Brahadaranyaka Upanishad
 

Home / Shastras

 

     
 
 
 

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

Part Two

Chapter I—Relative Aspects of Brahman 

1.    Om. There lived of yore a man of the Garga family called  proud Balaki, who was an eloquent speaker. He said to  Ajatasatru, the king of Kasi: "I will tell you about Brahman."  Ajatasatru said: "For this proposal I give you a thousand cows.  People indeed rush, saying: 'Janaka, Janaka.' I too have some of  his virtues." 

2.    Gargya said: "That being (purusha) who is in the sun, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk to me about him. I meditate upon him as all—  surpassing, as the head of all beings and as resplendent."  Whosoever thus meditates upon him becomes all—surpassing,  the head of all beings and resplendent. 

3.    Gargya said: "That being (purusha) who is in the moon, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk to me about him. I meditate upon him as the great,  white—robed, radiant Soma." Whosoever thus meditates upon  him has, every day, abundant soma pressed for him in his  principal and auxiliary sacrifices and his food never runs short. 

4.    Gargya said: "That being (purusha) who is in the lightning, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk to me about him. I meditate upon him as luminous."  Whosoever thus meditates upon him becomes luminous and his  progeny too become luminous. 

5.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in the akasa, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk about him. I meditate upon him as full and  unmoving." Whosoever thus meditates upon him is filled with progeny and cattle and his progeny is never extinct from this  world. 

6.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in the air, I meditate  upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please do not talk  about him. I meditate upon him as the Lord (Indra), as  irresistible and as the unvanquished army." Whosoever thus  meditates upon him becomes ever victorious, invincible and a  conqueror of enemies. 

7.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in fire, I meditate  upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please do not talk  about him. I meditate upon him as forbearing." Whosoever thus  meditates upon him becomes forbearing and his progeny  becomes forbearing. 

8.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in water, I meditate  upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please do not talk  about him. I meditate upon him as agreeable." Whosoever thus  meditates upon him—to him comes what is agreeable, not what  is disagreeable and to him are born children who are agreeable. 

9.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in the mirror, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk about him. I meditate upon him as shining."  Whosoever thus meditates upon him becomes shining and his  progeny too becomes shining and he outshines all those with  whom he comes in contact. 

10.    Gargya said: "The sound that arises behind a man while he  walks, I meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no!  Please do not talk about him. I meditate upon him as life."  Whosoever thus meditates upon him reaches his full age on this  earth and life does not depart from him before the completion  of that time. 

11.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in the quarters, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please do not talk about him. I meditate upon him as second and as  inseparable." Whosoever thus mediates upon him gets  companions and his followers never part with him. 

12.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who consists of shadow, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk about him. I meditate upon him as death."  Whosoever thus meditates upon him reaches his full age on this  earth and death does not overtake him before the completion of  that time. 

13.    Gargya said: "This being (purusha) who is in the self, I  meditate upon as Brahman." Ajatasatru said: "No, no! Please  do not talk about him. I meditate upon him as self—possessed."  Whosoever thus meditates upon him becomes self—possessed  and his progeny too becomes self—possessed. Gargya  remained silent. 

14.    Ajatasatru said: "Is this all?" "That is all." "By knowing that  much one cannot know Brahman." "Let me approach you as a  student," said Gargya. 

15.    Ajatasatru said: "It is contrary to usual practice that a brahmin  should approach a kshatriya, thinking: 'He will teach me about  Brahman.' Nevertheless, I will instruct you." So saying, he took  Gargya by the hand and rose. They came to a sleeping man.  Ajatasatru addressed him by these names: Great, White—  robed, Radiant, Soma. The man did not get up. The king  pushed him again and again with his hand till he awoke. Then  he got up. 

16.    Ajatasatru said: "When this being full of consciousness  (identified with the intellect) was thus asleep, where was it then  and whence did it thus come back?" Gargya did not know the  answer. 

17.    Ajatasatru said: "When this being full of consciousness  (vijnana maya) is thus asleep, it absorbs, at that time, the  functions of the organs through its own consciousness and rests  in the Supreme Self (akasa) that is in the heart. When this being  absorbs them, it is called svapiti. Then the organ of smell is  absorbed, the organ of speech is absorbed, the eye is absorbed,  the ear is absorbed and the mind is absorbed." 

