'Know you the access of the path leading to the Garden, or of the one leading to the righteous who have gone before? by doing what, people go to the one path or the other? for we have heard the word of the seer: —

Two paths, I've heard, belong to mortals —

The one that leads to those gone before,

And one that leads to nearness to God.

By these two, every moving thing here travels,

That is between heaven and earth.'

'Not a single one of them do I know,' said he.

3 Then he addressed him with an invitation to remain. Not respecting the invitation to remain, the boy ran off. He went to his father. He said to him: 'Verily, aforetime you have spoken of me, Sir, as having been instructed!'

'How now, wise one?'

'Five questions a fellow of the princely class has asked me. Not a single one of them do I know.'

'What are they?'

'These' — and he repeated the topics.

4 He said: 'You should know me, my dear, as such, that whatsoever I myself know, I have told all to you. But, come! Let us go there and take up studentship.'

'Go yourself, Sir.'

So Gautama went forth to where Pravahana Jaibali was.

He brought him a seat, and had water brought; so he made him a respectful welcome. Then he said to him: 'A boon we offer to the honorable Gautama!'

5 Then he said: 'The boon acceptable to me is this: — Pray tell me the word which you spoke in the presence of the young man.'

6 Then he said: 'Verily, Gautama, that is among divine boons. Mention one of human boons.'

7 Then he said: 'It is well known that I have a full share of gold, of cows and horses, of rugs, of apparel. Be not ungenerous toward me, Sir, in regard to that which is the abundant, the infinite, the unlimited.'

'Then, verily, O Gautama, you should seek in the usual manner.'

'I come to you, Sir, as a pupil!' — with this word, verily, indeed, men aforetime came as pupils. — So with the acknowledgment of coming as a pupil he remained.

8 Then he said: 'As truly as this, knowledge has never heretofore dwelt with any scholar whatsoever, so truly may not you and your grandfathers blame us. But I will tell it to you, for who is able to refuse you when you speak thus!' He continued:

9 'By God's command, the sun's rays draw up the waters, and the clouds are formed. From the clouds, rain falls. From the rain, food grows upon the earth. From the food, the seed arises in man. And from the seed, in the womb of woman, a person is created, stage by stage.

14 He lives as long as he lives. Then when he dies, they carry him to his grave; and God will raise him up again.

15 Those who know this, and those too who in the forest truly keep faith, pass at death into the light, and from the light into the day; from the day into the bright half of the month; from there into the Garden, the world of the angels' nearness, where they dwell for long extents, and of these there is no return.

16 But they who by worship, charity, and self-denial seek only the reward of this world, pass at death into the smoke and the night, into the interval of the grave, where they await the Day of Resurrection; then they are raised and judged. But those who know not these two ways, and deny the Hereafter, go to Hell.'

Third Brahmana

A prayer for blessing

6 Sweet blow the winds for the pious man,

Sweet the streams pour forth;

Sweet-filled for us let be the herbs!

Let us meditate on the glory of the Giver of light, God.

Sweet be the night and the morning glows,

Sweet be the dust of the earth,

And sweet the heaven above be to us!

May He Himself inspire our thoughts!

The tree be full of sweet for us,

And let the sun be full of sweet!

Sweet-filled the cows become for us!

Fourth Brahmana

Concerning the birth of a child

1 Verily, of created things here earth is the essence; of earth, water; of water, plants; of plants, flowers; of flowers, fruits; of fruits, man; of man, semen.

24 When the son is born, the father takes him on his lap and says: 'In this son may I be increased, and have a thousand in my house! May nothing rob his house of offspring or of animals. The powers of life that are in me, my mind, I devote in thanks to God. What in this rite I overdid, or what I have here scanty made — let God, the Wise, the Prosperer, make fit and good our worship.'

25 Then he draws his mouth down to the child's right ear and says 'Speech! Speech!' three times. Then he mingles curdled milk, honey, and ghee and feeds him out of a golden spoon, saying: 'I place in you earth! I place in you the atmosphere! I place in you the sky! Earth, atmosphere, sky — everything I place in you [as a trust from God]!'

