Section II - Concerning the Self

Verse 4.2.1:

जनको ह वैदेहः कूर्चादुपावसर्पन्नुवाच, नमस्तेऽस्तु याज्ञवल्क्य, अनु मा शाधीति; स होवाच, यथा वै सम्राण्महान्तमध्वानमेष्यन् रथं वा नावं वा समाददीत, एवमेवैताभिरुपनिषद्भिः समाहितात्मासि; एवं वृन्दारक आढ्यः सन्नधीतवेद उक्तोपनिषत्क इतो विमुच्यमानः क्व गमिष्यसीति; नाहं तद् भगवन् वेद यत्र गमिष्यामीति; अथ वै तेऽहं तद्वक्श्यामि यत्र गमिष्यसीति; ब्रवीतु भगवानिति ॥ १ ॥

janako ha vaidehaḥ kūrcādupāvasarpannuvāca, namaste'stu yājñavalkya, anu mā śādhīti; sa hovāca, yathā vai samrāṇmahāntamadhvānameṣyan rathaṃ vā nāvaṃ vā samādadīta, evamevaitābhirupaniṣadbhiḥ samāhitātmāsi; evaṃ vṛndāraka āḍhyaḥ sannadhītaveda uktopaniṣatka ito vimucyamānaḥ kva gamiṣyasīti; nāhaṃ tad bhagavan veda yatra gamiṣyāmīti; atha vai te'haṃ tadvakśyāmi yatra gamiṣyasīti; bravītu bhagavāniti || 1 ||

1. Janaka, Emperor of Videha, rose from his lounge and approaching Yājñavalkya said, ‘Salutations to you, Yājñavalkya, please instruct me.’ Yājñavalkya replied, ‘As one wishing to go a long distance, O Emperor, should secure a chariot or a boat, so have you fully equipped your mind with so many secret names (of Brahman). You are likewise respected and wealthy, and you have studied the Vedas and heard the Upaniṣads; (but) where will you go when you are separated from this body?’ ‘I do not know, sir, where I shall go.’ ‘Then I will tell you where you will go.’ ‘Tell me, sir.’

Janaka, Emperor of Videha, etc. As Yājñavalkya knew all aspects of Brahman with their attributes. Janaka gave up his pride of teachership, rose from his lounge,,a particular kind of seat, and approaching Yājñavalkya, i.e. prostrating himself at his feet, said, ‘Salutations to you, Yājñavalkya, please instruct me.’ The word ‘iti’ marks the close of his speech. Yājñavalkya replied, ‘As in the world one wishing to go a long distance should secure a chariot, if he wants to go’by land, or a boat, if he wants to go by water, so have you fully equipped your mind with so many secret names (of Brahman)—by meditating upon Brahman in so many aspects bearing those names. Not only that, you are likewise respected and wealthy, not poor, and you have studied the Vedas and heard the Upaniṣads from teachers. Although you are thus endowed with all glories, you are but in the midst of ṛear owing to the absence of Self-knowledge, i.e. you are far from achieving the object of your life, till yon realise the Supreme Brahman. With all this outfit serving as a boat or chariot, where will you go when you are separated from this body? What will you attain?’ ‘I do not know, sir, where I shall go.’ ‘If thus you do not know where you will go to achieve the object of your life, then I will Hell you where you will go.’ ‘Tell me, sir, if you are gracious to me.’ ‘Listen.’

 

Verse 4.2.2:

इन्धो ह वै नामैष योऽयं दक्शिणेऽक्शन्पुरुषः; तं वा एतमिन्धं सन्तमिन्द्र इत्याचक्शते परोक्शेणैव; परोक्शेणैव; परोक्शप्रिया इव हि देवाः प्रत्यक्शद्विषः ॥ २ ॥

indho ha vai nāmaiṣa yo'yaṃ dakśiṇe'kśanpuruṣaḥ; taṃ vā etamindhaṃ santamindra ityācakśate parokśeṇaiva; parokśeṇaiva; parokśapriyā iva hi devāḥ pratyakśadviṣaḥ ॥ 2 ॥

2. This being who is in the right eye is named Indha. Though he is Indha, he is indirectly called Indra, for the gods have a fondness, as it were, for indirect names, and hate to be called directly.

This being who is specially located in the right eye—the being in the sun who has been described before in the dictum, ‘The eye is Brahman’ (IV. i. 4), and is called Satya—is named Indha. This being, on account of his resplendence, has an obvious name, Indha. Though he is Indha. he is indirectly called Indra, for the gods have a fondness, as it were, for indirect names, and hate to be called directly. Thus you have attained the self called Vaiśvānara.

