BOOK VI
1
Speech, eyes, ears, limbs, life, energy, come to my help. These books have Spirit for theme. I shall never deny Spirit, nor Spirit deny me. Let me be in union, communion with Spirit. When I am one with Spirit, may the laws these books proclaim live in me, may the laws live.
2
Om. Once upon a time there lived Shwetaketu, son of Uddalaka. Uddalaka said: 'My son! Find a teacher, learn; none of our family has remained a Brahman in name only.'
At twelve he found his teacher; at twenty-four, having completed the study of the Vedas, he returned home, stiff-necked, arrogant, self-willed.
Uddalaka said: 'My son! You think such a lot of yourself, but did you ask your teacher about that initiation, which makes a man bear what is not heard, think what is not thought, know what is not known?'
'What is that initiation, Lord?' said Shwetaketu.
Uddalaka said: 'By knowing a lump of clay you know all things made of clay; they differ from one another as it were in language and in name, having no reality but their clay;
'By knowing one nugget of gold you know all things made of gold; they differ from one another as it were in language and in name, having no reality but their gold;
'By knowing one piece of base metal you know all things made of that metal; they differ from one another as it were in language and in name, having no reality but that metal.
'For the like reason, after that initiation, you know everything.'
Shwetaketu said: 'My revered teacher cannot have known that; had he known it he would have told me. Therefore, Lord! teach it.'
Uddalaka said: 'I will teach it, my son!'
3
'My son! In the beginning, there was mere being, one without a second. Some say there was mere nothing, nothing whatsoever; that everything has come out of nothing.
'But how can that be true, my son,' said Uddalaka; 'how could that which is, come from that which is not?
'I put it otherwise; in the beginning there was mere being, one without a second.
'That being thought: "Would that I were many! I will create." He created light. Light thought: "Would that I were many! I will create!" Light created the waters. When anybody weeps or sweats, the tears and the sweat are created by light.
'Those waters thought: "Would that we were many! We will create!" They created food. Whenever and wherever it rains, food is abundant. Food is from water.'
4
'There are three classes of creatures: the egg-born, the womb-born, the soil-born.
'That divine Being thought: "I will go into the three gods—light, water, food. I will give them not only life, but names and shapes."
'He said: "I will make each of them threefold." He and life went into the three gods, and He gave them names and shapes.
'You shall hear, my son, how He divides each of the three gods into three, and each of these three into three again.'
5
'Whatever redness is in fire is a shape of light; whatever whiteness, a shape of water; whatever blackness, a shape of food. So fire as fire disappears, its shape is a name or way of talking; reality lies in the first three gods.
'Whatever redness is in sun is a shape of light; whatever whiteness a shape of water; whatever blackness a shape of food. So sun as sun disappears, its shape is a name or way of talking; reality lies in the first three gods.
'Whatever redness is in moon is a shape of light; whatever whiteness a shape of water; whatever blackness a shape of food. So moon as moon disappears, its shape is a name or way of talking; reality lies in the first three gods.
'Whatever redness is in lightning is a shape of light; whatever whiteness a shape of water; whatever blackness a shape of food. So lightning as lightning disappears, its shape is a name or way of talking; reality lies in the first three gods.
'The great householders of the past, men famous for their learning and wisdom, had this in mind when they said: "Let no man say there is anything we have not heard, thought, seen." They knew everything.
'They knew that redness, no matter where found, was always light, whiteness always water, blackness always food.
'They knew that a thing, no matter how strange it looked, was but some combination of those three first gods.
'My son, when the three gods enter into man, each of those three divides into three.'
6
'Food when drunk is changed into three qualities—the grossest becomes excrement; the finest mind; whatever is midway, flesh.
'Water when drunk is changed into three qualities—the grossest becomes urine; the finest becomes life; whatever is midway, blood.
'Light when we eat it in fat or oil, is changed into three qualities—the grossest becomes bone; the finest speech; whatever is midway, marrow.
'Remember, my son! mind comes from food, life comes from water, speech comes from light.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain, my son!' said Uddalaka.
