Part One, Third Valli

1.3.1 Two drink the truth in the world of good deeds,having entered the heart's cavern, the highest hidden place.Knowers of Brahman call them shadow and light,as do those who tend five fires and perform the Nachiketas rite three times.

1.3.2 May we master the Nachiketas fire, bridge for sacrificers, and that supreme imperishable Brahman,the fearless farther shore for those who seek to cross.

1.3.3 Know the Self as the rider in a chariot, the body as the chariot;know the intellect as the charioteer, the mind as the reins.

1.3.4 The senses, they say, are horses, and their objects are the roads they range.The wise call the Self joined with senses and mind the one who experiences.

1.3.5 If a person lacks understanding and the mind is never controlled,the senses run wild, like vicious horses under a charioteer.

1.3.6 But if a person has understanding and the mind is always controlled,the senses obey, like fine horses under a charioteer.

1.3.7 One who lacks understanding, whose mind is unruly and who remains impure,does not reach that goal, but enters the cycle of rebirth.

1.3.8 But one who has understanding, whose mind is steady and who remains pure,reaches that goal from which one is never born again.

1.3.9 The person whose charioteer is understanding, who holds the reins of the mind,reaches the journey's far shore, that highest abode of Vishnu.

1.3.10 Beyond the senses are their objects; beyond the objects is the mind.Beyond the mind is the intellect; beyond the intellect is the Great Self.

1.3.11 Beyond the Great Self is the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest is the Person.Beyond the Person there is nothing: that is the limit, the highest goal.

1.3.12 This Self is hidden in all beings and does not shine forth;but the discerning see it with the keen and subtle intellect.

1.3.13 The wise should draw speech into the mind, and the mind into the knowing self;draw the knowing self into the Great Self, and that into the Self at peace.

1.3.14 Rise. Awake.Reach the excellent teachers and understand.The razor's edge is sharp and hard to cross;the wise say that path is difficult.

1.3.15 What has no sound, touch, form, or decay,no taste or smell, what endures forever,without beginning or end, beyond the Great Self, unchanging—knowing that, one is freed from the mouth of Death.

1.3.16 The ancient story of Nachiketas, told by Death:the wise who recite it or hear it are honored in Brahman's world.

1.3.17 Whoever recites this supreme secret in an assembly of Brahmins,or in purity at the time of offerings to ancestors, becomes fit for eternity.Yes, becomes fit for eternity.

1.3.1 Two beings drink the results of good deeds in this world;they have entered the heart's cave, in the highest place.Those who know Brahman call them shadow and sunlight,as do those who maintain five fires and perform the threefold Nachiketas rite.

1.3.2 May we master the Nachiketas fire, a bridge for those who sacrifice,and know the eternal, highest Brahman, the safe far shore for those who wish to cross.

1.3.3 Know the Self as the rider and the body as the chariot.Know the intellect as the driver and the mind as the reins.

1.3.4 The senses are called the horses, and the things they perceive are their paths.The wise call the Self, joined with the senses and mind, the one who experiences.

1.3.5 When someone lacks understanding and their mind is always uncontrolled,their senses cannot be controlled, like bad horses for a driver.

1.3.6 But when someone understands and their mind is always controlled,their senses can be controlled, like good horses for a driver.

1.3.7 Someone without understanding, whose mind is inattentive and who is never pure,does not reach that goal but returns to the cycle of life and death.

1.3.8 But someone with understanding, whose mind is attentive and who is always pure,reaches that goal, from which no one is born again.

1.3.9 A person whose driver is understanding and whose reins are the mindreaches the journey's far end: the highest place of Vishnu.

1.3.10 The things perceived are beyond the senses, and the mind is beyond those things.The intellect is beyond the mind, and the Great Self is beyond the intellect.

1.3.11 The Unmanifest is beyond the Great Self, and the Person is beyond the Unmanifest.Nothing is beyond the Person. That is the final point, the highest goal.

1.3.12 This Self is hidden in all beings and does not appear openly.But people with subtle insight see it through a keen and subtle intellect.

1.3.13 A wise person should draw speech into the mind and draw the mind into the knowing self.They should draw that knowledge into the Great Self and that into the peaceful Self.

1.3.14 Get up! Wake up!Go to the best teachers and learn.The edge of a razor is sharp and hard to cross;the wise say that this path is hard to follow.

1.3.15 It has no sound or touch or form and does not change;it has no taste or smell and lasts forever.It has no beginning or end; it is beyond the Great Self and remains fixed.Knowing it, one is freed from the mouth of death.

1.3.16 A wise person who tells or hears this ancient story of Nachiketas,which Death told, is honored in the world of Brahman.

1.3.17 Whoever, with care, tells this highest secret to a gathering of people who know Brahman,or during the time of an offering for the dead, becomes fit for endless life.Yes, fit for endless life.