Section 4.14 (fourteenth khaṇḍa) (three texts)

Upaniṣad text:

They said—‘O, Upakosala, dear Boy, thus has been expounded to thee our philosophy, and also the philosophy of the Self; the Teacher will expound to thee the process.’—His Teacher came; he said to him—‘O Upakosala—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

The Fires now again addressed him conjointly ‘O, Upakosala, dear boy, thus has been expounded to thee our philosophy,—the Agnividyā, Philosophy of the Fires, —as also the Philosophy of the Self,—under the Texts—‘Breath is Brahman, Ka is Brahman, Kha is Brahman.’ The Teacher will expound to thee the process,—for the acquiring of the final reward of knowledge.’ Having said thus, the Fires retired. The Teacher came, in due time; the Teacher said to him,—his disciple—‘O Upakosala.’—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

He answered—‘Yes, Sir.’—‘My Boy, thy face shines like that of one who knows Brahman. Who has taught thee?’—‘Who should teach me, Sir?’, and as if concealing the fact, he added, pointing to the Fires,—‘Verily, beings like these, unlike these.’—‘What did they tell thee, my boy?’—(2)

He replied—‘This. ‘My Boy, they have only expounded the Regions; I am going to expound to thee that to the knower of which evil does not cling, just as no water clings to the lotus-leaf.’—He said—‘Please, Sir, do tell me’,—then he expounded it to him—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

He answered—‘Yes, Sir,’—‘My Boy, thy face shines—is happy and bright—like that of one who knows Brahman; who has taught thee?’—Thus questioned, he said—‘Who should teach me, Sir,—impart instruction to me, when you had gone away?’:—and as if concealing the fact,—and yet not actually concealing it—‘iva’ being construed after ‘nihnuta’;—that is, he was not concealing the facts, and yet not telling him that he had been taught by the Fires; (his meaning being) ‘How could these Fires tended by me have taught me, when, in your presence, they appear like these to be trembling,—and yet before this, they were unlike these’;—he said this—pointing to the fires, by gestures.—‘What did they—the fires—tell thee, my Boy?, Being thus questioned, he answered—‘This—is what they told me;’—that is, he told the Teacher only the opening words and not all that the Fires had told him. That this was so is clear from what the Teacher said—‘My Boy, they have expounded only the Regions.— Earth and the Rest,—and not Brahman as a whole. But I am going to expound to thee that which thou wishest to hear; and listen to the high quality of the knowledge of Brahman that I am going to expound:—Just as no water clings to the lotus-leaf,—so no evil—sinful act—clings to—contaminates—the man who knows the Brahman that I am expounding’.—When the Teacher had said this, Upakosola said—‘Please, Sir, do tell me’.—Then the Teacher expounded it to him.—(2—3).

End of Section (14) of Discourse IV