The Chandogya Upanishad

May quietness descend upon my limbs,
My speech, my breath, my eyes, my ears,
May all my senses wax clear and strong.
May Brahman show himself unto me.
May I never deny Brahman, nor Brahman me.
I with him and he with me may we abide always together.
May there be revealed to me,
Who am devoted to Brahman,
The holy truth of the Upanishads.
Om. Peace—peace—peace.

The requirements of duty are three. The first is sacrifice, study, almsgiving; the second is austerity; the third is life as a student in the home of a teacher and the practice of continence. Together, these three lead one to the realm of the blest. But he who is firmly established in the knowledge of Brahman achieves immortality.

The light that shines above the heavens and above this world, the light that shines in the highest world, beyond which there are no others–that is the light that shines in the hearts of men.

Truly has this universe come forth from Brahman. In Brahman it lives and has its being. Assuredly, all is Brahman. Let a man, freed from the taint of passion, worship Brahman alone.

A man is, above all, his will. As is his will in this life, so does he become when he departs from it. Therefore should his will be fixed on attaining Brahman.

The Self, who is to be realized by the purified mind and the illumined consciousness, whose form is light, whose thoughts are true; who, like the ether, remains pure and unattached; from whom proceed all works, all desires, all odors, all tastes; who pervades all, who is beyond the senses, and in whom there is fullness of joy forever–he is my very Self, dwelling within the lotus of my heart.

Smaller than a grain of rice is the Self; smaller than a grain of barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed, yea, smaller even than the kernel of a canary seed. Yet again is that Self, within the lotus of my heart, greater than the earth, greater than the heavens, yea, greater than all the worlds.

He from whom proceed all works, all desires, all odors, all tastes; who pervades all, who is beyond the senses, and in whom there is fullness of joy forever–he, the heart-enshrined Self, is verily Brahman. I, who worship the Self within the lotus of my heart, will attain him at death. He who worships him, and puts his trust in him, shall surely attain him.

Said the seer Sandilya: At the moment of death a knower of Brahman should meditate on the following truths:

Thou art imperishable.
Thou art the changeless Reality.
Thou art the source of life.

This highest knowledge, the knowledge of Brahman, having drunk of which one never thirsts, did Ghora Angirasa teach to Krishna, the son of Devaki.

---

One day the boy Satyakama came to his mother and said: “Mother, I want to be a religious student. What is my family name?”

“My son,” replied his mother, “I do not know. In my youth I was a servant and worked in many places. I do not know who was your father. I am Jabala, and you are Satyakama. Call yourself Satyakama Jabala.”

Thereupon the boy went to Gautama and asked to be accepted as a student. “Of what family are you, my lad?” inquired the sage,

Satyakama replied: “I asked my mother what my family name was, and she answered: ’I do not know. In my youth I was a servant and worked in many places. I do not know who was your father. I am Jabala, and you are Satyakama. Call yourself Satyakama Jabala!’ I am therefore Satyakama Jabala, sir.”

Then said the sage: “None but a true Brahmin would have spoken thus. Go and fetch fuel, for I will teach you. You have not swerved from the truth.”

After initiating Satyakama, the sage gave him four hundred lean and sickly cattle, saying, “Take good care of these, my lad.” The boy promptly drove them toward the forest, vowing to himself that he would not return until they numbered a thousand. He dwelt in the forest for many years, and when the cattle had increased to a thousand, the bull of the herd approached him and said: “Satyakama, we have become a herd of one thousand. Do you now lead us to the house of your master, and I will teach you one foot of Brahman.”

“Speak out, please,” said Satyakama.

Then said the bull: “The east is a part of the Lord, and so is the west; the south is a part of the Lord, and so is the north. The four cardinal points form a foot of Brahman. Fire will teach you another.”

On the following day Satyakama began his journey. Toward evening he lighted a fire, and as he sat down facing the east to worship he heard a voice from the fire saying,

“Satyakama, I will teach you one foot of Brahman. This earth is a portion of Brahman. The sky and the heavens are portions of him. The ocean is a portion of him. All these form a foot of Brahman. A swan will teach you another.”

Satyakama continued his journey. On the following evening, when he had lighted his fire and seated himself facing the east to worship, a swan flew to him and said: “I have come to teach you one foot of Brahman. This lighted fire before you, O Satyakama, is a part of Brahman, and likewise the moon; the lightning, too, is a part. All these form a foot of Brahman. A loon will teach you another.”

