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Brhadaranyaka Upanisad
Chapter Four
IV.3
1. Yajnavalkya went to Janaka of Videha, intending not to teach. But once when Janaka of Videha and Yajnavalkya spoke together about the Agnihotra, Yajnavalkya had granted him a boon. The king chose to ask any question he desired, and Yajnavalkya granted it to him. So the first question he asked him was:
2. 'Yajnavalkya, what light has a man (purusa)?'
'He has the sun as his light. With the sun as his light he sits, goes about, does his work and returns.'
'So it is, Yajnavalkya.
3. 'When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya, what light has a man?'
'He has the moon as his light. With the moon as his light he sits, goes about, does his work and returns.'
'So it is, Yajnavalkya.
4. 'When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya, and the moon has set, what light has a man?'
'Fire is his light. With fire as his light he sits, goes about, does his work and returns.'
'So it is, Yajnavalkya.
5. 'When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya, and the moon has set, and fire has gone out, what light has a man?'
'Speech is his light. With speech as his light he sits, goes about, does his work and returns. That is why, your majesty, even when one cannot see one's own hand, when speech is uttered, one goes towards it.'
'So it is, Yajnavalkya.
'So it is, Yajnavalkya.
6. 'When the sun has set, Yajnavalkya, and the moon has set, and fire has gone out, and speech has fallen silent, what light has a man?'
'The self (atman) is his light. With the self as his light he sits, goes about, does his work and returns.'
7. 'What is the self?'
'The Person (purusa) among the breaths who consists of knowledge, the inner light in the heart. Remaining the same, he travels the two worlds, seems to think, seems to move about. Failing asleep, he goes beyond this world, the forms of death.
8. 'When the person is born and gets a body he is joined with evils. Leaving it, when he dies, he leaves evils behind.
9. 'The person has two states, this one and the state of the other world. The third, intermediate, state, is that of dreaming sleep. When he rests in the intermediate state, he sees both states, this one and the state of the other world. When he has gone by whatever way it is that one gains the state of the other world, he sees both evils and joys. When he falls asleep, he takes with him the material of this all-containing world, himself breaks it up, himself re-makes it. He sleeps by his own radiance, his own light. Here the person becomes lit by his own light.
10. 'There are no chariots, nor chariot-horses, nor roads there, but he creates chariots, chariot-horses and roads. There are no pleasures, nor enjoyments, nor delights there, but he creates pleasures, enjoyments and delights. There are no ponds, nor lotus-pools, nor rivers there, but he creates ponds, lotus-pools and rivers. For he is a maker.
11. 'There are these verses about it:
'Overcoming with sleep the bodily part,
Unsleeping he looks down upon the sleeping.
Taking his light he returns to his place
The golden person, the goose who flies alone.
12. 'Guarding with the breath his nest below,
Immortal he roves outside his nest.
Immortal he goes wherever he desires,
The golden person, the goose who flies alone.
13. 'In the dream state, going high and low,
A god, he creates many forms.
Enjoying himself with women, laughing,
Or even seeing dreadful sights.
14. 'They see his pleasure,
But him nobody sees.
'That is why they say, "You should not wake him suddenly", for a cure is hard to find for someone if it does not get back to him. Some say that this is just the same as his, waking state, since he sees when asleep the same objects that he sees when awake: but they are wrong, for in this state he is lit by his own light.'
'Blessed one, I give you a thousand cows: speak on, for my liberation.'
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