Kausitaki Upanishad
1. OM. ‘Breath is brahman’: so said Kausitaki. Mind is the
messenger of the breath, of brahman: the eye is its watchman,
the ear its herald, speech its maid. 
The one who knows the mind as the messenger of the
breath, of brahman, comes to have a messenger. The one
who knows the eye as the watchman comes to have a
watchman. The one who knows the ear as the herald comes
to have a herald. The one who knows speech as the maid
comes to have a maid.
All these deities bring tribute to the breath, to brahman,
without its asking: likewise all beings bring tribute to it,
without its asking. The secret teaching (upanisad} for the one
who knows this is that one should not ask. just as one who
had begged in a village without getting anything might sit
down, saying, ‘I would not eat anything from here if it were
given.’ Those who refused him before, now invite him. This
is the dharma of the one who does not ask; givers of food
invite him, saying, ‘Let us give to you,’
2. ‘Breath is brahman’: so said Paingya. The eye .of the
breath, of brahman, is shut behind speech; the ear is shut
behind the eye; the mind is shut behind the ear; the breath
is shut behind the mind. All these deities bring tribute to
the breath, to brahman, without its asking: likewise all beings
bring tribute to it, without its asking. The secret teaching
for the one who knows this is that one should not ask, just
as one who had begged in a village without getting anything
might sit down, saying, ‘I would not eat anything from here
if it were given.’ Those who refused him before, now invite
him. This is the dharma of the one who does not ask: givers
of food invite him, saying, ‘Let us give to you.’
3. Now the claiming of a special treasure:
If someone longs for a special treasure, then at one of
these junctures ? the full moon day, the new moon day,
or an auspicious constellation in the bright fortnight?he
builds a fire, sweeps around, strews, and sprinkles; bending
the right knee, he makes offerings of melted butter with the
spoon, saying: ‘The deity named “Speech” is the Claimer.
May it claim this for me from
‘The deity named “Breath” is the Claimer. May it claim
this for me from
‘The deity named “Eye” is the Claimer. May it daim
this for me from
‘The deity named “Ear” is the Claimer. May it claim this
for me from
‘The deity named “Mind” is the Claimer. May it claim
this for me from
‘The deity named “Awareness” is the Claimer. May it
claim this for me from
Then he should smell the scent of the smoke, anoint his
limbs with an ointment of melted butter, and go forth
restraining his speech. He should state his purpose, or send
a messenger: and he gets his wish.
4. Now the longing that belongs to the gods:
If someone wishes to become beloved of any man, or
woman, or persons, then at one of these same junctures,
by the same method, he makes offerings of melted butter,
saying: ‘I offer up your speech in me,
‘I offer up your breath in me,
‘I offer up your eye in me,
‘I offer up your ear in me,
‘I offer up your mind in me,
‘I offer up your awareness in me,
Then he should smelt the scent of the smoke, anoint his
limbs with an ointment of melted butter, and go forth
restraining his speech. He should seek to touch the person
or stand to windward, conversing with them. He becomes
beloved, and they long for him.
5. Now Pratardana’s method of self-restraint?folk call it
the ‘inner Agnihotra’:
So long as a person is speaking, he cannot breathe: at
that time he offers up the breath in speech. So long as a
person is breathing, he cannot speak: at that time he offers
up speech in the breath. Waking or sleeping, one constantly
makes these two unending, immortal offerings. Other
offerings have an end, for they are made of actions. The
ancients, knowing this, used not to offer the Agnihotra.
6. ‘The Uktha is brahman’: so said 6uskabhmgara. One
should worship it as re: then all beings praise (re-) one, to
one’s betterment. One should worship it as yajus: then all
beings are yoked (yuj-) to one, to one’s betterment. One
should worship it as sdman: all beings then bow (sam-nam-)
to one, to one’s betterment. One should worship it as
splendour: one should worship it as fame: one should
worship it as brightness. As it is the most splendid, the
most famous, the brightest among the recitations, the one the brightest among all beings.