The next evening, as Satyakama lighted his fire and seated himself facing the east to worship, a loon came near him and said: “I will teach you one foot of Brahman. Breath is a part of Brahman, sight is a part of Brahman, hearing is a part of Brahman, mind is a part of Brahman. All these form a foot of Brahman.”

At last the youth arrived at the home of his master and reverently presented himself before him. As soon as Gautama saw him, he exclaimed: “My son, your face shines Re a knower of Brahman. By whom were you taught?”

“By beings other than men,” replied Satyakama; “but I desire that you too should teach me. For I have heard from the wise that the knowledge that the Guru imparts will alone lead to the supreme good.”

Then the sage taught him that knowledge, and left nothing out.

---

Upakosala dwelt as a student in the house of Satyakama for twelve years. Though the teacher let other disciples return to their homes after they had been duly taught the way of truth, Upakosala was not allowed to depart. The wife of Satyakama entreated her husband to finish teaching him in order that he might go home like the rest, but Satyakama not only refused to do so but went off on a journey. At this Upakosala was so sad and sick at heart that he could not eat. The teacher’s wife plied him with food, and in everything treated him with tender affection, but to no avail. At last the boy cried out to her: “O mother, my heart is still so impure; I am too unhappy to eat!”

Then a voice from out the fire which he was tending said: “This life is Brahman. The sky is Brahman. Bliss is Brahman. Know thou Brahman!”

“I know that life is Brahman,” replied Upakosala. “But that the sky is Brahman, or that bliss is Brahman, I do not know.”

Again came the voice from out the fire, this time explaining that by sky was meant the lotus of the heart, wherein dwells Brahman, and that by bliss was meant the bliss of Brahman. “Both,” said the voice, “refer to Brahman”; and, continuing, it taught Upakosala thus:

“Earth, food, fire, sun—all these that you worship–are forms of Brahman. He who is seen in the sun–that one am I. He who dwells in the east, in the north, in the west, and in the south, he who dwells in the moon, in the stars, and in water–that one am I. He who dwells in the sky and makes the lightning his home–that one also am I. Know well the true nature of the world that it may never do you harm.”

Thereupon the fire, which had been only an earthly fire with which to prepare sacrifices, assumed a new aspect, and became the Lord himself. The earth was transformed; life was transformed; the sun, the moon, the stars, the lightning—everything was transformed, and deified. And thus it was that to Upakosala the true nature of all things was revealed.
In due time Satyakama returned home. When he saw Upakosala, he said:

“My son, your face shines like one who knows Brahman. Who has taught you?”

“Beings other than men,” replied Upakosala.
Then said Satyakama: “My son, what you have learned is true. True also is this that I teach you now. Lo, to him who knows it shall no evil cling, even as drops of water cling not to the leaf of the lotus:

“He who glows in the depths of your eyes–that is Brahman; that is the Self of yourself. He is the Beautiful One, he is the Luminous One. In all the worlds, forever and ever, he shines!”

---

When Svetaketu was twelve years old, his father Uddalaka said to him, “Svetaketu, you must now go to school and study. None of our family, my child, is ignorant of Brahman.”
Thereupon Svetaketu went to a teacher and studied for twelve years. After committing to memory all the Vedas, he returned home full of pride in his learning.

His father, noticing the young man’s conceit, said to him: “Svetaketu, have you asked for that knowledge by which we hear the unhearable, by which we perceive the unperceivable, by which we know the unknowable?”

“What is that knowledge, sir?” asked Svetaketu.

“My child, as by knowing one lump of clay, all things made of clay are known, the difference being only in name and arising from speech, and the truth being that all are clay; as by knowing a nugget of gold, all things made of gold are known, the difference being only in name and arising from speech, and the truth being that all are gold–exactly so is that knowledge, knowing which we know all.”

“But surely those venerable teachers of mine are ignorant of this knowledge; for if they had possessed it, they would have taught it to me. Do you therefore, sir, give me that knowledge.”

“Be it so,” said Uddalaka, and continued thus:

“In the beginning there was Existence, One only, without a second. Some say that in the beginning there was nonexistence only, and that out of that the universe was born. But how could such a thing be? How could existence be born of non-existence? No, my son, in the beginning there was Existence alone–One only, without a second. He, the One, thought to himself: Let me be many, let me grow forth. Thus out of himself he projected the universe; and having projected out of himself the universe, he entered into every being. All that is has its self in him alone. Of all things he is the subtle essence. He is the truth. He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.”