18.    When the self remains in the dream state, these are its  achievements (results of past action): It then becomes a great  king, as it were; or a noble brahmin, as it were; or attains, as it  were, high or low states. Even as a great king, taking with him  his retinue of citizens, moves about, according to his pleasure,  within his own domain, so does the self, taking with it the  organs, move about according to its pleasure, in the body. 

19.    Next, when the self goes into deep sleep—when it does not  know anything—it returns along the seventy—two thousand  nerves called hita, which extend from the heart throughout the  whole body and remains in the body. As a baby or an emperor  or a noble brahmin lives, having reached the summit of  happiness, so does the self rest. 

20.    As the spider moves along the thread it produces, or as from a  fire tiny sparks fly in all directions, even so from this Atman  come forth all organs, all worlds, all gods, all beings. Its secret  name (Upanishad) is "the Truth of truth." The vital breaths are  the truth and their truth is Atman. 

Chapter II—Description of the Prana 

1.    He who knows the calf together with its abode, its special  resort, its post and its rope, kills his seven hostile kinsmen. The  vital breath in the body is indeed the calf; this body is its abode,  the head its special resort, strength its post and food its rope. 

2.    These seven gods that prevent decay worship it (the calf):  through these pink lines in the eye, Rudra attends on it; through  the water in the eye, Parjanya attends on it; through the pupil of  the eye, the sun attends on it; through the black of the eye, fire  attends on it; through the white portion, Indra; through the lower eyelid, the earth; and through the upper eyelid, heaven  attends on it. He who knows this—his food does not diminish. 

3.    Regarding this there is the following mantra: "There is a bowl  which has its mouth below and which bulges at the top.  Manifold knowledge has been put into it; seven sages sit on its  rim and the organ of speech, which has communication with  the Vedas, is the eighth." What is called the "bowl which has its  mouth below and which bulges at the top" is this head of ours,  for it is a bowl which has its mouth below and which bulges at  the top. When it is said: "Manifold knowledge has been put into  it," this refers to the organs; these indeed represent manifold  knowledge. When it is said: "Seven sages sit on its rim," this  refers to the organs; they indeed are the sages. "The organ of  speech, which has communication with the Vedas, is the  eighth" because the organ of speech is the eighth and  communicates with the Vedas. 

4.    These two ears are Gotama and Bharadvaja: this one (the right)  is Gotama and this one (the left), Bharadvaja. These two eyes  are Visvamitra and Jamadagni: this one (the right) is  Visvamitra and this one (the left), Jamadagni. These two  nostrils are Vasishtha and Kasyapa: this one (the right) is  Vasishtha and this one (the left), Kasyapa. The tongue is Atri,  for through the tongue food is eaten. Atri is the same as atti  (eating). He who knows this becomes the eater of everything  and everything becomes his food. 

Chapter III—The Two Forms of Brahman 

1.    Verily, there are two forms of Brahman: gross and subtle,  mortal and immortal, limited and unlimited, definite and  indefinite. 

2.    The gross form is that which is other than air and akasa. It is  mortal, limited and definite. The essence of that which is gross,  which is mortal, which is limited and which is definite is the  sun that shines, for it (the sun) is the essence of the three  elements.  

3.    Now the subtle: It is air and akasa. It is immortal, it is unlimited  and it is indefinite. The essence of that which is subtle, which is  immortal, which is unlimited and which is indefinite is the  Person (Purusha) in the solar orb, for that Person is the essence  of the two elements. This is with reference to the gods. 

4.    Now with reference to the body: The gross form is that which is  other than the air and the akasa that is in the body. It is mortal,  it is limited and it is definite. The essence of that which is  gross, which is mortal, which is limited and which is definite is  the eye; for it (the eye) is the essence of the three elements. 

5.    Now the subtle: It is the air and the akasa that is in the body. It  is immortal, it is unlimited and it is indefinite. The essence of  that which is subtle, which is immortal, which is unlimited and  which is indefinite is the person (purusha) that is in the right  eye, for that person is the essence of the two elements. 

6.    The form of that person is like a cloth dyed with turmeric, or  like grey sheep's wool, or like the scarlet insect called  Indragopa, or like a tongue of fire, or like a white lotus, or like  a flash of lightning. He who knows this—his splendour is like a  flash of lightning. Now, therefore, the description of Brahman:  "Not this, not this" (Neti, Neti); for there is no other and more  appropriate description than this "Not this." Now the  designation of Brahman: "The Truth of truth." The vital breath  is truth and It (Brahman) is the Truth of that. 