7
'The finest quality of curds, when churned, rises up as butter.
'So the finest quality of the food we swallow, rises up as mind.
'The finest quality of the water we swallow, rises up as life.
'The finest quality of the light we swallow, rises up as speech.
'Remember, my son! mind comes from food, life comes from water, speech comes from light.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain, my son!' said Uddalaka.
8
'Man has sixteen phases. Abstain from food for a fortnight if you will, but drink; if you cut off drink, you cut off life.'
Shwetaketu having abstained from food for a fortnight, went to his father and said: 'What is the lesson today?'
Uddalaka asked him to repeat Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda verses.
Shwetaketu said: 'I do not remember them.'
Uddalaka said: 'A coal no bigger than a fire-fly would not make a blaze bigger than itself, so, my son, since only one of your sixteen phases remains, you cannot remember the Vedas. Now go and eat; then you will understand me.'
Shwetaketu having taken food, went to his father again, answered all his questions.
Uddalaka said: 'My son! A coal no bigger than a fire-fly if fed with hay makes a blaze bigger than itself.
'One phase that remained out of sixteen fed with food blazed up, and now you can remember the Vedas.
'Remember, my son! mind comes from food, life comes from water, speech comes from light.'
Shwetaketu understood what he said; understood what his father said.
9
Aruna's son, Uddalaka said to Swetaketu: 'My son! know the nature of sleep. When a man sleeps, he is united with that Being, that is himself. We think it enough to say that he sleeps, yet he sleeps with himself.
'A tethered bird, after flying in every direction, settles down on its perch; the mind, after wandering in every direction, settles down on its life; for, my son! mind is tethered to life.
'Know the nature of hunger and thirst. Man becomes hungry. Water brings his food to his belly. Water brings his food, as cowherd his cow, horseman his horse, general his army. Remember, my son! that body sprouts from food; could it sprout without a root?
'What is the root of all? What but food?
'Remember, my son! water is root, food its sprout; light is root, water its sprout; in the same way, that Being is root, light its sprout. All creatures have their root in that Being. He is their rock, their home.
'Man becomes thirsty. Light brings the water to his gullet, as cowherd his cow, horseman his horse, general his army. Remember, my son! that food sprouts from water; could it sprout without a root?
'What is the root of all? What but water?
'Light is root, water its sprout; that Being is root, light its sprout. All creatures have their root in that Being; He is their rock, their home. My son! I have already told you how the three first gods became each of them threefold when in contact with body. When a man is dying, his speech merges into mind, his mind into life, his life into light, his light into the one Being.
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth, He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
10
'My son! Bees create honey by gathering the sweet juices from different flowers, and mixing all into a common juice.
'And there is nothing in honey whereby the juice of a particular flower can be identified, so it is with the various creatures who merge in that Being, in deep sleep or in death.
'Whatever they may be, tiger, lion, wolf, bear, worm, moth, gnat, mosquito, they become aware of particular life when they are born into it or awake.
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
11
'My son! Rivers, flowing east and west, rise from the sea, return to the sea, become the sea itself, forget their identities.
'These creatures do not know that they have risen from that Being, or returned to that Being.
'Whatever that may be, tiger, lion, wolf, boar, worm, moth, gnat, mosquito, they become aware of particular life when they are born into it or awake.
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
12
'Strike at the hole of a tree, sap oozes but the tree lives; strike at the middle of the tree, sap oozes but the tree lives; strike at the top of the tree, sap oozes but the tree lives. The Self as life, fills the tree; it flourishes in happiness, gathering its food through its roots.
'If life leaves one branch, that branch withers. If life leaves a second branch, that branch withers. If life leaves a third branch, that branch withers. When life leaves the whole tree, the whole tree withers.
'Remember, my son! The body bereft of Self dies. Self does not die.
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
13
Uddalaka asked his son to fetch a banyan fruit.
'Here it is, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'Break it,' said Uddalaka.
'I have broken it, Lord!'
'What do you see there?'
'Little seeds, Lord!'
'Break one of them, my son!'
'It is broken, Lord!'
