Upanishads in brief -3

Upanishads in brief



XV. v. 11-18

1. Prachinasala Aupamanyava, Satyayajna Paulushi, Indradyumna Bhallaveya, Jana Sarkarakshya and Budila Asvatarasvi – these great householders, greatly learned in holy scriptures, once came together and held a discussion as to what is our Self and what is Brahman (the Supreme Reality).

 

2. They reflected among themselves: “Sirs, there is that Uddalaka Aruni, who knows at present this Universal Self. Well, let us go to him.” And so they went to him.

 

3. But he reflected in himself: “These great householders, greatly learned in Holy Scriptures, will question me and I shall not be able to tell them all. Therefore I shall direct them to another.”

 

4. He said to them: “Sirs, Asvapati Kaikeya knows at present the Universal Self. Well, let us go to him.” And so they went to him.

 

5. When they arrived, he had proper attentions paid to them severally. And rising the next morning he said: “In my kingdom there is no thief, no miser, no drunkard, no man without his sacrificial fire, no ignorant person, no adulterer and much less an adulteress. Sirs, I am going to perform a sacrifice, and as much wealth as I am going to give to each officiating priest I will give you. Please stay here, Sirs.”

 

6. Then they said: “The purpose for which a man comes – he should indeed state it. At present you know the Universal Self. Tell us about that.”

 

7. He then said to them: “Tomorrow I will give you an answer.” Therefore, the next morning they approached him with fuel in their hands. And he, without any preparatory rites, addressed them:

 

8. “Aupamanyava, on what do you meditate as the Self?”

“Heaven only, venerable king,” he replied.

“The Self which you meditate on is the Universal Self called Sutejas (brightly shining). But it is only the head of the Self.

 

9. Then he said to Satyayajna Paulush:

“O Prachinayoga, on what do you meditate as the Self?”

“The sun only, venerable king,” he replied.

“The Self which you meditate on is the Universal Self called Visvarupa (manifold form). But it is only the eye of the Self.”

 

10. Then he said to Indradyumna Bhallaveya: “O Vaiyaghrapadya, on what do you meditate as the Self?”

“Air only, venerable king”, he replied.

“The Self which you meditate on is the Universal Self called Prithagvartman (having varied courses). But this is only the breath of the Self.”

 

11. Then he said to Jana Sarakarakshya: “On what do you meditate as the Self?”

“Space only, venerable king”, he replied.

“The Self which you meditate on is the Universal Self called Bahula (the full). But it is only the trunk of the Self.”

 

12. Then he said to Budila Asvatarasvi: “O Vaiyaghrapadya, on what do you meditate as the Self?”

“Water only, venerable king”, he replied.

“The Self which you meditate on is the Universal Self, called Rayi (wealth). But it is only the bladder of the Self.”

 

13. Then he said to Uddalaka Aruni; “O Gautama, on what do you meditate as the Self?”

“The earth only, venerable king”, he replied.

“The Self which you meditate on is the Universal Self called Pratishtha (firm support). But it is only the feet of the Self.”

 

14. Then he said to them all: “Verily, indeed, you eat your food, knowing this Universal Self as if it were many. But he who meditates on this Universal Self as extending from heaven to earth and as identical with himself – he eats food in all worlds, in all beings and in all selves.

 

15. “Of that Universal Self the bright (heaven) is the head; the manifold (sun) is the eye; the varying (wind) is the breath; the extended (space) is the trunk; the abundant (water) is the bladder; the supporting (earth) is the feet. The altar is his chest; the sacrificial grass is his hair; the Garhapatya fire is the heart; the Anvaharya fire is the mind and the Ahavaniya fire the mouth.”

 
XV. vi. 1-4
 

1. Once there lived Svetaketu Aruneya. His father said to him: “Go and live the life of a religious student. For there is no one in our family, my boy, not having studied the Veda, is as it were a Brahmin by birth only.”

 

2. He then, having become a pupil at the age of twelve, returned when he was twenty-four years of age, having studied all the Vedas, greatly conceited, thinking himself well-read and arrogant.

 

3. His father then said to him: “Svetaketu, as you are so conceited, thinking yourself well-read and arrogant, have you ever asked, my boy, for that instruction by which we hear what cannot be heard, perceived what cannot be perceived and know what cannot be known?”

“How can there be such instruction, Sir?”

 

4. “My boy, just as by one clod of clay all that is made of clay is known, the difference being only a name arising from speech, while the truth is that it is just clay.

 

5. “My boy, just as by one nugget of gold all that is made of gold is known, the difference being only a name arising from speech, while the truth is that it is just gold.

