For verily without intelligence the ear would not make any sound whatsoever known.
‘My mind was elsewhere’ one says, ‘I did not cognise the sound’.
For verily without intelligence the tongue would not make any taste of food whatsoever known. ‘My mind was elsewhere’ one says, ‘I did not cognise that taste of food’.
For verily without intelligence the two hands would not make any action whatsoever known. ‘My mind was elsewhere’ one says, ‘I did not cognise that action’.
For verily without intelligence the body would not make known any pleasure or pain whatsoever. ‘My mind was elsewhere’ one says, ‘I did not cognise that pleasure and pain’.
For verily without intelligence the generative organ would not make known any bliss, delight and procreation whatsoever. ‘My mind was elsewhere’ one says, ‘I did not cognise that bliss, delight and procreation’.
For verily without intelligence the two feet would not make known any going whatsoever. ‘My mind was elsewhere’ one says, ‘I did not cognise that going’.
For verily without intelligence no thought whatever would be effected, nothing cognisable would be cognized.
III-8. One has to win the pure knowledge of the unity of Brahman and Atman.
Speech is not what one should seek to know; one should know the speaker.
Smell is not what one should seek to know; one should know the smeller.
Form is not what one should seek to know; one should know the seer.
Sound is not what one should seek to know; one should know the hearer.
Taste of food is not what one should seek to know; one should know the knower of the taste of food.
Deed is not what one should seek to know; one should know the doer.
Pleasure and pain are not what one should seek to know; one should know the discerner of pleasure and pain.
Bliss, delight and procreation are not what one should seek to know; one should know the discerner of bliss, delight and procreation.
Going is not what one should seek to know; one should know the goer.
Mind is not what one should seek to know; one should know the thinker.
These ten essential elements, verily, are with reference to intelligence. These ten intelligential elements are with reference to existence. Verily if there were no elements of existence, there would be no elements of intelligence. Verily if there were no elements of intelligence, there would be no elements of existence. Truly from either alone, no form whatever would be possible.
And this (the Self of intelligence) is not diverse. But as of a chariot, the felly is fixed on the spokes and the spokes are fixed on the hub, even so these elements of existence are fixed on the elements of intelligence; the elements of intelligence are fixed on the vital breath.
This vital breath, truly, is the Self of intelligence: (it is) bliss, ageless, immortal. He does not become greater with good action nor indeed lesser with bad action. This one truly indeed causes him whom he wishes to lead up from this world to perform good action. This one also indeed causes him whom he wishes to lead downwards to perform bad action. He is the protector of the world; he is the sovereign of the world; he is the Lord of all. ‘He is myself’ – this one should know. ‘He is my Self’ – This one should know.
IV-1. Now then verily there was Gargya Balaki, a famed Vedic scholar. He dwelt among the Ushinaras, the Satvans and the Matsyas, among the Kurus and the Panchalas, among the Kashis and the Videhas. Having come to Ajatasatru of Kashi, he said, ‘Let me declare Brahman to you’. To him then Ajatasatru said: ‘A thousand (cows) we give to you’. At such a word as this, verily indeed people would run together, crying ‘A Janaka ! A Janaka !’
IV-2. In the sun the great, in the moon the food, in the lightning truth, in thunder sound, in wind Indra Vaikuntha, in space the plenum, in fire the Vanquisher, in water brilliance – thus with reference to the divinities. Now, with reference to the self; in the mirror the reflection; in the shadow the double, in the echo life, in sound death, in sleep Yama (the Lord of Death), in the body Prajapati, in the right eye speech, in the left eye truth.
IV-3. Then said Balaki: Him who is this person in the sun, on him I indeed meditate. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! As the great, the white-robed, the Supreme, the head of all beings – thus verily do I meditate on him. He who meditates on him thus becomes indeed the supreme, the head of all beings.
IV-4. Then said Balaki: ‘him who is the person in the moon, on him indeed do I meditate’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him asking Soma, as the self of food. He who meditates on him thus becomes indeed the self of food.
IV-5. Then said Balaki: ‘I meditate on the person, indeed, who is the person in the lightning’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the self of truth. He who meditates on him thus becomes indeed the self of truth (of brilliance).
IV-6. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in the Thunder’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the self of sound. He who meditates on him thus becomes indeed the self of sound.
IV-7. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in wind’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as Indra Vaikuntha or as the unconquered army. He who meditates on him thus becomes indeed the triumphant, the unconquerable, a conqueror of adversaries.
IV-8. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in space’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the full moon-active Brahman. He who meditates on him thus becomes filled with offspring, cattle, fame, the radiance of sanctity and the heavenly world, he reaches the full term of life.
