Prapathaka 2

2.1 Then the blessed Śākāyanya, well pleased, addressed the king: “Great King Bṛhadratha, son of the foremost standard-bearer of Ikṣvāku's line, you have accomplished what was yours to do. Renowned are you by the name Marut. This indeed is your Self.” “Which, blessed one? Tell of it,” he said to him.

2.2 “That which rises upward through an outward support, shaken yet unshaken, driving darkness away—this is the Self,” said the blessed one. “This serene being, rising from the body and entering the highest light, comes forth in its own form. This is the Self. This is immortality; this is freedom from fear. This is Brahman.”

2.3 “King, the blessed Maitreya unfolded for us this knowledge of Brahman, the knowledge of all the Upanishads. I will tell it to you. We hear of the Vālakhilyas, cleansed of evil, keenly radiant, their seed flowing upward. They asked Prajāpati, ‘Blessed one, this body is insensible, like a cart. Whose is this greatness, beyond the senses, by which such a body is made to stand as though conscious? Who impels it? Blessed one, tell us.’ He answered them:

2.4 “‘The one spoken of as standing beyond speech is pure, purified, empty, peaceful, life-breath, a Self without a lord, boundless, inexhaustible, steadfast, everlasting, unborn, sovereign, abiding in its own greatness. Through this the body stands as though conscious; this is its impeller.’ They said, ‘Blessed one, how can such a being, without desire, make this body stand as though conscious and impel it? How?’ He answered them:

2.5 “‘This subtle one, ungraspable and unseen, called the Person, moves here through a portion of itself with conscious purpose. As with one asleep, it awakens with conscious purpose. That portion of it is consciousness alone, the knower of the field in every person, marked by intention, resolve, and the sense of I: Prajāpati, whose eyes are everywhere. Through this conscious being the body stands as though conscious; this is its impeller.’ They asked, ‘Blessed one, how does such a being move through a portion of itself?’ He answered them:

2.6 “‘Prajāpati stood alone in the beginning and found no delight. He contemplated himself and brought forth many creatures. He beheld them as his very Self, unawakened, without breath, standing like posts. He found no delight. He thought, “I will enter within them and awaken them.” Making himself like wind, he entered within. He did not enter as one: dividing himself fivefold, he is called the life-breath, the downward breath, the balancing breath, the upward breath, and the pervading breath.

2.7 “‘That which rises upward is the life-breath; that which moves downward is the downward breath. That which sets the coarsest substance of food in the downward breath and carries the finest evenly through every limb is the balancing breath. That which brings up and swallows what is drunk and eaten is the upward breath. That which pervades these vessels is the pervading breath.

2.8 “‘Then Upāṃśu becomes Antaryāma, and Antaryāma becomes Upāṃśu. Between them is warmth, warmth made substantial; that is the Person. The Person is the fire Vaiśvānara. Elsewhere, too, it is said: “The fire Vaiśvānara is this Person within, by whom the food that is eaten is cooked.” Its sound is what one hears with the ears closed. When a person is about to depart, that sound is no longer heard.

2.9 “‘Having divided itself fivefold, this one lies hidden in the cave, made of mind, clothed in life-breath, manifold in form, true in resolve: the Self. Standing within the heart, it thought, “My objects are not attained. Let me become the objects.” Breaking through these openings of its own, it arose and consumed the objects through five rays. The organs of knowing are its rays; the organs of action, its horses; the body, its chariot; the mind, its driver; its goad is fashioned of nature. Urged by this, the body revolves like a wheel. In death the body no longer stands as though conscious. This is its impeller.

2.10 “‘This is the Self, moving through separate bodies as though brought under another's sway, as though overwhelmed by the bright and dark fruits of action. Unmanifest, subtle, unseen, ungraspable, possessing nothing, it has no fixed station. It does not act, yet stands as though an actor.

“‘Pure, steadfast, unmoving, unstained, undistracted, without longing, it stands as a spectator, tasting its own conduct. Veiling itself in a cloth woven of the qualities, it abides. Thus it abides.’” 2.11 Here ends the second Prapathaka.