 

6. “My boy, just as by one pair of nail-scissors all that is made of iron is known, the difference being only a name arising from speech, while the truth is that it is just iron”

“Thus runs, my boy, that instruction.”

 

7. “Surely those venerable men did not know it. For if they had known it why should they not have told it to me? Do you, Sir, therefore tell me that.”

 

8. “Be it so, my boy. In the beginning, there was Being alone – One only without a second. Some people say that in the beginning there was non-being alone. One only without a second and that from that non-being Being was produced.

 

9. “But how indeed could it be thus, my boy?” said he. “How could Being be produced from non-being? No, my boy, in the beginning this was Being alone – One only without a second.

 

10. “It thought, may I be many, may I grow forth. It sent forth fire. The fire thought, may I be many, may I grow forth. It sent forth water. The water thought, may I be many; may I grow forth. It sent forth food.

 

11. “That Being thought, ‘Well, let me enter into these three divinities by means of this living self and let me develop names and forms. Let me make each one of the three threefold.’

 

12. “The Being thus entered into these three divinities by means of the living self and developed names and forms. It made each of these threefold.

 

13. “It was just this that the great householders and great students of sacred knowledge knew when they said of old: ‘No one can henceforth mention to us anything which we have not heard, anything which we have not perceived or anything which we have not known.’ For from these three they knew everything.

 

14. “They knew that whatever appeared red was of the form of fire. They knew that whatever appeared white was of the form of water. They knew that whatever appeared dark was of the form of food (earth). They knew that whatever appeared altogether unknown was a combination of these three divinities.”

Related articles
Creation
 
XVI. vi. 8-16

1. Then Uddalaka Aruni said to his son Svetaketu: “Learn from me, my boy, the true nature of sleep. When a man here sleeps, as they say, then he has become united with pure Being, my boy, then he has gone to his own. Therefore they say Svapiti (he sleeps) because he has gone (apita) to his own (sva).

 

2. “As a bird tied by a string flies first in every direction and finding no resting place anywhere settles down at last at the place where it is bound, so also the mind after flying in various directions and finding no resting place anywhere settles down in the vital breath, for the mind, my boy, is bound to the vital breath.

 

3. “Now, learn from me, my boy, what hunger and thirst are. When a person here is hungry, as they say, water is leading away what he has eaten. As they speak of a leader of cows, a leader of horses or a leader of men, so they speak of water as the leader of food. Thus, my boy, understand that this body is a sprout, which has sprung up. It could not be without a root.

 

4. “And what else could be its root other than food? In the same manner, my boy, food itself being an off-shoot, seek for its root, namely, water; and water itself being an off-shoot, seek for its root, namely fire; and fire itself being an off-shoot, seek for its root, namely Being.

“All these creatures, my boy, have their root in Being. They have Being as their abode, they have Being as their support.

 

5. “When a person here is thirsty, as they say, fire is leading away what he has drunk. As they speak of a leader of cows, a leader of horses or a leader of men, so they speak of fire as the leader of water. Thus, my boy, understand that this body is a sprout, which has sprung up. It could not be without a root.

 

6. “And what else could be its root other than water? Water itself being an offshoot, seek for its root, namely fire. And fire itself being an offshoot; seek for its root, namely Being.

“All these creatures, my boy, have their root in Being. They have Being as their abode. They have Being as their support.

“When a man departs from here, my boy, his speech merges in his mind, his mind in his breath, his breath in heat (fire) and heat in the highest Being.

 

7. “That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me still further.”

“So be it, my boy”, said he.

 

8. “As the bees make honey, my boy, by collecting the juices of different trees and reducing them to one form –

“”Even so, my son, all these creatures, when they reach the Being, do not know that they have reached the Being.

 

9. “Whatsoever they are in this world – a tiger or a lion, a wolf or a bear, a worm or a fly, a gnat or a mosquito – that they become again and again.

“That which is subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me still further.”

“So be it, my son”, he said.

 

10. “These rivers flow, my son – the eastern towards the east, and western towards the west. They go from sea to sea; indeed they become the sea itself. And as these rivers, when they are in the sea, they do not know, ‘I am this river or that river’ –

“In the same manner, my son, all these creatures, when they come back from pure Being, do not know that they have come back from pure Being.

 

11. “Whatsoever they are in this world – a tiger or a lion, a wolf or a bear, a worm or a fly, a gnat or a mosquito – which they become again and again.

“That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me further.”

“Be it so, my son”, he said.

 

12. “If someone were to strike at the root of this mighty tree it would bleed but still live; if someone were to strike at the middle it would bleed but still live; if someone were to strike at the top, it would bleed but still live. Pervaded by its living self the tree stands firm, drinking its nourishment and rejoicing.

