{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/sbe15/sbe15073.htm","path":"hin/sbe15/sbe15073.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/sbe15/sbe15073.htm","text":"The Upanishads, Part 2 (SBE15), by Max M\u00fcller, [1879]\n1. When Ganaka Vaideha was sitting (to give audience), Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya approached, and Ganaka Vaideha said: 'Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya, for what object did you come, wishing for cattle, or for subtle questions 1?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya replied: 'For both, Your Majesty;\n2. 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you.'\nGanaka Vaideha replied: 'Gitvan Sailini told me that speech (v\u00e2k) is Brahman.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'As one who had (the benefit of a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Sailini 2 tell you, that speech is Brahman; for what is the use of a dumb person? But did he tell you the body (\u00e2yatana) and the resting-place (pratishth\u00e2) of that Brahman?'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'He did not tell me.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Your Majesty, this (Brahman) stands on one leg only 3.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'Then tell me, Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'The tongue is its body, ether its place, and one should worship it as knowledge.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'What is the nature of that knowledge?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya replied: 'Your Majesty, speech itself (is knowledge). For through speech, Your Majesty, a friend is known (to be a friend), and likewise the Rig-Veda, Yagur-veda, S\u00e2ma-veda, the Atharv\u00e2\u1e45girasas, the Itih\u00e2sa (tradition), Pur\u00e2na-vidy\u00e2 (knowledge of the past), the Upanishads, Slokas (verses), S\u00fbtras (rules), Anuvy\u00e2khy\u00e2nas and Vy\u00e2khy\u00e2nas (commentaries 1, &c.); what is sacrificed, what is poured out, what is (to be) eaten and drunk, this world and the other world, and all creatures. By speech alone, Your Majesty, Brahman is known, speech indeed, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Speech does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'I shall give you (for this) a thousand cows with a bull as big as an elephant.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'My father was of opinion that one should not accept a reward without having fully instructed a pupil.'\n3. Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you.'\nGanaka Vaideha replied: 'Uda\u1e45ka Saulb\u00e2yana told me that life (pr\u00e2na) 2 is Brahman.'\n[paragraph continues] Uda\u1e45ka Saulb\u00e2yana tell you that life is Brahman; for what is the use of a person without life? But did he tell you the body and the resting-place of that Brahman?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Your Majesty, this (Brahman) stands on one leg only.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Breath is its body, ether its place, and one should worship it as what is dear.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'What is the nature of that which is dear?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya replied: 'Your Majesty, life itself (is that which is dear);' because for the sake of life, Your Majesty, a man sacrifices even for him who is unworthy of sacrifice, he accepts presents from him who is not worthy to bestow presents, nay, he goes to a country, even when there is fear of being hurt 1, for the sake of life. Life, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Life does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.'\n4. Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you.'\nGanaka Vaideha replied: 'Barku V\u00e2rshna told me that sight (kakshus) is Brahman.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'As one who had (the benefit of a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Barku V\u00e2rshna tell you that sight is Brahman; for what is the use of a person who cannot see? But did he tell you the body and the resting-place of that Brahman?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'The eye is its body, ether its place, and one should worship it as what is true.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'What is the nature of that which is true?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya replied: 'Your Majesty, sight itself (is that which is true); for if they say to a man who sees with his eye, \"Didst thou see?\" and he says, \"I saw,\" then it is true. Sight, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Sight does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.'\n5. Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you.'\nGanaka Vaideha replied: 'Gardabh\u00eevibh\u00eeta Bh\u00e2radv\u00e2ga told me that hearing (sruta) is Brahman.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'As one who had (the benefit of a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Gardabh\u00eevibh\u00eeta Bh\u00e2radv\u00e2ga tell you that hearing is Brahman; for what is the use of a person who cannot hear? But did he tell you the body and the resting-place of that Brahman?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'The ear is its body, ether its place, and we should worship it as what is endless.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'What is the nature of that which is endless?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya, replied: 'Your Majesty, space (disah) itself (is that which is endless), and therefore to whatever space (quarter) he goes, he never comes to the end of it. For space is endless. Space indeed, O King, is hearing 1, and hearing indeed, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Hearing does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.'\n6. Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you.'\nGanaka Vaideha replied: 'Satyak\u00e2ma G\u00e2b\u00e2la told me that mind 1 (manas) is Brahman.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'As one who had (the benefit of a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Satyak\u00e2ma G\u00e2b\u00e2la tell you that mind is Brahman; for what is the use of a person without mind? But did he tell you the body and the resting-place of that Brahman?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Mind itself is its body, ether its place, and we should worship it as bliss.'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'What is the nature of bliss?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya replied: 'Your Majesty, mind itself; for with the mind does a man desire a woman, and a like son is born of her, and he is bliss. Mind indeed, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Mind does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.'\n7. Y\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you.'\nGanaka Vaideha replied: 'Vidagdha S\u00e2kalya told me that the heart (hridaya) is Brahman.'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'As one who had (the benefit\nof a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Vidagdha S\u00e2kalya tell you that the heart is Brahman; for what is the use of a person without a heart? But did he tell you the body and the resting-place of that Brahman?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya said: 'The heart itself is its body, ether its place, and we should worship it as certainty (sthiti).'\nGanaka Vaideha said: 'What is the nature of certainty?'\nY\u00e2g\u00f1avalkya replied: 'Your Majesty, the heart itself; for the heart indeed, O King, is the body of all things, the heart is the resting-place of all things, for in the heart, O King, all things rest. The heart indeed, O King, is the Highest Brahman. The heart does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.'\n152:1 Anv-anta, formed like S\u00fbtr\u00e2nta, Siddh\u00e2nta, and probably Ved\u00e2nta, means subtle questions.\n152:2 Roer and Poley give here Sailina; Weber also (pp. 1080 and 1081) has twice Sailina (Silinasy\u00e2patyam).\n152:3 This seems to mean that Gitvan's explanation of Brahman is lame or imperfect, because there are four p\u00e2das of that Brahman, and he taught one only. The other three are its body, its place, and its form of worship (prag\u00f1et\u00eeyam upanishad brahmanas katurthah p\u00e2dah). See also Maitr. Up. VII, p. 221.\n153:1 See before, II, 4, 10; and afterwards, IV, 5, 11.\n153:2 See Taitt. Up. III, 3.\n154:1 Or it may mean, he is afraid of being hurt, to whatever country he goes, for the sake of a livelihood.\n156:1 Dvivedaga\u1e45ga states, digbh\u00e2go hi p\u00e2rthiv\u00e2dhishth\u00e2n\u00e2vakkhinnah srotram ity ukyate, atas tayor ekatvam.\n157:1 See also Taitt. Up. III, 4.","title":"The Upanishads, Part 2 (SBE15): Brihad\u00e2ranyaka Upanishad: IV, 1","type":"page"}