“Be it so, my child:

“As the bees make honey by gathering juices from many flowering plants and trees, and as these juices reduced to one honey do not know from what flowers they severally come, similarly, my son, all creatures, when they are merged in that one Existence, whether in dreamless sleep or in death, know nothing of their past or present state, because of the ignorance enveloping them–know not that they are merged in him and that from him they came.

“Whatever these creatures are, whether a lion, or a tiger, or a boar, or a worm, or a gnat, or a mosquito, that they remain after they come back from dreamless sleep.

“All these have their self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.”

“Be it so, my son:

“The rivers in the east flow eastward, the rivers in the west flow westward, and all enter into the sea. From sea to sea they pass, the clouds lifting them to the sky as vapor and sending them down as rain. And as these rivers, when they are united with the sea, do not know whether they are this or that river, likewise all those creatures that I have named, when they have come back from Brahman, know not whence they came.

“All those beings have their self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.”

“Be it so, my child:

“If someone were to strike once at the root of this large tree, it would bleed, but live. If he were to strike at its stem, it would bleed, but live. If he were to strike at the top, it would bleed, but live. Pervaded by the living Self, this tree stands firm, and takes its food; but if the Self were to depart from one of its branches, that branch would wither; if it were to depart from a second, that would wither; if it were to depart from a third, that would wither. If it were to depart from the whole tree, the whole tree would wither.

“Likewise, my son, know this: The body dies when the Self leaves it–but the Self dies not.

“All that is has its self in him alone. He is the truth. He is the subtle essence of all. He is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.”

“Be it so. Bring a fruit of that Nyagrodha tree.”

“Here it is, sir.”

“Break it.”

“It is broken, sir.”

“What do you see?”

“Some seeds, extremely small, sir.”

“Break one of them.”

“It is broken, sir.”

“What do you see?”

“Nothing, sir.”

“The subtle essence you do not see, and in that is the whole of the Nyagrodha tree. Believe, my son, that that which is the subtle essence–in that have all things their existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.”

“Be it so. Put this salt in water, and come to me tomorrow morning.”
Svetaketu did as he was bidden. The next morning his father asked him to bring the salt which he had put in the water. But he could not, for it had dissolved. Then said Uddalaka:

“Sip the water, and tell me how it tastes.”

“It is salty, sir.”

“In the same way,” continued Uddalaka, “though you do not see Brahman in this body, he is indeed here. That which is the subtle essence–in that have all things their existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self,” said the youth again.

“Be it so, my child:

“As a man may be blindfolded, and led away, and left in a strange place; and as, having been so dealt with, he turns in every direction and cries out for someone to remove his bandages and show him the way home; and as one thus entreated may loose his bandages and give him comfort; and as thereupon he walks from village to village, asking his way as he goes; and as he arrives home at last–just so does a man who meets with an illumined teacher obtain true knowledge.

“That which is the subtle essence–in that have all beings their existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, O Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

“Please, sir, tell me more about this Self.”

“Be it so, my child:

“When a man is fatally ill, his relations gather round him and ask, ’Do you know me? Do you know me? Now until his speech is merged in his mind, his mind in his breath, his breath in his vital heat, his vital heat in the Supreme Being, he knows them. But when his speech is merged in his mind, his mind in his breath, his breath in his vital heat, his vital heat in the Supreme Being, then he does not know them.

“That which is the subtle essence–in that have all beings their existence. That is the truth. That is the Self. And that, O Svetaketu, THAT ART THOU.”

---

Narada once came to Sanatkumara and asked to be taught. To Sanatkumara’s question, “What have you already studied?” Narada replied that he had studied an the branches of learning—art, science, music, and philosophy, as well as the sacred scriptures. “But,” said he, “I have gained no peace. I have studied all this, but the Self I do not know. I have heard from great teachers like you that he who knows the Self overcomes grief. Grief is ever my lot. Help me, I pray you, to overcome it.”

Sanatkumara said: “Whatever you have read is only name. Meditate on name as Brahman.”

Narada asked: “Is there anything higher than name?”

