Search

(6) Then he said: 'As truly as this knowledge has never heretofore dwelt with any Brahman (brd/imana) whatsoever, so truly may not you and your grandfathers injure us. But I will tell it to you, for who is able to refuse you when you speak thus! ' He continued (iti):

(6) He said: * You should know me, my dear, as such, that whatsoever I myself know, I have told all to you. But, come! Let us go there and take up studentship.' e Go yourself, Sir.' So Gautama went forth to where [the place] of Pravahana Jaibali was. He brought him a seat, and had water brought; so he made him a respectful welcome. Then he said to him: £A boon we offer to the honorable Gautama! '

(6) Then he said: ' It is well known that I have a full share of gold, of cows and horses, of female slaves, of rugs, of apparel. l6l M Be not ungenerous toward me, Sir, In regard to that which is the abundant, the infinite, the unlimited/ 'Then, verily, 0 Gautama, you should seek in the usual manner.' 6 1 come to you, Sir, as a pupil! ' — with [this] word, verily, indeed, men aforetime came as pupils. — So with the acknow- ledgment of coming as a pupil he remained.

(6) Then he addressed him with an invitation to remain. Not respecting the invitation to remain, the boy ran off. He went to his father. He said to him: 'Verily, aforetime you have spoken of me, Sir, as having been instructed! J 'Five questions a fellow of the princely class (rajanya- bandhu} has asked me. Not a single one of them do I know.' 'What are they?'

(3) Buddha spoke to him and said: "Rightly said! Rightly said! O king of deities, I share thy joy; here in this scripture the inconceivable and supreme enlightenment of all the Buddhas of the past, the present, and the future is fully set forth.

(4) Janaka, [king] of Videha, descending from his cushion and approaching, said: c Adoration to you, Yajnavalkya. Do you instruct me.' He [i.e. Yajnavalkya] said: 'Verily, as a king about to go on a great journey would prepare a chariot or a ship, even so you have a soul (atman) prepared with these mystic doctrines (tipanisad}. So, being at the head of a troop, and wealthy, learned in the Vedas, and instructed in mystic doctrines, whither, when released hence, will you go? ' ' That I know not, noble Sir — whither I shall go/ 2, £ Indha (i. e. the Kindler) by name is this person here in the right eye. Him, verily, who is that Indha people call " Indra" 1 K % cryptically, for the gods are fond of the cryptic, as it were, and dislike the evident.

(6) 'Well then, O Gautama, I shall tell thee this mystery, the old Brahman, and what happens to the Self, after reaching death.'

(4) He said to him: 'Two kinds of knowledge must be known, this is what all who know Brahman tell us, the higher and the lower knowledge.'

(4) Janaka, [king] of Videha, was seated. Yajnavalkya came up. To him he said: 'Yajnavalkya, for what purpose have you come? Because you desire cattle or subtle disputations?' ' Indeed, for both, your Majesty/ he said.

(2) Then said Yajnavalkya: ' Ah (bata) \ Lo (arc\ dear (priya) as you are to us, dear is what you say! Come, sit down. I will explain to you. But while I am expounding, do you seek to ponder thereon.

(6) Then he said: ' The boon acceptable to me is this: — Pray tell me the word which you spoke in the presence of the young man.'

(2) 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.

(15) Buddha again spoke to Indra, the king of deities, and said: “ Candracchatra the prince, having heard such doctrines as these from the Buddha Bhaishajyaraja, attained to acquiescence in meekness; then he having removed the jewelled raiment and ornaments from his body, offered them to Buddha and spoke to him saying: ‘ O Blessed One, after the complete passing of Tathagata I will pay homage to the law and protect the true law; I pray that thou through thy power, wouldst show me thy compassion and raise me that I may be able to repress the enmity of evil and realise the life of a Bodhisattva.’

(11) Then Vimalakirti said : “ O Sariputra, salute the Tathagata Sumerupradiparaja that thou mayest ascend the throne.”

(4) Yajnavalkya came to Janaka, [king] of Videha. He thought to himself: ' I will not talk/ 3 to refer to the supreme Soul. talk with him * (instead of the text as translated, sa mem net). But the historical But [once] l when Janaka, [king] of Videha, and Yajnavalkya were discussing together at an Agnihotra, Yajnavalkya granted the former a boon. He chose asking whatever question he wished. He granted it to him. So [now] the king, [speaking] first, asked him:

(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.'

(10) He asked: ‘What is the homage of the law?’ The deity replied: ‘Thou hadst better go to the Tathagata Baishajyaraja to inquire concerning this matter; he would fully tell thee what is meant by the homage to the law.’

(19) “O Indra king of deities, thou shouldst not think that Ratnacchatra the [Cakravartin] king, is the other than the Tathagata Ratnatejas who has attained to the Buddhahood; the thousand princes are but the thousand Buddhas in the Bhadra-kalpa, beginning with Krakucchanda down to the last Tathagata Ruci. The Bhikshus Candracchatra is no other than myself. “Thus, O Indra king of deities, thou shouldst know the essence of this [doctrine] that paying homage to the law is superior to all other homages, and unique and incomparable. Therefore, O Indra king of deities, by paying homage to the law thou shouldst honour the Buddha.”

(4) ' Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [con- tinued Yajnavalkya]. 'Jitvan Sailini told me: " Brahma, verily, is speech (vac)"' [said Janaka]. 'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Sailina say, " Brahma, verily, is speech." For he might have thought (iti), '* What can one have who can not speak? " But did he tell you Its seat and support?' ' He did not tell me.' ' Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged [Brahma].' ' Its seat is just speech; Its support, space (akasa). One should worship It as intelligence (prajna)' ' What is Its quality of intelligence, Yajnavalkya? ' 'Just speech, your Majesty,' said he. c Verily, by speech, your Majesty, a friend is recognized. By speech alone, your Majesty, the Rig- Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the [Hymns] of the Atharvans and Angirases, Legends (itika$a\ Ancient Lore (pur and], Sciences (vidya), Mystic Doctrines (upanisad)) Verses (sloka), Aphorisms (sutra\ Explanations (anuvyakhyand)) Commentaries (uyakkyana), what is offered in sacrifice and as oblation, food and drink, this world and the other, and all beings are known. The highest Brahma, your Majesty, is in truth speech. Speech does not desert him be noted, takes the active bruyat as if it were middle voice — a late epic usage. 2 A designation of the Atharva-Veda. who, knowing this, worships it as such. All things run unto him. He, having become a god, goes even to the gods/ { I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant/ said Janaka, [king] of Videha. Yajfiavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept'

(3) He said to them: < Venerable Brahmans, let him of you who is the best Brahman drive away these cows/ Those Brahmans durst not. Then Yajnavalkya said to his pupil: ' Samasravas, my dear, drive them away.' He drove them away. The Brahmans were angry. ' How can he declare himself to be the best Brahman among us? ' Now there was Asvala, the Hotri-priest of Janaka, [king] of Videha. He asked him: < Yajfiavalkya, are you now the best Brahman among us? * He replied, < We give honor to the best Brahman. But we are really desirous of having those cows/ Thereupon Asvala, the Hotri-priest, began to question him.