Upanishads

JANAKA UPANISHAD

DIALOGUE OF JANAKA AND YAJNAVALKYA
("Mahabharata", XII, 298 – XII, 306)

XII, 298

1. That which is free from virtue and vice, from all "supports". Free from birth and death, free from righteousness and unrighteousness.

2. That which is ever good and fearless, ever indestructible and unchangeable, ever pure and untroubled - please tell us about it.

3. In this connection I will expound to you an ancient tradition, the Conversation of Yajnavalkya and Janaka, O descendant of Bharata!

4. Yajnavalkya, the foremost of sages, the descendant of Devarati, the great King Janaka, the best of experts in questioning, asked:

5. "How many [in all] are the indriyas, O sage of the Brahmins!, how many natures are known? What is the Unmanifested, what is the highest Brahman and is there anything higher than it?

6. Also about the emergence and disappearance of the world and about the calculation of times You must tell, O lord of the priests! to the one who desires your mercy.

7. For out of ignorance I ask you - the ocean of knowledge, That is why I want to hear about all this without a doubt."

8. So listen, lord of the earth, to what you are asking: [This is] the highest knowledge of the yogis and especially the Sankhyaikas.

9. For you [true, too] there is nothing unknown, and yet you ask for instruction. But the question must be answered - this is the highest dharma.

10. [So], it is said [in total] about eight natures and sixteen derivatives, And those who reflect on the highest Atman speak of seven manifested [principles].

11. The Unmanifested, also the Great, as well as Egotism, Earth, wind, space, water and the fifth fire -

12. These are the eight natures. Hear from me and about the derivatives. [These are] the faculties of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell as the fifth.

13. Sound, tangibility, form, taste. and also smell, [Faculties] of speech, manipulation, locomotion, excretion and enjoyment.

14. These, O lord of kings! are the specific properties in the five Great elements. [And they are] the faculties of perception with their own special properties, O Mithila!

15. The mind is called the sixteenth by those who reflect on the supreme Atman - You and other knowers, experienced in comprehending the principles of the world.

16. From the Unmanifested - the Great, O king! The wise call this the first generation, "pradhanic".

17. From the Great - Egotism, O king! This is called the second generation, it is known as "intelligent".

18. From Egotism comes the Mind, characterized by the properties of the material elements. This is the third birth, [it] is called "egotic."

19. From the Mind come the Great Elements, O lord of men! This fourth birth is called "intelligent."

20. Sound, touch, form, taste, and also smell - [All] this is called the fifth birth, "elemental," by those who reflect on the elements.

21. Hearing, touch, sight, tasting, and smell are the fifth - This was called the sixth birth, it is known as "many-caring."

22. [Then] the lower group of the indriyas of hearing arises, O lord of men! This is called the seventh birth, it is known as "sensual."

23. Also arise the upper and horizontal "currents" [indriyas], O lord of men! This the wise call the eighth generation, it is "direct".

24. [Next] arises the horizontal "current" together with the lower "current", O lord of men! This the wise have called the ninth generation, it is [also] "direct".

25. Behold, lord of men, the nine generations, as well as the twenty-four principles, [they] have been expounded in accordance with the Shruti.

26. Now, O great king! of these principles [and] properties Learn from me the calculation of time, proclaimed by the great ones.

XII, 299

1. Thus, O best of men! learn from me the time-calculation of the Unmanifest. Five thousand kalpas taken twice are considered [one of his] days.

2. Such is his night. Having awakened, O king! [He] first produces grass - the life of all animate beings.

3. Then he produces Brahma, who arises from the golden egg. This [constitutes] the bodily form of all beings - thus we have heard.

4. Having remained in the egg for a year and having emerged from it, the great muni Prajapati unites the two halves - the whole earth and sky.

5. "Heaven and earth" ... - so it is read in the Vedas. Between these shells the lord places space.

6. In calculating this, those who have mastered the Vedas and Vedangas call ten thousand kalpas minus [one] quarter [one] day, and those who reflect on the highest Atman count the night as the same.

7. [This] Rishi" produces Egotism - divine by nature, And four other sons in ancient times [produced from his] body the Great. About them the Shruti testifies as the ancestors of the ancestors, O best of kings!

8. The gods are the sons of [these] ancestors, the worlds are covered by gods With [everything] moving and unmoving, O best of men! Thus have we heard.

9. And the Egotism that heads them produces the five elements: Earth, wind, space, water and fire as the fifth.

10. His night, performing [already] the third generation, is determined At five thousand kalpas, and [his] day is also called as long.

11. Sound, touch, form, taste and smell as the fifth - These, O lord of kings, are the specific properties in the five elements, With which permeate all beings from day to day.

12. They desire each other, rejoice in each other's welfare, "Assert themselves" before each other, compete with each other.

13. They strike each other, unchangeable, together with the gunas that captivate [them]. [Thus] they revolve here, descending into animal bodies.