 

13. “But if its living self leaves (deserts) one of its branches, that branch withers; if it leaves a second branch that branch withers, if it leaves a third, that branch withers. If it leaves the whole, the whole tree withers.

 

14. “Even so, indeed, my son, understand this”, he said. “This body dies indeed, when the living self leaves it. But the living self does not die.

“That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. Thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me still further.”

“So be it, my son”, he said.

 

15. “ Fetch me the fruit of that Nyagrodha tree.”

“Here it is, Sir.”

“Break it.”

“It is broken, Sir.”

“What do you see there?”

“These extremely fine seeds, Sir.”

“Break one of them.”

“It is broken, Sir.”

“What do you see there?”

“Nothing at all, Sir.”

 

16. Then he said to him: “My son, that subtle essence which you do not perceive there – it is by that very essence that this great Nyagrodha tree stands. Believe it, my son. That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me still further.”

“So be it, my son”, he said.

 

17. “Put this salt in water and come to me in the morning.”

He did so, and then the father said to him: “Please take out the salt that you placed in the water last night.”

Having looked for it he did not find it.

 

18. “Though it is dissolved, please taste the water from this end”, said the father. “How is it?”

“It is salty.”

“Taste it from the middle. How is it?”

“It is salty.”

“Taste it from the other end. How is it?”

“It is salty.”

“Throw it away and come to me.”

He did so and said it was the same everywhere.

Then he said to him: “Here also, my son, though you do not perceive pure Being, it is always there.

“That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. Thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please instruct me still further, Sir.”

“So be it, my son”, he said.

 

19. “As one might lead a person away from the Gandharas, with his eyes bandaged, and abandon him in a place where there are no human beings –

“And as that person would shout towards the east or the north or the south or the west; ‘I have been led here with my eyes bandaged’ –

 

20. “And as therefore if someone might release his bandage and say to him: ‘In that direction are the Gandharas, go in that direction’ –

“And as, therefore, having been informed and being able to judge for himself, he would by asking his way from village to village arrive at last at Gandhara.

“In exactly the same manner does a man who has found a teacher acquire true knowledge. For him there is only delay as long as he is not released from his body. Then he will attain perfection.

“That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me still further.”

“So be it, my son,” he said.

 

21. “Around a sick man, my son, his relatives gather and ask: “Do you know me? Do you know me?”

“So long as his voice is not merged in his mind, his mind in his breath and his breath in the warmth (of his body), and the warmth in the Highest Being, he knows them.

 

22. “But when his speech is merged in his mind, his mind in his breath, his breath in the warmth (of his body) and the warmth in the Highest Being then he does not know them.

“That which is the subtle essence – the whole of this world has that as its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

“Please, Sir, instruct me still further.”

“So be it, my son,” he said.

 

23. “They bring a man whom they have seized by the hand, saying, ‘He has stolen, he has committed a theft. Heat the hatchet for him.’

“If he has really done it, then he makes himself a liar, and being given to untruth and covering himself with a lie, he takes hold of the heated hatchet – he is burnt and he is killed.

 

24. “But if he had not done the deed, he makes himself a true man, and, being given to truth, and covering himself with truth, he takes hold of the heated hatchet – he is not burnt and he is set free.

“And as he is not burnt – the whole of this world has that for its soul. That is the Reality. That is the Self. And thou art That, O Svetaketu.”

Then he understood it from him, yea, he understood it.

 
I. vii. 23-26

1. Narada approached Sanatkumara and said: “Sir, teach me.”

“Come and tell me what you know,” he replied, “and then I will teach you what is beyond that.”

 

2. “Sir, I know the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda and Atharvan the fourth; and also the Itihasa-Purana as the fifth. I know the Veda of the Vedas (viz., grammar), the rules for the propitiation of the Pitris (ancestors), the science of numbers, the science of portents, the science of time, the science of logic, ethics and politics, the science of the gods, the science of scriptural studies, the science of the elemental science, the science of weapons, the science of the stars, the science of snake-charming and the fine arts – all these, Sir, I know,”

 

3. “But, Sir, with all these I am only a knower of words, not a knower of the Self. I have heard from holy men like you that he who knows the Self crosses over sorrow. I am in sorrow. Do, Sir, help me to cross over to the other side of sorrow.”

 

4. To him he then said: “Verily, whatever you have learned here is only a name.

“That which is Infinite – that, indeed, is happiness. There is no happiness in anything that is finite. The Infinite alone is happiness. But this Infinite one must desire to understand.”

“Sir, I desire to understand.”

“Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else – that is the Infinite. But that in which one sees something else, hears something else, understands something else, is the finite. That which is Infinite, is alone immortal, and that which is finite is mortal.”

“Sir, in what is that Infinite established?” (in what does the Infinite rest?)

“In its own greatness or not even in its own greatness.”

 

5. “Here on earth people call cows and horses, elephants and gold, slaves and wives, fields and houses greatness. It is not thus that I speak,” he said, “for in that case one thing rests in another.

 

6. “The Infinite, indeed, is below. It is above. It is behind. It is in front. It is to the south, it is to the north. It is indeed all this.”

Next follows the explanation of the Infinite as the Self or the ‘I’

“(Atman). Atman alone is below. Atman is above. Atman is behind. Atman is in front. Atman is to the south. Atman is to the north. Atman alone is all this.

 

7. “Verily, he who sees this, who thinks this, who understands this – he loves the Self, he delights in the Self, he merges in the Self, he rejoices in the Self- he becomes a Self-ruler, he has unlimited freedom in all the worlds. But those who think differently from this have others for their rulers. They live in perishable worlds and have no freedom in all the worlds.

 

8. “Verily, for him alone, who sees thus, reflects thus and understands thus, Prana (life) springs from Atman (Self), aspiration from Atman, memory from Atman, space from Atman, water from Atman, appearance and disappearance from Atman, food from Atman, strength from Atman, understanding from Atman, contemplation from Atman, intelligence from Atman, will from Atman, mind from Atman, speech from Atman, name from Atman, hymns from Atman, rites from Atman. All this springs from Atman alone.”

 

9. “On this there is the following verse:

‘He who sees this does not see death, nor illness nor sorrow. He who sees this sees everything and obtains everything everywhere.

‘He is one (before creation); he becomes three; he becomes five; he becomes seven; he becomes nine. Then again he is said to be eleven, also a hundred and eleven and also a thousand and twenty.

‘When nourishment is pure, reflection and higher understanding are pure, memory becomes strong. When memory becomes strong, there is release from all the knots of the heart.’

“Thus did the revered Sanatkumara show to Narada, after his impurities had been removed, the further shore of darkness. People call Sanatkumar as Skanda, yea, they call him Skanda.”

 
II. viii. 1-3

1. Now, in this city of Brahman, there is a mansion (abode) in the shape of a small lotus flower; and within it there is a little space. Now, that which exists in that little space – one should seek that, one should desire to understand that.

 

2. “If they should say to him, “Now, with regard to that city of Brahman and the abode, the small lotus flower and the little space within it, what is there that should be sought and should be understood?”

 

3. He should reply: “As extensive as this cosmic space is that space within the heart. Both heaven and earth are contained in it, both fire and air, both sun and moon, both lightning and stars, and whatever there is of Him in this world and whatever is not – all that is contained within it.”

 

4. And if they should say to him, “If within that city of Brahman is contained all that exists – all beings and all desires, then what is left of it when old age overtakes it, or when it perishes?”

 

5. Then he should reply: “It does not age with the old age of the body; it is not killed with the killing of the body. It is the real city of Brahman. In it all desires are contained. It is the Self, which is free from sin, free from old age, free from death and grief, from hunger and thirst and whose desire is the real, whose will is the real. And as here on earth people obey orders and depend on the object to which they are attached – be it country or a piece of land –

 

6. “And as here on earth anything acquired by exertion perishes, even so perishes what is acquired in the next world by works of merit. Those who depart from here without having discovered the Self and those true desires – for them there is no freedom in all the worlds. But those who depart from here, having discovered the Self and those true desires – for them there is freedom in all the worlds.”

 

7. Thus he who desires the world of Pitris (ancestors) – by his mere will the Pitris come up to him, and having obtained the world of Pitris he is happy.

 

8. He who desires the world of food and drink – by his mere will food and drink arise for him; and having obtained the world of food and drink he is happy.

 

9. And he who desires the world of song and music, by his mere will, song and music come to him; and having obtained the world of song and music he is happy.

And if he becomes desirous of the world of women, by his mere will, women arise. Possessed of that world of women he feels happy and exalted.

 

10. Whatever object he is attached to, whatever thing he desires- by his mere will it comes to him, and having obtained it he becomes happy.

 

11. But these same are the true desires that have a covering of what is false or untrue. Though the desires are true there is a covering that is false. Thus whosoever of one’s people departs from here – one cannot get him back to see here.

 

12. But those of his people, whether they are alive or dead and whatever else one desires but does not get, all that one finds by going there (into the Atman or the Self, the space in the heart); for here indeed are one’s true desires covered with what is false.

