INVOCATION
AT WHOSE DESIRE AND BY WHOM IMPELLED
DOES THE MIND ALIGHT ON ITS OBJECTS?
BY WHOM IMPELLED DOES THE CHIEF PRANA -- VITAL FORCE --
PROCEED TO ITS FUNCTION?
BY WHOM IMPELLED DO MEN UTTER THIS SPEECH?
WHAT DEVA OR GOD DIRECTS THE EYES AND THE EARS?
IT -- THE ATMAN -- IS THE EAR OF THE EAR,
THE MIND OF THE MIND,
THE SPEECH OF THE SPEECH,
THE PRANA OF THE PRANA,
AND THE EYE OF THE EYE.
WISE MEN SEPARATING THE ATMAN FROM THESE -- SENSE FUNCTIONS --
RISE OUT OF SENSE LIFE
AND ATTAIN TO IMMORTALITY.
THE EYES CANNOT APPROACH IT,
NEITHER CAN SPEECH NOR MIND.
WE DO NOT, THEREFORE, KNOW IT,
NOR DO WE KNOW HOW TO TEACH IT.
IT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS KNOWN
AND IT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT IS UNKNOWN.
THUS WE HAVE HEARD FROM OUR PREDECESSORS
WHO INSTRUCTED US ABOUT IT.
WHAT SPEECH CANNOT REVEAL
BUT WHAT REVEALS SPEECH --
KNOW THOU THAT ALONE AS BRAHMAN AND NOT THIS
-- ANYTHING OBJECTIVE -- THAT PEOPLE WORSHIP HERE.
WHAT MIND DOES NOT COMPREHEND
BUT WHAT COMPREHENDS THE MIND --
KNOW THOU THAT ALONE
AS BRAHMAN AND NOT THIS
THAT PEOPLE WORSHIP HERE.
WHAT SIGHT FAILS TO SEE,
BUT WHAT SEES SIGHT --
KNOW THOU THAT ALONE AS BRAHMAN,
AND NOT THIS THAT PEOPLE WORSHIP HERE.
WHAT HEARING FAILS TO HEAR,
BUT WHAT HEARS HEARING --
KNOW THOU THAT ALONE AS BRAHMAN,
AND NOT THIS THAT PEOPLE WORSHIP HERE.
WHAT PRANA DOES NOT REVEAL,
BUT WHAT REVEALS PRANA --
KNOW THOU THAT ALONE AS BRAHMAN,
AND NOT THIS THAT PEOPLE WORSHIP HERE.
IF YOU THINK THAT YOU KNOW BRAHMAN WELL,
THEN YOU KNOW LITTLE INDEED,
FOR THE FORM OF BRAHMAN THAT YOU SEE
AS CONDITIONAL IN LIVING BEINGS AND GODS
IS BUT A TRIFLE.
THEREFORE, YOU SHOULD INQUIRE FURTHER ABOUT BRAHMAN.
I DO NOT THINK I KNOW IT WELL,
NOR DO I THINK THAT I DO NOT KNOW IT,
YET I KNOW TOO.
HE AMONGST US KNOWS IT
WHO KNOWS THAT IT IS OTHER
THAN THE UNKNOWN AND THE KNOWN.
HE KNOWS IT WHO KNOWS IT NOT,
AND HE KNOWS IT NOT WHO KNOWS IT.
TO THE MAN OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE IT IS THE UNKNOWN,
WHILE TO THE IGNORANT IT IS THE KNOWN.
INDEED, HE ATTAINS IMMORTALITY
WHO REALIZES IT IN AND THROUGH
EVERY BODH -- PULSATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS.
THROUGH THE ATMAN HE OBTAINS STRENGTH AND VIGOR
AND THROUGH ITS KNOWLEDGE, IMMORTALITY.
FOR ONE WHO REALIZES IT HERE,
IN THIS WORLD, THERE IS TRUE LIFE.
FOR ONE WHO DOES NOT SO REALIZE IT,
GREAT IS THE LOSS.
DISCOVERING THE ATMAN IN EVERY SINGLE BEING,
THE WISE ONES,
DYING TO THIS WORLD OF SENSE-EXPERIENCE,
BECOME IMMORTAL.
THE STORY GOES
THAT BRAHMAN OBTAINED A VICTORY FOR THE DEVAS.
THOUGH THE VICTORY WAS DUE TO BRAHMAN,
THE DEVAS BECAME ELATED BY IT AND THOUGHT:
"THIS VICTORY IS DUE ONLY TO US;
THIS GLORY BELONGS ONLY. TO US"
BRAHMAN CAME TO KNOW THIS, THEIR VANITY.
HE VERILY APPEARED BEFORE THEM,
BUT THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHO THAT YAKSHA -- DEMI-GOD -- WAS.
THEY ADDRESSED AGNI:
"OH JATAVEDA, PLEASE FIND OUT WHO THIS YAKSHA IS."
"YES," SAID AGNI.
AGNI HASTENED TO THE YAKSHA.
THE YAKSHA ASKED HIM WHO HE WAS.
AGNI REPLIED: "I AM VERILY AGNI;
I AM ALSO KNOWN AS JATAVEDA" -- NEAR-OMNISCIENT.
