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Brhadaranyaka Upanisad
Chapter One
1.4
1. In the beginning this was self (atman), in the likeness of a person (purusa). Looking round he saw nothing but himself (atman). First he said, 'I am!' So the name 'I' came to be. Even now, when someone is addressed, he first says, 'It is I,' and then speaks whatever other name he has. Since before (purva) all this, he burnt up (us-) all the evils from everything, he is purusa. Whoever knows this, burns up anyone who wants to be before him,
2. He was afraid: so when alone one is afraid. Then he realized, 'There is nothing else but me, so why am I afraid?' Then his fear departed. For why should he be afraid? Fear arises from a second.
3. He had no pleasure either: so when alone one has no pleasure. He desired a companion. He became as large as a woman and a man embracing. He made that self split (pat?) into two: from that husband (pati) and wife (patni) came to be. Therefore Yajnavalkya used to say, 'In this is respect we two are each like a half portion. So this space is filled by a wife. He coupled with her, and from that human beings were born.
4. She realized: 'How can he couple with me when he begot me from himself? Ah, I must hide!' She became a cow, the other a bull, and so he coupled with her. From that, cattle were born. She became a mare, the other a stallion; she became a she?donkey, the other a he?donkey: and so he coupled with her. From that, solid?hoofed animals were born. The one became a nanny?goat, the other a
billy?goat; the one became a ewe, the other a ram: and so he coupled with her. From that, goats and sheep were born. In that way he created every pair, right down to the ants.
5. He knew: 'I am creation, for I created all this.' So he became creation. Whoever knows this, comes to be in this, his creation.
6. Then he rubbed like this and created Agni from his mouth and hands as his source (yoni). So both these are hairless on the inside, for the womb (yoni) is hairless on the inside.
When they say, 'Sacrifice to that one!' 'Sacrifice to that one!'?some god or other, that is his varied creation, and he himself is all the gods.
Then he created from seed whatever is moist, and that is Soma. All this is just food and the eater of food. Soma is food, and Agni is the eater of food.
This is the higher creation of Brahma, since he created gods who are better than he: and also because, being mortal, he created immortals, it is his higher creation. Whoever knows this, comes to be in this, his higher creation.
7. Then this was undifferentiated. It became differentiated by name and form: 'He is so?and?so by name. He has such-and?such a form.' Therefore even now this is differentiated by name and form: 'He is so?and?so by name. He has
such-and?such a form.'
He entered in here right to the tips of the nails, as a razor slips into a razor?case, or a scorpion into a scorpion's nest. They do not see him, for he is incomplete. When he breathes he is called 'breath'; when he speaks, 'speech'; when he sees, 'eye'; when he hears, 'ear'; when he thinks, 'mind'. They are just the names of his works. Whoever worships one or other of them does not know, for with just one or other he is incomplete. One should worship him as 'self' (atman), for in that all these become one.
The self is the trace of all this: by it one knows all this, just as one can find someone by a footprint. And so whoever knows this finds glory and renown.
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