14. Three thousand kalpas - thus is their day determined, Such is their night, and also the Mind, O lord of people!

15. The mind "passes" everything, O lord of kings, that is done by the senses. And it is not the senses that perceive, but the Mind that perceives here.

16. The eye sees forms, but with the mind - not with the eye: When the mind is distracted, the eye, even looking, does not see. Thus do they perceive [their objects" and all [other] senses, as [the wise] teach.

17. King! When the mind withdraws [from activity], the senses also withdraw. But when the senses are withdrawn, the mind [is] not [yet] withdrawn. So, one should reason about the senses as about that in which the main thing is the mind.

18. The mind is called the master of all the senses. All beings in this world flow into it, O great-glorious one!

XII, 300

1. Both the reckoning of the births of the beginnings and the reckoning of the times Have been expounded by me in order. Hear from me also about the absorption of the worlds,

2. How the Beginningless and Endless Brahma, eternal and indestructible, absorbs beings, generating [them] again and again.

3. Here, noticing that the day is ending, and [plunging] the mind into night sleep, the Lord "Unmanifested" urges the "egoic" husband.

4. Then, urged by the "Unmanifested", the hundred-thousand-rayed Sun, having divided into twelve parts, blazes like fire.

5. Quickly burning with flame the four kinds of living beings: Those born alive, from the egg, from sweat and from the sprout, O king!

6. [All] this, motionless and moving, is destroyed as if by a wave of the hand, And the earth from beginning to end becomes [naked] like the back of a turtle.

7. Then that [sun], infinitely powerful, having burned the whole world without a trace, Instantly and completely fills [it] with rushing water.

8. Then, having touched the Fire of time, that water also comes to an end. When, O lord of kings, the water perishes, [one] great Fire blazes.

9. [But also] that, immeasurably strong, blazing and sparkling. Burning all beings, seven-tongued in one moment

10. The mighty wind, eightfold, strong, spreading with an endless breath across, up and down, devours.

11. [But] it, too, irresistible and terrifying, is devoured by space. The resonant space is devoured by the mobile Mind.

12. The Mind is devoured by that Egotism.[which is] the All-Soul and Prajapati, Egotism by the Great Atman, knowing [everything] present, past and future.

13. It, incomparable in nature and omnipresent, [is devoured] by Prajapati, [who is] Shambhu – [Itself] subtlety, lightness, achievement, [himself] the lord, the undiminished light.

14. "[Having] hands and feet everywhere, eyes, heads, mouths everywhere, ears everywhere, he abides in the world, embracing everything."

15. [This is] the heart of all beings, the size of a thumb joint. Absorbs, great lord, the Universe without remainder.

16. Then everything [reenters] into the imperishable, undiminished, invulnerable. The immaculate progenitor of [all] people - past and future.

17. Now you have been told about the disappearance of the world, O lord of kings! in accordance with the truth. Now listen [to everything] in the aspect of the body, the being and the deity.

XII, 301

1. "The legs are in the aspect of the body," say the Brahmins who see the truth, "Walking is in the aspect of the being, Vishnu is here in the aspect of the deity."

2. "The organ of excretion is in the aspect of the body," say those who see the truth, "Excretion is in the aspect of the being, Mitra is here in the aspect of the deity."

3. "The organ of reproduction is in the aspect of the body," say the Yoga view, "Enjoyment is in the aspect of the being, Prajapati is here in the aspect of the deity."

4. "The hands are in the aspect of the body," say the Sankhya view, "Activity is in the aspect of the being. Indra is here in the aspect of the deity."

5. "The organs of speech are in the aspect of the body," - so they say according to the view of the Shruti, - "Speech is in the aspect of the being, Fire is here in the aspect of the deity."

6. "The eye is in the aspect of the body," - so they say according to the view of the Shruti, - "Form is in the aspect of the being, Surya is here in the aspect of the deity."

7. "The ear is in the aspect of the body," - so they say according to the view of the Shruti, - "Sound is in the aspect of the being, The cardinal directions are here in the aspect of the deity."

8. "The tongue is in the aspect of the body," - so they say according to the vision of truth, - "Taste is in the aspect of the being. The waters here are in the aspect of the deity."

9. "The nose is in the aspect of the body," so they say according to the view of the Shruti, "The smell is in the aspect of the being, and the Earth is here in the aspect of the deity."

10. "The skin is in the aspect of the body," so say those experienced in comprehending the principles of the world [truth], "The tangible is in the aspect of the being, and the Wind is here in the aspect of the deity."

11. "The mind is in the aspect of the body," so they say according to the view of the Shruti, "The conceivable is in the aspect of the being, and the Moon is here in the aspect of the deity."

12. "That which pertains to Egotism is in the aspect of the body," so they say according to the vision of truth, "Conceiving of oneself is in the aspect of the being, Bhava is here - in the aspect of the deity."