'What do you see there?'
'Nothing, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
Uddalaka said: 'My son! This great banyan tree has sprung up from seed so small that you cannot see it. Believe in what I say, my son!
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
14
'Put this salt into water, see me tomorrow morning,' said Uddalaka. Shwetaketu did as he was told.
Uddalaka said: 'Bring me the salt you put into water last night.'
Shwetaketu looked, but could not find it. The salt had dissolved.
Uddalaka asked his son how the top of the water tasted. Shwetaketu said: 'It is salt.'
Uddalaka asked how the middle of the water tasted. Shwetaketu said: 'It is salt.'
Uddalaka asked how the bottom of the water tasted. Shwetaketu said: 'It is salt.'
Uddalaka said: 'Throw away the water; come to me.'
Shwetaketu did as he was told and said: 'The salt will always remain in the water.'
Uddalaka said: 'My son! Though you do not find that Being in the world, He is there.
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
15
'My son! If a man were taken out of the province of Gandhara, abandoned in a forest blindfolded, he would turn here and there, he would shout: "I have been brought here blindfolded and abandoned!"
'Thereupon some good man might take off the bandage and say: "Go in that direction; Gandhara is there." The bandage off, he would, if a sensible man, ask his way from village to village and come at last to Gandhara. In the same way the man initiated by his master, finds his way back into himself. Having remained in his body till all his Karma is spent, he is joined to Himself.
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
16
'Relations gather round a sick man and say: "Do you remember me? Do you remember me?" He remembers until his speech has merged in his mind, his mind in his life, his life in his light, his light in the one Being.
'When his speech is merged in his mind, his mind in his life, his life in his light, his light in that one Being, what can he remember?
'That Being is the seed; all else but His expression. He is truth. He is Self. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
'Explain once more, Lord!' said Shwetaketu.
'I will explain!' said Uddalaka.
17
'My son! They bring a man in handcuffs to the magistrate, charging him with theft. The magistrate orders the hatchet to be heated. If the man has committed the theft and denies it, he is false to himself, and having nothing but that lie to protect him, grasps the hatchet; and is burned.
'If he has not committed the theft, he is true to himself and, with truth for his protector, grasps the hatchet; and is not burned. He is acquitted.
'The man that was not burnt, lived in truth. Remember that all visible things live in truth; remember that truth and Self are one. Shwetaketu! You are That.'
Shwetaketu understood what he said, yes, he understood what his father said.
BOOK VII
1
Narada asked Sage Sanatkumar to teach him.
Sanatkumar said: 'Say what you know; I will say what you do not.'
Narada said: 'Lord! I know Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, Atharwa-Veda, history and tradition called the fifth Veda, grammar, ritual, mathematics, astrology, mineralogy, logic, economics, physics, metaphysics, zoology, politics, astronomy, mechanics, fine arts.
'Lord! Yet these things are but elementary knowledge; I do not know the Self. I have heard from masters, that he who knows Self, goes beyond sorrow. I am lost in sorrow. Help me to go beyond.'
Sanatkumar said: 'All your knowledge is but the knowledge of names. The four Vedas, grammar, ritual and the like, all that is but a name. Worship name as Spirit.
'Who worships name as Spirit, moves within the limits of what is named, as it may please him, provided he worships it as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above name?' said Narada.
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar.
'Explain it, Lord!' said Narada.
2
Sanatkumar said: 'Speech is above name. Through speech we understand not only the Vedas, grammar, ritual and the like but heaven, earth, wind, air, water, fire, men, gods, cattle, birds, herbs, trees, beasts, worms, midges, ants, right, wrong, true, false, good, evil, pleasant, unpleasant. Without speech who could explain right, wrong; good, evil; pleasant, unpleasant? Speech explains all. Worship speech.
'Who worships speech as Spirit, moves within the limits of what is spoken, as it may please him, provided he worships it as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above speech?' said Narada.
3
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Mind is above speech. A closed fist holds two acorns, two berries, two nuts; so mind holds both speech and name.