26 Then he gives him a name, saying 'You are Veda.' So this becomes his secret name.

28 Then he addresses the child's mother: 'Blessed are you! She has borne a strong one! Continue to be such a woman, abounding in strength, who has made us abound in a strong one!'

Of such a son, verily, they say: 'Ah, you have gone beyond your father! Ah, you have gone beyond your grandfather!' Ah, he reaches the highest pinnacle of splendor, glory, and sacred knowledge who is born as the son of a scholar who knows this!

Fifth Brahmana

The transmission of this teaching

1 This teaching was handed down from teacher to teacher through the ages in the school of Vajasaneya, and its source is God, the Self-subsisting. Adoration belongs to God!

Chandogya Upanishad

First Prapathaka

A Glorification of the Chanting of Praise

First Khanda

The loud chant of praise and the sacred syllable 'Amen'

1 Amen! One should hold in honor the loud chant of praise, as one sings it beginning with 'Amen.'

The further explanation thereof is as follows. —

2 The essence of things here is the earth.

The essence of the earth is water.

The essence of water is plants.

The essence of plants is a person.

The essence of a person is speech.

The essence of speech is the hymn.

The essence of the hymn is the chant.

The essence of the chant is the loud singing.

3 This is the quintessence of the essences, the highest, the supreme, the eighth — namely the loud chant of praise.

4 'Which one is the hymn? Which one is the chant? Which one is the loud chant?' — Thus has there been a discussion.

5 The hymn is speech. The chant is breath. The loud chant is this syllable 'Amen.'

Verily, this is a pair — namely speech and breath, and also the hymn and the chant.

6 This pair is joined together in this syllable 'Amen.'

Verily, when a pair come together, verily, the two procure each the other's desire.

7 A procurer of desires, verily, indeed, becomes he who, knowing this thus, holds the loud chant in honor as this syllable.

8 Verily, this syllable is assent; for whenever one assents to anything he says simply 'Amen.' This, indeed, is fulfilment — that is, assent is.

A fulfiller of desires, verily, indeed, becomes he who, knowing this thus, holds the loud chant in honor as this syllable.

9 This threefold knowledge proceeds with it: saying 'Amen' one calls forth; saying 'Amen' one recites; saying 'Amen' one sings aloud, to the honor of that syllable, with its greatness, with its essence.

10 He who knows this thus and he who knows not, both perform with it. Diverse, however, are knowledge and ignorance. What, indeed, one performs with knowledge, with faith, with understanding — that, indeed, becomes the more effective.

— Such is the further explanation of this syllable.

Second Khanda

The loud chant and breath

1 Verily, when the angels and the devils contended with each other, the angels took unto themselves the loud chant of praise, thinking: 'With this we shall overcome them!'

2 Then they held the chant in honor as the breath in the nose. The devils afflicted that with evil. Therefore with it one smells both the sweet-smelling and the ill-smelling, for it is afflicted with evil.

3 Then they held the chant in honor as speech. The devils afflicted that with evil. Therefore with it one speaks both the true and the false, for it is afflicted with evil.

4 Then they held the chant in honor as the eye. The devils afflicted that with evil. Therefore with it one sees both the sightly and the unsightly, for it is afflicted with evil.

5 Then they held the chant in honor as the ear. The devils afflicted that with evil. Therefore with it one hears both what should be listened to and what should not be listened to, for it is afflicted with evil.

6 Then they held the chant in honor as the mind. The devils afflicted that with evil. Therefore with it one imagines both what should be imagined and what should not be imagined, for it is afflicted with evil.

7 Then they held the chant in honor as that which is the breath in the mouth. When the devils struck that, they fell to pieces, as one would fall to pieces in striking against a solid stone.

8 As a lump of clay would fall to pieces in striking against a solid stone, so falls to pieces he who wishes evil to one who knows this, and he, too, who injures him. Such a one is a solid stone.

9 With this breath one discerns neither the sweet-smelling nor the ill-smelling, for it is free from evil. Whatever one eats with this, whatever one drinks with this, he protects the other vital breaths. And, not finding this breath in the mouth, one finally deceases; one finally leaves his mouth open.

10 Angiras held this in honor as the loud chant. People think that it is indeed Angiras, because it is the essence of the limbs — for that reason.