13. "The mind is in the aspect of the body," - so they say according to the view of the Vedas, - "The understood is in the aspect of the being, The one who knows the field here is in the aspect of the deity."

14. Thus, king, the expansion [of existence] has been clearly described to you - In the beginning, in the middle, and also in the end - in accordance with the truth, O knower of the truth!

15. Prakriti, at its own desire and arbitrariness, modifies the gunas, For the sake of the game, O great king! - in hundreds and thousands.

16. As [ordinary] mortals multiply lamps into thousands of lamps, So Prakriti modifies a multitude of gunas for the sake of Purusha.

17. Sattva is pleasure, abundance, pleasantness and enlightenment, Joy, purity, painlessness, contentment, presence of faith,

18. Well-being, absence of fuss, patience, firmness, non-harm, Equilibrium, truthfulness, innocence, gentleness, modesty, steadfastness,

19. Purity, straightforwardness, correct behavior, dispassion, heart composure, Absence of bragging, when something is done without "Want - don't want",

20. Mercy through gifts, care for others in the absence of lust, Compassion for all beings - this is said about the gunas (qualities) of sattva.

21. The collection of the gunas (qualities) of rajas is beauty, power, belligerence, gluttony, ruthlessness, dependence on joy - suffering,

22. Pleasure from censuring others, attachment to disputes, selfishness, aggressiveness, over-concern, feeding on enmity,

23. Grief, theft, shamelessness, also indirectness, Fullness, rudeness, lust-anger, also intoxication, Pride, hatred, harshness in words - these are called the gunas of rajas.

24. And I will now expound the collection of gunas (qualities) of tamas - note: Apathy, lack of enlightenment, obscuration and [what] is called great obscuration.

25. Great obscuration is called death, and obscuration is anger. Other signs of tamas: attachment to food,

26. Insatiability of food, as well as thirst for drink. Aromas, walks, lying down, [empty] sitting.

27. Delight in daytime sleep, disputes and idleness, "trust" in dancing, music, singing - out of ignorance, And hatred for [the performance of] any [duties] of dharma - such are the gunas of tamas.

XII, 302

1. These three gunas of prakriti, O best of men! Always abide in the world as a whole, inexorably.

2. A hundredfold, a thousandfold, also a hundred thousandfold And ten millionfold he creates himself through himself.

3. The place of sattva here is called the highest, rajas - the middle, Tamas - the lowest, those who reflect on the highest Atman call it.

4. If in this world [an individual has accumulated] only merit, the highest path is attained, If merit with vice - human, if [one] vice - the lowest.

5. About the dual [combinations] and combinations in accordance with the truth of these three - Sattva, rajas and tamas - listen from me.

6. In sattva is found rajas, in rajas tamas. In tamas is sattva, and in sattva is the Unmanifested.

7. Endowed [only] with sattva and the Unmanifested will reach the world of the gods, United with rajas and sattva appears among men,

8. Combined with rajas and tamas is born in the wombs of animals, With the combination of rajas, tamas and sattva [again] will reach the human state.

9. The place of the wise, freed from merit and vice, is called Eternal and unchangeable, and also indestructible and devoid of fear.

10. [It is] the state of the knowers, the highest place, painless, unshakable, Supersensible, unchanging, [where] the darkness of births and deaths is dispersed.

11. As for that about which you, O king! asked me, the highest, abiding in the Unmanifested, That is he abiding in prakriti, unmoving so [he] is called.

12. And he is thought to be devoid of consciousness and abiding in prakriti, O king! [But Brahma], guided by him, produces and absorbs the worlds.

13. Great muni! Both of them are beginningless and endless, Formless, unchanging, unshakable and invulnerable,

14. Inconceivable. But how is it, O tiger among the sages! One of them is devoid of consciousness, While the other has consciousness and is called "the knower of the field"?

15. For you, O king of priests! inseparably serve the dharma of liberation, And I want to hear the entire dharma of liberation [without remainder] in accordance with the truth.

16. And also about being, [the state of] separation and [existence] outside of being, And about the place of "ascent" of the embodied - when he is separated from the body.

17. And about that [also] tell me, O twice-born! what place he eventually [then] reaches, And also in accordance with the truth about the knowledge of the Samkhya and separately about Yoga.

18. Deign for me, O best one! to tell in accordance with the truth also about the inauspicious signs. After all, you know all this – like [the fruit] of amalaki in your hand.

XII, 303

1. The gunic (without qualities) cannot be made gunic (endowed with qualities), O lord of the earth! And the gunic (endowed with qualities) - gunic (without qualities): learn from me [about this] in accordance with the truth.

2. For the gunic (endowed with qualities) [will be] with the gunas (qualities), and the gunic (without qualities) - without gunas (qualities). Thus say the great munis, who see the truth (of the beginnings of the world).

3. For the "Unmanifested" is gunic (endowed with qualities) by [its very] nature, and it is to the gunas (qualities) that it turns. It is united with them and by its nature devoid of knowledge.