 

13. As people who do not know a field walk again and again over the treasure of gold hidden underneath and do not discover it, so do all creatures here, though they go daily into the Brahman-world, yet do not find it, for they are carried away by the untrue.

 

14. That Self abides in the heart, of which this is the etymological explanation. It is called ‘Hridayam’ from ‘Hridi-ayam’ (this one is in the heart).

He who knows this goes day by day into the heavenly world.

 

15. Now that serene Being, rising out of this body and reaching the highest light, appears in his own form. That is the Self, he said. That is the Immortal, the Fearless. That is Brahman. And the name of that Brahman is the True (Satyam).

 

16. This name consists of three syllables- Sa-ti-yam (Sat-ti-yam). Sat signifies the immortal, ti signifies the mortal, and with yam one holds the two together. Because one holds with it the two together it is Yama. He who knows this goes day by day into the heavenly world.

 
III. viii. 4.

1. The Self is a bank, a boundary that preserves these worlds. Day and night do not reach that bank – neither old age nor death, neither grief, nor good nor evil deeds. From it all evils turn back, for the world of Brahman is one where sin is vanquished.

 

2. Therefore, verily, a blind man reaching that bank is no longer blind, a wounded man is no longer wounded, a suffering man is no longer suffering. Therefore, verily, on reaching that bank, night appears even as day, for the world of Brahman is one of eternal light.

 

3. But only those who seek it through a life of the spirit (Brahmacharya) find this world of Brahman. For them there is freedom of movement in all the worlds.

 
IV. viii. 7-12
1. “The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, free from death, free from grief, free from hunger and thirst, whose desire is Reality, whose will is Truth – it is that which one has to seek, it is that which one has to know. He who has found out that Self and understands it – he obtains all worlds and all desires.”
Thus spoke Prajapati (lord of creatures).
2. The gods and the demons both heard this and said: “Let us seek that Self, by seeking which one obtains all worlds and all desires.”
Then Indra from among the gods and Virochana from among the demons went to him; and both of them, without communicating with each other, came into the presence of Prajapati, fuel in hand.
XX. viii. 7-12
1. “The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, free from death, free from grief, free from hunger and thirst, whose desire is Reality, whose will is Truth – it is that which one has to seek, it is that which one has to know. He who has found out that Self and understands it – he obtains all worlds and all desires.”
Thus spoke Prajapati (lord of creatures).
2. The gods and the demons both heard this and said: “Let us seek that Self, by seeking which one obtains all worlds and all desires.” Then Indra from among the gods and Virochana from among the demons went to him; and both of them, without communicating with each other, came into the presence of Prajapati, fuel in hand.
3. They dwelt with him as pupils for thirty-two years. Then Prajapati asked them: “For what purpose have you both dwelt here?” They replied: “Sir, people declare this to be your speech: - ‘The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, free from death, free from grief, free from hunger and thirst, whose desire is Reality, whose will is Truth – it is that which one has to seek, it is that which one has to know. He who has found that Self, and who understands it – he obtains all worlds, all desires.’ We have been living here desiring that Self.”


