Chandogya Upanishad Book 4 Part 1
1. OM. Janasruti the great-grandson 
was full of faith,
very generous, having much food cooked. He had
lodging-houses built everywhere, with the idea that
everywhere folk would be eating his food.
2. One night, some geese flew over. One goose said to
another, ‘Hey, hey there, Clearsight, Clearsight! The light of
Janasruti the great-grandson is spread out like day. Do not
get caught in it, or you will bum up!’
3. The other replied, ‘So! Who is this that you speak about
as though he were Raikva the Yoke-man?’
‘What is he like, this Raikva the Yoke-man?’
4. ‘Just as the lower throws of the dice go into the winning
krta throw, whatever good deed people do goes to him. I
say the same about anyone who knows what he knows.’
5. Janasruti the great-grandson overheard that. As soon he
got up, he said to his chamberlain, ‘So! You speak about me as though I were Raikva the Yoke-man!’
‘Who is this Raikva the Yoke-man?’
6. ‘”Just as the lower throws of the dice go into the winning krta throw, whatever good deed people do goes to him. I say the same about anyone who knows what he knows.”‘
7. The chamberlain searched for him and returned, saying,
‘I have not found him’
Janasruti said to him, ‘Oh! Search for him where you
would look for a Brahmana!’
8. He came upon him under a cart, scratching a rash. He
said to him, ‘Blessed one, are you Raikva the Yoke-man?’
He called back, ‘I am. So what?’
The chamberlain returned, saying, I have found him.’
IV.2
1. Then Janasruti the great-grandson went to him, taking
six hundred cows, a golden jewel, and a chariot drawn by
she-mules, and said to him:
2. ‘Raikva, here are six hundred cows; here is a golden
jewel; and here is a chariot drawn by she-mules. Blessed
one, teach me about the deity, the one that you worship.’
3. The other replied, ‘Sudra, you can keep the necklace
and the wagon, and the cows too!’
So Janasruti the great-grandson went to him again, taking
a thousand cows, a golden jewel, a chariot drawn by
she-mules, and his daughter.
4. He said to him: ‘Raikva, here are a thousand cows; here is a golden jewel; here is a chariot drawn by she-mules; here is a wife; and here is the village in which you live.
Blessed one, teach me now.’
5. Raikva turned up her face to him and said, ‘Sudra,
you have brought all these, but with this face alone you
would have made me talk!’
There are villages in Mahavrsa called the Raikvaparnas,
where he lived at the king’s behest. He taught him:
IV.3
1. ‘Air is the drawer-together. When fire goes out, it enters air. When the sun sets, it enters air. When the moon sets, it enters air.
2. ‘When water dries up, it enters air. Air draws all these
together. So much regarding deities.
3. ‘Regarding oneself: the breath is the drawer-together.
When one sleeps, speech enters the breath; the eye enters
the breath; the ear enters the breath; the mind enters the
breath. The breath draws all these together.
4. ‘These two are the drawers-together: air among the gods,
the breath among the breaths.
5. ‘A brahmacarin once begged alms of Kaunaka Kapeya and
Abhipratarin Kaksaseni as they were being served with food,
but they did not give him any.
6. ‘He said, “One god, Ka, the protector of the world, has swallowed up four of great self. Kapeya, Abhipratarin,
mortals do not see him, for he dwells in many forms-the one to whom this food has not been given.”
7. ‘”Then Saunaka Kapeya, in reply, went over to him,
saying:
‘Self of the gods, begetter of creatures,
With golden tusks, devourer, no fool is he! They say his might is great.
Uneaten, he eats what is not food.
‘”Brahmacarin, it is he that we are not worshipping.- Give him alms!”
8. ‘And they gave him some.
‘There are five in the one group and five in the other
group, ten in all. That is the krta throw. Therefore the
ten in all the directions-the krta-are food. It is also Viraj,
the eater of food-she who sees all this. All that is seen is
his, and he becomes an eater of food-the one who knows
this: the one who knows this.’
IV.4
1. Satyakama Jabala asked his mother Jabala: ‘Mother, I
want to live the life of a brahmacarin. What lineage do I belong to?’
2. She said to him, ‘Darling, I do not know what lineage
you belong to. I got you in my youth, when I travelled
about a great deal as a servant, so I do not know what
lineage you belong to. But I am called Jabala and you are
called Satyakama. You can say you are Satyakama Jabala.’
3. He went to Haridrumata Gautama and said: ‘Blessed
one, I will live the life of a brahmacarin with you. Blessed
one, I would come to you as my teacher.’