4. "The Unmanifested" does not know, but Purusha, who knows by nature: "There is nothing higher than me," always thinks of himself in this way.

5. For this reason, the Unmanifested will be devoid of consciousness. But due to eternity and indestructibility in essence [it] is different from the destructible.

6. Since [it] carries out the generation of the gunas in ignorance again and again, Not knowing itself, since it is called here "the Unmanifested."

7. Since it creates [the beginnings], it is also called "having the property [of being] the beginning," And since it creates the womb, it is also called "having the property [of being] the womb,"

8. Since it creates "natures", it is also "having the property [of being] "nature", And since it creates the seeds [of things], it is also called "having the property [of being] seed",

9. Since it generates the gunas, it will also be "having the property [of being] a generator", And since it carries out the folding of worlds, [it will be] "having the property of folding worlds"

10. In view of possessing the properties of being a seed, "nature", and a folder [on the one hand] And the properties of being eliminated, other, and self-conscious [on the other],

11. Pure ascetics, whose passion has dissolved in the supreme Atman, think: "Thus the eternal Unmanifested [is in fact] impermanent", - thus we have heard.

12. "In the Unmanifested there is unity, and Purusha "many," say those who are compassionate to all beings and who abide in knowledge alone.

13. That other, the purusha, "unmanifested," although "unstable," is called "stable" - Here arises [the same as] with the reed and [its] core.

14. As one should know the midge, as another - the fig tree: Connecting with the fig tree, the midge does not adhere to it.

15. Likewise, one is the fish, and another is considered water: Touching water, the fish does not stick to it.

16. One is fire, another is the brazier: always note this, O lord! For touching the brazier, the fire is not touched [by it].

17. One is the lotus, the other is considered to be water: When in contact with water, the lotus is not stained [by it].

18. [All] these, being always united, [at the same time always] and separated, But this is never seen by the "people of nature".

19. Those who look [at this] differently, do not have the correct view. It is obvious that they will again and again fall into terrible hell.

20. [Here] you have "calculated" this highest view of the Sankhya. It is precisely in this way that the Sankhyaikas "calculate" that they go to detachment.

21. And others who have mastered the principles of the world (truth) adhere to the same point of view. Now I will also expound the view of the yogis.

XII, 304

1. I have expounded the knowledge of Samkhya, now learn from me the knowledge of Yoga, As [we have] heard and seen, in accordance with the truth, O best of kings!

2. There is no knowledge equal to Samkhya, no power equal to Yoga: Both are considered to lead to one [result] and to that which has no end.

3. [People], satisfied with little understanding, consider them different. We, O king! see in them definitely one.

4. What the Yogis see is the same seen by the Samkhyayikas, He who sees in Samkhya and Yoga one, he is the knower of the truth.

5. Know that there are other Yogis, headed by Rudra, O burner of foes! [Who] with this body go round the nine directions of the world,

6. Until the destruction of the world. O my son. through the eight subtle qualities of yoga, Passing through the worlds thanks to yoga and leaving behind joys, O innocent one!

7. And the wise call the eightfold yoga [established] in the Vedas, They say that the subtle eightfold [yoga] is not [anything] else, O best of kings!

8. The highest activity in yoga is declared to be of two kinds: [Yoga] with "qualities" and [yoga] "without qualities", according to the view of the shastras.

9. [This is] fixation of the mind and retention of the pranas, O king! So, retention of the pranas is [yoga] "with qualities", and fixation of the mind is [yoga] "without qualities".

10. When there is a "leakage" of the pranas, O best of the Mithilas! There is an excess of "winds", then this practice should be stopped.

11. The twelve "inducements" [to yoga] are indicated [in connection with] the first watch of the night, Twelve also [in connection with] the last - after sleep in the middle watch.

12. In this [only] way, the one who is peaceful, self-controlled, loving solitude, Rejoicing in the Atman and "awakened" should discipline himself, [of this] there is no doubt.

13. Having suppressed the evil of the five senses in fivefold - Sounds, tangibles, also forms, tastes and smells,

14. [Then] "intercepting", the Mithila, their appearances and disappearances And collecting the entire collection of senses [without remainder] in the Mind,

15. Having established the mind, O king! in Egotism, and Egotism in Reason, and Reason in Prakriti,

16. [And having] thus "calculated everything," one should then meditate on the Eliminated, [Which is] the undefiled lotus, eternal, infinite, pure, invulnerable,

17. On the immovable Purusha, [who dwells] in purity, indivisibility, freedom from old age-death, the Eternal, indestructible Ishvara, the indestructible Brahman.

18. But one must comprehend, O great king! the signs of the [true] yogi. Here is the sign of serenity: [he] is like a well-fed man [who] sleeps sweetly,

19. A lamp filled with oil, burning in a calm place, With a motionless, [directed] upward flame - to that the wise liken the yogi,

20. To a stone, which is struck by drops coming from a cloud, [But] cannot be moved - this is the sign of a yogi.

21. As [one who] does not waver with the sounds of conch shells and drums, various songs and music performed - thus [one can] describe a yogi.

