Section 4.4

4.4.1 "When this self becomes weak and falls into what seems like bewilderment,these vital powers gather around him.Gathering up these portions of radiance, he descends into the heart.When the person in the eye turns away,he no longer knows forms.

4.4.2 "‘He is becoming one; he does not see,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not smell,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not taste,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not speak,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not hear,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not think,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not touch,’ people say.‘He is becoming one; he does not know,’ people say.The tip of his heart lights up.By that light this self departs,through the eye, through the crown of the head, or through other parts of the body.As he departs, breath departs after him.As breath departs, all the vital powers depart after it.He is accompanied by awareness.He passes into what he is aware of.Knowledge and action take hold of him, together with his earlier experience.

4.4.3 "As a caterpillar, reaching the end of a blade of grass, takes hold of another foothold and draws itself over,so this self, striking down this body and rendering it insensible, takes hold of another foothold and draws himself over.

4.4.4 "As a goldsmith takes a piece of gold and works it into another, newer, more beautiful form,so this self, striking down this body and rendering it insensible, makes another, newer, more beautiful form:a form of the ancestors, of a Gandharva, of a god, of Prajapati, of Brahma, or of some other being.

4.4.5 "This Self is Brahman: made of awareness, made of mind, made of breath, made of sight, made of hearing, made of earth, made of water, made of air, made of space, made of radiance, made of what is without radiance, made of desire, made of freedom from desire, made of anger, made of freedom from anger, made of right, made of wrong, made of everything.Thus people say, ‘Made of this, made of that.’As he acts, as he conducts himself, so he becomes.One who does good becomes good.One who does evil becomes evil.He becomes virtuous through virtuous action, evil through evil action.But people also say:‘This person is made of desire alone.’As his desire is, so is his resolve.As his resolve is, so is the action he performs.Whatever action he performs, that he attains.

4.4.6 "On this there is this verse:‘Attached, he goes with his action to that very place to which his mind, his mark, clings.Reaching the end of whatever action he does here,he returns from that world to this world, to act again.’So it is for one who desires.But one who does not desire—who is without desire, free from desire, whose desire is fulfilled, whose desire is the Self—his vital powers do not depart.Being Brahman, he reaches Brahman.

4.4.7 "On this there is this verse:‘When all the desires lodged in his heart are released,then the mortal becomes deathless; here he attains Brahman.’As a snake's sloughed skin might lie on an anthill, dead and cast away,so this body lies.But this bodiless, deathless breath is Brahman alone, is radiance alone."Janaka of Videha said, "I give you a thousand, venerable sir."

4.4.8 On this there are these verses:"The narrow, ancient path stretches out; it has reached me, and I myself have found it.By it the steadfast who know Brahman go up from here to the heavenly world, released.

4.4.9 "On it they speak of white and blue, of brown, green, and red.This is the path found through Brahman; along it goes the knower of Brahman, the doer of good, the radiant one.

4.4.10 "Into blind darkness enter those who devote themselves to ignorance;into still greater darkness, it seems, those who delight in knowledge.

4.4.11 "Joyless are those worlds called, shrouded in blind darkness.Those without knowledge, those unawakened people, go to them after death.

4.4.12 "If a person were to know the Self, saying, ‘I am this,’wishing for what, for whose desire, would he suffer along with the body?

4.4.13 "Whoever has found and awakened to the Self that has entered this body's tangled depths—he is the maker of the universe, for he is the maker of all; the world is his, and he himself is the world.

4.4.14 "While we are still here, we know it; if we have not known it, great is the loss.Those who know it become deathless; the others go only to suffering.

4.4.15 "When one sees this Self directly, the radiant one,the lord of what has been and what will be, one no longer shrinks away.

4.4.16 "Below it the year revolves with its days.The gods contemplate it as the light of lights, as deathless life.

4.4.17 "In it the five peoples, and space, are established.Knowing it, I, deathless, recognize that alone as the Self, as deathless Brahman.

4.4.18 "Those who know the breath of breath, the sight of sight, the hearing of hearing, and the mind of mind—they have recognized the ancient, primal Brahman.

4.4.19 "Through the mind alone it is to be seen; here there is no multiplicity at all.From death to death goes the one who sees here what seems to be multiplicity.

4.4.20 "As one alone it is to be seen, this immeasurable, enduring reality.Stainless, beyond space, unborn is the Self, great and enduring.