The Adhvaryu makes ready the self of the sacrifice,
which is made of actions. On it he weaves that which is
made of the yajus. On that which is made of the yajus, the
Hotr weaves that which is made of the re. On that which
is made of the re, the Udgatr weaves that which is made
of the saman. This is the self of the threefold knowledge.
The one who knows this becomes the self of Indra.
7. Now there are three contemplations (upasana) of the
all-conquering Kausitaki.
The all-conquering Kausitaki used to worship (upas-}
the sun at rising, having put on the sacred thread, fetched
water and three times sprinkled with the water pot, saying,
‘You are the drawer: draw evil from me.’ By the same
method he worshipped it in the middle of its course, saying,
‘You are the drawer-up: draw up evil from me.’ By the same
method he worshipped it at setting, saying, ‘You are the
drawer-together: draw together evil from me.’ So it draws
together whatever evil he has done by day or by night.
In the same way, the one who knows this worships the sun by this method: it draws together whatever evil he does, by day or by night.
8. Now each month, when the new moon night comes
round, when the moon appears in the west, one should
worship it by this method, or cast two green grass blades
at it, saying,
‘Since my well-formed heart Rests in the moon in the sky,
I think myself a knower of it.
May I not mourn for harm to a son.’
Then his offspring do not pass away before him. That
is for one to whom a son has been born. Now for one to
whom a son has not yet been born: after muttering the three
re verses,
‘Wax! May well-being come to you!’
‘May juices, may strength come to you,
‘Stem that the Adityas cause to wax!
he says, ‘Do not wax by our breath, offspring, animals. Wax
by the breath, offspring, animals of the one who hates us,
of the one that we hate. I turn the turn of Indra: I turn
with the sun’s turn.’ And he turns towards the right hand.
9. Now on the full moon night, when the moon appears ,
in the east, one should worship it by this method, saying,
‘You are King Soma, the shining. You are the five-mouthed
Prajapati.
‘The Brahmana is one mouth of you. With that mouth
you eat the kings. With that mouth make me an eater of
food.
‘The king is one mouth of you. With that mouth you
eat the people. With that mouth make me an eater of food.
‘The hawk is one mouth of you. With that mouth you
eat the birds. With that mouth make me an eater of food.
‘Fire is one mouth of you. With that mouth you eat this
world. With that mouth make me an eater of food.
‘There is a fifth mouth in you. With that mouth you eat
all beings. With that mouth make me an eater of food.
‘Do not wane with our breath, offspring, animals. Wane
with the breath, offspring, animals of the one who hates us,
of the one we hate. I turn the turn of the gods: I turn with
the sun’s turn.’ And he turns towards the right hand.
10. Now when one is about to lie with one’s wife, one
should stroke her heart, saying,
‘0 well-formed one, by that which rests In your heart, in Prajapati,
Mistress of immortality, May you not endure suffering from a son.’
Then her offspring do not pass away before her.
11. On coming back when one has been away, one should
sniff one’s son’s head, saying,
‘You arise from every limb:
You spring from the heart.
Indeed, son, you are my self.
Live a hundred autumns,
Be a rock, be an axe,
Be invincible gold.
Indeed, son, you are brightness.
Live a hundred autumns,
He speaks his name, then embraces him, saying, ‘As
Prajapati has embraced his creatures for their safety, I
embrace you,
‘Give to him, Maghavan, who receive the remnant.
and in his left:
‘Bestow on him, Indra, the finest goods.
‘Do not be cut off. Do not suffer. Live a hundred autumns
of life. Son, with your name I sniff your head.’ So saying,
he sniffs his head three times. ‘I low over you with the
lowing of cows.’ So saying, he lows over his head three
times.
12. Now the dying-around (parimara) of the gods:
Brahman shines when fire burns, and it dies when it
does not burn. Its brightness {tejas} goes to the sun, its
breath to the air. Brahman shines when the sun is seen, and
it dies when it is not seen. Its brightness goes to the moon,
its breath to the air. Brahman shines when the moon is seen,
and it dies when it is not seen. Its brightness goes to
lightning, its breath to the air. Brahman shines when lightning
lightens, and it dies when it does not lighten. Its brightness
goes to the air, its breath to the air. Though all these
deities enter the air and die in the air, they do not perish,
and so they arise again.