22. As a man, taking a vessel full of oil in his hands, Climbing a ladder and frightened by the threats of those armed with swords,

23. Concentrated in fear of them, does not spill a drop from the vessel And thus ascends with a concentrated mind,

24. Because [his] senses are established and unwavering - Such should be noted as the signs of the ascetic who practices silence.

25. And this yogi contemplates that Brahman, which is supreme and unreasonable And is like a flame placed in the midst of great darkness.

26. In this way, having left the body, he goes to the Removed, who has no observer, After a long time, O king! This is the eternal message of the Shruti.

27. This is the yoga of the yogis. What other [can be] the sign of yoga? Having known this, the wise are considered to have fulfilled everything that must be fulfilled.

XII, 305

1. King! Hear also with attention about the origin from the body. For that which comes from the legs, the place of Vishnu is indicated,

2. From the shins, it will reach the Vasudevas, thus we have heard, From the knees, it will reach the Sadhyas, who have a great share of gods,

3. That which comes from the excrement organ will reach the place of Mitra, From the seat, the Earth, from the thighs, the Prajapati,

4. From the side, the Marut gods, from the navel, the Moon, From the arms, Indra, thus it is said, from the chest, Rudra,

5. From the neck, that best of the rishis, the unsurpassable Naru, From the mouth, the Vishvedevas, from the ear, the cardinal directions,

6. From the nose – the Bearer of odors, from the eyes – Surya, from the eyebrows – the Ashvin gods, from the forehead – the ancestors.

7. [But, having come] out of the skull, he will reach [himself] Brahman, the omnipresent, the first-born of the gods. Thus, O king of Mithila! [you] have been informed of these states of origin.

8. Now I will tell about the symptoms of death established by the wise, [Which] appear in the embodied, [who is destined] to part with the body after a year.

9. Whoever ceases to see [the star] Alcor, seen by him before, And also the Pole Star, as has been said, And the full moon [begins to see] as a flame Or only in partial brilliance on the right side – he will live for a year.

10. Whoever ceases to see himself in the pupils of other [people], O king! [Or] his figure [in the form of] a shadow, he lives for a year.

11. If also great brilliance and great wisdom [are replaced] by the absence of both [Or] there are distortions of natural [properties] - these are signs of death after six months.

12. If the black [or] dark complexion of one who does not respect the gods and opposes the Brahmins is replaced by a pale one - this is [also] a sign of death after six months.

13. If he sees the circle of the moon as a withered and torn web [And is able to look] at the Sun, then death [will come] after seven nights.

14. A person who smells the smell of a corpse [when inhaling] incense In the dwellings of the gods (temples), will taste death after six nights.

15. Pendulous ears and nose, discoloration of gums and eyes, Loss of consciousness and coldness indicate death on the same day...

16. If, O king, the left eye waters without reason, And steam rises from the head, [this is also] an indication of death on the same day

17. Noticing these symptoms of death, a man who is self-controlled, Let him "attach" himself to the highest Atman night and day,

18. Waiting for the time when this will happen. If death is undesirable for him and he wishes to continue this activity,

19. Let him "restrain" all smells and tastes, collected, Then he will conquer death, entirely devoted [to this] inner Atman.

20. And having known, O bull among men! concentration with Sankhya, Let him conquer death with Yoga, wholly devoted to it by the inner Atman.

21. And let him go and reach the wholly imperishable, birthless, good, unchangeable Place, eternal, immovable, difficult to reach for those who have not yet "made themselves."

ХII, 306

1. You, O king! have asked me about that highest thing that abides in the Unmanifested, the other, So listen attentively [to the answer] to this highest and most secret of questions.

2. When I was wandering sadly through this land according to the rule of the rishis, I received from Aditya the sacrificial formulas [of the White Yajurveda], O king of Mithila!

3. When I had finished [my] ardent service [to that] most warm god, The almighty Surya, pleased [with me], said to me, O innocent one:

4. "Rishis of the priests! Choose for yourself any gift, the most difficult to obtain. And I, pleased [with you], promise it to you, [though] my grace [is also] difficult to obtain."

5. Then, having bowed, I said to the best of the flaming ones: "I want to quickly master the sacrificial formulas that have not yet been used."

6. To this the Lord answered me: "I will grant you [what you ask], O Brahmin! Saraswati, like a word, will penetrate your body."

7. Then the Lord continued: "Open your throat," And into my open throat Saraswati entered.

8. Then I, burning [from heat], entered, O immaculate one! into the water, Out of ignorance and impatience [getting angry] at the great Sun.

9. But the Lord of Radiance said to me, burning [from the heat]: "Be patient for a moment, and the heat itself will cool you."

