24 [Sakalya said:] 'What sign have you in this fixed quarter, the zenith?'

'Fire.'

'That fire — on what is it based?'

'On speech.'

'And on what is speech based?'

'On the heart.'

'And on what is the heart based?'

25 'You fool,' said Yajnavalkya, 'that you will think that it could be anywhere else than in ourselves! for if it were anywhere else than in ourselves, the dogs might eat it or the birds might tear it to pieces.'

26 'On what are you and your soul based?'

'On the in-breath.'

'And on what is the in-breath based?'

'On the out-breath.'

'And on what is the out-breath based?'

'On the diffused breath.'

'And on what is the diffused breath based?'

'On the up-breath.'

'And on what is the up-breath based?'

'On the middle breath.'

'God is not this, He is not that. He is unseizable, for He is not seized. He is indestructible, for He is not destroyed. He is unattached, for He does not attach Himself. He is unbound. He does not tremble. He is not injured.

Tell me of Him who is beyond all these — the One taught in the revelations about whom I ask you.

If Him to me ye will not tell,

Your head indeed will then fall off.'

But Him Sakalya did not know,

And so indeed his head fell off.

Indeed, robbers carried off his bones, thinking they were something else.

27 Then he [Yajnavalkya] said: 'Venerable scholars, let him of you that desires question me. Or do ye all question me. Or I will question him of you that desires to be questioned; or I will question all of you.'

Those scholars, however, durst not.

28 Then he questioned them with these verses: —

As a tree of the forest,

Just so, surely, is man.

His hairs are leaves,

His skin the outer bark.

From his skin blood,

Sap from the bark flows forth.

From him when pierced there comes forth

A stream, as from the tree when struck.

His pieces of flesh are under-layers of wood.

The fibre is muscle-like, strong.

The bones are the wood within.

The marrow is made resembling pith.

A tree, when it is felled, grows up

From the root, more new again;

A mortal, when cut down by death —

From what root does he grow up?

Say not 'from semen,'

For that is produced from the living,

As the tree, forsooth, springing from seed,

Clearly arises without having died.

If with its roots they should pull up

The tree, it would not come into being again.

A mortal, when cut down by death —

From what root does he grow up?

When born, indeed, he is not born again into this world.

Who would again bring him forth? God alone, who raises him up.

God is knowledge, is bliss,

The final goal of the giver of offerings,

Of him, too, who stands firm and knows Him.

Fourth Adhyaya

First Brahmana

King Janaka instructed by Yajnavalkya: six partial teachings

1 Janaka, [king] of Videha, was seated. Yajnavalkya came up. To him he said: 'Yajnavalkya, for what purpose have you come? Because you desire cattle or subtle disputations?'

'Indeed, for both, your Majesty,' he said.

2 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [continued Yajnavalkya].

'Jitvan Sailini told me: "Speech, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts"' [said Janaka].

'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Sailina say, "Speech, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts." For he might have thought, "What can one have who cannot speak?" But did he tell you its seat and support?'

'He did not tell me.'

'Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged teaching.'

'Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us.'

'Its seat is just speech; its support, space. One should be thankful for it as intelligence.'

'What is its quality of intelligence, Yajnavalkya?'

'Just speech, your Majesty,' said he. 'Verily, by speech, your Majesty, a friend is recognized. By speech alone, your Majesty, the scriptures, the hymns, the legends, the ancient lore, the sciences, the sacred teachings, the verses, the aphorisms, the explanations, the commentaries, what is offered in worship and in charity, food and drink, this world and the other, and all beings are known. Speech, your Majesty, is in truth a great gift of God. Speech does not desert him who, knowing this, is thankful for it as such. All things run unto him. God raises him to honor among the righteous.'

'I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant,' said Janaka, [king] of Videha.

Yajnavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

3 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [continued Yajnavalkya].

'Udanka Saulbayana told me: "The breath of life, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts."'

'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Saulbayana say, "The breath of life is the foremost of God's gifts." For he might have thought, "What can one have who is without the breath of life?" But did he tell you its seat and support?'

