Part Two, Second Valli

2.2.1 One who attends to the eleven-gated city of the unborn, whose awareness is unwavering,does not grieve; set free, one is released.This indeed is that.

2.2.2 The swan dwelling in purity, the spirit dwelling in the middle air,the priest at the altar, the guest within the home,dwelling in people, in the best, in truth, in the sky,born of waters, born of cattle, born of truth, born of stone: the great truth.

2.2.3 It draws the upward breath upward and drives the downward breath down;all the gods worship the small one seated in their midst.

2.2.4 When this embodied being dwelling in the body is loosened,when it is released from the body, what remains here?This indeed is that.

2.2.5 No mortal lives by the upward or the downward breath.They live by something other, on which both these breaths depend.

2.2.6 Now I will tell you of the hidden, eternal Brahman,and what becomes of the Self when death arrives, Gautama.

2.2.7 Some embodied beings enter wombs to take on bodies;others pass into things that stand still, according to their deeds and understanding.

2.2.8 The Person who stays awake among sleepers, fashioning desire after desire:that alone is the pure, that is Brahman, that is called immortal.In it all worlds are founded; none passes beyond it.This indeed is that.

2.2.9 As a single fire enters the worldand assumes the form of each form,so the one Self within all beingsassumes each form and yet remains outside them.

2.2.10 As a single wind enters the worldand assumes the form of each form,so the one Self within all beingsassumes each form and yet remains outside them.

2.2.11 As the sun, the eye of the whole world,is not stained by the outward flaws of the eyes,so the one Self within all beingsis not stained by the world's suffering; it remains beyond.

2.2.12 The one sovereign Self within all beingsmakes its one form manifold.The wise who see it dwelling within themselveshave everlasting joy, and no others do.

2.2.13 The eternal among transient things, the conscious among conscious beings,the one who supplies the desires of the many:the wise who see it dwelling within themselveshave everlasting peace, and no others do.

2.2.14 They think, “This is that,” the supreme joy beyond description.How could I know it? Does it shine, or does it shine by another's light?

2.2.15 There the sun does not shine, nor moon nor stars;lightning does not shine there, let alone this fire.All things shine only after that shining one;by its light all this is lit.

2.2.1 The unborn one with clear awareness lives in a city with eleven gates.Those who know it do not grieve; freed from bondage, they become free.This is that.

2.2.2 It is the swan in the bright sky, the power in the air,the priest at the altar, the guest in the house.It lives in people, in the best place, in truth and in the heavens;it is born of water, earth, truth, and mountains: the great truth.

2.2.3 It sends the breath of life upward and sends the downward breath inward.All the gods honor the small being seated in the middle.

2.2.4 When the being living in this body separates from itand is released from the body, what remains here?This is that.

2.2.5 No mortal lives by the upward breath or the downward breath alone.They live by something else on which both these breaths depend.

2.2.6 Now I will tell you about the secret, eternal Brahman,and what happens to the Self after death, Gautama.

2.2.7 Some beings enter a womb to take on a body;others enter what does not move, according to their actions and what they have learned.

2.2.8 The Person stays awake while others sleep and makes one desire after another.It is pure; it is Brahman; it is called deathless.All the worlds rest on it, and no one goes beyond it.This is that.

2.2.9 Just as one fire enters the worldand takes a form matching each thing it burns,so the one Self within all beingstakes on each form, yet also remains outside them.

2.2.10 Just as one wind enters the worldand takes a form matching each thing it enters,so the one Self within all beingstakes on each form, yet also remains outside them.

2.2.11 Just as the sun, the eye of the whole world,is not stained by the flaws of the eyes that see it,so the one Self within all beingsis not stained by the world's suffering, for it remains outside it.

2.2.12 One ruler is the Self within all beings;it turns its one form into many.Only the wise who see it within themselveshave lasting happiness, and no one else does.

2.2.13 It is lasting among things that pass away, aware among those who are aware;it is one and provides for the needs of many.Only the wise who see it within themselveshave lasting peace, and no one else does.

2.2.14 People think, “This is that highest happiness, which cannot be described.”How can I know it? Does it shine by itself, or does it shine through something else?

2.2.15 The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and stars;lightning does not shine there, much less this fire.Everything shines because it shines;its light makes all this bright.