10. Seeing me already cooled, the Lord Surya said to me: "The Veda will be established in you, O Brahmin! with [all] additions and appendices,

11. And you will create the entire "Shatapatha", O bull among Brahmins! After completing it, your mind will no longer be reborn,

12. And that desired thing that you will achieve, [will be] the state to which both Sankhya and Yoga strive." Having said this, the Lord returned to himself.

13. [When I] heard what was said, and the omnipresent deity disappeared, I, having come home joyfully, began to think of Sarasvati.

14. And behold, the most beautiful, adorned with vowels and consonants, the goddess Sarasvati herself appeared to me, wearing the syllable Om on her forehead.

15. Then, according to the prescriptions, I offered a sacrifice of worship to Sarasvati, And also to [that] best of the flaming and villages, full of respect for them.

16. And the entire "Shatapatha" with the secret teaching and with extracts" I created [from beginning] to end with great joy.

17. And I read [it] with a hundred of my best students, To the annoyance of [my] great uncle" with his students.

18. And so I, with my disciples, like the Sun with its rays, spread, O great king! the sacrifice of your great father.

19. And in the sight of Devala, I appropriated half [the priestly bribe], The bribe for reading the Veda, [which led] to a conflict with my uncle.

20. But Sumantu, Shaila, and also Jaimini And your father with the silent ones gave me [this] consent.

21. Fifteen sacrificial formulas were received [by me] from the Sun, O faultless one! Also received [by me] from the Hair-raiser was the Purana.

22. Having honored this seed, also the goddess Sarasvati And moved, king, by the power of Surya, I was able

23. To compose the Shatapatha, and also to create the Veda, which had not yet been, As I desired, and this path was indicated

24. Thoroughly to the disciples; all [their collected things were instructed by means of [the text] with summaries, And all [those] pure disciples departed in great joy.

25. These fifteen branches are the knowledge indicated by the Creator of light. Having distributed them as desired, [they] can be thought of [as] an object of knowledge:

26. "What is the Brahmanical truth here? And what is the highest object of knowledge?" While thinking about this, a Gandharva came and began to question [me]

27. Visvavasu, O king! learned in the knowledge of the Vedanta, Having asked twenty-four questions, O king! according to the Veda And the twenty-fifth question also asked - about philosophy:

28. About the Universe and the non-Universe, about the mare and the horse, about Mitra and about Varuna, About knowledge and about the object of knowledge, also about the ignorant and the knowing, about "Who?", about asceticism and non-asceticism, About the eater of the Sun and about the Sun, then about knowledge and about ignorance,

29. And also about the knowable and the unknowable, O king! about the immobile and the mobile, About the original, about the imperishable and about the perishable - [and] this last question [he asked].

30. And I answered, O king! the best of the Gandharvas, Who asked in order the lofty and useful questions:

31. "Wait a moment, while I think," - "Good," - having said this, the Gandharva sank into silence.

32. Then again I followed the goddess Sarasvati in thought And churned [the answers] to those questions, like butter from curdled milk, with my mind.

33. Likewise, the Upanishad, O king, with its additions I churned with my mind, O my son! contemplating [with it] the highest philosophy.

34. This, O tiger among kings! the fourth science, relating to the afterlife, [is] expounded by me to you, [it is] based on the twenty-fifth [beginning].

35. So I answered then, O king! to the lord Visvavasu: "Listen [to what] you asked us,

36. King of the Gandharvas! As for your question about the Universe and the non-Universe, Then the Universe should be known as the highest Unmanifested, terrible [for everything that was and will be,

37. And the three-gunas - in view of [that] produces the gunas, and the non-universe - as having no parts [Purusha]. In a pair of horses one should see the same thing.

38. The Unmanifested is called "nature", and Purusha - gunaless, Likewise Mitra - Purusha, and Varuna - "nature".

39. Knowledge is also called "nature", and the object of knowledge - having no parts, And the knower and the unknower - Purusha, and therefore [he] is called having no parts.

40. As for "Who?", asceticism and non-asceticism, then [to the question of who is] "Who?" they answer: "Purusha", Asceticism is "nature", so they say, non-asceticism is indicated as having no parts.

41. Also, the non-knowable is the Unmanifested, and the knowable is called Purusha. [As for] what you asked about the mobile and the immobile, listen to me about that.

42. The mobile is called "nature", the cause of movement and creation [of things], Purusha [who does not perform movement and creation [of things] is considered immobile.

43. Both are unborn and without offspring and both are also imperishable, Both are called "unborn" and "eternal" by those established [in the knowledge] of the paths of the supreme Atman.

44. [The unmanifest] is called unborn and unchangeable because of the imperishability [of its] generation, Purusha [is also] called imperishable - because his "imperishability" is unknown.

45. Because of the "imperishability" of the gunas, "nature" [is called] by the wise - as creating [these gunas] - imperishable. Here [is expounded] to you philosophy - the fourth science, relating to the afterlife [existence].