Chapter IV—Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi (I) 

1.    "Maitreyi, my dear," said Yajnavalkya, "I am going to renounce  this life. Let me make a final settlement between you and  Katyayani (his other wife)." 

2.    Thereupon Maitreyi said: "Venerable Sir, if indeed the whole  earth, full of wealth, belonged to me, would I be immortal  through that?" "No," replied Yajnavalkya, "your life would be just like that of people who have plenty. Of Immortality,  however, there is no hope through wealth." 

3.    Then Maitreyi said: "What should I do with that which would  not make me immortal? Tell me, venerable Sir, of that alone  which you know to be the only means of attaining  Immortality." 

4.    Yajnavalkya replied: "My dear, you have been my beloved  even before and now you say what is after my heart. Come, sit  down; I will explain it to you. As I explain it, meditate on what  I say." 

5.    Then Yajnavalkya said: "Verily, not for the sake of the  husband, my dear, is the husband loved, but he is loved for the  sake of the self which, in its true nature, is one with the  Supreme Self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the wife, my dear, is the wife loved,  but she is loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the sons, my dear, are the sons  loved, hut they are loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of wealth, my dear, is wealth loved,  but it is loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the brahmin, my dear, is the  brahmin loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the kshatriya, my dear, is the  kshatriya loved, but he is loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, are the worlds  loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the gods, my dear, are the gods  loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the beings, my dear, are the beings  loved, but they are loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, not for the sake of the All, my dear, is the All loved,  but it is loved for the sake of the self.  "Verily, my dear Maitreyi, it is the Self that should be  realized—should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon.  By the realization of the Self, my dear—through hearing,  reflection and meditation—all this is known. 

6.    "The brahmin rejects one who knows him as different from the  Self. The kshatriya rejects one who knows him as different  from the Self. The worlds reject one who knows them as  different from the Self. The gods reject one who knows them as  different from the Self. The beings reject one who knows them  as different from the Self. The All rejects one who knows it as  different from the Self. This brahmin, this kshatriya, these  worlds, these gods, these beings and this All—are that Self.  

7—9.    "As the various particular kinds of notes of a drum, when it is  beaten, cannot be grasped by themselves, but are grasped only  when the general note of the drum or the general sound  produced by different kinds of strokes is grasped;  "And as the various particular notes of a conch, when it is  blown, cannot be grasped by themselves, but are grasped only  when the general note of the conch or the general sound  produced by different kinds of blowing is grasped;  "And as the various particular notes of a vina, when it is  played, cannot be grasped by themselves, but are grasped Only  when the general note of the vina or the general sound  produced by different kinds of playing is grasped;  Similarly, no particular objects are perceived in the waking and  dream states apart from Pure Intelligence. 

10.    "As from a fire kindled with wet fuel various kinds of smoke  issue forth, even so, my dear, the Rig—Veda, the Yajur—Veda,  the Sama—Veda, the Atharvangirasa, history (itihasa),  mythology (purana), the arts (vidya), the Upanishads, verses  (slokas), aphorisms (sutras), elucidations (anuvyakhyanas) and  explanations (vyakhyanas) are like the breath of this infinite  Reality. From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed  forth. 

11.    "As the ocean is the one goal of all waters (i.e. the place where  they merge), so the skin is the one goal of all kinds of touch,  the nostrils are the one goal of all smells, the tongue is the one  goal of all savours, the ear is the one goal of all sounds, the  mind is the one goal of all deliberations, the intellect is the one  goal of all forms of knowledge, the hands are the one goal of all  actions, the organ of generation is the one goal of all kinds of  enjoyment, the excretory organ is the one goal of all excretions,  the feet are the one goal of all kinds of walking, the organ of  speech is the one goal of all the Vedas.  

12.    "As a lump of salt dropped into water becomes dissolved in  water and cannot be taken out again, but wherever we taste the  water it tastes salt, even so, my dear, this great, endless, infinite  Reality is Pure Intelligence alone. This self comes out as a  separate entity from these elements and with their destruction  this separate existence also is destroyed. After attaining  oneness it has no more consciousness. This is what I say, my  dear."  So said Yajnavalkya. 