“Yes, speech is higher than name. It is through speech that we come to know the many branches of learning, that we come to know what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is untrue, what is good and what is bad, what is pleasant and what is unpleasant. For if there were no speech, neither right nor wrong would be known, neither the true nor the false, neither the good nor the bad, neither the pleasant nor the unpleasant. Speech makes us know all this. Meditate on speech as Brahman.”

“Sir, is there anything higher than speech?”

“Yes, mind is higher than speech. As the closed fist holds two amalaka fruits or two kola fruits or two aksha fruits, so does mind hold name and speech. For if a man thinks in his mind to study the sacred hymns, he studies them; if he thinks in his mind to do certain deeds, he does them; if he thinks in his mind to gain family and wealth, he gains them; if he thinks in his mind to be happy in this world and the next, he is happy, here and there. Mind is the chief inner organ of the Self. Mind is the means to happiness. Meditate on mind as Brahman.”

“Sir, is there anything higher than mind?”

“Yes, will is higher than mind. For when a man wills, he thinks in his mind; and when he thinks in his mind, he puts forth speech; and when he puts forth speech, he clothes his speech in words. All these, therefore, center in will, consist of will, and abide in will. Meditate on will as Brahman.”

“Sir, is there anything higher than will?”

“Yes, discriminating will is higher than will. For when a man discriminates by analyzing his past experiences and considering on the basis of these what may come in the future, he rightly wills in the present. Meditate on discriminating will as Brahman.”

“Sir, is there anything higher than discriminating will?”

“Yes, concentration is higher than discriminating will. Those who reach greatness here on earth reach it through concentration. Thus, while small and vulgar people are always gossiping and quarreling and for lack of concentration abusing one another, great men, possessing it, obtain their reward. Meditate on concentration as Brahman.”

“Sir, is there anything higher than concentration?”

“Yes, insight is higher than concentration. Through insight we understand all branches of learning, and we understand what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false, what is good and what is bad, what is pleasant and what is unpleasant. This world and the other worlds we understand through insight. Meditate on insight as Brahman.”

In like manner Sanatkumara taught Narada to meditate on Brahman as power, as food, as water, as fire, as ether, and to meditate on him as memory, as hope, and as the principle of life.
Then said Sanatkumara: “But, verily, he is the true knower–who knows eternal Truth.”

“Revered sir, I wish to be a true knower.”

“Then ask to know of that infinite Reality.”

“Sir, I ask to know of it.”

“It is only when a man has realized eternal Truth that he declares it. He who reflects upon it realizes it. Without reflection it is not realized.

“And only he who has faith and reverence reflects on eternal Truth.

“And only he who attends on a Guru gains faith and reverence.

“And only he attends on a Guru who struggles to achieve self-control.

“And only he struggles to achieve self-control who finds joy in it. Ask to know of this joy.”

“Sir, I ask to know of it.”

“The Infinite is the source of joy. There is no joy in the finite. Only in the Infinite is there joy. Ask to know of the Infinite.”

“Sir, I ask to know of it.”

“Where one sees nothing but the One, hears nothing but the One, knows nothing but the One–there is the Infinite. Where one sees another, hears another, knows another–there is the finite. The Infinite is immortal, the finite is mortal.”

“In what does the Infinite rest?”

“In its own glory–nay, not even in that. In the world it is said that cows and horses, elephants and gold, slaves, wives, fields, and houses are man’s glory–but these are poor and finite things. How shall the Infinite rest anywhere but in itself?

“The Infinite is below, above, behind, before, to the right, to the left. I am all this. This Infinite is the Self. The Self is below, above, behind, before, to the right, to the left. I am all this. One who knows, meditates upon, and realizes the truth of the Self–such an one delights in the Self, revels in the Self, rejoices in the Self. He becomes master of himself, and master of all the worlds. Slaves are they who know not this truth.

“He who knows, meditates upon, and realizes this truth of the Self, finds that everything–primal energy, ether, fire, water, and all other elements–mind, will, speech, sacred hymns and scriptures–indeed the whole universe–issues forth from it.

“It is written: He who has realized eternal Truth does not see death, nor illness, nor pain; he sees everything as the Self, and obtains all.

“The Self is one, and it has become all things.

“When the senses are purified, the heart is purified; when the heart is purified, there is constant and unceasing remembrance of the Self; when there is constant and unceasing remembrance of the Self, all bonds are loosed and freedom is attained.”