2.1 The blessed Śākāyanya was very pleased and said to the king, “Great King Bṛhadratha, son of the foremost standard-bearer of Ikṣvāku's line, you have done what needed to be done. You are famous by the name Marut. This indeed is your Self.” “Sir, which one? Describe it,” he said to him.

2.2 “The one who rises upward with support from outside, moving yet not moving, and drives away darkness: that is the Self,” the blessed one said. “This peaceful one rises from this body, reaches the highest light, and appears in its own form. This is the Self. This is immortal, free from fear. This is Brahman.”

2.3 “King, the blessed Maitreya explained to us this knowledge of Brahman, the knowledge of all the Upanishads. I will tell it to you. We hear of the Vālakhilyas, free from evil, intensely radiant, whose seed rises upward. They said to Prajāpati, ‘Sir, this body is unconscious, like a cart. Who has such power, beyond the senses, that this body has been established as if conscious? Who sets it in motion? Sir, tell us this.’ He said to them:

2.4 “‘The one heard to be above speech is clean, purified, empty, peaceful, life-breath, a self with no master, limitless, inexhaustible, firm, lasting, unborn, and independent. It stands in its own greatness. Through it this body has been established as if conscious. It is what sets the body in motion.’ They said, ‘Sir, how can such a one, without desire, establish this body as if conscious and set it in motion? How?’ He said to them:

2.5 “‘This subtle one, called the Person, cannot be grasped or seen. Through a part of itself it acts here with awareness. As with someone asleep, it awakens with awareness. This part of it is sheer consciousness, the knower of the field in each person, marked by intention, determination, and self-importance: Prajāpati, whose eyes are everywhere. Through this conscious one, the body is established as if conscious. It is what sets the body in motion.’ They said, ‘Sir, how can such a one act through a part of itself?’ He said to them:

2.6 “‘In the beginning there was Prajāpati. Alone, he found no pleasure. He meditated on himself and created many creatures. He saw them, his own self, standing like posts, not awake and without breath. He found no pleasure. He thought, “I will enter them to awaken them.” Making himself like wind, he entered them. He did not enter as one. Dividing himself into five, he is called life-breath, downward breath, balancing breath, upward breath, and pervading breath.

2.7 “‘What rises upward is the life-breath. What moves downward is the downward breath. What places the largest part of food in the downward breath and carries its smallest part evenly to every limb is the balancing breath. What brings up and swallows what has been drunk and eaten is the upward breath. What spreads through these vessels is the pervading breath.

2.8 “‘Then Upāṃśu becomes Antaryāma, and Antaryāma becomes Upāṃśu. Between the two there is warmth. This warmth has substance. It is the Person. The Person is the fire Vaiśvānara. Elsewhere it is also said: “This is the fire Vaiśvānara, the Person within, by which the food that is eaten is cooked.” Its sound is what one hears when covering the ears. When someone is about to leave the body, that sound is no longer heard.

2.9 “‘Dividing itself into five, this one is placed in the cave. Made of mind, with life-breath as its body, taking many forms, with intentions that come true, it is the Self. Standing inside the heart, it thought, “I have not reached my objects. Let me become those objects.” Breaking through these openings of its own, it rose and eats the objects of the senses through five rays. These organs of knowing are its rays. The organs of action are its horses; the body is the chariot; the mind is the driver; its goad is made of nature. Driven by this, the body turns around like a wheel. In death, the body is not established as if conscious. This one is what sets it in motion.

2.10 “‘This is the Self. As if brought under another's control and overwhelmed by the results of good and bad actions, it moves through individual bodies. Because it is unmanifest, subtle, invisible, impossible to grasp, and without a sense of possession, it has no fixed place. Though it does not act, it stands as if acting.

“‘It is clean, firm, unmoving, untouched, undistracted, and free from longing. It stands like a spectator, experiencing its own conduct. Covering itself with a cloth made of the qualities, it remains. So it remains.’” 2.11 Here ends Prapathaka 2.