|
The Upanishads: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: Part Four Chapter I: Partial Definitions of Brahman
|
|
{2}
Yajnavalkya said: "Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you." "Jitvan, the son of Silina, told me that the organ of speech (fire) is Brahman." "As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the son of Silina say that the organ of speech is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who cannot speak? But did he tell you about its abode (body) and support?" "No, he did not." "This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty." "Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya." "The physical organ of speech is its abode and the akasa is its support. It should be mediated upon as intelligence." "What is intelligence, O Yajnavalkya?" "It is the organ of speech, Your Majesty," said Yajnavalkya. "Through the organ of speech alone, O Emperor, are known the Rig-Veda, the Yagur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharvangirasa, history, ancient lore, the arts, the Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, explanations, commentaries, the results of sacrifices, the result of offering oblations in the fire, the results of giving food and drink, this world, the next world and all beings. "The organ of speech, Your Majesty, is the Supreme Brahman. The organ of speech never deserts him who, knowing this, meditates upon it; all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods." "I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant," said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: "My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him."
|
{3}
Yajnavalkya said: "Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you." "Udanka, the son of Sulba, told me that the vital breath (prana) is Brahman." "As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the son of Sulba say that the vital breath is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who does not live? But did he tell you about its abode and support?" "No, he did not." "This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty." "Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya." "The vital breath is its abode and the akasa is its support. It should be meditated upon as dear." "What is that dearness, O Yajnavalkya?" "It is the vital breath, Your Majesty," said Yajnavalkya. "For the sake of that vital breath (life), O Emperor, one performs sacrifices for him for whom they should not be performed and accepts gifts from him from whom they should not be accepted; nay, for the sake of the vital breath, O Emperor, one may go to a quarter where one runs the risk of losing one's life. "The vital breath, O Emperor, is the Supreme Brahman. The vital breath never deserts him who, knowing what has just been said, meditates upon it; all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods." "I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant," said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: "My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him."
|
{4}
Yajnavalkya said: "Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you. "Barku, the son of Vrishna, told me that the eye is Brahman." "As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the son of Vrishna say that the eye is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who cannot see? But did he tell you about its abode and support?" "No, he did not." "This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty." "Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya." "The eye is its abode and the akasa is its support. It should be meditated upon as truth." "What is truth, O Yajnavalkya?" "It is the eye, Your Majesty," said Yajnavalkya. "Verily, Your Majesty, if one asks a person who has seen with his eyes: 'Have you seen?' and he answers: 'Yes, I have,' then it is true. "The eye, Your Majesty, is the Supreme Brahman. The eye never deserts him who, knowing what has just been said, meditates upon it; all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods." "I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant," said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: "My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him."
|
{5}
Yajnavalkya said: "Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you." "Gardabhivipita, a descendant of Bharadvaja, told me that the ear is Brahman." "As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the descendant of Bharadvaja say that the ear is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who cannot hear? But did he tell you about its abode and support?" "No, he did not." "This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty." "Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya." "The ear is its abode and the akasa is its support. It should be meditated upon as infinite." "What is infinity, O Yajnavalkya?" "It is the quarters, Your Majesty," said Yajnavalkya. "Verily, Your Majesty, to whatever quarter (direction) one may go, one never reaches its end. Hence the quarters are infinite. The quarters, O Emperor, are the ear and the ear, O Emperor, is the Supreme Brahman. "The ear never deserts him who, knowing this, meditates upon it; all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods." "I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant," said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: "My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him."
|
{6}
Yajnavalkya said: "Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you." "Satyakama, the son of Jabala, told me that the mind is Brahman." "As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the son of Jaa say that the mind is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who has no mind? But did he tell you about its abode and support?" "No, he did not." "This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty." "Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya." "The mind is its abode and the akasa is its support. It should be meditated upon as bliss." "What is bliss, O Yajnavalkya ?" "It is the mind, Your Majesty," said Yajnavdkya. "Verily, Your Majesty, with the mind a man desires and woos a woman; then a son resembling him is born of her and he is the cause of bliss. The mind, O Emperor, is the Supreme Brahman. "The mind never deserts him who, knowing this, meditates upon it; all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods." "I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant," said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: "My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him."
|
{7}
Yajnavalkya said: "Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you." "Vidaghdha, the son of Sakala, told me that the heart is Brahman." "As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the son of Sakala say that the heart is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who is without a heart? But did he tell you about its abode and support?" "No, he did not." "This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty." "Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya." "The heart is its abode and the akasa is its support. It should be meditated upon as stability." "What is stability, O Yajnavalkya?" "It is the heart," said Yajnavalkya. "Verily, Your Majesty, the heart is the abode of all beings and the heart, Your Majesty, is the support of all beings. The heart, O Emperor, is the Supreme Brahman. "The heart never deserts him who, knowing this, meditates upon it; all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods." "I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant," said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: "My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him."