'When man thinks of reading Vedas, he reads them; when he thinks of doing, he does; when he thinks of children and cattle, he wants them; when he thinks of this world or the next, he wants it. Mind is Self. Mind is world. Mind is Spirit. Worship mind.
'Who worships mind as Spirit, moves within the limits of what is thought, as it may please him, provided he worships mind as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above mind?' said Narada.
4
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Will is above mind. When man wills he thinks, calls up speech which breaks into names. Sentences are made out of words, actions are made out of thoughts.
'Everything is founded on will; everything forms will; everything lives in will. Heaven and earth will; wind and air will; water and light will; rain wills because water and light will; food wills because rain wills; life wills because food wills; speech wills because life wills; actions will because speech wills; world wills because actions will; everything wills because world wills. Such is will. Worship will.
'Who worships will as Spirit, obtains the world he wills, attains the eternal by his will for the eternal, attains honour by his will for honour, attains the sorrowless by his will to go beyond sorrow. Who worships will as Spirit, moves within the limits of what is willed, as it may please him, provided he worships will as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above will?' said Narada.
5
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Mind's mother substance is above will. When that is stirred, man wills; thinks, calls up speech; which breaks forth in words. Sentences are made of names; actions are made of thoughts.
'All these are founded on mind's mother substance. They form that substance, they live in substance. Man may be learned in names, but if that substance is absent, he is absent; he is ignored by everybody, the names go for nothing. Everybody listens to a man, no matter how light his learning, if substance be there. Therefore that substance is the abode of all. That substance is Self, is rock. Worship the mind's mother substance.
'Who worships that as Spirit, moves within the limits of all that it contains, as it may please him, provided he worships it as nothing but Spirit. He attains the eternal by becoming eternal, he attains the unchanging by becoming unchanging, attains joy, becomes joy.'
'Is there anything above that substance?' said Narada.
6
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Meditation is above substance. Earth, sky, heaven, water, mountain, men, gods, meditate. The greatness of the great comes from meditation. Small men quarrel, deceive, denounce; great men meditate, enjoy the greatness that it brings. Worship meditation.
'Who worships meditation as Spirit, moves within the limits of its subject, as it may please him, provided he worships meditation as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above meditation?' said Narada.
7
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Wisdom is above meditation. Through wisdom we understand the four Vedas, history, tradition, grammar, ritual and all the other sciences; heaven, earth, wind, air, water, fire, men, gods, cattle, birds, herbs, trees, beasts, worms, midges, ants, right, wrong, true, false, good, evil, pleasant, unpleasant, food and its taste, this world and the next. Worship wisdom.
'Who worships wisdom as Spirit, attains all knowledge and experience; moves within the limits of its subject, as it may please him, provided he worships wisdom as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above wisdom?' said Narada.
8
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Power is above wisdom. One powerful man terrifies a hundred wise men. When man becomes powerful, he rises; as he rises, he serves; as he serves, he associates with the wise; in consultation with the wise, he sees, hears, thinks, knows, acts; becomes wise. Through power we are masters of earth, sky, heaven, mountain, men, gods, cattle, herbs, trees, beasts, worms, midges and ants. Worship power.
'Who worships power as Spirit, moves within the limits of the powerful, as it may please him, provided he worships power as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above power?' said Narada.
9
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Food is above power. If a man abstain from food for even ten days, though he may live, he cannot see, hear, think, discriminate, act or know. When he eats, he will see, hear, think, discriminate, act and know. Worship food.
'Who worships food as Spirit, he obtains food and drink as much as he likes, moves within the limits of all that eat, as it may please him, provided he worships food as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above food?' said Narada.
10
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Water is above food. When rain fails creatures fall sick for lack of food; when there is enough rain there is enough food, and they rejoice.
'All are images made of water; earth, sky, heaven, mountain, men, gods, cattle, herbs, trees, beasts, down to worms, midges, ants. Worship water.
'Who worships water as Spirit gets everything he wants, becomes contented, moves within the limits of all that drink, as it may please him, provided he worships water as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above water?' said Narada.
