Chandogya Upanishad Book 7 Part 1

VII.l

1. OM. Narada came to Sanatkumara saying, ‘Teach me,
blessed one?.

Sanatkumara said to him, ‘Come to me with what you
know, and I will tell you of something higher than that.’

He said,

2. ‘Blessed one, I know the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the
Samaveda, the Atharvan which is the fourth, and history and legend the fifth: I know the Veda of Vedas, the ancestral rites, arithmetic, portents, treasure-finding, disputation, the single way, the knowledge of the gods, the knowledge of priesthood, the knowledge of ghosts, the knowledge of royalty, the knowledge of the constellations, and the knowledge of the divine people who are serpents.

3. ‘But I am a knower of the mantras, not a knower of
the self. I have heard from folk like yourself, blessed one,
that “the knower of self crosses beyond sorrow”. I am
sorrowful, blessed one. Blessed one, take me across to the
other shore of sorrow.’

Sanatkumara said to him, ‘All this that you have learned
is name.

4. “The Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, the Atharvan
which is the fourth, and history and legend the fifth; the
Veda of Vedas, the ancestral rites, arithmetic, portents,
treasure-finding, disputation, the single way, the knowledge
of the gods, the knowledge of priesthood, the knowledge of
ghosts, the knowledge of royalty, the knowledge of the
constellations, and the knowledge of the divine people who
are serpents, are name. All this is name. Worship name.

5. ‘The one who worships name as brahman wins freedom
to move as far as name can go?the one who worships name
as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than name?’

‘There is something greater than name.’

Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.2

1. ‘Speech is greater than name. Speech makes known the
Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, the Atharvan which
is the fourth, and history and legend the fifth; the Veda of
Vedas, the ancestral rites, arithmetic, portents,
treasure-finding, disputation, the single way, the knowledge
of the gods, the knowledge of priesthood, the knowledge of
ghosts, the knowledge of royalty, the knowledge of the
constellations, the knowledge of the divine people who are
serpents, sky, earth, air, space, water, heat, gods, human
beings, domestic animals, birds, grass and trees, and wild
animals, all the way down to worms, flying things and ants;
right (dharma) and wrong (adharma), truth and falsehood,
good and bad, attractive and unattractive. If there had been
no speech, then right and wrong, truth and falsehood, good
and bad, attractive and unattractive would not have been
made known. Speech makes known all this. Worship speech.

2. “The one who worships speech as brahman wins freedom
to move as far as speech can go?the one who worships
speech as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than speech?’

‘There is something greater than speech.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.3

1. ‘Mind is greater than speech. Just as a fist encloses two
myrobalans or two jujubes or two terminalia seeds, mind
encloses both speech and name. When one thinks with the
mind, “Let me recite mantras,” one chants; when one thinks,
“Let me perform actions (karman)”, one performs actions;
when one thinks, “Let me wish for sons and animals”, one
wishes for sons and animals; when one thinks, “Let me wish
for this world and that one”, one wishes for this world and
that one. Mind is the self; mind is the world; mind is
brahman. Worship mind.

2. ‘The one who worships mind as brahman wins freedom
to move as far as mind can go?the one who worships mind
as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than mind?’

‘There is something greater than mind.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.4

1. ‘Will (samkalpa) greater than mind. When one wills
(samkalpayate), one thinks; then one utters speech?one utters
it as names. In name the mantras become one, and in the
mantras actions become one.

2. ‘These have will as their sole end, will as their self,
and are established on will. Sky and earth have been formed
(sam-kip-); air and space have been formed; the waters and
heat have been formed, and rain is formed according to their
will (samklpti). Food is formed according to the will of rain.
The breaths are formed according to the will of food. The
mantras are formed according to the will of the breaths.
Actions are formed according to the will of the mantras. The
world is formed according to the will of the actions.
Everything is formed according to the will of the world. This
is will. Worship will.

3. ‘The one who worships will as brahman wins worlds that
are fitting (kipta): being constant, he wins constant worlds;
being established, established worlds; being sorrowless,
sorrowless worlds. He wins freedom to move as far as will can go?the one who worships will as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than will?’

‘There is something greater than will.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.5

1. ‘Intelligence is greater than will. When one
reflects, one wills; then one thinks; then one utters
speech?one utters it as names. In name the mantras become
one, and in the mantras actions become one.

2. ‘These have intelligence as their sole end, intelligence
as their self, and are established on intelligence. So even if
someone knows much, but is without intelligence, folk say
of him, “He is nobody. If he had learned, or knew, he would not be without intelligence like this”. But if someone
knows little, but has intelligence, folk wish to hear him.
Intelligence is the sole end of these; intelligence is their self;
intelligence is their basis. Worship intelligence.

3. ‘The one who worships intelligence as brahman wins
worlds that are longed for (citta): being constant, he wins
constant worlds; being established, established worlds; being
sorrowless, sorrowless worlds. He wins freedom to move as
far as intelligence can go?the one who worships intelligence
as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than intelligence?’

