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Chandogya Upanisad
Chapter Eight
2. Both gods and demons came to know of this. They said, 'Come, we will seek for the self, since by knowing the self one attains all worlds and all desires.' Of the gods, Indra set forth, and of the demons, Virocana, and unbeknown to one another, they came into Prajapati's presence with firewood in their hands.
3. For thirty-two years they lived as brahmacarins. Then Prajapati asked them, 'What did you want, that you came to stay here'
They said, 'Folk report your saying, blessed one: "One must seek for and want to know the self, which is free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, without hunger, without thirst, of true desire, of true resolve. The one who has found and knows the self attains all worlds and all desires." That is what we wanted, that we came to stay here.'
4. Prajapati said to them, 'The person who is seen in the eye is the self.' He said, 'This is the immortal, the fearless: this is brahman.'
'Then, blessed one, which is it, the one that is discerned in water, or the one that is discerned in a mirror'
'It is discerned in all places,' he said.
VIII. 8
1. 'Look at yourselves (atman) in a dish of water, then tell me what you do not understand about the self.' They looked in a dish of water. Prajapati asked them, 'What do you see?'
They said, 'Blessed one, we see ourselves in reflection, from hair to nails.'
2. Prajapati said to them, 'Make yourselves smart, well-dressed and elegant, and look in a dish of water.' They made themselves smart, well-dressed and elegant, and looked in a dish of water. Prajapati asked them, 'What do you see?'
3. They said, 'Blessed one, just as we are smart, well-dressed and elegant, so these, blessed one, are smart, well-dressed and elegant.'
'This is the self,' he said. 'This is the immortal, the fearless: this is brahman.' And they left, their hearts at peace.
4. Seeing them, Prajapati said, 'They are leaving without attaining or knowing the self. Those who have this as their inner teaching, whether gods or demons, will be defeated.'
Virocana went to the demons, his heart at peace, and taught them this inner teaching: 'The self must be glorified, the self must be served here. Glorifying and serving the self here, one attains both world, this one and that one.'
5. So even here, today, they say of one who does not give, does not have faith, does not sacrifice, 'Alas! He is demonic!' for this inner teaching belongs to the demons. Folk make ready the body of the departed with alms, clothing and adornments, and think that they will win that world by means of this one.
VIII.9
1. But before he had reached the gods, Indra saw the danger: 'When the body is smart, it is smart. When the body is well-dressed, it is well-dressed. When the body is elegant, it is elegant. But in the same way, when the body is blind, it is blind. When the body is lame, it is lame. When the body is mutilated, it is mutilated. On the destruction of the body, it is destroyed. I see no satisfaction.
2. He went back with firewood in his hands. Prajapati said to him, 'Maghavan, you went away Virocana, your heart at peace. So what did you want, that you came back?'
He said, 'Blessed one, when the body is smart, it is smart. When the body is well-dressed, it is well-dressed. When the body is blind, it is blind. When the body is lame, it is lame. When the body lame, it is lame. When the body is mutilated, it is mutilated. On the destruction of the body, it is destroyed. I see no satisfaction here.'
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