 

Verse 4.2.3:

अथैतद्वामेऽक्शणि पुरुषरूपमेषास्य पत्नी विराट्; तयोरेष संस्तावो य एषोऽन्तर्हृदय आकाशो; अथैनयोरेतदन्नं य एषोऽन्तर्हृदये लोहितपिण्डः; अथैनयोरेतत्प्रावरणं यदेतदन्तर्हृदये जालकमिव; अथैनयोरेषा सृतिः संचरणी यैषा हृदयादूर्ध्वा नाड्युच्चरति; यथा केशः सहस्रधा भिन्न एवम्; अस्यैता हिता नाम नाड्योऽन्तर्हृदये प्रतिष्ठिता भवन्ति, एताभिर्वा एतदास्रवदास्रवति; तस्मादेष प्रविविक्ताहारतर इवैव भवत्यस्माच्छारीरादात्मनः ॥ ३ ॥

athaitadvāme'kśaṇi puruṣarūpameṣāsya patnī virāṭ; tayoreṣa saṃstāvo ya eṣo'ntarhṛdaya ākāśo; athainayoretadannaṃ ya eṣo'ntarhṛdaye lohitapiṇḍaḥ; athainayoretatprāvaraṇaṃ yadetadantarhṛdaye jālakamiva; athainayoreṣā sṛtiḥ saṃcaraṇī yaiṣā hṛdayādūrdhvā nāḍyuccarati; yathā keśaḥ sahasradhā bhinna evam; asyaitā hitā nāma nāḍyo'ntarhṛdaye pratiṣṭhitā bhavanti, etābhirvā etadāsravadāsravati; tasmādeṣa praviviktāhāratara ivaiva bhavatyasmācchārīrādātmanaḥ || 3 ||

3. The human form that is in the left eye is his wife, Virāj (matter). The space that is within the heart is their place of union. Their food is the lump of blood (the finest essence of what we eat) in the heart. Their wrap is the net-like structure in the heart. Their road for moving is the nerve that goes upward from the heart; it is like a hair split into a thousand parts. In this body there are nerves called Hitā, which are placed in the heart. Through these the -essence of our food passes as it moves on. Therefore the subtle body has finer food than the gross body.

The human form that is in the left eye is his wife, Virāj. Of Indra or the self called Vaiśvānara whom you have attained, Virāj, or matter, is the wife, both being objects of enjoyment. This couple, matter and its enjoyer, is united in dreams.^[1] How? The space that is within the lump of flesh called the heart is their place of union, the place where Indra and his wife enjoy each other’s company. Their food, or means of sustenance, ts the following. What is it? The lump of blood —(lit.) blood in the form of a lump— in the heart. The food we eat takes two forms; the gross part goes down (and is excreted), and the rest is metabolised in two ways under the action of the internal heat. That part of the chyle which is of medium fineness passes through the successive stages of blood etc., and nourishes the gross body made up of the five elements. The finest part of the chyle is ‘the lump of blood,’ which, penetrating our fine nerves, causes Indra—identified with the subtle body and called Taijasa—who is united with his wife in the heart, to stay in the body. This is what is expressed by the passage,. ‘Their food,’ etc.

There are other things also. Their wrap is, etc. People who sleep after their meals use wraps; the śruti is fancying that similarity here. What is the wrap of this couple? The net-like structure in the heart. ‘Net-like,’ because of the numerous openings of the nerves. Their road for motAng, or coming from the dream to the waking state, is the nerve that goes upward from the heart. Its size is being given; As in the world a hair split into a thousand parts is extremely fine, so is it. In this body there are nerves called Hitā, which are placed in that lump of flesh, the heart. From it they branch off everywhere like the filaments of a Kadamba floweṛ. Through these extremely fine nerves the food passes as it moves on. The body of Indra (the subtle body) is nourished by this food and held fast as by a cord. Because the gross body is nourished by gross food, but this subtle body, the body of Indra, is sustained by fine food. The food that nourishes the gross body is also fine, in comparison with the gross substances in the body that are eliminated; but the food that sustains the subtle body is finer than that. Hence the gross body has fine food, but the subtle body has finer food than the gross body. ‘Śārīra’ in the text is the same as ‘Śarira’ (body). The idea is that the Taijasa is nourished by finer food than the Vaiśvānara.