IV-9. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in fire’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the Vanquisher. He who meditates on him thus become verily a vanquisher of others.
IV-10. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in water’. To him then Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the Self of Brilliance of name. Thus with reference to the divinities..
IV-11. Now, with reference to self.
Then said Balaki: I meditate indeed on the person in the mirror’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as (the reflected) likeness. He, then, who meditates on him thus, a very likeness of him is born in his offspring, not an unlikeness.
IV-12. Then said Balaki: I meditate indeed on the person in the shadow’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the inseparable Double. He, then, who meditates on him thus obtains from his second and becomes possessed of his double.
IV-13. Then said Balaki: I meditate indeed on the person in the echo’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as life. He, then, who meditates on him thus passes not into unconsciousness before his time.
IV-14. Then said Balaki: I meditate indeed on the person in sound’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as Death. He, then, who meditates on him thus does not die before his time.
IV-15. Then said Balaki: I meditate indeed on the person who, while asleep, moves about in dream’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as King Yama ! He, then, who meditates on him thus, to his supremacy everything here is subdued.
IV-16. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person who is in this body’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as Prajapati. He then who meditates on him thus is augmented with offspring, cattle, fame, the lustre of sanctity, the heavenly world; he reaches the full term of life.
IV-17. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in the right eye’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the self of speech, the self of fire, the self of light. He then who meditates on him thus becomes the self of all these.
IV-18. Then said Balaki: I meditate on the person in the left eye’. To him Ajatasatru said: Make me not to converse on him ! I meditate on him as the self of truth, the self of lightning, the self of brightness. He then who meditates on him thus becomes the self of all these.
IV-19. Thereupon Balaki was silent. To him then Ajatasatru said: So much only Balaki ? ‘So much only’ replied Balaki. To him, then, Ajatasatru said: In vain, indeed, did you make to converse saying ‘Let me declare Brahman to you’. He, indeed. Balaki, who is the maker of these persons, of whom verily this is the work, he alone is to be known.
Thereupon Balaki, fuel in hand, approached saying, ‘Receive me as a pupil’. To him then Ajatasatru said: ‘This I deem a form (of conduct) contrary to nature that a Kshatriya should receive a Brahmana as pupil. (But come). I shall make you understand’. Then taking him by the hand, he went forth. The two then came upon a person asleep. The Ajatasatru called him (saying) ‘O Great, White-robed King, Soma !’ But he just lay silent. Then he pushed him with a stick. He got up at once. To him then Ajatasatru said: Where in this case, O Balaki, has this person lain ? What has become of him here ? Whence has he returned here ?
Thereupon Balaki understood not. To him then Ajatasatru said: Where in this case, O Balaki has this person lain, what has become of him here, whence he has returned here as I asked is the arteries of a person (of the heart) called Hita (the beneficent). From the heart they spread forth to the pericardium. Now they are as minute as a hair divided a thousand-fold. They consist of a minute essence, reddish-brown, white, black, yellow and red. In these one remains while asleep; he sees no dream whatsoever.
IV-20. Then he becomes unitary in this vital breath. Then speech together with all names goes to it; the eye together with all forms goes to it; the ear together with all sounds goes to it; the mind together with all thoughts goes to it.
When he awakes, as from a blazing fire sparks proceed in all directions, even so from this Self the vital breaths proceed to their respective stations; from the vital breaths, the gods (the sense faculties); from the sense faculties the worlds. This very vital breath, even this Self of intelligence, has entered this bodily self up to the hair and the fingernail. Just as a razor might be hidden in a razor-case or as fire in the fireplace, even so this self of intelligence has entered this bodily self upto the very hairs and nails. On that self these other selves depend as upon a chief his own (men) or as his own (men) are of service to a chief, even so these other selves are of service to that self of (intelligence). Verily as long as Indra did not understand this Self, so long the Asuras overcame him. When he understood this, striking down and conquering the Asuras, he attained pre-eminence among all gods and all beings, sovereignty and overlordship.
Likewise also he who knows this, striking off all evils, attains pre-eminence, sovereignty and overlordship over all beings – he who knows this, yea, he who knows this.
Om ! May my speech be based on (i.e. accord with) the mind;
May my mind be based on speech.
O Self-effulgent One, reveal Thyself to me.
May you both (speech and mind) be the carriers of the Veda to me.
May not all that I have heard depart from me.
I shall join together (i.e. obliterate the difference of) day
And night through this study.
I shall utter what is verbally true;
I shall utter what is mentally true.
May that (Brahman) protect me;
May That protect the speaker (i.e. the teacher), may That protect me;
May that protect the speaker – may That protect the speaker.
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
Here ends the Kaushitaki-Brahmana Upanishad, as contained in the Rig-Veda.