.4. Then Prajapati said to them: “The person that is seen in the eye – that is the Self I spoke of, that is the Immortal, the Fearless. That is Brahman. “ “But, Sir, he who is perceived in the water and he who is perceived in a mirror – who is he?” “It is he himself that is perceived in all these,” he replied.
5. “Look at yourself in a pan of water, and whatever you do not understand of the Self, come and tell me.” They looked at themselves in a pan of water. “What do you see?” asked Prajapati. They replied: “Sir, we see ourselves as we are – an exact picture even to the very hairs and nails.
6. Then Prajapati said to them: “After you have adorned yourselves, put on your best clothes and tidied yourselves, look again into the pan of water.” They now adorned themselves, put on their best clothes, tidied themselves and looked into the pan of water. “What do you see?” asked Prajapati.
7. They replied: “Sir, just as we both are, well-adorned, well-dressed and tidy, so are both these also, well –adorned. Well-dressed and tidy.” “That is the Self, that is the Immortal, the Fearless. That is Brahman,” he said.
They both went away satisfied in their hearts.
8. And Prajapati, looking after them, said: “They both are going away without having perceived and without having known the Self. Whoever of the two, be they gods or demons, will follow this doctrine shall perish.”
Then Virochana, satisfied in his heart, went to the demons and preached that doctrine to them – that the self (the body) alone is to be worshipped, that the self (the body) alone is to be served and that he who worships that self and serves that self gains both the worlds – this world and the next
9. Therefore, even now they call man who does not give alms here, who has no faith and who offers no sacrifices, a demon, for this is the doctrine of the demons. They adorn the body of the deceased with perfume, flowers and fine clothes and ornaments and think that thereby they will win the other world.
10. But Indra, even before he returned to the gods, saw this difficulty: “Even as this self is well adorned when the body is well adorned, well dressed when the body is well dressed, well cleaned when the body is well cleaned, it will also be blind if the body is blind, lame, crippled if the body is crippled and will perish in fact as soon as the body perishes. I see no good in this.”
11. With fuel in hand he came again and Prajapati said to him: “O Maghavat, as you went away with Virochana, satisfied in your heart, what is your purpose in coming back?”
Indra replied: “Sir, even as this self is well adorned when the body is well adorned, well dressed when the body is well dressed, well cleaned when the body is well cleaned, it will also be blind if the body is blind, lame if the body is lame, crippled if the body is crippled and will perish in fact as soon as the body perishes. I see no good in this.
12. “So it is indeed, O Maghavat,” said Prajapati. “However, I will explain this further to you. Live with me another thirty-two years.” He then lived with him another thirty-two years.
13. Then Prajapati said to him: “He who moves about happy in a dream – he is the Self and he is the Immortal, the Fearless. He is Brahman.” Then Indra went away satisfied in his heart. But before he returned to the gods he saw this difficulty: “Even though the Self is not blind when the body is blind, nor lame when the body is lame, though he is not rendered defective by the defects of the body, nor slain when the body is slain, nor lamed when the body is lamed, yet it is as if they killed him, as if they chased him, he becomes even conscious as it were of pain, and even weeps as it were. I see no good in this.”
14. He came back again with fuel in hand. And Prajapati said to him: “O Maghavat, as you went away satisfied at heart, what is your purpose in coming back?” He replied: “Sir, even though the Self is not blind when the body is blind, nor lame when the body is lame, though he is not rendered defective by the defects of the body, nor slain when the body is slain nor lamed when the body is lamed, yet it is as if they killed him, as if they chased him. He becomes even conscious, as it were, of pain and even weeps as it were. I see no good in this.”
“So it is indeed, O Maghavat,” said Prajapati. “However, I will explain this further to you. Live with me another thirty-two years.” He lived with him another thirty-two years.
15. Then Prajapati said: “When a man is asleep, composed and at perfect rest and has no dreams – that is the Self, that is the Immortal, the Fearless.”
Indra went away, satisfied in his heart. But before he returned to the gods he saw this difficulty: “In truth this one does not know himself that ‘I am he’, nor does he know anything that exists. He is indeed gone to utter annihilation. I see no good in this.”
16. He came back again with fuel in hand. And Prajapati said to him: “O Maghavat, as you went away satisfied at heart, what is your purpose in coming back?” He replied: “Sir, in truth this one does not know himself that ‘I am he,’ nor does he know anything that exists. He is indeed gone to utter annihilation. I see no good in this.”
17. “So it is indeed, O Maghavat,” said Prajapati. “But I will explain this further to you and there is nothing else besides this. Live with me for another five years.” He lived with him for another five years. This made in all one hundred and one years, and so people say that Indra lived with Prajapati as his pupil for one hundred and one years.
18. Then Prajapati said to him: “O Maghavat, this body is indeed mortal, it is always held by death. But it is the support of the Self which is immortal and bodiless. The Self, when it is in the body, is subject to pleasure and pain. So long as he is in the body he cannot be free from pleasure and pain. But when he is bodiless, then neither pleasure nor pain touches him.
19. “Bodiless is air, and so are clouds, lightning and thunder – these are all bodiless. Now as these, when they arise from yonder space and reach the highest light, appear each in its own form – even so does that serene being, when he rises up from this body and reaches the highest light, appear in his own form. He is then the Highest Person. He moves about there, laughing, playing, rejoicing with women, chariots or relatives, never remembering the appendage of this body. Like an animal bound to a cart, so is the spirit bound to this body.
20. “Now when the eye is turned towards space, there is the seeing person, the eye is only the instrument for seeing. He who is cognisant of ‘Let me smell this,’ he is the Self, the nose is for smelling. He who is cognisant of ‘Let me utter this,’ he is the Self, the voice is for uttering. He who is cognisant of ‘Let me hear this,’ he is the Self, the ear is for hearing. He who is cognisant of ‘Let me think this’ he is the Self, the mind is his divine eye. He (the Self) rejoices, seeing these pleasures through his divine eye, namely the mind.
21. “The gods who are in the world of Brahma meditate on that Self. Therefore all worlds belong to them, and all desires. He who knows that Self and understands it obtains all worlds and all desires.”
Thus spoke Prajapati, yea, thus spoke Prajapati.