11
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Light is above water. When light quiets wind, heats air, people say: "It burns, it boils, it will rain." First, light; then water. Light makes thunder roll, light makes lightning strike, whether above or below. People say: "There is thunder, it will rain." Light first; then water. Worship light.
'Who meditates on light as Spirit, becomes bright, attains the receptacles of light, full of brilliance without darkness; moves within the limits of all that is bright, as it may please him, provided he worships light as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above light?' said Narada.
12
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Air is above light. Sun, moon, lightning, star, fire, live in air; through air we speak, through air we hear, through air the echo comes. Man enjoys through air, he is born in air, grows in air, enjoys in air. Worship air.
'Who worships air as Spirit, attains the receptacles of light, free from sorrow, free from bondage; moves within the limits of air, as it may please him, provided he worships air as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above air?' said Narada.
13
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Memory is above air. Take away memory from men, they no longer hear, think, or understand. Give back their memory, they hear, think and understand. Through memory we recognise our children and our cattle. Worship memory.
'Who worships memory as Spirit, moves within the limits of his memory, as it may please him, provided he worships memory as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above memory?' said Narada.
14
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Hope is above memory. Fired with hope, man repeats the sacred words, does this or that, desires children and property, longs for life here and hereafter. Worship hope.
'Who worships hope as Spirit, gets all he wants, never gives a blessing in vain, moves within the limits of his hope, as it may please him, provided he worships hope as nothing but Spirit.'
'Is there anything above hope?' said Narada.
15
'Yes,' said Sanatkumar. 'Life is above hope. Spokes of a wheel are centred in the hub, everything is fixed in life. Life lives by life; life gives Life; life gives for life. Life gives power. Life is father, mother, sister, brother, tutor and guide.
'If a man speak cruel words to a father, mother, sister, brother, tutor or guide, people say: "Shame upon you for such cruelty!" but if, life once gone, somebody shoves them back on to the funeral pyre with a poker, where is the cruelty?
'Life is all. If a man feels and knows this, his reason is deeper than discussion. Should people say that his reason is deeper than discussion, he should not deny it. He who knows truth goes beyond discussion.'
'Lord! I discuss and at length, that I may find truth,' said Narada.
'What should we know but truth?' said Sanatkumar.
'Lord! I would know,' said Narada.
16
'How can a man speak the truth, without knowing it. Man speaks what he knows. Then know.'
'I would know, Lord!' said Narada.
17
'Thinking, man knows; unthinking, he cannot know. Therefore think.'
'I would think, Lord!' said Narada.
18
'With faith, man thinks; faithless, he cannot think. Therefore have faith.'
'I would have faith, Lord!' said Narada.
19
'From devotion, man gets faith; without devotion, he has none. Have devotion.'
'I would have devotion, Lord!' said Narada.
20
'When man acts, he gets devotion; without action, he has none. Act.'
'I would act, Lord!' said Narada.
21
'Man acts when he gets happiness; without happiness, he does nothing. Find happiness.'
'I would be happy, Lord!' said Narada.
22
'Man gets happiness from the unlimited; from the limited, none. Find the unlimited.'
'I would find the unlimited, Lord!' said Narada.
23
'Where man finds a thing, sees nothing else, hears nothing else, knows nothing else, that is the unlimited; where he finds a thing, sees something else, hears something else, knows something else, that is the limited. The unlimited is immortal; the limited is mortal.'
'Lord! On what does the unlimited depend?' said Narada.
'On His own greatness,' said Sanatkumar, 'or not even that. The possession of cattle, horses, elephants; farms, mansions, servants, women, gold; are greatness in this world. I do not call it greatness when one thing depends upon another. The unlimited depends on nothing.'
24
'He is below, above, behind, in front, on the right, on the left; He is everything. If I put I instead of He, I say, I am below, I am above, I am behind, I am in front, I am on the right, I am on the left. I am everything.
'I put Self instead of He, I say, the Self is below, above, behind, in front, to the right, to the left. The Self is everything. The personal Self is the impersonal Self.
