Section 2.4

2.4.1 “Maitreyi,” said Yajnavalkya, “my dear, I am about to leave this place. Come, let me make a settlement between you and Katyayani.”

2.4.2 Maitreyi said, “Sir, if this whole earth, filled with wealth, were mine, could I become immortal through it?”“No,” said Yajnavalkya. “Your life would be like the life of those who have ample means. But there is no hope of immortality through wealth.”

2.4.3 Maitreyi said, “What would I do with something that cannot make me immortal? Tell me only what you know, sir.”

2.4.4 Yajnavalkya said, “My dear, you have always been dear to me, and now you speak what is dear. Come, sit down. I will explain it to you. But as I explain, reflect deeply on what I say.”

2.4.5 He said, “My dear, a husband is dear not for the husband’s sake; a husband is dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, a wife is dear not for the wife’s sake; a wife is dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, sons are dear not for the sons’ sake; sons are dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, wealth is dear not for wealth’s sake; wealth is dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, priestly power is dear not for priestly power’s sake; priestly power is dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, royal power is dear not for royal power’s sake; royal power is dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, the worlds are dear not for the worlds’ sake; the worlds are dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, the gods are dear not for the gods’ sake; the gods are dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, beings are dear not for beings’ sake; beings are dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear, everything is dear not for the sake of everything; everything is dear for the sake of the Self.“My dear Maitreyi, the Self is to be seen, to be heard, to be reflected on, to be contemplated. My dear, through seeing, hearing, reflecting on, and understanding the Self, all this is known.

2.4.6 “Priestly power rejects anyone who knows priestly power as something apart from the Self.“Royal power rejects anyone who knows royal power as something apart from the Self.“The worlds reject anyone who knows the worlds as something apart from the Self.“The gods reject anyone who knows the gods as something apart from the Self.“Beings reject anyone who knows beings as something apart from the Self.“Everything rejects anyone who knows everything as something apart from the Self.“This priestly power, this royal power, these worlds, these gods, these beings, this whole—all are this Self.

2.4.7 “When a drum is struck, one cannot grasp its separate sounds. But by grasping the drum, or the striking of the drum, one grasps the sound.

2.4.8 “When a conch is blown, one cannot grasp its separate sounds. But by grasping the conch, or the blowing of the conch, one grasps the sound.

2.4.9 “When a lute is played, one cannot grasp its separate sounds. But by grasping the lute, or the playing of the lute, one grasps the sound.

2.4.10 “As separate streams of smoke issue from a fire laid with damp wood, so, my dear, the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvangiras, histories, ancient lore, branches of knowledge, Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, explications, and explanations are the outbreathing of this great being. All these are its outbreathing.

2.4.11 “As the ocean is the one meeting place of all waters,so the skin is the one meeting place of all touches;so the nostrils are the one meeting place of all smells;so the tongue is the one meeting place of all tastes;so the eye is the one meeting place of all forms;so the ear is the one meeting place of all sounds;so the mind is the one meeting place of all intentions;so the heart is the one meeting place of all knowledge;so the hands are the one meeting place of all actions;so the sexual organ is the one meeting place of all pleasures;so the anus is the one meeting place of all discharges;so the feet are the one meeting place of all paths;so speech is the one meeting place of all the Vedas.

2.4.12 “As a lump of salt thrown into water dissolves into the water itself and can no longer be taken out, yet wherever one draws from it, it is salty, so, my dear, this great being, endless, boundless, is nothing but a mass of awareness. Arising from these elements, it vanishes again with them. After passing away, there is no recognition: this, my dear, is what I say.” So spoke Yajnavalkya.

2.4.13 Maitreyi said, “Here you have bewildered me, sir, by saying, ‘After passing away, there is no recognition.’”He said, “My dear, I am not saying anything bewildering. My dear, this is enough for understanding.

2.4.14 “Where there is duality, as it were, one smells another, one sees another, one hears another, one speaks to another, one thinks of another, one knows another. But where everything has become the Self, then by what would one smell whom? By what would one see whom? By what would one hear whom? By what would one speak to whom? By what would one think of whom? By what would one know whom? By what would one know that through which one knows all this? My dear, by what would one know the knower?”

