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Chandogya Upanisad
Chapter Six
7. 'What seemed unknown they knew as the combination of these deities. Good lad, learn from me how those three deities become threefold-each one threefold-when they come into contact with the person.
VI.5
1. 'Food, once eaten, is divided into three. The grossest element becomes faces; the middling, flesh; the subtlest, mind.
2. 'Water, once drunk, is divided into three. The grossest element becomes urine; the middling, blood; the subtlest, breath.
3. 'Heat, once consumed, is divided into three. The grossest element becomes bone; the middling, marrow; the subtlest, speech.
4. 'Good lad, the mind is made of food, the breath is made of water, the speech is made of heat.'
'Blessed one, explain it to me further.'
'I will, good lad,' he said.
VI.6
1. 'Good lad, when soured milk is churned, the subtle part of it rises to the top. That becomes butter.
2. 'In the same way, good lad, when food is eaten, the subtle part of it rises to the top. That becomes mind.
3. 'Good lad, when water is drunk, the subtle part of it rises to the top. That becomes breath.
4. 'Good lad, when heat is consumed, the subtle part of it rises to the top. That becomes speech.
5. 'Good lad, the mind is made of food, the breath is made of water, the speech is made of heat.'
'Blessed one, explain it to me further.'
'I will, good lad,' he said.
VI. 7
1. 'Good lad, the person has sixteen fractions. Do not eat for fifteen days, but drink water as you wish. The breath is made of water. If you not drink, your breath will be cut off.'
2. For fifteen days he did not eat. Then he approached him, saying, 'Father, what shall I say?'
'Rc verses, yajus verses and saman verses, good lad,' he said.
'They do not come clear to me, father.'
3. He said to him, 'Good lad, just as when only one ember, the size of a firefly, is left of a great fire, it cannot burn anything big, now that you, good lad, have only one fraction left of your sixteen fractions, you have not the strength for the Vedas. Eat, and you will understand me.'
4. He ate, then approached him. Then he understood whatever he asked him.
5. He said to him, 'Good lad, just as when only one ember, the size of a firefly, is left of a great fire, one can make it blaze up by feeding it with grass, and then it can burn something big,
6. 'So, good lad, one fraction was left of your sixteen fractions: when fed with food, it blazed up, and so you have the strength for the Vedas. Good lad, the mind is made of food, the breath is made of water, the speech is made of heat.'
Then he understood his teaching: he understood.
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