13.    Then Maitreyi said: "Just here you have bewildered me,  venerable Sir, by saying that after attaining oneness the self has  no more consciousness."  Yajnavalkya replied: "Certainly I am not saying anything  bewildering, my dear. This Reality is enough for knowledge, O  Maitreyi." 

14.    "For when there is duality, as it were, then one smells another,  one sees another, one hears another, one speaks to another, one  thinks of another, one knows another. But when everything has  become the Self, then what should one smell and through what,  what should one see and through what, what should one hear  and through what, what should one speak and through what,  what should one think and through what, what should one  know and through what? Through what should One know That  owing to which all this is known—through what, my dear,  should one know the Knower?" 

Chapter V—The Interdependence of Created Objects 

1.    This Earth is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this earth. Likewise, the bright, immortal  being who is in this earth and the bright, immortal, corporeal  being who is in the body are both honey. These four are but this  Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality;  this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman  is the means of becoming all. 

2.    This water is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this water. Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in this water and the bright, immortal being  existing as the semen in the body are both honey. These four  are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to  Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge  of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

3.    This fire is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this fire. Likewise, the bright, immortal  being who is in this fire and the bright, immortal being  identified with the organ of speech in the body are both honey.  These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the  means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this  Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

4.    This air is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are the  honey (effect) of this air. Likewise, the bright, immortal being  who is in this air and the bright, immortal being identified with  the vital breath in the body are both honey. These four are but  this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to  Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge  of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

5.    This sun is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this sun. Likewise, the bright, immortal  being who is in this sun and the bright, immortal being  identified with the eye in the body are both honey. These four  are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to  Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge  of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

6.    These quarters are the honey (effect) of all beings and all  beings are the honey (effect) of these quarters. Likewise, the  bright, immortal being who is in these quarters and the bright,  immortal being identified with the ear in the body and with the  time of hearing are both honey. These four are but this Self.  The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this  underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is  the means of becoming all.  

7.    This moon is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this moon. Likewise, the bright, immortal  being who is in this moon and the bright, immortal being  identified with the mind in the body are both honey. These four  are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to  Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge  of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

8.    This lightning is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings  are the honey (effect) of this lightning. Likewise, the bright,  immortal being who is in this lightning and the bright, immortal  being identified with the light in the body are both honey.  These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the  means to Immortality; this underlying Unity is Brahman; this  Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

9.    This thunder—cloud is the honey (effect) of all beings and all  beings are the honey (effect) of this thunder—cloud. Likewise,  the bright, immortal being who is in this thunder—cloud and  the bright, immortal being identified with sound and with the  voice in the body are both honey. These four are but this Self.  The Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this  underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is  the means of becoming all. 

10.    This akasa is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this akasa. Likewise, the bright, immortal  being who is in this akasa and the bright, immortal being  identified with the akasa in the heart in the body are both  honey. These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self  is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman;  this Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

11.    This dharma (righteousness) is the honey (effect) of all beings  and all beings are the honey (effect) of this dharma. Likewise,  the bright, immortal being who is in this dharma and the bright,  immortal being identified with the dharma in the body are both  honey. These four are but this self. This knowledge of this self  is the means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman;  this knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all.  

12.    This truth is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings are  the honey (effect) of this truth. Likewise, the bright, immortal  being who is in this truth and the bright, immortal being  identified with truth in the body are both honey. These four are  but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the means to  Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge  of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

13.    This mankind is the honey (effect) of all beings and all beings  are the honey (effect) of this mankind. Likewise, the bright,  immortal being who is in mankind and the bright, immortal  being identified with mankind in the body are both honey.  These four are but this Self. The Knowledge of this Self is the  means to Immortality; this underlying unity is Brahman; this  Knowledge of Brahman is the means of becoming all. 

14.    This cosmic body (atman) is the honey (effect) of all beings  and all beings are the honey (effect) of this cosmic body.  Likewise, the bright, immortal being who is in the cosmic body  and the bright, immortal being identified with the individual  self are both honey. These four are but this Self. The  Knowledge of this Self is the means to Immortality; this  underlying unity is Brahman; this Knowledge of Brahman is  the means of becoming all. 

15.    And verily this Self is the Ruler of all beings, the King of all  beings. Just as all the spokes are fixed in the nave and the felloe  of a chariot wheel, so are all beings, all gods, all worlds, all  organs and all these individual creatures fixed in this Self. 

