(1) So that Brahma [appeared as] Kshatra, Vis, and Sudra. So among the gods Biahma appeared by means of Agni, among men as a Brahman, as a Kshatriya by means of the [divine] Kshatriya, as a Vaisya by means of the [divine] Vai^ya, as a Sudra by means of the [divine] Sudra. Therefore people desire a place among the gods in Agni, among men in a Brah- man, for by these two forms [pre-eminently] Brahma appeared. Now whoever depaits from this world [i. e. the world of the Atman] without having recognized it as his own, to him it is of no service, because it is unknown, as the unrecited Vedas or any other undone deed [do not help a man]. Verily, even if one performs a great and holy work, but without knowing this, that work of his merely perishes in the end. One should worship the Self alone as his [true] world The work of him who worships the Self alone as his world does not perish, for out of that very Self he creates whatsoever he desires. 1 6. Now this Self, verily, is a world of all created things. In so far as a man makes offerings and sacrifices, he becomes the world of the gods In so far as he learns [the Vedas], he becomes the world of the seers (rsi). In so far as he offers libations to the fathers and desiies offspring, he becomes the world of the fathers. In so far as he gives lodging and food to men, he becomes the world of men. In so far as he finds grass and water for animals, he becomes the world of animals. In so far as beasts and birds, even to the ants, find a living in his houses, he becomes their world. Verily, as one would desire security for his own world, so all creatures wish security for him who has this knowledge. This fact, verily, is known when it is thought out.

(1) Verily, in the beginning this world was Brahma, It knew only itself (atmanam): is the source of Kshatrahood. Therefore, even if the king attains supremacy, he rests finally upon Brahmanhood as his own source, So whoever injures him [i.e. a Brahman] attacks his own source. He fares worse in proportion as he injures one who is better. is. He was not yet developed. He created the Vis (the commonalty),those kinds of gods that are mentioned in numbers: the Vasus, the Rudras, the Adityas, the Vi^vadevas, the Maruts.

(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

(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.

(1) He who is called ether (âkâsa) is the revealer of all forms and names. That within which these forms and names are contained is the Brahman, the Immortal, the Self. I come to the hall of Pragâpati, to the house; I am the glorious among Brahmans, glorious among princes, glorious among men . I obtained that glory, I am glorious among the glorious. May I never go to the white, toothless, yet devouring, white abode ; may I never go to it.

(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.

(6) 'Such is the greatness of it (of Brahman, under the disguise of Gâyatrî ); greater than it is the Person (purusha). His feet are all things. The immortal with three feet is in heaven (i. e. in himself).'

(7) He who understands all and who knows all, he to whom all this glory in the world belongs, the Self, is placed in the ether, in the heavenly city of Brahman (the heart). He assumes the nature of mind, and becomes the guide of the body of the senses. He subsists in food, in close proximity to the heart. The wise who understand this, behold the Immortal which shines forth full of bliss.

(7) The Brahman which has been thus described (as immortal with three feet in heaven, and as Gâyatrî) is the same as the ether which is around us;

(4) On whom the five peoples And space are established — Him alone I, the knowing, I, the immortal, Believe to be the Soul, the immortal Brahma. 1 8. They who know the breathing of the breath, The seeing of the eye, the hearing of the ear, (The food of food), the thinking of the mind — They have recognized the ancient, primeval Brahma. 3 A variation of this stanza is found at Isa 3.

(9) 'From him who perceives all and who knows all, whose brooding (penance) consists of knowledge, from him (the highest Brahman) is born that Brahman, name, form, and matter (food).'

(4) For he is the Breath shining forth in all beings, and he who understands this becomes truly wise, not a talker only. He revels in the Self, he delights in the Self, and having performed his works (truthfulness, penance, meditation, &c.) he rests, firmly established in Brahman, the best of those who know Brahman.

(2) 'Of that Vaisvânara Self the head is Sutegas (having good light), the eye Visvarûpa (multiform), the breath Prithagvartman (having various courses), the trunk Bahula (full), the bladder Rayi (wealth), the feet the earth, the chest the altar, the hairs the grass on the altar, the heart the Gârhapatya fire, the mind the Anvâhârya fire, the mouth the Âhavanîya fire.

(1) 'Aupamanyava, whom do you meditate on as the Self?' He replied: 'Heaven only, venerable king.' He said: 'The Self which you meditate on is the Vaisvânara Self, called Sutegas (having good light). Therefore every kind of Soma libation is seen in your house .