Thus the venerable Sanatkumara taught Narada, who was pure in heart, how to pass from darkness into light.

---

Within the city of Brahman, which is the body, there is the heart, and within the heart there is a little house. This house has the shape of a lotus, and within it dwells that which is to be sought after, inquired about, and realized.

What then is that which, dwelling within this little house, this lotus of the heart, is to be sought after, inquired about, and realized?

As large as the universe outside, even so large is the universe within the lotus of the heart. Within it are heaven and earth, the sun, the moon, the lightning, and all the stars. What is in the macrocosm is in this microcosm.

All things that exist, all beings and all desires, are in the city of Brahman; what then becomes of them when old age approaches and the body dissolves in death?

Though old age comes to the body, the lotus of the heart does not grow old. At death of the body, it does not die. The lotus of the heart, where Brahman exists in all his glory–that, and not the body, is the true city of Brahman. Brahman, dwelling therein, is untouched by any deed, ageless, deathless, free from grief, free from hunger and from thirst. His desires are right desires, and his desires are fulfilled.

As here on earth all the wealth that one earns is but transitory, so likewise transitory are the heavenly enjoyments acquired by the performance of sacrifices. Therefore those who die without having realized the Self and its right desires find no permanent happiness in any world to which they go; while those who have realized the Self and its right desires find permanent happiness everywhere.

If the sage desires to see his fathers of the spirit-world, lo, his fathers come to meet him. In their company he is happy.

And if he desires to see his mothers of the spirit-world, lo, his mothers come to meet him. In their company he is happy.

And if he desires to see his brothers of the spirit-world, lo, his brothers come to meet him. In their company he is happy.

And if he desires to see his sisters of the spirit-world, lo, his sisters come to meet him. In their company he is happy.

And if he desires to see his friends of the spirit-world, lo, his friends come to meet him. In their company he is happy.

And if he desires heavenly perfumes and garlands, lo, heavenly perfumes and garlands come to him. In their possession he is happy.

And if he desires heavenly food and drink, lo, heavenly food and drink come to him. In their possession he is happy.

And if he desires heavenly song and music, lo, heavenly song and music come to him. In their possession he is happy.

Indeed, whatsoever such a knower of Brahman may desire, straightway it is his; and having obtained it, he is exalted of men. The fulfillment of right desires is within reach of everyone, but a veil of illusion obstructs the ignorant. That is why, though they desire to see their dead, their beloved, they cannot see them.

Do we wish for our beloved, among the living or among the dead, or is there aught else for which we long, yet, for all our longing, do not obtain? lo, all shall be ours if we but dive deep within, even to the lotus of the heart, where dwells the Lord. Yea, the object of every right desire is within our reach, though unseen, concealed by a veil of illusion.
As one not knowing that a golden treasure lies buried beneath his feet, may walk over it again and again, yet never find it, so all beings live every moment in the city of Brahman, yet never find him, because of the veil of illusion by which he is concealed.

The Self resides within the lotus of the heart. Knowing this, devoted to the Self, the sage enters daily that holy sanctuary.

Absorbed in the Self, the sage is freed from identity with the body and lives in blissful consciousness. The Self is the immortal, the fearless; the Self is Brahman. This Brahman is eternal Truth.

The Self within the heart is like a boundary which divides the world from THAT. Day and night cross not that boundary, nor old age, nor death; neither grief nor pleasure, neither good nor evil deeds. All evil shuns THAT. For THAT is free from impurity: by impurity can it never be touched.

Wherefore he who has crossed that boundary, and has realized the Self, if he is blind, ceases to be blind; if he is wounded, ceases to be wounded; if he is afflicted, ceases to be afflicted. When that boundary is crossed, night becomes day; for the world of Brahman is light itself.

And that world of Brahman is reached by those who practice continence. For the knower of eternal truth knows it through continence. And what is known as worship, that also is continence. For a man worships the Lord by continence, and thus attains him.

What is called salvation is really continence. For through continence man is freed from ignorance. And what is known as the vow of silence, that too is continence. For a man through continence realizes the Self and lives in quiet contemplation.

What people call dwelling in the forest, that is continence.

In the world of Brahman there is a lake whose waters are like nectar, and whosoever tastes thereof is straightway drunk with joy; and beside that lake is a tree which yields the juice of immortality. Into this world they cannot enter who do not practice continence.