4.4.21 "Knowing that alone, a steadfast Brahmin should cultivate understanding.He should not dwell on many words, for that only exhausts speech."

4.4.22 "This is the great, unborn Self, this one made of awareness among the vital powers.It lies in the space within the heart.It controls all.It is lord of all.It is ruler of all.It does not become greater through good action,nor smaller through bad action.It is the lord of all.It is the ruler of beings.It is the guardian of beings.It is the embankment that holds these worlds apart, keeping them from running together.Brahmins seek to know it through recitation of the Vedas, through celibacy, through sacrifice, through giving, through the austerity of fasting.Knowing this alone, one becomes a sage.Desiring this alone as their world, wanderers leave home.Knowing this, the people of olddid not desire offspring:‘What shall we do with offspring, when ours is this Self, this world?’Rising above the desire for sons, the desire for wealth, and the desire for worlds, they lived by begging.For the desire for sons is the desire for wealth,and the desire for wealth is the desire for worlds: both are only desires.This Self is ‘not this, not this.’ It cannot be grasped, for it is not grasped.It cannot decay, for it does not decay.It is unattached, for it does not attach itself.It is unfettered; it does not suffer or come to harm.‘I did evil because of this’; ‘I did good because of this’—it passes beyond both,beyond both of these,the good and the bad.What has been done and what has been left undone do not torment it.

4.4.23 "This has been expressed in a verse:‘This is the enduring greatness of the Brahmin: it neither grows through action nor becomes smaller.One should know its track. Knowing it, one is not stained by evil action.’Therefore one who knows this, becoming peaceful, self-controlled, withdrawn, enduring, and collected, sees the Self in the self alone.He sees everything as the Self.Evil does not overcome him.He overcomes all evil.Evil does not torment him.He burns away all evil.He becomes a Brahmin free of evil, free of stain, free of doubt.This is the world of Brahman, Your Majesty.You have been brought to it," said Yajnavalkya."I give you the people of Videha, and myself along with them, as your slaves."

4.4.24 This is the great, unborn Self, the eater of food, the giver of wealth.One who knows this finds wealth.

4.4.25 This is the great, unborn Self, unaging, undying, deathless, fearless—Brahman.Brahman is freedom from fear.One who knows this becomes Brahman, free from fear.

4.4.1 When this self becomes weak and seems to become confused,these vital powers gather around it.Taking these particles of light into itself, it goes down into the heart.When the person in the eye turns away,the dying person no longer recognizes forms.

4.4.2 People say, "He has become one; he does not see."They say, "He has become one; he does not smell."They say, "He has become one; he does not taste."They say, "He has become one; he does not speak."They say, "He has become one; he does not hear."They say, "He has become one; he does not think."They say, "He has become one; he does not touch."They say, "He has become one; he does not know."The tip of his heart lights up.By that light this self leaves,through the eye, the top of the head, or another part of the body.As it leaves, breath follows it.As breath leaves, all the vital powers follow it.The self has awareness.It moves on with that awareness.Knowledge, action, and previous experience take hold of it.

4.4.3 As a caterpillar reaches the end of a blade of grass, takes hold of another support, and draws itself together,this self puts the body aside, leaves it without awareness, takes hold of another support, and draws itself together.

4.4.4 As a goldsmith takes a piece of gold and makes another, newer and finer form,this self puts the body aside, leaves it without awareness, and makes another, newer and finer form:that of an ancestor, a Gandharva, a god, Prajapati, Brahma, or another being.

4.4.5 This self is Brahman: made of awareness, mind, breath, sight, hearing, earth, water, wind, space, light and the absence of light, desire and the absence of desire, anger and the absence of anger, right and wrong—made of everything.This is what is meant by saying, "Made of this, made of that."A person becomes according to how they act and behave.Someone who does good becomes good.Someone who does evil becomes evil.Through good action a person becomes good; through evil action, evil.People also say,"This person is made of desire."As their desire is, so is their intention.As their intention is, so is the action they do.Whatever action they do, they reach its result.

4.4.6 There is this verse:"Attached, he goes with his deeds to the very place where his mind, his identifying sign, is fixed.After reaching the end of the result of whatever action he does here,he returns from that world to this world, to act again."This is what happens to someone who desires.But someone who does not desire, who is without desire, free from desire, whose desires are fulfilled, whose desire is the Self—their vital breaths do not leave.Being Brahman, that person reaches Brahman.