The Rishis (seers of truth) inquire within themselves:

What is the cause of this universe? Is it Brahman (the Supreme Reality)? Whence do we come? Why do we live? Where shall we at last find rest? Under whose command are we bound by the law of happiness and its opposite?
Time, space, law, chance, matter, primal energy, intelligence- none of these, nor a combination of these, can be the final cause of the universe, for they are effects, and exist to serve the soul. Nor can the individual soul be the cause, for being subject to the law of happiness and misery, it is not free.
The Rishis (seers of truth), absorbed in meditation, saw within themselves the ultimate Reality, the self-luminous Being, the one God, who dwells as the self-conscious power in all creatures. He is one without a second. Deep within all beings He dwells, hidden from sight by the coverings of the gunas – sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. He presides over time, space, and all apparent causes.
Like oil in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water in the river-bed, fire in the tinder, the Self dwells within the soul. Realise Him through truthfulness and meditation.
Like butter in cream is the Self in everything. Knowledge of the Self is gained through meditation. The Self is Brahman (Supreme Reality). By Brahman is all ignorance destroyed.
Fire, though present in the firestick, is not perceived until one stick is rubbed against another. The Self is like that fire; it is realised in the body by meditation on the sacred syllable OM (AUM).
Let your body be the stick that is rubbed, the sacred syllable OM the stick that is rubbed against it. Thus shall you realise God, who is hidden within the body as fire is hidden within the wood.
He who is realised by transcending the world of cause and effect, in deep contemplation, is expressly declared by the scriptures to be the Supreme Brahman. He is the substance, all else the shadow. He is the imperishable.
The knowers of Brahman know Him as the one reality behind all that seems. For this reason they are devoted to Him. Absorbed in Him, they attain freedom from the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.
Matter is perishable. The Lord, the destroyer of ignorance, is imperishable, immortal. He is the one God, the Lord of the perishable and of all souls. By meditating in Him, by uniting oneself with Him, one ceases to be ignorant.
Know God, and all fetters will be loosed. Ignorance will vanish. Birth, death and rebirth will be no more. Meditate upon Him and transcend physical consciousness. Thus will you reach union with the Lord of the universe. But you must know this. Nothing further is there to know. Meditate, and you will realise that mind, matter, and Maya (the power that unites mind and matter) are but three aspects of Brahman, the one Reality.

To realise God ...