|
|
The Upanishads: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: Part Four Chapter II: Concerning The Self
|
|
{1}
Janaka, Emperor of Videha, rose from his lounge, humbly approached Yajnavalkya and said: "Salutation to you, O Yajnavalkya. Please instruct me." Yajnavalkya said: "Your Majesty, as one who wishes to go a long distance would procure a chariot or a ship, even so you have fully equipped your mind with so many secret names of Brahman. You are also honoured and wealthy; you have studied the Vedas and heard the Upanishads. But do you know where you will go when you are released from this body?" "Venerable Sir, I do not know where I shall go." "Then I will tell you where you will go." "Tell me, venerable Sir."
|
{2}
"The person who is in the right eye is named Indha. Though he is Indha, people call him by the indirect name Indra; for the gods are fond of indirect names and hate to be addressed directly.
|
{3}
"The person who is in the left eye is his wife, Viraj (matter). The akasa that lies within the heart is their place of union. Their food is the lump (pinda) of blood in the heart. Their wrap is the net-like structure in the heart. The path on which they move from sleep to waking is the nerve that goes upward from the heart; it is like a hair split into a thousand parts. In the body there are nerves called hita, which are placed in the heart. Through these the essence of our food passes as it moves on. Therefore the subtle body (Taijasa) receives finer food than the gross body (Vaisvanara).
|
{4}
"Of the illumined sage who is identified with Prajna in deep sleep the east is the eastern vital breath (prana), the south is the southern vital breath, the west is the western vital breath, the north is the northern vital breath, the upper direction is the upper vital breath, the direction below is the nether vital breath and all the directions are all the vital breaths. "This self is That which has been described as 'Not this, not this.' It is imperceptible, for It is never perceived; undecaying, for It never decays; unattached, for It is never attached; unfettered, for It never feels pain and never suffers injury. "Verily, O Janaka, you have attained That which is free from fear," said Yajnavalkya. "Venerable Yajnavalkya," said Emperor Janaka, "may that fearless Brahman be yours too, for you have made known to us the fearless Brahman. Salutations to you! Here is the Empire of Videha and also myself at your service."
|
|
The Upanishads: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: Part Four Chapter III: Investigation of the Three States
|
|
{1}
Yajnavalkya called on Janaka, Emperor of Videha. He said to himself: "I will not say anything." But once upon a time Janaka, Emperor of Videha and Yajnavalkya had had a talk about the Agnihotra sacrifice and Yajnavalkya had offered him a boon. Janaka had chosen the right to ask him any questions he wished and Yajnavalkya had granted him the boon. So it was the Emperor who first questioned him.
|
{2}
"Yajnavalkya, what serves as light for a man?" "The light of the sun, O Emperor," said Yajnavalkya, "for with the sun as light he sits, goes out, works and returns." "Just so, Yajnavalkya."
|
{3}
"When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya, what serves as light for a man?" "The moon serves as his light, for with the moon as light he sits, goes out, works and returns." "Just so, Yajnavalkya."
|
{4}
"When the sun has set and the moon has set, Yajnavalkya, what serves as light for a man?" "Fire serves as his light, for with fire as light he sits, goes out, works and returns." "Just so, Yajnavalkya."
|
{5}
"When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya and the moon has set and the fire has gone out, what serves as light for a man?" "Speech (sound) serves as his light, for with speech as light he sits, goes out, works and returns. Therefore, Your Majesty, when one cannot see even one's own hand, yet when a sound is uttered, one can go there." "Just so, Yajnavalkya."
|
{6}
"When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya and the moon has set and the fire has gone out and speech has stopped, what serves as light for a man?" "The self, indeed, is his light, for with the self as light he sits, goes out, works and returns."
|
{7}
"Which is the self?" "This purusha which is identified with the intellect (vijnanamaya) and is in the midst of the orgams, the self-indulgent light within the heart (intellect). Assuming the likeness of the intellect, it wansers between the two worlds; it thinks, as it were and moves, as it were being indetified with dreasm, it trasncends this waking world, which represents the forms of death (ignorance and its effects).
|
{8}
"That person (the individual self), when he is born, that is to say, when he assumes a body, is joined with evils and when he dies, that is to say, leaves the body, he discards those evils.
|
{9}
"And there are only two states for that person: the one here in this world and the other in the next world. The third, the intermediate, is the dream state. When he is in that intermediate state, he surveys both states: the one here in this world and the other in the next world. Now, whatever support he may have for the next world, he provides himself with that and sees both evils (sufferings) and joys. "And when he dreams, he takes away a little of the impressions of this all-embracing world (the waking state), himself makes the body unconscious and creates a dream body in its place, revealing his own brightness by his own light-and he dreams. In this state the person becomes self-illumined.
|
{10}
"There are no real chariots in that state, nor animals to be yoked to them, nor roads there, but he creates the chariots, animals and roads. There are no pleasures in that state, no joys, no rejoicings, but he creates the pleasures, joys and rejoicings. There are no pools in that state, no reservoirs, no rivers, but he creates the pools, reservoirs and rivers. He indeed is the agent.
|
{11}
"Regarding this there are the following verses: 'The effulgent infinite being (purusha), who travels alone, makes the body insensible in sleep but himself remains awake and taking with him the luminous particles of the organs, watches those which lie dormant. Again he comes to the waking state.
|
|
