(1) He divided himself (atmanam) threefold: [fire (agni) one third], the sun (aditya) one third, wind (vayii) one third. He also is Life (prdna) divided threefold. The eastern direction is his head. Yonder one and yonder one are the foie quarters. Likewise the western direction is his tail. Yonder one and yonder one 5 are the hind quarters. South and north are the flanks. The sky is the back. The atmosphere is the belly. This [earth] is the chest. He stands firm in the waters. He who knows this, stands firm wherever he goes.

(2) For truly, everything here is Brahma; this self (ātman) is Brahma. This same self has four fourths.

(4) The eastern breaths are his eastern quarter. The southern breaths are his southern quarter. The western breaths are his western quarter. The northern breaths are his northern quarter. The upper breaths are his upper quarter [i.e. the zenith]. The lower breaths are his lower quarter [i.e. the nadir]. All the breaths are all his quarters. But the Soul (Atman) is not this, it is not that (neti, neti). It is unseizable, for it cannot be seized. It is indestructible, for it cannot be destroyed. It is unattached, for it does not attach itself. It is unbound. It does not tremble. It is not injured. Verily, Janaka, you have reached fearlessness/ — Thus spake Yajnavalkya. Janaka, [king] of Videha, said: ' May fearlessness come unto you, noble Sir, you who make us to know fearlessness. Adora- tion to you! Here are the Videhas, here am I [as your servants].'

(77) And the first quarter is called the east, because it is the first: and the second, the south, because the Most High will descend there, yea, there in quite a special sense will He who is blessed for ever descend.

(77) And the fourth quarter, named the north, is divided into three parts: the first of them is for the dwelling of men: and the second contains seas of water, and the abysses and forests and rivers, and darkness and clouds; and the third part contains the garden of righteousness.

(3) ' Yajnavalkya/. said Sakalya, t by knowing what Brahma is it that you have talked down the Brahmans of the Kurupafi- calas? ' ' I know the quarters of heaven together with their gods and their bases.' their gods and their bases, [20] what divinity have you in this eastern quarter? ' < The sun/ ' On the eye/ c And on what is the eye based? ' { On the heart/ he said, ' for with the heart one knows appear- ances, for on the heart alone appearances are based/ ' Quite so, Yajnavalkya/

(5) The veneration of it: ' O Gayatri, you are one-footed, two-footed, three-footed, four-footed. You are without a foot, because you do not go afoot Adoration to your fourth, sightly foot, the one above-the-darksome! — Let not so-and-so obtain such-and-such! ' — namely, the one whom one hates. Or, not prospered for him in regard to whom one venerates thus. Or, ' Let me obtain such-and-such! '

(11) That immortal Brahman is before, that Brahman is behind, that Brahman is right and left. It has gone forth below and above; Brahman alone is all this, it is the best.

(2) These quarters of heaven are honey for all things, and all things are honey for these quarters of heaven. This shining, immortal Person who is in these quarters of heaven, and, with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal Person who is in the ear and in the echo — he is just this Soul, this Immortal, this Brahma, this All.

(3) [Sakalya said:] ' What divinity have you in this western quarter? ' ' Varuna/ ' On semen.* his father, " He has slipped out from his heart, as it were. He is built out of his heart." For on the heart alone semen is based/ 'Quite so, Yajnavalkya/

(3) Then they say: ' Since he who purifies is just like one,, how then is he one and a half? ' ' Because in him this whole world did prosper (adhyardhnoi)* Therefore he is one and a half (adhyardhd)? ' Which is the one god? ' Eight different Persons and their corresponding divinities

(4) ' Let us hear what anybody may have told you/ [con- tinued Yajnavalkya]. ' Barku Varshna told me: " Brahma, verily, is sight."' 'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Varshna say, « Brahma is sight (caksti)" For he might have thought, " What can one have who can not see? " But did he tell you Its seat and support? ' < He did not tell me.' ' Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged [Brahma].' ' Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us/ £Its seat is just sight; Its support, space. One should worship It as the true (satya)' ' What is Its truthfulness, Yajnavalkya?' when they say to a man who sees with his eyes, " Have you seen? " and he says, " I have seen," that is the truth. Verily, your Majesty, the highest Brahma is sight. Sight leaves not him who, knowing this, worships it as such. All things run unto him. He, becoming a god, goes to the gods. elephant, said Janaka, [king] of Videha. Yajnavalkya replied: ' My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