(3) Then Ushasta Cakrayana questioned him. ' Yajnavalkya/ said he, ' explain to me him who is the Brahma present and not beyond our ken, him who is the Soul in all things.' ' He is your soul (dtman), which is in all things.' c Which one, O Yajnavalkya, is in all things? ' in Soul of yours, which is in all things. He who breathes out with your breathing out (apand] is the Soul of yours, which is in all things. He who breathes about with your breathing about (vyana] is the Soul of yours, which is in all things. He who breathes up with your breathing up (uddna) is the Soul of yours, which is in all things. He is your soul, which is in all things.' a. Ushasta Cakrayana said: ' This has been explained to me just as one might say, <cThis is a cow. This is a horse." Explain to me him who is just the Brahma present and not beyond our ken, him who is the Soul in all things. c He is your soul, which is in all things/ £ Which one, O Yajnavalkya, is in all things? ' c You could not see the seer of seeing. You could not hear the hearer of hearing. You could not think the thinker of thinking. You could not understand the undcrstander of understanding. He is your soul, which is in all things. Aught else than Him [or, than this] is wretched.' Thereupon Ushasta Cakrayana held his peace.

(2) This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyanc Atharvana declared unto the two Asvins. Seeing this, the seer spake: — f Upon Dadhyanc Atharvana ye Asvins Did substitute a horse's head, He, keeping true, declared to you the honey Of Tvashtri, which is your secret, O ye mighty ones/ 2 1 8. This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyanc Atharvana declared unto the two AsVins. Seeing this, the seer spake: — ' Citadels with two feet he did make. Citadels with four feet he did make. Into the citadels he, having become a bird — Into the citadels {puras) the Person (purusa) entered/ This, verily, is the person (pnrusa) dwelling in all cities (pnri- soya). There is nothing by which he is not covered, nothing by which he is not hid. 19* This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyanc Atharvana declared unto the two AsVins. Seeing this, the seer spake:— 1 RV i. 1 1 6. 12. The two Asvins desired instruction from Dadhyaac. But the latter was loath to impart it, for Indra had threatened Dadhyaiic thai if he ever told this honey-doctrine to any one else, he (India) would cut his head off. To avoid this untoward result, the A&yms took off Dadhyafic's head and substituted a horse's head. Then, after Uadhyafic had declared the honey- doctrine m com- pliance with their request and Indra had carried out his threat, the A&vms restored to Dadhyanc his own head. This episode shows the extreme difficulty with which even gods secured the knowledge originally possessed by Indra. 2 RV. I. 117. 22. This is to be looked upon as a form of him. Indra by his magic powers (may a) goes about in many forms; Yoked are his ten-hundred steeds/ I He [i.e. the Soul, Atmari\, verily, is the steeds. He, verily, is tens and thousands, many and endless. This Brahma is without an earlier and without a later, without an inside and without an outside. This Soul is Brahma, the all-perceiving. — Such is the instruction.

(2) It is — as, from a fire laid with damp fuel, clouds of smoke separately issue forth, so, lo, verily, from this great Being (bkutd) has been breathed foith that which is Rig- Veda, Yajur- Veda, Sama-Veda, [Hymns] of the Atharvans and Angirascs, Legend (itihasa), Ancient Lore (pitrand)> Sciences (vidya), Mystic Doctrines (^m^rf), Verses (sloka), Aphorisms (sutra), desert '; so also in all the following similar sentences. Cf. Bnh. 4. 5. 7. 2 A designation of the Atharva-Veda. Explanations (amivydkkydua)> and Commentaries (vyakhyana). From it, indeed, are all these breathed foith. ii. It is — as of all waters the uniting-point is the sea, so of all touches the uniting-point is the skin, so of all tastes the uniting-point is the tongue, so of all smells the uniting-point is the nostrils, so of all forms the uniting-point is the eye, so of all sounds the uniting-point is the ear, so of all intentions (samkalpa) the uniting-point is the mind (manas\ so of all knowledges the uniting-point is the heart, so of all acts (karma) the uniting-point is the hands, so of all pleasures (ananda) the uniting-point is the generative organ, so of all evacuations the uniting-point Is the anus, so of all journeys the uniting-point is the feet, so of all the Vedas the uniting-point is speech. 12,. It is — as a lump of salt cast in water would dissolve right- into the water; there would not be [any] 2 of it to seize forth, as it were (iva), but wherever one may take, it is salty indeed — so, lo, verily, this great Being (bhuta\ infinite, limitless, is just a mass of knowledge (vijnana-ghana). Arising out of these elements (bkuta), into them also one vanishes away. After death there is no consciousness (na pretya samjna *sti). Thus, lo, say I.' Thus spake Yajnavalkya.

(8) 'The Brahman swells by means of brooding (penance); hence is produced matter (food); from matter breath, mind, the true, the worlds (seven), and from the works (performed by men in the worlds), the immortal (the eternal effects, rewards, and punishments of works).'

(3) l He who, dwelling in the earth, yet is other than the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body the earth is, who controls the earth from within—He is your Soul, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. 4- He who, dwelling in the waters, yet is other than the waters, whom the waters do not know, whose body the waters are, who controls the waters from within— He is your Soul, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. 5- He who, dwelling in the fire, yet is other than the fire, whom the fire does not know, whose body the fire is, who controls the fire from within— He is your Soul, the Inner Controller, the Immortal.