Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Brahmana 1
Driptabalaki was a learned Gargya. He said to Aja- ta£atru, [king] of Benares: ' I will tell you about Brahma/ Ajata^atru said: 'We will give a thousand [cows] for such a speech. Verily, people will run hither, crying, " A Janaka! a Janaka! " ' 2 2 A very learned and liberal king.
Gargya said: ' The Person who is yonder in the sun— him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: ' Talk not to me about him ' I worship him as the pre-eminent, the head and king of all beings. He who worships him as such becomes pre-eminent, the head and king of all beings/
Gargya said: ' The Person who is yonder in the moon — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma I ' Ajatasatru said. ' Talk not to me about him! I worship him as the great, white-robed king Soma. He who worships him as such, for him soma is pressed out and continually pressed out day by day. His food does not fail.'
Gargya said: 'The Person who is yonder in lightning — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: 'Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as the Brilliant. He who worships him as such becomes brilliant indeed. His offspring becomes brilliant/
Gargya said: 'The Person who is here in space — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: ' Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as the Full, the non-active. He who worships him as such is filled with offspring and cattle. His offspring goes not forth from this earth/
Gargya said. 'The Person who is here in wind — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: ' Talk not to me about him! Verily, I worship him as Indra, the terrible (vaikuntha), and the uncon- quered army. He who worships him as such becomes indeed triumphant, unconquerable, and a conqueror of adversaries/
Gargya said: 'The Person who is here in fire — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma ' ' Ajatasatru said: ' Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as the Vanquisher. He who worships him as such becomes a vanquisher 'indeed. His offspring become van- quishers/
Gargya said: 'The Person who is here in water — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: * Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as the Counterpart [of phenomenal objects]. His counterpart comes to him [In his children], not that which is not his counterpart His counterpart is born from him.'
Gargya said: 'The Person who is here in a mirror — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: 'Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as the Shining One. He who worships him as such becomes shining indeed. His offspring shine. He out- shines all those with ^whom he goes.
Gargya said: cThe sound here which follows after one as he goes — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma ' ' Ajatas'atru said: 'Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as Life (asu). To him who worships him as such there comes a full length of life (dyu) in this world. Breath (prdna) leaves him not before the time.'
Gargya said: 'The Person who is here in the quarters of heaven — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatas'atru said: 'Talk not to me about him' I worship him, verily, as the Inseparable Companion. He who worships him as such has a companion. His company is not separated from him.' ia. Gargya said. ' The Person here who consists of shadow — him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: 'Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as Death. To him who worships him as such there comes a full length of life in this world. Death docs not come to him before the time.'
Gargya said: 'The Person here who is in the body (dtman)— him, indeed, I worship as Brahma! ' Ajatasatru said: ' Talk not to me about him! I worship him, verily, as the Embodied One (atmanvin). He who wor- ships him as such becomes embodied indeed, His offspring becomes embodied,' Gargya became silent
Ajatas'atru said: ' Is that all? ' Gargya said: ' That is all.' Ajatas'atru said: ' With that much [only] it is not known.' Gargya said: ' Let me come to you as a pupil/
Ajatasatru said: ' Verily, it is contrary to the course of things that a Brahman should come to a Kshatriya, thinking BR1HAD-ARANYAKA UPANISHAD [-3.1. " He will tell me Brahma/' However, I shall cause you to know him clearly/ He took him by the hand and rose. The two went up to a man who was asleep. They addressed him with these words: [i.e. Ajatasatru] woke him by rubbing him with his hand. That one arose.
Ajatasatru said: ' When this man fell asleep thus, where then was the person who consists of intelligence (mjndna)? Whence did he thus come back? ' And this also Gargya did not know.
Ajatasatru said: ' When this man has fallen asleep thus, then the peison who consists of intelligence having by his intelligence taken to himself the intelligence of these senses (prana\ rests in that place which is the space within the heart. When that person restrains the senses, that person is said to be asleep. Then the breath is restrained, The voice is restrained. The eye is restrained. The ear is restrained. The mind is restrained. 1 8. When he goes to sleep, these worlds are his. Then he becomes a great king, as it were. Then he becomes a great Brahman, as it were. He enters the high and the low, as it were. As a great king, taking with him his people, moves around in his own country as he pleases, even so here this one, taking with him his senses, moves around in his own body (tarlra) as he pleases.
Now when one falls sound asleep (susuptci), when one knows nothing whatsoever, having crept out through the seventy-two thousand veins, called hitd, which lead from the heart to the pericardium, one rests in the pericardium. Verily, as a youth or a great king or a great Brahman might rest when he has reached the summit of bliss, so this one now rests.
As a spider might come out with his thread, as small sparks come forth from the fire, even so from this Soul come forth all vital energies (prdnd), all worlds, all gods, all beings. The mystic meaning (upanisad) thereof is * the Real of the real ' (satyasya satya)?- Breathing creatures, verily, are the real. He is their Real/