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Brhadaranyaka Upanisad
Chapter Three
5. 'The eye is the grasper. It is grasped by form as its over-grasper, for by the eye one sees forms.
6. 'The ear is the grasper. It is grasped by sound as its over-grasper, for by the ear one hears sounds.
7. 'The mind is the grasper. It is grasped by desire as its over-grasper, for by the mind one desires.
8. 'The hands are the grasper. It is grasped by action as its over-grasper, for by the hands one performs actions.
9. 'The skin is the grasper. It is grasped by touch as its over-grasper, for by the skin one feels touches. These are the eight graspers and the eight over-graspers.'
10. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, since all this is the food of death, who is the deity of whom death is the food?'
'Fire is death: he is the food of the waters. Whoever knows this conquers re-death.'
11. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, 'when a person dies, do his breaths go up out of him or not?'
'No,' said Yajnavalkya, 'they are gathered together just here, and he swells up, becomes inflated. The dead man lies inflated.'
12. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, 'when a person dies, what does not leave him?'
'Name'
Name is infinite; the Visvedevas are infinite; by it one wins an infinite world.
13. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, 'when a person dies, and his voice goes into fire, his breath into air, his eye into the sun, his mind into the moon, his ear into the directions, his body into the earth, his self into space, his body-hair into plants, and his head-hair into trees, and his blood and seed are placed in the waters, where is the person then?'
'Artabhaga, good man, take my hand. Just we two will know of this: it is not for us to discuss in public.'
They went away and discussed it. What they spoke of was action (karman); what they praised was action. One becomes good by good action, evil by evil action.
Then Jaratkarava Artabhaga fell silent.
III.3
1. Then Bhujyu Lahyayani questioned him. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, 'we were wandering as religious students among the Madras, and we came to the houses of Patancala Kapya. He had a daughter who was possessed by a gandharva. We asked the gandharva, "Who are you?" He said, "Sudhanvan Angirasa." When we were questioning him about the ends of the worlds, we said to him, "Where have the Pariksitas gone?"
'I ask you, Yajnavalkya, where have the Pariksitas gone?'
2. He said, 'He told you, "They have gone where those who perform the horse-sacrifice go?" You said, "Where do those who perform the horse-sacrifice go?" He said, "This world is thirty-two days' journey of the god's chariot wide, and the earth surrounds it completely, twice as wide. The ocean surrounds the earth completely, twice as wide. The space between is just as wide as the edge of a razor or the wing of a fly. Indra, becoming an eagle, hundred them over to Vayu. Vayu placed them in himself and took them where those who perform the horse-sacrifice have gone." In some such words the gandharva praised Vayu. So Vayu is individuality, Vayu is totality. Whoever knows this conquers re-death.'
Then Bhujyu Lahyayani fell silent.
III.4
1. Then Usasta Cakrayana questioned him. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, reveal to me the brahman that is manifest, not hidden, that is the self within everything.'
'It is your self that is within everything.'
'What is within everything, Yajnavalkya?'
'The one that breathes with your breath is your self that is within everything. The one that breathes down with your lower breath is your self that is within everything. The one that breathes apart with your diffused breath is your self that is within everything. The one that breathes up with your up-breath is your self that is within everything. This is your self that is within everything'.
2. Usasta Cakrayana said, 'You have explained it exactly as one might say, "This is a cow, this is a horse." Reveal to me the brahman that is manifest, not hidden, that is the self within everything.'
'It is your self that is within everything.'
'What is within everything, Yajnavalkya?'
'You cannot see the seer of seeing; you cannot hear the hearer of hearing; you cannot think of the thinker of thinking; you cannot know the knower of knowing. This is your self that is within everything. What is other than this is suffering.'
Then Usasta Cakrayana fell silent.
III.5
1. Then Kahola Kausitakeya questioned him. 'Yajnavalkya,' he said, 'reveal to me the brahman that is manifest, not hidden, that is the self within everything.'
'It is your self that is within everything.'
'What is within everything, Yajnavalkya?'
'What goes beyond hunger and thirst, grief, delusion, old age and death. Seeing the self as such, leaving behind desires for sons, desires for wealth, and desires for worlds, Brahmanas live on alms. For desire for sons is desire for wealth, and desire for wealth is desire for worlds: both are merely desires. Therefore a Brahmana should turn away from learning, and desire to live like a child. When he has turned away from both childhood and learning, he is a "silent one" (muni). When he has turned away from both non-silence and silence, he is a Brahmana.'
'By what would he become a Brahmana?'
'By whatever it might be, that is how he is. What is other than this is suffering.'
Then Kahola Kausitakeya fell silent.
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