4.4.7 There is this verse:"When all the desires lodged in the heart are released,then the mortal becomes immortal and reaches Brahman here."As a snake's dead skin lies discarded on an anthill,this body lies.But this bodiless, immortal breath is Brahman itself, light itself."Sir, I give you a thousand cows," said Janaka of Videha.

4.4.8 There are these verses:"The narrow, ancient path stretches out. It has touched me; I myself have found it.By it the wise who know Brahman go upward from here to the heavenly world, set free.

4.4.9 "On that path they speak of white and blue, tawny, green, and red.This path has been found through Brahman. By it goes the knower of Brahman, the doer of good, the radiant one.

4.4.10 "Those who worship ignorance enter blind darkness.Those who delight in knowledge enter what seems even greater darkness.

4.4.11 "Those worlds called Joyless are covered in blind darkness.People who do not know and do not understand go to them after death.

4.4.12 "If a person knew the Self, saying, 'I am this,'what would they want, and for whose desire would they suffer along with the body?

4.4.13 "Someone who has found and fully understood the Self that has entered this dense bodyis the maker of the universe, the maker of everything. The world is theirs; they are the world itself.

4.4.14 "While still here, we know that. If we fail to know it, the loss is great.Those who know it become immortal. The others go only to suffering.

4.4.15 "When someone clearly sees this Self, the god,the ruler of what has been and what will be, they no longer shrink away.

4.4.16 "Beneath it the year turns with its days.The gods worship that light of lights as immortal life.

4.4.17 "The five peoples, and space, rest in it.I regard that as the Self. Knowing Brahman, the immortal, I become immortal.

4.4.18 "Those who know the breath of breath, the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, and the mind of the mindhave understood Brahman, the ancient, the first.

4.4.19 "It must be seen through the mind alone. There is no difference at all here.Anyone who sees what seems to be difference here goes from death to death.

4.4.20 "It must be seen as one alone: this immeasurable, unchanging reality.The Self is without stain, beyond space, unborn, great, and unchanging.

4.4.21 "A wise Brahmin, having known it, should make that alone the basis of understanding.They should not dwell on many words, for that only tires speech."

4.4.22 This great, unborn Self is the one made of awareness among the vital powers.It lies in the space inside the heart.It controls everything.It is the lord of everything.It is the ruler of everything.It does not become greater through good actionor smaller through bad action.It is the lord of all.It is the ruler of beings.It is the guardian of beings.It is the bridge that holds these worlds apart so that they do not run together.Brahmins seek to know it through reciting the Veda, celibacy, sacrifice, giving, and the austerity of fasting.By knowing it alone, a person becomes a sage.Those who wander away from home wander out seeking it as their world.Knowing this, learned people in earlier times did not desire children."What would we do with children, when this Self is our world?" they said.They rose above the desire for sons, the desire for wealth, and the desire for worlds, and lived by begging.For the desire for sons is the desire for wealth,and the desire for wealth is the desire for worlds. Both are only desires.This Self is "not this, not this." It cannot be grasped, because it is never grasped.It does not decay, because it never decays.It is unattached, because it does not become attached.It is unbound. It is neither troubled nor injured.It crosses beyond both "I did evil" and "I did good,"beyond both of these,the good and the bad.Things done and things left undone do not torment it.

4.4.23 This is expressed in a Rig verse:"This is the lasting greatness of a Brahmin. It does not grow through action or become smaller.A person should know its path. Knowing it, they are not stained by evil action."So someone who knows this becomes calm, controlled, withdrawn, patient, and focused, and sees the Self within the self.They see everything as the Self.Evil does not cross over them.They cross over all evil.Evil does not burn them.They burn all evil.They become a Brahmin without evil, without stain, and without doubt."This is the world of Brahman, Your Majesty.You have been brought to it," said Yajnavalkya."Sir, I give you the people of Videha, and myself too, to serve you."

4.4.24 This great, unborn Self is the eater of food and the giver of wealth.Anyone who knows this finds wealth.

4.4.25 This great, unborn Self is free from aging, deathless, immortal, fearless: Brahman.Brahman is freedom from fear.Anyone who knows this becomes fearless Brahman.