 

Verse 4.2.4:

तस्य प्राची दिक् प्राञ्चः प्राणाः, दक्शिणा दिग्दक्शिणे प्राणाः, प्रतीची दिक् प्रत्यञ्चः प्राणाः, उदीची दिगुदञ्चः प्राणाः, ऊर्ध्वाः दिगूर्ध्वाः प्राणाः, अवाची दिगवाञ्चः प्राणाः, सर्वा दिशः सर्वे प्राणाः; स एष नेति नेत्यात्मा; अगृह्यो न हि गृह्यते, अशीर्यो नहि शीर्यते, असङ्गो न हि सज्यते, असितो न व्यथते न रिष्यति; अभयं वै जनक प्राप्तोऽसीति होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः । स होवाच जनको वैदेहः, अभयं त्वा गच्छताद्याज्ञवल्क्य यो नो भगवन्नभयं वेदयसे; नमस्तेऽस्तु; इमे विदेहाः, अयमहमस्मि ॥ ४ ॥
इति द्वितीयं ब्राह्मणम् ॥

tasya prācī dik prāñcaḥ prāṇāḥ, dakśiṇā digdakśiṇe prāṇāḥ, pratīcī dik pratyañcaḥ prāṇāḥ, udīcī digudañcaḥ prāṇāḥ, ūrdhvāḥ digūrdhvāḥ prāṇāḥ, avācī digavāñcaḥ prāṇāḥ, sarvā diśaḥ sarve prāṇāḥ; sa eṣa neti netyātmā; agṛhyo na hi gṛhyate, aśīryo nahi śīryate, asaṅgo na hi sajyate, asito na vyathate na riṣyati; abhayaṃ vai janaka prāpto'sīti hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ । sa hovāca janako vaidehaḥ, abhayaṃ tvā gacchatādyājñavalkya yo no bhagavannabhayaṃ vedayase; namaste'stu; ime videhāḥ, ayamahamasmi || 4 ||
iti dvitīyaṃ brāhmaṇam ||

4. Of the sage (who is identified with the vital force^[2]), the east is the eastern vital force, the south the southern vital force, the west the western vital force, the north the northern vital force, the direction above the upper vital force, the direction below the nether vital force, and all the quarters the different vital forces. This self is That which has been described as ‘Not this, not this,’ ‘It is imperceptible, for It is never perceived; undecaying, for It never decays; unattached, for It is never attached; unfettered—It never feels pain, and never suffers injury. You have attained That which is free from fear, O Janaka,’ said Yājñavalkya. ‘Revered Yājñavalkya,’ said Emperor Janaka, ‘may That which is free from fear be yours, for you have made That which is free from fear known to us. ‘Salutâtions to you! Here is this (empire of) Videha, as well as myself at your service!’

This Taijasa which is identified with the heart (mind) is supported by the subtle vital force, and becomes the vital force, (here, the Prājña). Of the sage who has first attained the Vaiśvānara, then the Taijasa, or the self identified with the mind, and after that the self identified with the vital force (Prājña), the east is the eastern vital force; similarly the south the southern vital force, likewise the west the western vital force, the north the northern vital force, the direction above the upper vital force, the direction below the nether vital force, and all the quarters the different vital forces. Thus the sage identifies himself, by stages, with the vital force that comprises everything. Then withdrawing this all-comprising vital force into the inner self, he next attains the natural state of the Witness, the transcendent Self that is described as ‘Not this, not this.’ This self which the sage thus attains is That which has been descrībed as ‘Not this, not this.’ This passage, up to ‘never suffers injury,’ has already been explained (III. ix. 26). ‘You have attained That which is free from fear due to birth,’ death, etc., O Janaka,’ said Yājñavalkya. This is in fulfilment of the statement, ‘Then I will tell you where you will go.’ ‘Revered Yājñavalkya,’ said Emperor Janaka, ‘may That which is free from fear be yours too, for you have made That which is free from fear, the Brahman, known or accessible to us, by the removal of the veil of ignorance created by the limiting adjuncts. What else can I give you in return for this knowledge, for you have presented the Ātman Itself? Hence salutations to you ! This (empire of) Videha is yours—enjoy it just as you will: I myself too am at your service. Please use me as well as the empire just as you like.’

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Viśva (or Vaiśvānara), Taijasa and Prājña are the names of the self as identified with the gross, the subtle and the causal body, respectively, in the states of wakefulness, dream and dreamless sleep. Hence the Vaiśvānara itself is now being described as the Taijasa for the purpose of meditation.

[2]:

That is, the Prājña, of which the vital force is a limiting adjunct.