16.    This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach,  versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra  (the rishi) perceived this and said:  "O Asvins in human form, I will disclose that terrible deed of  yours, called damsa, which you performed out of greed, as the  thunder—cloud discloses the approaching rain. I will disclose  the honey (madhu—doctrine), which Dadhyach, versed in the  Atharva—Veda, taught you through the head of a horse."  

17.    This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach,  versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra  (the rishi) perceived this and said:  "O Asvins, you fixed a horse's head on Dadhyach, versed in the  Atharva—Veda, who, O terrible ones, wishing to be true to his  promise, taught you the ritualistic meditation on the honey  (madhu—doctrine) connected with the sun and also the secret  (spiritual) meditation on it." 

18.    This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach,  versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra  (rishi) perceived this and said:  "He (the Lord) made bodies with two feet; He made bodies  with four feet. Having first become a bird (the subtle body), He,  the Supreme Person, entered the bodies. On account of His  dwelling in all bodies (pur), He is called the Person (Purusha).  There is nothing that is not covered by Him, nothing that is not  pervaded by Him." 

19.    This, verily, is the honey (madhu—doctrine) which Dadhyach,  versed in the Atharva—Veda, taught the Asvins. The Mantra  (the rishi) perceived this and said:  "He (the Lord) transformed Himself in accordance with each  form and each form of His was for the sake of making Him  known. The Lord (Indra), through His mayas, appears  manifold; for to Him are yoked ten horses, nay, hundreds. "This  Atman is the organs; It is ten and thousands—many and  infinite. This Brahman is without antecedent or consequent,  without interior or exterior. This self, the all—perceiving, is  Brahman. This is the teaching of the Upanishads." 

Chapter VI—The Line of Teachers 

1.    Now the line of teachers through whom the honey, or the  madhu—doctrine, has been transmitted:  Pautimashya received it from Gaupavana. Gaupavana from  another Pautimashya. This Pautimashya from another  Gaupavana. This Gaupavana from Kausika. Kausika from  Kaundinya. Kaundinya from Sandilya. Sandilya from Kausika  and Gautama. Gautama  

2.    From Agnivesya. Agnivesya from Sandilya and Anabhimlata.  Anabhimlata from another Anabhimlata. This Anabhimlata  from still another Anabhimlata. This Anabhimlata from  Gautama. Gautama from Saitava and Prachinayogya. Saitava  and Prachinayogya from Parasarya. Parasarya from Bharadvaja.  Bharadvaja from another Bharadvaja and Gautama. Gautama  from still another Bharadvaja. This Bharadvaja from Parasarya.  Parasarya from Baijavapayana. Baijavapayana from  Kausikayani. Kausikayani 

3.    From Ghritakausika. Ghritakausika from Parasaryayana.  Parasaryayana from Parasarya. Parasarya from Jatukarnya.  Jatukarnya from Asurayana and Yaska. Asurayana from  Traivani. Traivani from Aupajandhani. Aupajandhani from  Asuri. Asuri from Bharadvaja. Bharadvaja from Atreya. Atreya  from Manti. Minti from Gautama. Gautama from another  Gautama. This Gautama from Vatsya. Vatsya from Andilya.  Andilya from Kaisorya Kapya. Kaisorya Kapya from  Kumaraharita. Kumaraharita from Galava. Galava from  Vidarbhikaundinya. Vidarbhikaundinya from Vatsanapat  Babhrava. Vatsanapat Babhrava from Pathin Saubhara. Pathin  Saubhara from Ayasya Angirasa. Ayasya Angirasa from Abhuti  Tvashtra. Abhuti Tvashtra from Visvarupa Tvashtra. Visvarupa  Tvashtra from the Asyins. The Asvins from Dadhyach  Atharvana. Dadhyach Atharvana from Atharvana Daiva.  Atharvana Daiva from Mrityu Pradhvamsana. Mrityu  Pradhvamsana from Pradhvamsana. Pradhvamsana from  Ekarshi. Ekarshi from Viprachitti. Viprachitti from Vyashti.  Vyashti from Sanaru. Sanaru from Sanatana. Sanatana from  Sanaga. Sanaga from Parameshthin (Viraj). Parameshthin from  Brahma (Hiranyagarbha). Brahman is self—born. Salutation to  Brahman. 
 

 

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

 

 

 

 

 

 
     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


© 2010 HinduOnline.co. All Rights Reserved.