For the world of Brahman belongs to those who practice continence. They alone enter that world and drink from that lake of nectar. For them there is freedom in all the worlds.

---

It was said of old:

The Self, which is free from impurities, from old age and death, from grief, from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing but what it ought to desire, and resolves nothing but what it ought to resolve, is to be sought after, is to be inquired about, is to be realized. He who learns about the Self and realizes it obtains all the worlds and all desires.

The gods and demons both heard of this truth, and they thought to themselves, “Let us seek after and realize this Self, so that we may obtain all the worlds and all desires.”

Thereupon Indra from the gods, and Virochana from the demons, went to Prajapati, the renowned teacher. For thirty two years they lived with him as pupils. Then Prajapati asked them why they had both lived with him so long.

“We have heard,” they replied, “that one who realizes the Self obtains all the worlds and all desires. We have lived here because we want to learn of this Self.”

Then said Prajapati: “That which is seen in the eye–that is the Self. That is immortal, that is fearless, and that is Brahman.”

“Sir,” inquired the disciples, “is that the Self which is seen reflected in the water, or in a mirror?”

“The Self is indeed seen reflected in these,” was the reply. Then Prajapati added, “Look at yourselves in the water, and whatever you do not understand, come and tell me about it.”
Indra and Virochana gazed on their reflections in the water, and returning to the sage, they said: “Sir, we have seen the Self; we have seen even the hair and the nails.”

Then Prajapati bade them don their finest clothes and look again in the water. This they did, and returning to the sage, they said: “We have seen the Self, exactly like ourselves, well adorned and in our finest clothes.”

To which Prajapati rejoined: “The Self is indeed seen in these. The Self is immortal and fearless, and it is Brahman.” And the pupils went away well pleased.

But Prajapati, looking after them, lamented thus: “Both of them departed without analyzing or discriminating, and without truly comprehending the Self. Whosoever follows a false doctrine of the Self will perish.”

Now Virochana, satisfied for his part that he had found out the Self, returned to the demons and began to teach them that the body alone is to be worshiped, that the body alone is to be served, and that he who worships the body and serves the body gains both worlds, this and the next. Such doctrine is, in very truth, the doctrine of the demons!

But Indra, on his way back to the gods, realized the uselessness of this knowledge. “As this Self,” he reasoned, “seems to be well adorned when the body is well adorned, well dressed when the body is well dressed, so will it be blind when the body is blind, lame when the body is lame, deformed when the body is deformed. When the body dies, this same Self will also die! In such knowledge I can see no good.”

So he returned to Prajapati and asked for further instruction. Prajapati required him to live with him for another thirty-two years, after which time he taught him thus:

“That which moves about in dreams, enjoying sensuous delights and clothed in glory, that is the Self. That is immortal, that is fearless, and that is Brahman.”

Pleased with what he had heard, Indra again departed. But before he had reached the other gods he realized the uselessness of this knowledge also. “True it is,” he thought to himself, “that this Self is not blind when the body is blind, nor lame or hurt when the body is lame or hurt. But even in dreams it is conscious of many sufferings. So in this doctrine also I can see no good.”

So he went back to Prajapati for further instruction. Prajapati now bade him live with him for another thirty-two years, and when the time had passed taught him, saying, “When a man is sound asleep, free from dreams, and at perfect rest–that is the Self. The Self is immortal and fearless, and it is Brahman.”

Indra vent away. But before he had reached his home, he felt the uselessness even of this knowledge. “In reality,” thought he, “one does not know oneself as this or as that while asleep. One is not conscious, in fact, of any existence at all. The state of one in deep sleep is next to annihilation. I can see no good in this knowledge either.”

So once more Indra went back to Prajapati, who bade him stay with him yet five years, and when the time had passed, made known to him the highest truth of the Self, saying:

“This body is mortal, always gripped by death, but within it dwells the immortal Self. This Self, when associated in our consciousness with the body, is subject to pleasure and pain; and so long as this association continues, freedom from pleasure and pain can no man find. But as this association ceases, there cease also the pleasure and the pain.

“Rising above physical consciousness, knowing the Self to be distinct from the senses and the mind–knowing it in its true light–one rejoices and is free.”

The gods, the luminous ones, meditate on the Self, and by so doing obtain all the worlds and all desires. In like manner, whosoever among mortals knows the Self, meditates upon it, and realizes it–he too obtains all the worlds and all desires.