‘There is something greater than intelligence.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.6

1. ‘Meditation is greater than intelligence. Earth seems
to meditate. Sky seems to meditate. The waters seems to
meditate. The mountains seem to meditate. Gods and human
beings seem to meditate. So those amongst human beings
who achieve greatness here seem to share in the reward of
meditation. Those who are small are quarrelsome, spiteful,
slanderous: those who are powerful seem to share in the
reward of meditation. Worship meditation.

2. ‘The one who worships meditation as brahman wins
freedom to move as far as meditation can go?the one who
worships meditation as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than meditation?’
‘There is something greater than meditation.’
‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII. 7

1. ‘Understanding is greater than meditation. By
understanding one knows the Rgveda, the Yajurveda, the
Samaveda, the Atharvan which is the fourth, and history
and legend the fifth; the Veda of Vedas, the ancestral rites,
arithmetic, portents, treasure-finding, disputation, the single
way, the knowledge of the gods, the knowledge of
priesthood, the knowledge of ghosts, the knowledge of
royalty, the knowledge of the constellations, the knowledge
of the divine people who are serpents, sky, earth, air, space,
water, heat, gods, human beings, domestic animals, birds,
grass and trees, and wild animals, all the way down to
worms, flying things and ants; right and wrong, truth and
falsehood, good and bad, attractive and unattractive, food,
flavour, this world, and that world. One knows them through understanding. Worship understanding.

2. ‘The one who worships understanding as brahman attains
worlds full of understanding, full of knowledge. He wins
freedom to move as far as understanding can go?the one
who worships understanding as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than
understanding?’

‘There is something greater than understanding.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.8

1. ‘Strength is greater than understanding. One man with
strength causes a hundred with understanding to tremble.
When one becomes strong one can stand up; standing up,
one can go about; going about, one can pay attention;
paying attention, one can see, can hear, can think, can be
aware, can do, can understand. Through strength, the earth
stands; through strength, middle-air stands; through strength,
the sky stands; through strength, the mountains stand;
through strength, gods and human beings stand; through
strength, domestic animals, birds, grass and trees, and wild
animals, all the way down to worms, flying things and ants
stand; through strength, the worlds stand. Worship strength.

2. ‘The one who worships strength as brahman wins freedom
to move as far as strength can go?the one who worships
strength as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than strength?’
‘There is something greater than strength.’
‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.9

1. ‘Food is greater than strength. So if one does not eat for ten nights, even if one lives one cannot see, cannot
hear, cannot think, cannot be aware, cannot do, cannot
understand. But with the coming of food one can see, can
hear, can think, can be aware, can do, can understand.
Worship food.

2. ‘The one who worships food as brahman achieves worlds
full of food and full of drink. He wins freedom to move as
far as food can go?the one who worships food as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than food?’

‘There is something greater than food.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.10

1. ‘The waters are greater than food. So when there is not
a good rainfall, living things suffer, thinking, “Food will
be short”. When there is a good rainfall, living things are
happy, thinking, “Food will be plentiful”. All these are the
waters, shaped: earth, middle-air, sky, mountains, gods and
human beings, domestic animals, birds, grass and trees, and
wild animals, all the way down to worms, flying things and
ants. All these are the waters, shaped. Worship the waters.

2. ‘The one who worships the waters (apah) as brahman
obtains (ap-) all desires and becomes contented. He wins
freedom to move as far as the waters can go?the one who
worships the waters as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than the waters?’

‘There is something greater than the waters.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.ll

1. ‘Heat (tejas) is greater than the waters. By seizing hold
of the air, it heats up middle-air. Then folk say, “It is
burning! It is boiling! It is going to rain!” It first foreshows
and then creates the waters. It travels along as claps of
thunder, with flashes of lightning going upward and across.
Then folk say, ‘It lightens! It thunders! It is going to rain!’
It first foreshows and then creates the waters. Worship heat.

2. ‘The one who worships heat as brahman, bright (tejasvin),
achieves bright worlds, blazing (tejasvat), free from darkness.
He wins freedom to move as far as heat can go?the one
who worships heat as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than heat?’

‘There is something greater than heat.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.12

1. ‘Space is greater than heat. In it are both the sun and
the moon, lightning, the constellations, and fire. Through
space one calls, through space one hears, through space one
replies; in space one takes pleasure, in space one does not
take pleasure, in space one is bom, into space one grows.
Worship space.

2. ‘The one who worships space as brahman achieves
spadous worlds, clear, unobstructed, with plenty of room to
move. He wins freedom to move as far as space can go?the
one who worships space as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than space?’

‘There is something greater than space.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’

VII.13

1. ‘Memory is greater than space. So even if many people were to sit together who did not remember, they would not hear anyone, think of anyone, or know anyone. When they remembered, then they would hear, would think, would know.
By memory one knows one’s sons; by memory one knows
one’s animals. Worship memory.

2. ‘The one who worships memory as brahman wins freedom
to move as far as memory can go?the one who worships
memory as brahman.’

‘Blessed one, is there anything greater than memory?’

‘There is something greater than memory.’

‘Tell me about it, blessed one.’