Brhadaranyaka Upanishad:

The Great Forest Teaching:

Book Two Part II


11.4

1. Yajnavalkya said, "Maitreyi, I am going forth from this state.The household stage of life. Maitreyi and Katyayani are Yajnavalkya's I must make a settlement on you and Katyayani.�

2. Maitreyi said, "Blessed one, if I had this whole earth, filled with riches, would I become immortal by it?" "No," said Yajnavalkya. "Your life would be as the life of the wealthy, but there is no hope of immortality through riches."

3. Maitreyi said, "What use to me is something by which I cannot become immortal? Blessed one, teach me what you know."

4. Yajnavalkya said, "Ah, you have always been dear to me, and now you speak what is dear too. Come, sit down, I will teach you: but as I explain, meditate upon it."

5. He said, �It is not for the love of a husband that a husband is dear: it is for the love of the self (atman) that a husband is dear. It is not for the love of a wife that a wife is dear: it is for the love of the self that a wife is dear. It is not for the love of children that children are dear: it is for the love of the self that children are dear. It is not for the love of riches that riches are dear: it is for the love of the self that riches are dear. It is not for the love of priesthood (brahman) that priesthood is dear: it is for the love of the self that priesthood is dear. It is not for the love of royalty, that royalty is dear: it is for the love of the self that royalty is dear.

It is not for the love of the worlds that the worlds are dear: it is for the love of the self that the world is are dear. It is not for the love of the gods that the gods are dear: it is for the love of the self that the gods are dear. It is not for the love of beings that beings are dear: it is for the love of the self dial beings are dear. It is not for the love of the all that the all is dear: it is for the love of the self that the all is dear. It is the self that must be seen, heard, thought of and meditated upon: by seeing, hearing, thinking of and understanding the self, Maitreyi, all this is known.

6. �Whoever understands priesthood as other than the self, priesthood has given him over. Olivelle takes this as a curse, following Brereton: May the priestly power forsake Whoever understands royalty as other than the self, royalty has given him over. Whoever understands the worlds as other than the self, the worlds 'have given him over. Whoever understands the gods as other than the self, the gods have given him over. Whoever understands beings as other than the self, beings have given him over. Whoever understands the all as other than the self, the all has given him over. This priesthood, this royalty, these worlds, these gods, these beings, this all are what this self is.

7. "As, when a drum is beaten, one cannot seize the sounds as something outside it, but by seizing the drum or the drummer one has seized the sound;

8. 'As, when a conch is blown, one cannot seize the sounds as something outside it, but by seizing the conch or the conch-blower one has seized the sound;

9. "As, when a lute Vina is played, one cannot seize the sounds as something outside it, but by seizing the lute or the lute-player one has seized the sound;

10. "As smoke billows out in all directions from a fire that has been laid with damp fuel, just so is everything breathed out from this great being: the Rgveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, the hymns of the Atharvans and Angirases, history, legend, science, the Upanishads, verses, sutras, explanatory passages and expositions, all these are breathed out from it.

11. "As the ocean is the one meeting-place of all waters, so the skin is the one meeting-place of all touches, the nostrils are the one meeting-place of all smells, the tongue is the one meeting-place of all tastes, the eye is the one meeting-place of all shapes, the ear is the one meeting-place of all sounds, the mind is the one meeting-place of all decisions, the heart is the one meeting-place of all knowledges, the hands are the one meeting-place of all works, the loins are the one meeting-place of all pleasures, the anus is the one meeting-place of all excretions, the feet are the one meeting-place of all roads, and the voice is the one meeting-place of all the Vedas.

12. �As a lump of rock-salt thrown into water would dissolve in the water, and there would be none, as it were, to take out again, yet wherever one took water it would be salty, so this great being, endless, boundless, consists entirely of knowledge. Having arisen from these elements, it vanishes along with them, for after it has departed there is no consciousness:Samjna, here perhaps as the faculty which labels and distinguishes between objects. that is what I say,� said Yajnavalkya.

13. Maitreyi said, �Blessed one, you have confused me by saying that after it has departed there is no consciousness.� He said, �I do not speak to confuse you: this is enough for knowledge.

14. �For where there is duality, one smells another, one sees another, one hears another, one speaks to another, one thinks of another, one knows another. But where everything in one has become self, how can one smell�and whom? How can one see�and whom? How can one hear�and whom? How can one speak�and to whom? How can one think�and of whom? How can one know�and whom? How can one know that by which one knows all this? How can one know the knower?"

II.5

1. The earth is the honey Madhu, 'honey', suggests mutual dependence and nourishment, as between bees and honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the earth. The radiant, immortal Literally, the person made of brightness (tejomaya), made of immortality IU    (amritmaya). person who is in the earth, or�in respect of oneself Adhyatman, on the level of the body, senses, etc as distinct from, for example, the level of gods and celestial powers. the radiant, immortal person of the body, is the self (atman). This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

2. The waters are the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the waters. The radiant, immortal person who is in the waters, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of the seed, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

3. Fire is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of fire. The radiant, immortal person who is in fire, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person who is made of speech, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

4. Air is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the , honey of air. The radiant, immortal person who is in air, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person who is made of breach, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

5, The sun is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the sun. The radiant, immortal person who is in the sun, or�in respect of oneself�-the radiant, immortal person of the eye, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

6. The directions are the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the directions. The radiant, immortal person who is in the directions, or�in respect of oneself--the radiant, immortal person of the ear, of the echo, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

7. The moon is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the moon. The radiant, immortal person who is in the moon, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of the mind, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

8. The lightning is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the lightning. The radiant, immortal person who is in the lightning, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of brightness, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

9. The thundercloud is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the thundercloud. The radiant, immortal person who is in the thundercloud, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of sound, of tone, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman, the all.