46. [For him who] is always in action, acquiring wealth and knowledge by action, All the Vedas are considered to have only this one purpose.

47. In what these [creatures] are born, die and where they "shift" - Who, the best of the Gandharvas, does not comprehend [this] meaning of the Vedas [as] an object of knowledge,

48. Even if he learns the five Vedas with parts and additions, He will not know what is to be known in the Vedas, and will carry only the burden of the Vedas.

49. Who, desiring butter, will churn ass' milk, O best of the Gandharvas! Let him count [only] on dung - not on cream or butter.

50. Thus, that knower of the Vedas, who does not know the knowable and the unknowable, Is considered an ordinary fool, carrying [only] the burden of knowledge.

51. These two should always be contemplated by the inner Atman, concentrated on this, So that births and deaths will cease for him forever.

52. Reflecting on the continuous births and deaths and leaving these three [Vedas], [with the thought]: "Here is [only] the transitory", let him resort to the [eternal] dharma.

53. And when, O descendant of Kasyapa! day after day he will contemplate the infinite, Then he will become Eliminated and will see the twenty-sixth.

54. One is the eternally "Unmanifested", and another is the twenty-fifth. "Let him contemplate the two [types] of that [Atman] as 'that one' - thus the wise instruct.

55. Therefore, the twenty-fifth is not recognized as 'stable' by Yogis and Sankhyaikas, who seek the highest, out of fear of births and deaths."

56. "Best of the Brahmins! [But still] as for the twenty-fifth, of whom you spoke, [Is it] so with him [the matter] or not? Kindly explain it to me.

57. I have heard [about this instruction] from Jaigishavya and Asita Devala, the Brahmin rishi Parashara, the wise Varshaganya,

58. The wanderer Pancasikha, also Kapila and Shuka, Gautama, Arshtisena and the great Garga,

59. Narada, Asuri, and also the wise Pulastya, Sanatkumara, and then the great Shukra,

60. And previously I heard from the great father Kasyapa, And directly from [himself] Rudra, who has all forms, and is wise,

61. Then everywhere from the deities of the ancestors and the Daityas I have received this entire subject of knowledge, [which] is called eternal.

62. Therefore, O Brahmana! I truly wish to know about this [in the light of] your reasoning, For you are the best in the shastras, confident and wise.

63. For there is nothing unknown to you, you are considered an ocean of Shruti, [As] they say in the world of the gods and in the world of the ancestors, O Brahman!

64. The same is said by those who have gone to the world of Brahman, the great rishis, And [the same] is said about you by the father of all the inflamed, the eternal Aditya.

65. For by you, O Brahman! the entire knowledge of the Sankhya has been mastered, And also the yogas, in [all] particulars, Yajnavalkya!

66. You are undoubtedly awakened and cognizant of [everything] – both moving and unmoving, [Therefore] I desire to obtain that knowledge, like [butter] churned from cream."

67. "And I consider you [just] to be the repository of all [wisdom], O best of the Gandharvas! And [still] you want instruction from me, O lord! Know [it then] in accordance with the Shruti.

68. The twenty-fifth knows the "nature" that does not know, "Nature" does not know the twenty-fifth, O Gandharva!

69. And it is because of this "ignorance" that she is called "pradhana". The Sankhyaikas and Yogins are the knowers of truth, in accordance with the testimony of the Sruti.

70. Contemplating and at the same time not contemplating, so contemplates another, O faultless one! The twenty-sixth, [who] contemplates both the twenty-fifth and the twenty-fourth. But even contemplating him [himself], [may] not be seen by the one who contemplates.

71. Let the twenty-fifth think of himself: "There is no one higher than me", The twenty-fourth is not incomprehensible to people who have seen knowledge.

72. As a fish follows water and advances [in it by its] progress And as a fish knows [water], so this [twenty-fifth] always knows ["nature"], Attached to it because of cohabitation [with it], and [to it] always imagines himself.

73. When he does not realize [his] unity [with the twenty-sixth], then every time he "plunges", When "mine" is not absorbed [by consciousness], every time he "emerges".

74. When the Brahmin realizes: "I am one, and he is another." Then he becomes Eliminated and sees the twenty-sixth.

75. One, O king! the twenty-fifth, another - "the subsequent", But since [one] is placed in another, the wise [consider]: "[There is] only one".

76. Therefore the Sankhyaikas and yogis who fear birth and death are not satisfied with the twenty-fifth as "stable", O descendant of Kasyapa! But the pure ones look at the twenty-sixth, being entirely devoted to it.

77. And when he becomes Eliminated and contemplates the twenty-sixth. Then that all-knowing knower does not find [the next] birth.

78. Thus the "unawakened" and the "awakening" to you, O faultless one! And the "awakened" have been expounded by me in accordance with the truth and the testimony of the Shruti,

79. The "awakened" who sees both the seer and the non-seeer, as well as safety and truth, O descendant of Kasyapa! The removed and the un-removed, as well as that which is above the twenty-fifth."