2.4.1 “Maitreyi,” Yajnavalkya said, “my dear, I am about to leave this way of life. Let me settle matters between you and Katyayani.”

2.4.2 Maitreyi said, “Sir, if I owned this whole earth filled with wealth, would that make me immortal?”“No,” Yajnavalkya said. “Your life would be like the lives of people with plenty of possessions. But wealth offers no hope of immortality.”

2.4.3 Maitreyi said, “What would I do with something that cannot make me immortal? Tell me just what you know, sir.”

2.4.4 Yajnavalkya said, “My dear, you have been dear to me, and now you say something dear to me. Come, sit down. I will explain it to you. As I explain, think carefully about what I say.”

2.4.5 He said, “My dear, a husband is loved not for the husband's sake, but for the sake of the Self.“A wife is loved not for the wife's sake, but for the sake of the Self.“Sons are loved not for the sons' sake, but for the sake of the Self.“Wealth is loved not for wealth's sake, but for the sake of the Self.“Priestly power is loved not for priestly power's sake, but for the sake of the Self.“Ruling power is loved not for ruling power's sake, but for the sake of the Self.“The worlds are loved not for the worlds' sake, but for the sake of the Self.“The gods are loved not for the gods' sake, but for the sake of the Self.“Beings are loved not for the beings' sake, but for the sake of the Self.“Everything is loved not for everything's sake, but for the sake of the Self.“My dear Maitreyi, it is the Self that must be seen, heard about, thought about, and deeply contemplated. Through seeing, hearing about, thinking about, and understanding the Self, all this is known.

2.4.6 “Priestly power rejects anyone who knows priestly power as something apart from the Self. Ruling power rejects anyone who knows ruling power as something apart from the Self. The worlds reject anyone who knows the worlds as something apart from the Self. The gods reject anyone who knows the gods as something apart from the Self. Beings reject anyone who knows beings as something apart from the Self. Everything rejects anyone who knows everything as something apart from the Self. This priestly power, this ruling power, these worlds, these gods, these beings, this everything—all are this Self.

2.4.7 “When a drum is being struck, you cannot grasp its sounds apart from it. But by grasping the drum or the striking of the drum, you grasp the sound.

2.4.8 “When a conch is being blown, you cannot grasp its sounds apart from it. But by grasping the conch or the blowing of the conch, you grasp the sound.

2.4.9 “When a lute is being played, you cannot grasp its sounds apart from it. But by grasping the lute or the playing of the lute, you grasp the sound.

2.4.10 “Just as separate streams of smoke come out of a fire lit with damp fuel, my dear, so the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, the Atharvangiras, historical accounts, ancient lore, sciences, Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, supplementary explanations, and explanations are the breath of this great being. All these are its breath.

2.4.11 “As the ocean is the single meeting place of all waters, so the skin is the single meeting place of all touches. The nostrils are the single meeting place of all smells. The tongue is the single meeting place of all tastes. The eye is the single meeting place of all visible forms. The ear is the single meeting place of all sounds. The mind is the single meeting place of all intentions. The heart is the single meeting place of all kinds of knowledge. The hands are the single meeting place of all actions. The sexual organ is the single meeting place of all pleasures. The anus is the single meeting place of all discharges. The feet are the single meeting place of all journeys. Speech is the single meeting place of all the Vedas.

2.4.12 “A lump of salt thrown into water dissolves in the water. There is no way to pick it out again, but wherever you take some water, it is salty. In the same way, my dear, this great being is endless and boundless, nothing but a mass of awareness. Arising from these elements, it disappears with them. After death there is no recognition: that is what I am telling you, my dear.” That was what Yajnavalkya said.

2.4.13 Maitreyi said, “Sir, you have confused me right here, by saying that after death there is no recognition.”He said, “My dear, I am not saying something confusing. This is enough for understanding.

2.4.14 “Where there is something like duality, one smells another, one sees another, one hears another, one speaks to another, one thinks of another, and one knows another. But when everything has become one's own Self, what could one smell, and with what? What could one see, and with what? What could one hear, and with what? What could one speak to, and with what? What could one think of, and with what? What could one know, and with what? By what could one know that through which one knows all this? My dear, by what could one know the knower?”