10. Space is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of space. The radiant, immortal person who is in space, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of the space within the heart, is the self. This is the immortal, brahman the all.

11. Dharma is the honey of all beings, and all beings arc the honey of dharma. The radiant, immortal person who is in dharma. or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of dharma, is the self. This is the immortal, Brahman, the all.

12. Truth is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of truth. The radiant, immortal person who is in truth, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of truth, is the self. This is the immortal, Brahman, the all. 13. Humankind is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of humankind. The radiant, immortal person who is in humankind, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person of humanity, is die self.-This is the immortal, Brahman, the all.

14. The self is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of the self. The radiant, immortal person who is in the self, or�in respect of oneself�the radiant, immortal person who is the self, is the self. This is the immortal, Brahman, the all.

15. The self is the overlord of all beings, the king of all beings. As all the spokes are held together in the hub and rim of a chariot-wheel, so all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breaths, all selves are held together in the self.

16. Dadhyac Atharvana spoke of this honey to the Asvins... Seeing it, the Rsi said:

  • �Twin heroes, I proclaim, as thunder proclaims the rain,
  • The strange, terrible thing you did for greed,
  • When Dadhyac Atharvana, through the head of a horse,
  • aught you about the honey. '�
17. Dadhyac Atharvana spoke of this honey to the Aavins Seeing it, the Rsi said:

  • �Asvins, you placed a horse's head
  • On Dadhyac Atharvana.
  • Keeping truth, he told you, wonderful ones,
  • Of Tvastr�s honey�to be your secret"
18. Dadhyac Aharvana spoke of this honey to the Asvins, Seeing it, the Rsi said:

  • "He made citadels (pur) with two feet;
  • He made citadels with four feet;
  • First (puras) becoming a bird,
  • The person entered the citadels�
This person {purusa) is lying-in-the-citadel {puri-saya) in all citadels. There is nothing that is not covered by him, nothing that is not surrounded by him.

19. Dadhyac Atharvana spoke of this honey to the Asvins Seeing it, the Rsi said:

  • "He shifted shape to match every shape,
  • To manifest his shape.
  • Indra, by his magical powers,Maya, the power of making and shaping, especially of what others see, and hence of magical illusion (ma-, to measure, to shape).
goes in many shapes.
  • His bay horses, hundreds and ten, are yoked."
He is the bay horses; he is ten, many thousands, and infinities. He is brahman, without a before, without an after without an inside, without an outside. This self all-embracing, is brahman.

That is the teaching.

II.6

Now the lineage of the teaching.I have added of the teachings and received if for the sake of clarity. Pautimasya received it from Gaupavana, Gaupavana from Pautimasya Pautimasya from Gaupavana, Gaupavana from Kausika, KauSika from Kaundinya, Kaundinya from Sandilya, Sandilya from Kausika and Gautama, Gautama from Agnivesya, Agnivesya from Sandilya and Anabhimlata, Anabhimlata from Anabhimlata, Anabhimlata from Anabhimlata, Anabhimlata from Gautama, Gautama from Saitava and Pracinayogya, Saitava and Pracinayogya from Parsarya, Parsarya from Bharadvaja, Bharadvaja from Bharadvaja and Gautama, Gautama from Bharadvaja, Bharadvaja from Parasarya, Parasarya from Baijavapayana, Baijavapayana from Kausikayani, Kauikiyani from Ghrtakausika, Ghrtakausika 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, Manti from Gautama, Gautama from Gautama, Gautama from Vatsya, Vatsya from Sandilya, Sandilya from Kaisorya Kapya, Kaisorya Kapya from Kumaraharita, Kumaraharita from Galava, Galava from Vidarbhi -Kaundinya, Vidarbhi-Kaundinya from Vatsanapat Babhrava, Vatsanapat Bhabhrava from Pathin Saubhara, Pathin Saubhara from Ayasya Angirasa, Ayasya Angirasa from Abhiti Tvastra, Abhiti Tvastra from Visvarupa Tvastra Visvarupa Tvistra from the Asvins, the Asvins from Dadhyac Atharvana, Dadhyac Atharvana from the Divine Atharvan, the Divine Atharvan from Mrtyu Pradhvarnsana, Death, son of Destroyer Mrtyu Pradhvamsana from Pradhvamsana.l22 Pradhvamsana from Ekarsi, The One Rsi Ekarsi from Vipracitti Poet’s Mind, Inspired Mind., Vipracitti from Vyasti Vyasti from Sanaru, Sanaru from Sanatana, Sanatana from Sanaga, Sanaga from Paramesthin, Paramesthin from Brahman. Brahman is self-born(svayambhu): homage to Brahman.




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