80. "This beautiful truth you have told, lord! Truly the giver of good peace [and being] the origin of the gods, May you always have imperishable goodness And knowledge always united with knowledge, praise to you!"

81. Having spoken thus, he returned to heaven, Truly shining with a sacred splendor, Rejoicing, satisfied with the highest satisfaction And having performed pradakshina for me, the magnanimous one,

82. To the heavenly beings beginning with Brahma and on earth Living below, O lord of men! To them also having revealed [that] view, Having entered the path of "safety".

83. All the Sankhyaikas, contented with the Sankhya dharma, And the Yogis, contented with the Yoga dharma. And other people, who loved liberation, They [also accepted] this view, attained by knowledge.

84. From knowledge liberation is born to men, [But it is not from ignorance, so it is said, O lord of men! Therefore one should seek knowledge [as it is] in accordance with the truth, By which one is liberated from birth-death.

85. Having received knowledge from a Brahmin or from a Kshatriya, From a Vaisya, from a Shudra, even from a servant, immediately The believer should always believe in it: In the believer birth-death does not dwell.

86. All the castes are Brahmins and are born of Brahman, And all always glorify Brahman,

[This] true Shastra I pronounce with the Brahminical mind, This entire world in its entirety is Brahman.

87. From the mouth of Brahman were born the Brahmins, From the hands, verily, were born the Kshatriyas, From the navel – the Vaisyas, from the feet – the Shudras, All the castes should be known [thus], not otherwise.

88. Due to ignorance, the [various] wombs of action, O king, acquire successions and come to nothingness, Also the castes, deprived of knowledge, fall – Due to terrible ignorance – into the net of the wombs of "nature".

89. Therefore, knowledge should be pursued in every way, And it is found everywhere, as I have told you, Whether a Brahmin or someone else has established himself in it – Liberation is always promised to him by the lords of the Brahmins.

90. What you asked, I have instructed you in that, In accordance with the truth, and be carefree, Go, O king! to the end of that subject [meaning], [Everything] is well said, and may it be blessed to you forever.

91. "Having been thus instructed by the wise Yajnavalkya, that King, the lord of Mithila, attained contentment.

92. And when the best of the munis departed, having accepted pradakshina, the King, the descendant of Devarati, remained seated, [having already become] an expert in liberation.

93. He gave away ten million cows, also gold, And a handful of precious stones he then gave to the brahmanas.

94. And, having entrusted the kingdom of Videha to his son, the King of Mithila began to live, having accepted the dharma of an ascetic.

95. Having studied the knowledge of Sankhya and the entire shastra of yoga, Having disdained righteousness and unrighteousness, O lord of kings! as products of "nature,"

96. [And having decided:] "The Infinite [is only for me [needed]", always [strove] for the Eliminated. Righteousness and unrighteousness, merit and vice, also truth and falsehood.

97. He considered birth and death, O lord of kings! to be products of "nature": "This is the work of the Brahmanic Unmanifested", thus, O king! [he thought] always.

98. [This] is seen by yogis and sankhyaikas, who extract the signs [of this] from their shastras. For Brahman, [which] is higher than the highest, is beyond the desired-undesirable. Knowers always speak of it as pure, therefore [you too] be pure.

99. Whether something is given, taken, or [there is] consent to it, Whether [someone] gives something or takes - In fact, this Unmanifested gives and it takes.

100. "There is only one Atman for the Atman, who else can be higher than this?" - Think thus constantly, do not think otherwise.

101. Who has not cognized the Unmanifested - with or without qualities, Let those foolish ones visit ablutions and sacrifices.

102. Neither by reading the Vedas, nor by asceticism, nor by sacrifices, O joy of the Kurus! The place of the Unmanifested is not attained, only by knowledge of the Unmanifested, O lord of the earth!

103. Also the place of the Great and the place of Egotism, Also the place - [that] which is higher than Egotism, they attain.

104. Those who know, devoted to the shastra, that. that which is above the Unmanifested, the eternal, [Acquire] freedom from birth-death, which is different from the existing and from the non-existent.

105. This [knowledge] was received by me first from Janaka, And by Him, O king! was received from Yajnavalkya. Knowledge has precedence over sacrifice, By knowledge the narrow passage is overcome, not by sacrifices.

106. The narrow passage, O king, is birth and death, Those who know knowledge consider them "immaterial." But by sacrifices, feats, self-restraint and vows Those who reach heaven fall [back] to earth.

107. Therefore, revere the highest, the great, the pure, the Good, the liberated, the undefiled, the purifying, [As] an expert in the "knowing field," O king! "Honor the sacrifice of knowledge and you will truly be a rishi."

108. [This] Upanishad was then transmitted in ancient times to King Janaka by Yajnavalkya. [Whoever follows it] attains the eternal and unchangeable present in it, Which is pure and sorrowless immortality.