'He who sees, thinks, knows this, loves the Self, plays with the Self, unites with the Self, enjoys the Self, governs himself, moves himself everywhere at his pleasure. Those who think otherwise are governed by others. They lose what they gain. Nowhere can they move at their pleasure.'
25
'He who thinks, feels, knows this, draws life from himself, hope from himself, memory from himself; air, light, water from himself; birth, death, food, power, knowledge, meditation, mind, will, speech, name, words, action, everything from himself.
'He who knows this, cares nothing for death, cares nothing for disease, cares nothing for misery; looks at everything with the eye of Self; gets everything everywhere; remains one, though multiplied threefold, fivefold, sevenfold, elevenfold, hundredfold, hundred-and-elevenfold, twenty-thousandfold.'
Pure food creates pure intellect; pure intellect creates strong memory; strong memory cuts all the knots of the heart.
Sage Sanatkumar leads beyond the darkness, those that have washed their impurities away. Hence men call him the Great Commander, men call him the Great Commander.
BOOK VIII
1
In this body, in this town of Spirit, there is a little house shaped like a lotus, and in that house there is a little space. One should know what is there.
What is there? Why is it so important?
There is as much in that little space within the heart, as there is in the whole world outside. Heaven, earth, fire, wind, sun, moon, lightning, stars; whatever is and whatever is not, everything is there.
If everything is in man's body, every being, every desire, what remains when old age comes, when decay begins, when the body falls?
What lies in that space, does not decay when the body decays, nor does it fall when the body falls. That space is the home of Spirit. Every desire is there. Self is there, beyond decay and death; sin and sorrow; hunger and thirst; His aim truth, His will truth. Man can live in the body as long as he obeys the law, as a man may live in a certain farm, in a certain town, in a certain province, or wherever he fancy, if he obey the law.
Earthly pleasures exhaust themselves; heavenly pleasures exhaust themselves. Wherever men go without attaining Self or knowing truth, they cannot move at their pleasure; but after attaining Self and knowing truth, wherever they go, they move at their pleasure.
2
If man wants the company of his fathers, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants the company of his mothers, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants the company of his brothers, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants the company of his sisters, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants the company of his friends, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants perfume and flowers, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants food or drink, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants women, all he need do is to will it; they will appear and make him happy.
If he wants a thing or a place, all he need do is to will it; it will appear and make him happy.
3
These wants are justified, but they are smothered by self-interest; it is because they are so smothered that an ignorant man cannot see the dead.
A wise man sees in Self, those that are alive, those that are dead; and gets what this world cannot give. An ignorant man treads on the ground, but does not know the gold that lies underneath; we pass into the Self during sleep, but do not know Him.
Self stays in the heart; 'heart,' a word that seems to say 'here it is'. Who knows this, daily enjoys the Kingdom of Heaven.
A wise man, leaving his body, joins that flame; is one with His own nature. That nature is Self, fearless immortal Spirit.
Whatever binds mortal and immortal, they call truth. Who knows this, daily enjoys the Kingdom of Heaven.
4
Self is the wall which keeps the creatures from breaking in. Day and night do not go near Him, nor age, nor death, nor grief, nor good, nor evil. Sin turns away from Him; for Spirit knows no sin.
Self is the bridge. When man crosses that bridge, if blind, he shall see; if sick, he shall be well; if unhappy, he shall be happy. When he crosses that bridge, though it be night, it shall be day; for heaven is shining always.
Heaven is for those that are masters of themselves. They can move anywhere in this world at their pleasure.
5
Sacrifice is to be master of oneself; for through that mastery a wise man knows the Self. Duty is to be master of oneself. Through mastery a wise man knows the Self.
Vows are the mastery of oneself; for through that mastery man gets the protection of the Self. Silence is the mastery of oneself; for through that mastery man attains the meditation upon the Self.
Fasting is the mastery of oneself; for through that mastery man shares the imperishability of the Self. A hermit's life is that mastery.
In the Kingdom of Heaven are the springs of doing and knowing that rise from Spirit itself; beyond spreads the lake of joy; beyond that blossoms the tree of immortality; beyond that lies the town of spirit, full of light built by the Lord.