4. He said, ‘Good lad, what lineage do you belong to?’
He said, ‘Sir, I do not know what lineage I belong to.
I asked my mother, and she answered me, “I got you in
my youth, when I travelled about a great deal as a servant,
so I do not know what lineage you belong to. But I am
called Jabala and you are called Satyakama. You can say you
are Satyakama Jabala.” Sir, I am Satyakama Jabala.’
5. Haridrumata said to him, ‘No-one who was not a
Brahmana could have explained it so. Good lad, bring
firewood: I shall initiate you. You have not departed from
the truth.’ After he had initiated him, he separated out four
hundred of his thin and feeble cows and said, ‘Good lad,
follow these!’
As he drove them off, Satyakama said, ‘I will not come
back without a thousand.’ He lived away for a number of
years. When they had become a thousand-
IV.5
1. The bull called him: ‘Satyakama!’
‘Blessed one?’ he replied.
‘Good lad, we have reached a thousand. Drive us to the
teacher’s house-
2. ‘And I must tell you about a foot of brahman.’
‘Tell me, blessed one.’
He told him, ‘The eastern direction is a fraction; the
western direction is a fraction; the southern direction is a
fraction; the northern direction is a fraction. This, good
lad, is a foot of brahman, in four fractions, called
“Shining”.
3. ‘The one who, knowing this, contemplates a foot of
brahman, in four fractions, as “Shining” becomes shining in
this world and wins shining worlds-the one who, knowing
this, contemplates a foot of brahman, in four fractions, as
“Shining”.
IV.6
1. ‘Fire will tell you about a foot.’
The next morning he drove the cows onward. At the
place they reached in the evening he lit a fire, penned up
the cows, brought firewood, and sat down behind the fire,
facing east.
2. Fire called him: ‘Satyakama!’ ‘Blessed one?’ he replied.
3. ‘Good lad, I must tell you about a foot of brahman.’
‘Tell me, blessed one.’
He told him, ‘Earth is a fraction; middle-air is a fraction;
sky is a fraction; ocean is a fraction. This, good lad, is a
foot of brahman, in four fractions, called “Unending”.
3. ‘The one who, knowing this, contemplates a foot of
brahman, in four fractions, as “Unending” becomes unending
in this world and wins unending worlds-the one who,
knowing this, contemplates a foot of brahman, in four
fractions, as “Unending”.
IV.7
1. ‘A goose will tell you about a foot.’
The next morning he drove the cows onward. At the
place they reached in the evening he lit a fire, penned up
the cows, brought firewood, and sat down behind the fire,
facing east.
2. A goose alighted and called him: ‘Satyakama!’
‘Blessed one?’ he replied.
3. ‘Good lad, I must tell you about a foot of brahman.’
‘Tell me, blessed one.’
He told him, ‘Fire is a fraction; the sun is a fraction;
the moon is a fraction; lightning is a fraction. This, good
lad, is a foot of brahman, in four fractions, called “Radiant”.
4. ‘The one who, knowing this, contemplates a foot of
brahman, in four fractions, as “Radiant” becomes radiant in
this world and wins radiant worlds-the one who, knowing
this, contemplates a foot of brahman, in four fractions, as
“Radiant”.
IV.8
1. ‘A cormorant will tell you about a foot.’
The next morning he drove the cows onward. At the
place they reached in the evening he lit a fire, penned up
the cows, brought firewood, and sat down behind the fire,
facing east.
2. A cormorant alighted and called him: ‘Satyakama!’
‘Blessed one?’ he replied.
3. ‘Good lad, I must tell you about a foot of brahman.’
‘Tell me, blessed one.’
He told him, ‘Breath is a fraction; the eye is a fraction;
the ear is a fraction; the mind is a fraction. This, good lad, is a foot of brahman, in four fractions, called “Abiding”.
4. ‘The one who, knowing this, contemplates a foot of
brahman, in four fractions, as “Abiding” becomes abiding in
this world and wins abiding worlds-the one who, knowing
this, contemplates a foot of brahman, in four fractions, as
“Abiding”‘.
IV.9
1. He reached the teacher’s house. The teacher called him:
‘Satyakama!’
2. ‘Blessed one?’ he replied.
‘Good lad, you shine like a knower of brahman. Who
taught you?’
He replied, ‘Ones who were other than human. But,
blessed one, you tell me, please.
3. ‘For I have heard from those like yourself, blessed one,
that knowledge learned from one’s teacher has the best
results.’
He taught it to him. In it, nothing was different. Nothing
was different.