(4) ' Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [con- tinued Yajnavalkya]. c Gardabhivipita Bharadvaja told me: "Brahma, verily, is hearing.'" c As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Bharadvaja say, " Brahma is hearing." For he might have thought, " What can one have who can not hear?" But did he tell you Its seat and support? J < He did not tell me.' £ Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged [Brahma].' e Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us.' c Its seat is just hearing; Its support, space. One should worship It as the endless (ananta).' fore, verily, your Majesty, to whatever quarter one goes, he does not come to the end of it, for the quarters of heaven are endless. Verily, your Majesty, the quarteis of heaven are 1 K hearing. Verily, your Majesty, the highest Brahma is hearing. Hearing does not desert him who, knowing this, worships it as such. All things run unto him. He, becoming a god, goes to the gods. c I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant, said Janaka, [king] of Videha. Yajnavalkya replied: ' My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

(8) Arjuna said:

What is that Brahman? What about the Individual Self (Adhyatma)? What is action (Karma), O Purushottama? And what is declared to be the physical region (Adhibhuta)? And what is the divine region (Adhidaiva) said to be? And how and who is Adhiyajna (the Entity concerned with Sacrifice) here in this body, O Madhusudana, and how at the time of death art Thou to be known by the self-controlled?

(4) Fire (the sky) is his head, his eyes the sun and the moon, the quarters his ears, his speech the Vedas disclosed, the wind his breath, his heart the universe; from his feet came the earth; he is indeed the inner Self of all things.

(3) [Sakalya said:] 'Verily, he who knows that Personwhose abode is forms (rilpa), whose world is the eye, whose light is mind, who is the last source of every soul — he, verily, would be a knower, 0 Yajfiavalkya/ whom you speak. This very person who is in the mirror is He, Tell me, Sakalya, who is his god? ' 'Life (*WH)/ said he. 1 6. [Sakalya said:] 'Verily, he who knows that Personwhose abode is water, whose world is the heart, whose light is -mind, who is the last source of every soul — he, verily, would be a knower, O Yajnavalkya.' whom you speak. This very person who is in the waters is He. Tell me, Sakalya, who is his god? 3 1 7. [Sakalya said:] f Verily,he who knows that Person whose abode is semen, whose world is the heart, whose light is mind, who is the last source of every soul— he, verily, would be a knower, O Yajnavalkya/ ' Verily, I know that Person, the last source of every soul, of whom you speak. This very person who is made of a son is He. Tell me, Sakalya, who is his god? J 'Prajapati/ said he. 1 8. 'Sakalya/ said Yajnavalkya, 'have those Brahmans made you their coal-destroyer? ' l Mve directions in space, their regent gods, and their bases

(5) If one should receive these three worlds full, he would receive that first line of it [i.e. the Gayatri]. If one should receive as much as is this threefold knowledge, he would receive that second line of it. If one should receive as much as there is breathing here, he would receive that third line of it. But that fourth (turlyd), sightly foot, the one above-the-darksome, who glows yonder, is not obtainable by any one whatsoever. Whence, pray, would one receive so much '

(4) f Let us hear what anybody may have told you/ [con- tinued Yajfiavalkya]. ' Udanka Saulbayana told me: "Brahma, verily, is the breath of life (prana)" ' As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Saulbayana say, f< Brahma is the breath of life." For he might have thought, " What can one have who is without the breath of life? " But did he tell you Its seat and support? ' I He did not tell me. c Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged [Brahma].' c Verily, Yajfiavalkya, do you here tell us. should worship It as the dear (przya).' £The breath of life itself, your Majesty/ said he. c Verily, out of love for the breath of life, your Majesty, one has sacrifice offered for him for whom one should not offer sacrifice, one accepts from him from whom one should not accept. Out of love of just the breath of life, your Majesty, there arises fear of being killed wherever one goes. The highest Brahma, your Majesty, is in truth the breath of life. The breath of life leaves not him who, knowing this, worships it as such. All things run unto him. He, having become a god, goes even to the gods/ I 1 will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant/ said Janaka, [king] of Videha. Yajnavalkya replied: c My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept/

(3) [Sakalya said:] c What divinity have you in this northern quarter? ' 'Sorna/ ' And on what is the Diksha rite based? ' ' On truth. Therefore they say to one who is initiated, c< Speak the truth! " For on truth alone the Diksha rite is based/ f And on what is truth based? ' f On the heart/ he said, ' for with the heart one knows truth. Verily, on the heart alone truth is based/

(5) fra-na (in-breath), ap-d-na (out-breath), vy-a-na (diffused breath) — eight syllables. Of eight syllables, verily, is one line of the GayatrT. And that [series], indeed, is that [line] of it. As much breathing as there is here, so much indeed does he win who knows thus that line of it. That is its fourth, the sightly, foot, namely the one above- the-darksome who glows yonder. This fourth is the same as the Turlya. It is called the ' sightly (darsatam) foot,' because it has come into sight (dadrse), as it were. And he is called far above everything darksome. Thus he glows with luster and glory who knows thus that foot of it