But heaven is for those that find the springs of doing and knowing; they can move anywhere in this world at their pleasure.
6
Orange, blue, yellow, red, are not less in man's arteries than in the sun.
As a long highway passes between two villages, one at either end, so the sun's rays pass between this world and the world beyond. They flow from the sun, enter into the arteries, flow back from the arteries, enter into the sun.
When man is asleep, enjoying his sleep, he creates no dream; his soul sleeps in the arteries. No evil can touch him, for he is filled with light.
When he is dying, those around him ask if he knows them; as long as the soul does not leave the body he knows them.
But when the soul leaves the body, ascending with the sun's rays, he meditates on Om and, with the speed of thought, goes to the sun. Sun is the Gate of Heaven, where the wise can pass.
Here is my authority:
'There are a hundred and one arteries leading to the heart; one of them pierces the crown of the head. He who goes upwards through it, attains immortality; He who does not, is born again.'
7
Prajapati said: 'Self is free from sin and sorrow; decay and death; hunger and thirst. His aim is truth; His will is truth. Find Him; know Him. Who finds and knows Him, gets what he wants, goes where he likes.'
The godly and the godless both come to know what Prajapati said and thought: 'I swear by my soul, I must find that Self, by which I shall get whatever I want, go wherever I like.' Indra from among the godly, Wiradchana from among the godless, went to Prajapati, with folded hands, without letting one another know.
They stayed with him for thirty-two days, observing the vows; when Prajapati asked for what they stayed, they said:
'Everyone knows that you have said that Self is free from sin and sorrow; decay and death; hunger and thirst. His aim is truth; His will is truth. Find Him; know Him. Who finds and knows Him, gets what he wants, goes where he likes. We hope to attain that Self, and therefore stay.'
Prajapati said: 'That Person seen in the eye is Self. That is unalarmed, immortal Spirit.'
They said: 'Lord! Which of the two is Self, the one reflected in water, or the one reflected in a mirror?'
Prajapati said: 'He is reflected in both, reflected everywhere.'
8
Prajapati said: 'Look at yourself in a bowl of water; come again if you do not understand the Self.'
They looked into the bowl of water.
Prajapati said: 'What did you see there?'
They said: 'We saw ourselves; our doubles; even with our hair and nails.'
Prajapati said: 'Shave, put on fine clothes, fine jewels; look into the water again.'
They did accordingly.
Prajapati said: 'What did you see?'
They said: 'Lord! We saw ourselves shaven, dressed, adorned.'
Prajapati said: 'That is Self. That is unalarmed, immortal Spirit.'
They both went away satisfied.
Prajapati said to himself: 'They go without finding the Self, without knowing the Self. Who follows their philosophy, whether godly or godless, perishes.'
Wiradchana, perfectly satisfied, went to the godless and preached to them his philosophy: 'Body alone is important; body alone is to be adored. Who knows the importance of body and adores it, gets everything in this world and the next.'
Hence even today man who has no faith, no devotion, no charity, is called godless; for that is the philosophy of the godless. They supply the dead with food, clothes, jewelry; they think thereby to attain heaven.
9
But Indra, before he returned to the godly, saw the snare. He thought to himself: 'If the body is adorned, so is its reflection; if it is well dressed, so is its reflection; if it is clean, so is its reflection; but then if the body were blind, Self would be blind; if the body were lame, Self would be lame; if the body were crippled, Self would be crippled; if the body were dead, Self would be dead. I see no good in this.'
He went back with folded hands.
Prajapati said: 'Indra! you went away with Wiradchana, perfectly satisfied. What brings you back?'
Indra said: 'Lord! If the body is shaven, dressed, adorned, so is its reflection; but if the body were blind, lame, crippled, Self would be blind, lame, crippled; if the body were dead, Self would be dead. I see no good in this.'
Prajapati said: 'Indra! This bodily Self is like that. Stay for another thirty-two days; I will explain more.'
Indra stayed accordingly; Prajapati said:
10
'The Self is the Adorable, who moves in dreams. He is the unalarmed, immortal Spirit.'