So much regarding deities. Now regarding oneself:
13. Brahman shines when one speaks with speech, and it
dies when one does not speak. Its brightness goes to the
eye, its breath to the breath. Brahman shines when one sees
with the eye, and it dies when one does not see. Its
brightness goes to the ear, its breath to the breath. Brahman
shines when one hears with the ear, and it dies when one
does not hear. Its brightness goes to the mind, its breath to
the breath. Brahman shines when one thinks with the mind,
and it dies when one does not think. Its brightness goes to
the breath, its breath to the breath. Though all these deities
enter the breath and die in the breath, they do not perish,
and so they arise again. So when someone knows this, even
if both mountains, the southern and the northern, were to
roll towards him. intending to crush him, they would not
crush him. But those who hate him, and those whom he
himself hates, die around (pari-mr-) him.
14.Now the attaining of supremacy:
The deities, disputing over who was the best, left the
body. It lay there, not breathing, dry, become a log. Speech
entered it, and it still lay there, speaking with speech. The
eye entered it, and it still lay there, speaking with speech,
seeing with the eye. The ear entered it, and it still lay there,
speaking with speech, seeing with the eye, hearing with the
ear. The mind entered it, and it still lay there, speaking with
speech, seeing with the eye, hearing with the ear, thinking
with the mind. The breath entered it, and it at once stood
up.
All the deities, having acknowledged supremacy in the
breath, and understood the breath as the self of awareness,
left the body, all of them together. Entering the air, with
space as self, they went to heaven.
In the same way, the one who knows this, having
acknowledged supremacy in the breath, and understood the
breath as the self of awareness, leaves the body with all of
them together. Entering the air, with space as self, he goes
to heaven. He goes where the gods are. Reaching that, he
becomes immortal as the gods are immortal: the one who
knows this.
15. Now the Father-and-Son Ceremony?folk call it the
handing-on.
When the father is about to depart, he calls his son.
Having strewn the house with fresh grass, built a fire and
placed nearby a water-pot with a dish, and covered himself
with a new garment, the father lies there. The son comes
and lies down over him.
The father should hand on to him, either by touching
faculties with faculties, or with the son sitting facing him.
Then he hands on to him;
The father says, I must place my speech in you.’
The son says, I place your speech in me.’
The father says, I must place my breath in you.’
The son says, I place your breath in me.’
The father says, I must place my eye in you.’
The son says, I place your eye in me,
The father says, I must place my ear in you.’
The son says, I place your ear in me.’
The father says, I must place my tastes of food in you.’
The son says, ‘I place your tastes of food in me.’
The father says, I must place my actions in you.’
The son says, I place your actions in me.’
The father says, ‘I must place my joy and sorrow in
you.’
The son says, ‘I place your joy and sorrow in me.’
The father says, ‘I must place my delight, pleasure and
procreation in you.’
The son says, “I place your delight, pleasure and
procreation in me,’
The father says, ‘I must place my movement in you,
The son says, ‘I place your movement in me.’
The father says, ‘I must place my mind in you.’
The son says, ‘I place your mind in me.’
The father says, ‘I must place my awareness in you.’
The son says, ‘I place your awareness in me.’
But if he is not able to say much, the father should say
in brief, ‘I must place my breaths in you.’
The son should say, ‘I place your breaths in me.’
Then the son gets up and goes out, turning to the
right. The father calls after him: ‘May glory, may the radiance
of brahman may fame favour you!’
The other looks back over his left shoulder, hiding his
face with his hand or covering it with the end of his garment,
and says: ‘Win heavenly worlds and desires!’
If he gets well, the father should either live under his
son’s authority or go forth. If he passes away, they should
provide him with those funeral rites with which he ought
to be provided?with which he ought to be provided.