Section 3.8

3.8.1 Then Vachaknavi said, "Honored Brahmins, I shall ask him two questions.If he answers them,none of you will ever defeat him in a debate on Brahman.""Ask, Gargi."

3.8.2 She said, "Yajnavalkya, as a warrior's son from Kashi or Videha might string his unstrung bow, take in hand two arrows sharp enough to pierce an enemy, and rise to confront him, so I have risen to confront you with two questions.Answer them for me.""Ask, Gargi."

3.8.3 She said, "Yajnavalkya, what lies above heaven, what lies below earth, what lies between this heaven and earth, and what people call past, present, and future—upon what is it woven, warp and weft?"

3.8.4 He said, "Gargi, what lies above heaven, what lies below earth, what lies between this heaven and earth, and what people call past, present, and future is woven, warp and weft, upon space."

3.8.5 She said, "I bow to you, Yajnavalkya, for answering this question of mine. Be ready for the other.""Ask, Gargi."

3.8.6 She said, "Yajnavalkya, what lies above heaven, what lies below earth, what lies between this heaven and earth, and what people call past, present, and future—upon what is it woven, warp and weft?"

3.8.7 He said, "Gargi, what lies above heaven, what lies below earth, what lies between this heaven and earth, and what people call past, present, and future is woven, warp and weft, upon space alone.""And upon what is space woven, warp and weft?"

3.8.8 He said, "Gargi, this is what the Brahmins call the imperishable: neither coarse nor fine, neither short nor long, neither red nor moist, without shadow, without darkness, neither wind nor space, unattached, without taste, without smell, without eyes, without ears, without speech, without mind, without radiance, without breath, without mouth, without limbs, with neither an inside nor an outside.It eats nothing,and no one eats it.

3.8.9 "Under the rule of this imperishable, Gargi, sun and moon remain held in their places.Under the rule of this imperishable, Gargi, heaven and earth remain held in their places.Under the rule of this imperishable, Gargi, moments, measured intervals, days and nights, half-months, months, seasons, and years remain held in their places.Under the rule of this imperishable, Gargi, some rivers flow east from the white mountains, others west, each following its direction.Under the rule of this imperishable, Gargi, people praise those who give, the gods depend upon the sacrificer, and the ancestors upon the offering ladle.

3.8.10 "Gargi, whoever makes offerings, sacrifices, and practices austerity in this world for many thousands of years without knowing this imperishable gains only what has an end.Gargi, whoever departs from this world without knowing this imperishable is pitiable.But whoever departs from this world knowing this imperishable is a Brahmin.

3.8.11 "Gargi, this imperishable is unseen, yet sees; unheard, yet hears; unthought, yet thinks; unknown, yet knows.There is no seer apart from it.There is no hearer apart from it.There is no thinker apart from it.There is no knower apart from it.Upon this imperishable, Gargi, space is woven, warp and weft."

3.8.12 She said, "Honored Brahmins, count it a great thing if you can escape him by bowing.None of you will ever defeat him in a debate on Brahman."Then Vachaknavi fell silent.

3.8.1 Then Vachaknavi said, "Honored Brahmins, I will ask him two questions. If he answers them for me, none of you will ever defeat him in a debate about Brahman.""Ask, Gargi."

3.8.2 She said, "Yajnavalkya, a warrior's son from Kashi or Videha might string an unstrung bow, take two arrows that can pierce his enemies, and stand before an opponent. Just like that, I have come before you with two questions. Answer them for me.""Ask, Gargi."

3.8.3 She said, "Yajnavalkya, what is above heaven, what is below earth, what is between this heaven and earth, and what people call the past, present, and future—in what is all that woven lengthwise and crosswise?"

3.8.4 He said, "Gargi, what is above heaven, what is below earth, what is between this heaven and earth, and what people call the past, present, and future—all that is woven lengthwise and crosswise in space."

3.8.5 She said, "I bow to you, Yajnavalkya, for answering this question for me. Prepare yourself for the other.""Ask, Gargi."

3.8.6 She said, "Yajnavalkya, what is above heaven, what is below earth, what is between this heaven and earth, and what people call the past, present, and future—in what is all that woven lengthwise and crosswise?"

3.8.7 He said, "Gargi, what is above heaven, what is below earth, what is between this heaven and earth, and what people call the past, present, and future—all that is woven lengthwise and crosswise in space itself.""Then in what is space woven lengthwise and crosswise?"

3.8.8 He said, "Gargi, this is what Brahmins call the imperishable. It is not thick or thin, short or long, red or oily. It has no shadow and no darkness, no air and no space. It is not attached to anything. It has no taste or smell, no eyes or ears, no speech or mind, no radiance or breath, no mouth or limbs, no inside or outside. It eats nothing, and nothing eats it.

3.8.9 "Gargi, under the rule of this imperishable, the sun and moon are held apart in their places. Gargi, under the rule of this imperishable, heaven and earth are held apart in their places. Gargi, under the rule of this imperishable, moments, spans of time, days and nights, half-months, months, seasons, and years remain in their places. Gargi, under the rule of this imperishable, some rivers flow east from the white mountains, others west, each following its own direction. Gargi, under the rule of this imperishable, people praise those who give. The gods depend on the person offering sacrifice, and the ancestors depend on the offering ladle.

3.8.10 "Whoever makes offerings, performs sacrifices, and practices strict discipline in this world for many thousands of years without knowing this imperishable, Gargi, gains only something that comes to an end. Whoever leaves this world without knowing this imperishable, Gargi, is to be pitied. But whoever leaves this world knowing this imperishable, Gargi, is a Brahmin.

3.8.11 "Gargi, this imperishable is not seen, but it sees. It is not heard, but it hears. It is not thought of, but it thinks. It is not known, but it knows. There is nothing else that sees. There is nothing else that hears. There is nothing else that thinks. There is nothing else that knows. Gargi, it is in this imperishable that space is woven lengthwise and crosswise."

3.8.12 She said, "Honored Brahmins, count yourselves fortunate if you get away from him by bowing. None of you will ever defeat him in a debate about Brahman."Then Vachaknavi stopped questioning him.