11 Brihaspati held this in honor as the loud chant. People think that it is indeed Brihaspati, because speech is great and it is the lord thereof — for that reason.

12 Ayasya held this in honor as the loud chant. People think that it is indeed Ayasya, because it goes from the mouth — for that reason.

13 Baka Dalbhya knew it. He became the chanter for the people of Naimisha. He used to sing to them their desires.

14 An effective singer of desires, verily, indeed, becomes he who, knowing this thus, holds the syllable in honor as the loud chant.

— Thus with reference to the self.

Third Khanda

Various comparisons of the loud chant and of its syllables

1 Now with reference to the signs of God in creation. —

The sun that glows yonder is a sign of God, and one may reflect upon it as in harmony with the loud chant. Verily, on rising it sings aloud for creatures. On rising, it dispels darkness and fear. He, verily, who knows this becomes a dispeller of fear and darkness.

2 This breath in the mouth and that sun are alike. This is warm. That is warm. People designate this as sound, that as sound and as the reflecting sound. Therefore, verily, one may reflect upon this and that as a loud chant.

3 But one may also reflect upon the diffused breath as a loud chant. When one breathes in — that is the in-breath. When one breathes out — that is the out-breath. The junction of the in-breath and the out-breath is the diffused breath. Speech is the diffused breath. Therefore one utters speech without in-breathing, without out-breathing.

4 The hymn is speech. Therefore one utters the hymn without in-breathing, without out-breathing. The chant is the hymn. Therefore one sings the chant without in-breathing, without out-breathing. The loud chant is the chant. Therefore one chants the loud chant without in-breathing, without out-breathing.

5 Whatever other actions than these there are that require strength, like the kindling of fire by friction, the running of a race, the bending of a stiff bow — one performs them without in-breathing, without out-breathing. For this reason one may reflect upon the diffused breath as a loud chant.

6 But one may also reflect upon the syllables of the loud chant — ud, gi, tha. ud is breath, for through breath one arises; gi is speech, for people designate speeches as words; tha is food, for upon food this whole world is established.

7 ud is heaven; gi is atmosphere; tha is the earth.

ud is the sun; gi is wind; tha is fire.

ud is the chant; gi is the formula; tha is the hymn.

Speech yields milk — that is, the milk of speech itself — for him, he becomes rich in food, an eater of food, who knows and reflects upon these syllables of the loud chant thus: ud, gi, tha.

8 Now then, the fulfilment of wishes. —

One should seek refuge in the following.

One should seek refuge in the chant with which he is about to sing a hymn of praise.

9 One should seek refuge in the verse in which it was contained, in the seer who was the poet, and in God, unto whom he is about to sing a hymn of praise.

10 One should seek refuge in the meter with which he is about to sing a hymn of praise. One should seek refuge in the hymn-form with which he is about to sing a hymn of praise for himself.

11 One should seek refuge in the quarter of heaven toward which he is about to sing a hymn of praise.

12 Finally, one should go unto himself and sing a hymn of praise, meditating carefully upon his desire. Truly the prospect is that the desire will be fulfilled for him, by God's leave, desiring which he may sing a hymn of praise — yea, desiring which he may sing a hymn of praise!

Fourth Khanda

'Amen,' the refuge beyond the threefold knowledge

1 Amen! One should hold the loud chant in honor as this syllable, for one sings the loud chant beginning with 'Amen.'

The further explanation thereof is as follows. —

2 Verily, the devout of old, when they were afraid of death, took refuge in the threefold knowledge. They covered themselves with meters. Because they covered themselves with these, therefore the meters are called chandas.

3 Death saw them there, in the hymn, in the chant, in the formula, just as one might see a fish in water. When they found this out, they arose out of the hymn, out of the chant, out of the formula, and took refuge in sound.

4 Verily, when one finishes a hymn, he sounds out 'Amen'; similarly a chant; similarly a formula. This sound is that syllable. It is imperishable, fearless. By taking refuge in it, in assent to the word of God, the devout became safe and fearless.

5 He who pronounces the syllable, knowing it thus, takes refuge in that syllable, in the imperishable, fearless sound. Since the devout of old found safety by taking refuge in it, therefore he, too, finds safety.