Prapathaka 5

5.1 This one bears the Self twofold: as this life-breath and as that sun. These two existed, fivefold in name, inward and outward, alternating through day and night. That sun is the outer Self; the life-breath is the inner Self. From the movement of the outer Self the movement of the inner is inferred. So it is said. Whoever knows, cleansed of evil, watchful, clear in mind, rooted in that, with eyes turned inward, may infer the movement of the outer Self from that of the inner. So it is said. The golden Person within the sun, who beholds me as golden, is the very one sheltered in the lotus of the heart, eating food.

5.2 The one sheltered in the lotus of the heart, eating food, is the solar fire abiding in heaven, unseen, named Time, devouring all beings as food. What is the lotus? Of what is it made? That lotus is this space: its four directions and four intermediate directions are arrayed within it. This fire is on the near side; beyond are these two, life-breath and sun. Worship the two with the syllable Om, the sacred utterances, and the Sāvitrī prayer.

5.3 Brahman has two forms, the formed and the formless. The formed is untrue; the formless is true. That is Brahman. Brahman is light, and light is the sun. Its Self is this syllable Om. It unfolded itself threefold, the three sound-measures of Om. By these all this is woven in it, through and through. So it is said: “This sun is Om.” Contemplating it in this way, one should bring the Self into union.

5.4 Elsewhere, too, it is said: “The high chant is the sacred syllable; the sacred syllable is the high chant.” That sun is the high chant, the sacred syllable. So it is said: “The high chant, called the sacred syllable, the guide bearing name and form, free of sleep, free of age and death, also to be known fivefold, lies hidden in the cave.” So it is said. The root is above; Brahman's branches are space, wind, fire, water, earth, and the rest. This Brahman is held by one. Its radiance is that sun and the radiance of this syllable Om. Therefore worship it without ceasing through Om: this alone brings its essence to understanding. So it is said: “This very syllable is holy. Knowing this very syllable, whatever one desires becomes one's own.”

5.5 Elsewhere, too, it is said: “Its body thunders as Om. It has gender as female, male, and neuter; light as fire, wind, and sun; lordship as Rudra and Vishnu; mouths as the householder's fire, the southern fire, and the offering fire. It knows as the Rig, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas. It has worlds as earth, atmosphere, and heaven; time as what has been, what is coming to be, and what will be; burning power as life-breath, fire, and sun; nourishment as food, water, and moon; awareness as understanding, mind, and the sense of I. Some call it endowed with breath as the life-breath, the downward breath, and the pervading breath. At the words ‘I relinquish,’ these are presented and offered.” So it is said: “Satyakāma, this syllable Om is the higher and the lower.”

5.6 This was opened wide. Prajāpati, who is truth, practiced austerity and uttered: “Earth, atmosphere, heaven.” This world-bearing body of Prajāpati is his most substantial body. Heaven is its head, atmosphere its navel, earth its feet, and the sun its eye. The great reach of a person rests upon the eye: through it one moves among objects. The eye is truth, for the Person dwelling in the eye speaks of every object. Therefore worship with “Earth, atmosphere, heaven.” Thus Prajāpati is worshiped as food, as the Self of all, as the eye of all. So it is said: “This is Prajāpati's all-bearing body. Everything here is hidden in it, and it is hidden in everything here.” Therefore worship it.

5.7 “That of Savitṛ which is to be chosen”: that sun is Savitṛ, to be chosen in this way by one who desires the Self, say those who speak of Brahman. Then, “We meditate on the god's splendor”: Savitṛ is established there. “We contemplate his splendor,” say those who speak of Brahman. Then, “May he stir our thoughts”: thoughts are the powers of understanding. “May he stir these powers of ours,” say those who speak of Brahman. And as for splendor: what lies in this sun, in the pupil and the eye, is called splendor. It moves through rays, and so is splendor; it burns, and so is splendor, say those who speak of Brahman. Its name points to illumining these worlds, coloring these beings, and going: into it these creatures go, and from it they come. Through bearing them it is called splendor. Sūrya is named from the bringing forth of enemies; Savitṛ, from pressing forth; Āditya, from giving; Pāvamāna, from purifying; Āditya, from going. So it is said: “Through the Self, the self called immortal is the perceiver, thinker, mover, creator, giver of joy, doer, speaker, taster, smeller, toucher; all-pervading, it has its station in the body.” So it is said. Where awareness has become dual, one hears, sees, smells, tastes, touches: the Self knows all. Where awareness has become nondual, released from effect and cause, beyond utterance, beyond likeness, beyond description—what, then, could be spoken of it?

This indeed is the Self: Īśāna, Śambhu, Bhava, Rudra, Prajāpati, maker of all, Hiraṇyagarbha, truth, life-breath, the swan, the peaceful one, Vishnu, Nārāyaṇa, Arka, Savitṛ, Dhātṛ, the sovereign, Indra, Indu. This is the one who burns, veiled by fire, by thousand-eyed golden joy. He must be sought, he must be known. Granting freedom from fear to every being, entering the forest and setting the objects of sense outside, one finds him within one's own body. “The tawny one of every form, who knows all births, the final refuge, the one burning light—the thousand-rayed one, appearing a hundred ways, the life-breath of creatures: this sun rises.” 5.8 Here ends the fifth Prapathaka.