"WHAT ENERGY DO YOU POSSESS, YOU OF SUCH FAME?"
ASKED THE YAKSHA.
"I CAN BURN EVERYTHING --
WHATEVER THERE IS ON THIS EARTH," REPLIED AGNI.
THE YAKSHA PLACED A STRAW BEFORE HIM AND SAID:
"BURN THIS."
AGNI APPROACHED IT WITH ALL SPEED;
HE WAS, HOWEVER, UNABLE TO BURN IT.
SO HE WITHDREW FROM THERE AND RETURNED TO THE GODS
SAYING, "I COULD NOT ASCERTAIN WHO THIS YAKSHA WAS."
THEN THEY ADDRESSED VAYU:
"OH VAYU, PLEASE ASCERTAIN THIS,
WHO THIS YAKSHA IS."
"YES," SAID VAYU.
VAYU HASTENED TO THE YAKSHA.
THE YAKSHA ASKED HIM WHO HE WAS.
VAYU REPLIED, "I AM VERILY VAYU.
I AM ALSO KNOWN AS MATARISVA" -- CARRIER OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
"WHAT ENERGY DO YOU POSSESS, YOU OF SUCH FAME?"
ASKED THE YAKSHA.
"I CAN VERILY BLOW AWAY EVERYTHING --
WHATEVER THERE IS ON THIS EARTH," REPLIED VAYU.
THE YAKSHA PLACED A STRAW BEFORE HIM AND SAID,
"BLOW THIS AWAY."
VAYU APPROACHED IT WITH ALL SPEED;
HE WAS, HOWEVER, UNABLE TO BLOW IT AWAY.
SO HE WITHDREW FROM THERE AND
RETURNED TO THE GODS SAYING:
"I COULD NOT ASCERTAIN WHO THIS YAKSHA WAS."
THEN THE GODS ADDRESSED INDRA:
"OH MAGHAVAN -- REJOICING ONE --
PLEASE ASCERTAIN WHO THIS YAKSHA IS."
"YES," SAID INDRA, AND HASTENED TO THE YAKSHA.
BUT THE YAKSHA DISAPPEARED FROM HIS VIEW.
AND IN THAT VERY SPOT HE BEHELD A WOMAN,
THE WONDROUSLY EFFULGENT UMA,
THE DAUGHTER OF THE SNOW-CLAD MOUNTAIN, HIMAVAT.
AND OF HER HE ASKED: "WHO COULD THIS YAKSHA BE?"
"THAT YAKSHA WAS BRAHMAN," SAID UMA.
"IT WAS THROUGH THE VICTORY OF BRAHMAN, INDEED,
THAT YOU ACHIEVED THIS GLORY."
IT WAS FROM THAT -- FROM THE WORDS OF UMA --
THAT INDRA UNDERSTOOD
THAT THE YAKSHA WAS BRAHMAN.
THEREFORE, VERILY, THESE GODS
-- AGNI, VAYU, AND INDRA --
EXCEL ALL OTHER GODS, FOR THEY APPROACHED THE YAKSHA NEAREST;
THEY WERE THE FIRST TO KNOW HIM AS BRAHMAN.
AND, THEREFORE, INDEED, INDRA EXCELS THE OTHER GODS,
FOR HE APPROACHED THE YAKSHA NEAREST;
HE WAS THE FIRST TO KNOW HIM AS BRAHMAN.
THIS IS THE TEACHING REGARDING THAT -- BRAHMAN.
IT IS LIKE A FLASH OF LIGHTNING;
IT IS LIKE A WINK OF THE EYE.
THIS IS WITH REFERENCE TO THE ADHIDAIVATAM --
ITS ASPECT AS COSMIC MANIFESTATION.
NOW ITS DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ADHYATMA --
ITS ASPECT AS MANIFESTED IN MAN:
MIND PROCEEDS TO BRAHMAN IN ALL SPEED,
AS IT WERE.
BY HIS MIND ALSO,
THIS BRAHMAN IS REMEMBERED AND IMAGINED AS ALWAYS NEAR.
BRAHMAN IS WELL KNOWN BY THE NAME TATVANAM -- THAT --
SO IT IS TO BE MEDITATED UPON AS TATVANAM -- THAT.
ALL BEINGS LOVE HIM WHO KNOW BRAHMAN AS SUCH.
"SIR, TEACH ME THE UPANISHAD."
"THE UPANISHAD HAS BEEN IMPARTED TO YOU.
WE HAVE, VERILY, IMPARTED TO YOU
THE UPANISHAD RELATING TO BRAHMAN."
OF THE UPANISHAD,
TAPAS -- AUSTERITIES;
DAMAN -- SELF-RESTRAINT;
AND KARMA -- DEDICATED WORK;
FORM THE SUPPORT.
THE VEDAS ARE ITS LIMBS,
AND TRUTH ITS ABODE.
ONE WHO REALIZES IT
-- KNOWLEDGE OF BRAHMAN --
THUS DESTROYS SIN
AND IS WELL ESTABLISHED IN BRAHMAN,
THE INFINITE,
THE BLISSFUL
AND THE HIGHEST.