To realise God, first control the outgoing senses and harness the mind. Then meditate upon the light in the heart of the fire - meditate, that is, upon Pure Consciousness as distinct from the ordinary consciousness of the intellect. Thus the Self, the Inner Reality, may be seen behind physical appearance.
Control your mind so that the Ultimate reality, the self-luminous Lord, may be revealed. Strive earnestly for eternal bliss.
With the help of the mind and the intellect, keep the senses from attaching themselves to objects of pleasure. They will then  be purified by the light of the Inner reality, and that light will be revealed.
The wise control their minds, and unite their hearts with the infinite, the omniscient, the all-pervading Lord. Only discriminating souls practice spiritual disciplines. Great is the glory of the self-luminous Being, the inner Reality.
Hear, all ye children of immortal bliss, also ye gods who dwell in the high heavens: Follow only in the footsteps of the illumined ones, and by continuous meditation merge both mind and intellect in the eternal Brahman. The glorious Lord will be revealed to you.
Control the vital force. Set fire to the Self within by the practice of meditation. Be drunk with the wine of divine love. Thus shall you reach perfection.
Be devoted to the eternal Brahman. Unite the light within you with the light of Brahman. Thus will the source of ignorance be destroyed, and you will rise above karma.
Sit upright, holding the chest, throat and head erect. Turn the senses and the mind inward to the lotus of the heart. Meditate on Brahman with the help of the syllable OM. Cross the fearful currents of the ocean of worldliness by means of the raft of Brahman – the sacred syllable OM.
With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant hold back his mind.
Retire to a solitary place, such as a mountain cave or a sacred spot. The place must be protected from the wind and rain, and it must have a smooth, clean floor, free from pebbles and dust. It must not be damp, and it must be free from disturbing noises. It must be pleasing to the eye and quieting to the mind. Seated there, practice meditation and other spiritual exercises. As you practice meditation, you may see in vision forms resembling snow, crystals, smoke, fire, lightning, fireflies, the sun, the moon. These are signs that you are on your way to the revelation of Brahman.
As you become absorbed in meditation, you will realise that the Self is separate from the body and for this reason will not be affected by disease, old age or death.
The first signs of progress on the path of Yoga are health, a sense of physical lightness, clearness of complexion, a beautiful voice, an agreeable odour of the person, and freedom from craving.
As a soiled piece of metal, when it has been cleaned, shines brightly, so the dweller in the body, when he has realised the truth of the Self, loses his sorrow and becomes radiant with bliss.The yogi experiences directly the truth of Brahman by realising the light of the Self within. He is freed from all impurities – He is pure, the birthless, the bright.
He is the one God, present on the north, the east, the south and the west. He is the creator. He enters into all wombs. He alone is now born as all beings, and He alone is to be born as all beings in the future. He is within all persons as the inner Self, facing in all directions.
Let us adore the Lord, the luminous one, who is in fire, who is in water, who is in plants and trees, who pervades the whole universe. At the periods of creation and dissolution of the universe, He alone exists. Those who realise Him become immortal.
The Lord is one without a second. Within man, and within all other beings, He projects the universe, maintains it, and
withdraws it into Himself.
His eyes are everywhere; His face, His arms, His feet are in every place. Out of Himself He has produced the heavens and the earth, and with His arms and His wings He holds them together.
He is the origin and support of the gods. He is the Lord of all. He confers bliss and wisdom upon those who are devoted to Him. He destroys their sins and their sorrows.
He punishes those who break His laws. He sees all and knows all. May He endow us with good thoughts!
This vast universe is a wheel. Upon it are all creatures that are subject to birth and death and rebirth. Round and round it turns, and never stops. It is the wheel of Brahman. As long as the individual self thinks it is separate from Brahman, it revolves upon the wheel in bondage to the laws of birth, death and rebirth. But when through the grace of Brahman it realises its identity with Him, it revolves upon the wheel no longer. It achieves immortality.
The Lord supports this universe, which is made up of the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest and the unmanifest. The individual soul, forgetful of the Lord, attaches itself to pleasure and thus is bound. When it comes to the Lord, it is freed from all its fetters.
Mind and matter, master and servant- both have existed from beginnigless time. The Maya that unites them has also existed from beginningless time. When all three- mind, matter, and Maya- are known as one with Brahman, then is it realised that the Self is infinite and has no part in action. Then it is revealed that the Self is all.
O Lord, Thou hast revealed Thy sacred syllable OM, which is
one with Thee. In Thy hands it is a weapon with which to destroy ignorance. O protector of Thy devotees, do not conceal Thy benign person.
Thou art  the Supreme Brahman. Thou art infinite. Thou hast assumed the forms of all creatures, remaining hidden in them. Thou prevadest all things. Thou art the one God of the universe. Those who realise Thee become immortal.

Said the great seer Svetasvatara:

I have known beyond all darkness, that great Person of golden effulgence. Only by knowing Him does one conquer death. There is no other way of escaping the wheel of birth, death and rebirth.There is nothing superior to Him, nothing different from Him, nothing subtler or greater than He. Alone He stands, changeless, self-luminous; He, the great one, fills this universe.
Though He fills this universe, He transcends it. He is untouched by its sorrows. He has no form. Those who know Him become immortal. Others remain in the depths of misery.
The Lord God, all-pervading and omnipresent, dwells in the
heart of all beings. Full of grace, He ultimately gives liberation to all creatures by turning their faces forward Himself.He is the innermost Self. He is the great Lord. He it is that reveals the purity within the heart by means of which He, who is pure Being, may be reached. He is the ruler. He is the great light, shining forever.
This great Being, assuming the form of the size of a thumb,
forever dwells in the heart of all creatures as their innermost Self. He can be known directly by the purified mind through spiritual discrimination. Knowing Him, men become immortal.
This great Being has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. He envelopes the universe. Though transcendent, He is to be meditated upon as residing in the lotus of the heart, at the centre of the body, ten fingers above the navel.
He alone is all this- what has been and what shall be. He has become the universe, yet He remains forever changeless, and is the Lord of immortality.
Without organs of sense, yet reflecting the activities of the senses, He is the Lord and ruler of all.He is the friend and refuge of all. He resides in the body, the city of nine gates. He sports in the world and without in innumerable forms. He is the Master, the ruler of the whole world, animate and inanimate.
He moves fast, though without feet. He grasps everything, though without hands. He sees everything , though without eyes. He hears everything, though without ears. He knows all that is, but no one knows Him. He is called the Supreme, the Great One.
Subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest, the Self is hidden in the heart of all creatures. Through His grace a man loses his cravings, transcends grief, and realises Him as Brahman Supreme.
If the truth of these scriptures are meditated upon by a man in the highest degree devoted to God, and (devoted) to his guru (spiritual teacher) as to his God, they will shine forth. They will shine forth indeed!

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

    

_{(My humble salutations to Swamy Nikhilanda ji, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari and Hinduism com  for the collection)}