5.1 This one maintains itself in two forms: this life-breath and that sun. These two existed, fivefold in name, inside and outside. They alternate through day and night. That sun is the outer Self; life-breath is the inner Self. Through the movement of the outer Self, the movement of the inner Self is inferred. This is what is said. Someone who knows, who is free from evil, who oversees things, whose mind is clear, who is devoted to that, and who has turned his eyes inward can infer the movement of the outer Self through the movement of the inner Self. This is what is said. The golden Person within the sun, who sees me as golden, is the very one who lives within the lotus of the heart and eats food.

5.2 The one who lives within the lotus of the heart and eats food is the fire dwelling in heaven, belonging to the sun, called time, unseen. It eats all beings as food. What is the lotus? What is it made of? This space is that lotus. Its four main directions and four intermediate directions are arranged in it. This fire is here; those two, life-breath and the sun, are beyond. One should worship these two with the syllable Om, the sacred utterances, and the Sāvitrī verse.

5.3 Brahman has two forms, with shape and without shape. What has a shape is not real; what has no shape is real. That is Brahman. What is Brahman is light; what is light is the sun. Its Self is the syllable Om. It divided itself into three: Om has three units of sound. Through these, all this is woven lengthwise and crosswise in it. This is what is said: “This sun is Om.” Meditating in this way, one should bring the Self into union.

5.4 Elsewhere it is also said: “The raised chant is the sacred syllable, and the sacred syllable is the raised chant.” That sun is the raised chant and the sacred syllable. This is what is said: “The raised chant, called the sacred syllable, is the guide, having name and form, free from sleep, old age, and death, also to be known in five forms, hidden in the cave.” This is also said: “The root is above; the branches of Brahman are space, wind, fire, water, earth, and the rest. This Brahman is held by one.” Its radiance is that sun, and this is also the radiance of the syllable Om. Therefore one should constantly worship it through Om. This alone makes its essence known. This is what is said: “This very syllable is sacred. Knowing this very syllable, whatever one wants becomes one's own.”

5.5 Elsewhere it is also said: “Its body thunders: it is Om. It has gender, feminine, masculine, and neuter. It has brightness as fire, wind, and sun. It has rulers as Rudra and Vishnu. It has mouths as the householder's fire, the southern fire, and the offering fire. It knows as the Rig, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas. It has worlds as earth, atmosphere, and heaven. It has time as past, present, and future. It has heat as life-breath, fire, and sun. It has nourishment as food, water, and moon. It has awareness as understanding, mind, and the sense of I. Some say it has breath as life-breath, downward breath, and pervading breath. Saying ‘I let go,’ these are presented and offered.” This is what is said: “Satyakāma, this syllable Om is the higher and the lower.”

5.6 This was open wide. Prajāpati, who is truth, practiced intense discipline and then spoke: “Earth, atmosphere, heaven.” This body of Prajāpati, consisting of the worlds, is his most solid body. Heaven is its head, atmosphere its navel, earth its feet, and the sun its eye. A person's great reach depends on the eye, for through the eye a person moves among objects. The eye is truth. The Person present in the eye speaks about all objects. Therefore one should worship with “Earth, atmosphere, heaven.” Prajāpati is thereby worshiped as food, as the Self of all and as the eye of all. This is what is said: “This is Prajāpati's body that supports everything. All this is contained within it, and it is contained within all this.” Therefore one should worship it.

5.7 “That of Savitṛ which is worth choosing”: that sun is Savitṛ. Those who teach Brahman say that someone who wants the Self should choose him in this way. Then, “We meditate on the god's radiance”: Savitṛ is established there. “We contemplate his radiance,” say those who teach Brahman. Then, “May he inspire our thoughts”: thoughts are acts of understanding. “May he inspire ours,” say those who teach Brahman. As for radiance, what is placed within this sun, in the pupil and in the eye, is called radiance. It moves through its rays, so it is called radiance. It burns, so it is called radiance, say those who teach Brahman. Its name points to lighting up these worlds, giving color to these beings, and going: these creatures go into it and come out of it. Because it bears them, it is called radiance. It is called Sūrya from the bringing forth of enemies; Savitṛ from pressing forth; Āditya from giving; Pāvamāna from purifying; and Āditya from going. This is what is said: “Through the Self, the self called immortal is the perceiver, thinker, mover, creator, giver of joy, doer, speaker, taster, smeller, and toucher. It is everywhere, established in the body.” This is also said: “Where awareness has become dual, one hears, sees, smells, tastes, and touches. The Self knows everything. But where awareness has become nondual, free from effect and cause, beyond description, beyond comparison, beyond any defining account—what could one say of it?”

This very Self is Īśāna, Śambhu, Bhava, Rudra, Prajāpati, the creator of everything, Hiraṇyagarbha, truth, life-breath, the swan, the peaceful one, Vishnu, Nārāyaṇa, Arka, Savitṛ, Dhātṛ, the sovereign, Indra, and Indu. It burns, covered by fire, by thousand-eyed golden joy. It must be sought and known. After giving every being freedom from fear, one should go to the forest, put aside the objects of the senses, and find it within one's own body. “Taking every form, yellow-brown, Jātavedas, the final refuge, the one burning light: with a thousand rays, present in a hundred ways, the life-breath of creatures—this sun rises.” 5.8 Here ends Prapathaka 5.