day, wishing to ensure their prosperity, the sage took a vessel containing water, flew up into the air and said to the princes:


VOCABULARY:
atha: now, then, one day etc.
uda-kalasham (acc. sg. m.): jug of water
uda: n. (only at the beginning or end of a compound) water
kalasha: m. a water-pot , pitcher , jar (the breasts of a woman are frequently compared to jars)
gRhya = abs. grah: to take, grasp

teShaam (gen. pl.): of them, their
vRddhi-cikiirShayaa (inst. sg.): because of the desire to nurture their growth
vRddhi: f. growth , increase , augmentation , rise , advancement , extension , welfare , prosperity , success , fortune , happiness
cikiirShaa: f. (from desiderative kR, to do, accomplish, cultivate) intention or desire to make or do or perform (generally ifc.)

muniH (nom. sg.): m. the sage
saH (nom. sg.): he
viyat = acc. sg. viyat: n. the sky , heaven , air , atmosphere (prob. as " that which parts asunder or forms the intermediate region between heaven and earth ")
vi-yat: mfn. (pres. part. of vi- √i) going apart or asunder
utpatya = abs. ut- √pat: to fly or jump up , fly upwards ; to ascend , rise

taan (acc. pl.): to them
uvaaca = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vac: to speak
nRp'-aatmajaan (acc. pl.): princes
nRpa: m. protector of men , prince , king , sovereign
aatma-ja: m. " born from or begotten by one's self " , a son