Indra went away satisfied but, before he reached the godly, saw the snare. He thought within himself: 'Self that dreams is not blind, if body is blind; Self is not lame, if body is lame; Self is not affected by the defects of body.
'He is not killed when body is killed; he is not crippled when body is crippled; yet he is killed and chased in dreams; he is unhappy; now and again he weeps. I see no good in this.'
He went back with folded hands.
Prajapati said: 'Indra! You went away satisfied. What brings you back?'
Indra said: 'Lord! Self is not blind, because body is blind; Self is not crippled, because body is crippled; Self is not affected by the defects of body.
'Self is not killed when body is killed. He is not lame, if body is lame. Self is killed and chased in dreams; He is unhappy; now and again He weeps. I see no good in this.'
Prajapati said: 'You are right. Stay for another thirty-two days; I will explain more.'
Indra stayed accordingly; Prajapati said:
11
'When man is fast asleep, at peace with himself, happy, without a dream, then that is Self. That is the unalarmed, immortal Spirit.'
Indra went away satisfied but, before he reached the godly, saw the snare. He thought within himself:
'Man in his sleep does not know that he is Self; neither does he know any other creatures. He is lost. I do not see any good in this.'
He went back with folded hands.
Prajapati asked: 'Indra, you went away satisfied. What brings you back?'
Indra said: 'Lord! Sleeping without a dream man does not know that he is Self, neither does he know any creatures. He is lost. I see no good in this.'
Prajapati said: 'Indra! You are right; yet where else can you find the Self?
'Stay for five days more; I will explain more.'
Indra stayed accordingly. He stayed there for a hundred and one days in all; everybody knows that Indra stayed with Prajapati for a hundred and one days, mastering Self. Prajapati said to him:
12
'Indra! This mortal body is under sentence of death; nevertheless it is the house of the immortal, the unembodied. So long as He is in body, He likes and He dislikes; so long as He is in body there is no escape. When He is without body, likes and dislikes do not touch Him.
'Wind has no body; cloud, lightning, thunder have no body; but when they conjoin with light and rise in air, they show in their own shapes. Likewise that blessed Self, conjoint with light, rises from body, shows himself in His own shape. He moves in this world enjoying women, riding in conveyances, entertaining his friends, heedless of his body; as a master workman engages an assistant, Self engages life to look after his body.
'Who sees through the eye, knowing that He sees, is Self, the eye an instrument whereby He sees; who smells through the nose, knowing that He smells, is Self, the nose an instrument whereby He smells; who speaks through the tongue, knowing that He speaks, is Self, the tongue an instrument whereby He speaks; who hears through the ear, knowing that He hears, is Self, the ear an instrument whereby He hears; who thinks through the mind, knowing that He thinks, is Self, the mind an instrument whereby He thinks. He looks through the mind's eye, his spiritual eye; in that eye heaven is made and all desires arise; all these his joy.
'Gods adore that Self; thereby go where they will; satisfy every desire. Who discovers and knows the Self, goes where he will; satisfies every desire.'
13
I have been drifting from darkness to passion, from passion to darkness. Shaking off evil, as a horse shakes off his loose hair, freeing myself from evil as the moon breaks free from the eclipse, attaining the aim of my life, I enter the Kingdom of Heaven, where there is nothing more to attain; I enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
14
Names and shapes but hang in air; in very truth they live in immortal Spirit. He is Self.
Grant that I may enter the audience chamber. Grant that I may become glory itself; the glory of saints, the glory of kings, the glory of merchants; grant that I attain the glory of all glories. Grant that I may never be born again.
15
The Creator gave this knowledge to Prajapati; Prajapati to Manu; Manu to mankind.
He who studies the Vedas rightly, under the right teacher, does the right by that teacher; returns home; settles himself as a householder in a sacred place, keeps his study of the Vedas, leads a holy life, turns his senses towards the Self, never asks anything of anyone unless upon pilgrimage, and leads such a life to the last, he attains the Kingdom of Heaven; he never returns.