'He did not tell me.'

'Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged teaching.'

'Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us.'

'Its seat is just the breath of life; its support, space. One should be thankful for it as the dear.'

'What is its dearness, Yajnavalkya?'

'The breath of life itself, your Majesty,' said he. 'Verily, out of love for the breath of life, your Majesty, one has worship offered for him for whom one should not offer it, one accepts from him from whom one should not accept. Out of love of just the breath of life, your Majesty, there arises fear of being killed wherever one goes. The breath of life, your Majesty, is in truth a great gift of God. The breath of life leaves not him who, knowing this, is thankful for it as such. All things run unto him. God raises him to honor among the righteous.'

'I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant,' said Janaka, [king] of Videha.

Yajnavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

4 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [continued Yajnavalkya].

'Barku Varshna told me: "Sight, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts."'

'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Varshna say, "Sight is the foremost of God's gifts." For he might have thought, "What can one have who cannot see?" But did he tell you its seat and support?'

'He did not tell me.'

'Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged teaching.'

'Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us.'

'Its seat is just sight; its support, space. One should be thankful for it as the true.'

'What is its truthfulness, Yajnavalkya?'

'Sight alone, your Majesty,' said he. 'Verily, your Majesty, when they say to a man who sees with his eyes, "Have you seen?" and he says, "I have seen," that is the truth. Verily, your Majesty, sight is a great gift of God. Sight leaves not him who, knowing this, is thankful for it as such. All things run unto him. God raises him to honor among the righteous.'

'I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant,' said Janaka, [king] of Videha.

Yajnavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

5 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [continued Yajnavalkya].

'Gardabhivipita Bharadvaja told me: "Hearing, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts."'

'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Bharadvaja say, "Hearing is the foremost of God's gifts." For he might have thought, "What can one have who cannot hear?" But did he tell you its seat and support?'

'He did not tell me.'

'Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged teaching.'

'Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us.'

'Its seat is just hearing; its support, space. One should be thankful for it as the endless.'

'What is its endlessness, Yajnavalkya?'

'Just the quarters of heaven, your Majesty,' said he. 'Therefore, verily, your Majesty, to whatever quarter one goes, he does not come to the end of it, for the quarters of heaven are endless. Verily, your Majesty, the quarters of heaven are for hearing. Verily, your Majesty, hearing is a great gift of God. Hearing does not desert him who, knowing this, is thankful for it as such. All things run unto him. God raises him to honor among the righteous.'

'I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant,' said Janaka, [king] of Videha.

Yajnavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

6 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [continued Yajnavalkya].

'Satyakama Jabala told me: "The mind, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts."'

'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Jabala say, "The mind is the foremost of God's gifts." For he might have thought, "What can one have who is without a mind?" But did he tell you its seat and support?'

'He did not tell me.'

'Forsooth, your Majesty, that is a one-legged teaching.'

'Verily, Yajnavalkya, do you here tell us.'

'Its seat is just the mind; its support, space. One should be thankful for it as the blissful.'

'What is its blissfulness, Yajnavalkya?'

'Just the mind, your Majesty,' said he. 'Verily, your Majesty, by the mind one inclines to his wife. A son like himself is born of her. He is bliss. Verily, your Majesty, the mind is a great gift of God. The mind does not desert him who, knowing this, is thankful for it as such. All things run unto him. God raises him to honor among the righteous.'

'I will give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant,' said Janaka, [king] of Videha.

Yajnavalkya replied: 'My father thought that without having instructed one should not accept.'

7 'Let us hear what anybody may have told you,' [continued Yajnavalkya].

'Vidagdha Sakalya told me: "The heart, verily, is the foremost of God's gifts."'

'As a man might say that he had a mother, that he had a father, that he had a teacher, so did that Sakalya say, "The heart is the foremost of God's gifts." For he might have thought, "What can one have who is without a heart?" But did he tell you its seat and support?'

'He did not tell me.'