In the sacred assembly of seekers, the wise sage began to reveal the mysteries of existence, drawing forth the names of great seers: “These two are Gautama and Bharadvāja; here is Gautama, here is Bharadvāja. These two are Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni; here is Viśvāmitra, here is Jamadagni. These two are Vasiṣṭha and Kaśyapa; here is Vasiṣṭha, here is Kaśyapa. Speech itself is Atri, for it is through speech that food is consumed. Such is the import of Atri: he who knows this truth becomes the eater of all; all becomes his food.” The sage then spoke of the Supreme Reality, Brahman, saying, “Brahman has two forms: the formed and the formless, the mortal and the immortal, the fixed and the moving, the manifest and the unmanifest. That which is formed is all that is other than air and space—this is mortal, fixed, and manifest. Its essence is what shines forth, for the shining forth is its true nature. The formless, which is air and space, is immortal; this is the essence of all.” He continued, “Of this formless, immortal essence, its sap is that radiant Person who dwells in the sun’s orb; he is its very life. Thus is the explanation concerning divinity. Now, regarding the self: what is beyond the breath and the space within the self is also formless; this is mortal, established, and existent. Of this, the sap is the eye, for the existent is its sap. Again, the formless—breath and the space within—this is immortal, this is essence, and its sap is the Person in the right eye, for he is its sap.” He described the form of that inner Person: “His radiance is like a royal garment, like a white woolen cloth, like a firefly, like a flame, like a lotus, like a flash of lightning. Just as lightning flashes, so is his brilliance, for one who knows this.” The sage gave the highest instruction: “Not this, not this—neti, neti. There is nothing beyond this negation. Its name is ‘Truth of truth’; breath is truth, and among these, this is the highest truth.” At this point, Yājñavalkya turned to his wife, Maitreyi, and said, “Maitreyi, I am about to leave this place. Come, let me make the final arrangements for you and Katyayani.” Maitreyi replied, “If, revered one, the entire earth were filled with wealth, could I attain immortality through that?” Yājñavalkya answered, “As is the life of the wealthy, so would be your life; but immortality cannot be gained by wealth.” Maitreyi pressed further, “That by which I would not become immortal—what use have I for it? Please teach me only what you truly know.” Yājñavalkya, moved by her words, said, “You have spoken as one dear to me. Sit down, and I will explain. As I speak, reflect deeply.” Maitreyi agreed: “Speak, revered one.” Yājñavalkya then began the profound teaching: “Whoever knows Brahman as something separate from the self, to him Brahman is lost. Whoever knows power, worlds, gods, beings, or all existence as apart from the self, to them, too, those are lost. For this—this self—is Brahman, is power, are the worlds, are the gods, are all beings, is all.” He illustrated this unity with examples: “Just as, when a drum is struck, the sound cannot be caught outside the drum, but by grasping the drum or the strike, the sound is known; just as, when a lute is played, the sound cannot be caught outside the lute, but by grasping the lute or the playing, the sound is known; just as, when a conch is blown, the sound cannot be caught outside the conch, but by grasping the conch or the blowing, the sound is known—so too, all knowledge and manifestation arise from this great Being.” He continued, “As a fire kindled with damp fuel sends forth many smokes, so from this great Being arise the breaths—Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvangirasa, histories, ancient lore, knowledge, Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, explanations, commentaries—all these are its breathings. “As all waters find their end in the ocean, all touches in the skin, all smells in the nose, all tastes in the tongue, all forms in the eye, all sounds in the ear, all intentions in the mind, all Vedas in speech, all actions in the hands, all movements in the feet, all pleasures in the generative organ, all excretions in the anus, and all knowledges in the heart—so too, all things have their destination in the self. “Consider a lump of salt thrown into water: it dissolves and cannot be retrieved, but wherever the water is tasted, it is salty. In the same way, this great, endless, infinite mass of knowledge arises from these elements and merges back into them. After death, there is no separate consciousness. So I say,” declared Yājñavalkya. Maitreyi, perplexed, said, “Revered one, you have confused me by saying that after death there is no distinct consciousness.” Yājñavalkya replied, “No, dear, I am not speaking confusion; this is sufficient for understanding. Where there is duality, one sees another, one smells another, one hears another, one speaks to another, one thinks of another, one knows another. But where everything has become one’s own Self, then by what means and whom would one see, smell, hear, speak to, think of, or know? By what means could one know the knower? That by which all is known—how could one know that knower?” He then revealed the honey doctrine, the unity of all with the Self: “This earth is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of this earth. The luminous, immortal Person in the earth, and the luminous, immortal Person in the body—he is the Self, the immortal, Brahman, all. The same is true for the waters and the seed, for fire and speech, for space and the heart-space, for air and breath, for the sun and the eye, for the moon and the mind, for the directions and the ear, for lightning and the subtle body, for thunder and sound, for righteousness and inner righteousness, for truth and inner truth. That luminous, immortal Person in each of these, and in their corresponding aspects within, is the Self, the immortal, Brahman, all.” Thus, the sage gently unfolded the oneness of all things, the shining unity that is the Self, the immortal, the all-encompassing Brahman.