Listen, then, to the teaching as it was revealed in the ancient days. This human being is like the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of this human being. Within each person, and indeed within every being, there dwells a luminous, immortal presence—a Person, radiant and deathless. This glorious Self within is none other than Brahman, the ultimate reality, the All. In truth, this Self is the honey of all beings, and all beings are the honey of this Self. That same shining, immortal Person who abides in the Self is Brahman, the immortal, the all-pervading. This Self, the very core of all, is the lord and king of all beings. Just as the spokes of a wheel are fixed in the hub and rim, so too are all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breaths, and all selves rooted in this Self. This profound truth, this honey of wisdom, was once spoken by the sage Dadhyanc Atharvana to the twin Ashvins. The seer, beholding this vision, declared in the Rig Veda: “For you, O Ashvins, I reveal a mighty secret for gaining wealth, just as the thunderer brings the rain; for Dadhyanc Atharvana shared with you the honey through the horse’s head.” Again, the seer proclaimed: “O Ashvins, you replaced Dadhyanc’s head with that of a horse, and thus he imparted to you the honey, the true secret of Tvastri, wondrous ones, which was hidden in the armpit.” The seer saw further and spoke: “He made the bipeds in front, the quadrupeds in front; having become a bird, he entered as a person.” Thus, the Person is present in all bodies, in every dwelling; nothing is hidden from him, nothing is concealed. Once more, the seer declared: “He became the likeness of every form; that is his form for each to see—Indra, by his powers, moves in many forms, for his horses are yoked by the hundreds and tens.” All these horses, these tens, these thousands and countless others, are but expressions of that one Brahman—without before or after, without inside or outside. This Self is Brahman, the all-pervading; thus is the teaching. Or, if you seek the lineage of this wisdom, it is traced through a long line of teachers, from Vasha, Aurpanaya, Gautama, Vatsya, Parasharya, Shanktya, Bharadvaja, Audavaha, Handilya, Vaijavapa, Vaijavapayana, Vaishtapureya, Rauhinayana, Haunaka, Atreya, Raibhya, Pautimashyayana, Kaundinyayana, Kaundinya, Agniveshya, Sautava, Jatukarnya, Asurayana, Yaska, Traivani, Aupajandhana, Asuri, Manti, Kaishorya, Kapya, Kumaraharita, Galava, Vidarbhi Kaundinya, Babhrava, Vatsanapata, Pantha, Saubhara, Ayasya, Angirasa, Bhuti, Tvastri, Vishvarupa, the Ashvins, Dadhicha, Atharvan, Daiva, Mrityu, Pradhvasana, Shanaga, Pareshtin, and finally to Brahman, who is self-born. Salutations to Brahman. There are other lineages as well, each with its own succession of teachers, all leading back to Brahman, the source of all. Now, in the land of Videha, Janaka the king performed a great sacrifice, bestowing many gifts. The Brahmins of the Kurus and Panchalas gathered there. Janaka desired to know, “Who among these Brahmins is the most learned?” He had a thousand cows penned up, each with ten gold pieces tied to its horns. He proclaimed, “Revered ones, whoever among you is the most learned in Brahman, let him drive away these cows.” But none dared step forward. Then Yajnavalkya spoke to his student Samashrava: “Dear one, drive these cows away.” Samashrava did so, and the other Brahmins were angered—“How can he claim to be the most learned among us?” Asvala, Janaka’s chief priest, confronted Yajnavalkya: “Surely, Yajnavalkya, you are the most learned among us?” Yajnavalkya replied humbly, “We bow to the most learned; we are only seekers of cattle.” But Asvala pressed on with questions. He asked, “Since all this is seized by death, by what does the sacrificer free himself from death’s grasp?” Yajnavalkya answered, “By the Hotṛ priest, by speech, by fire; for speech is the Hotṛ of the sacrifice. This is the means of release.” Asvala continued, “Since all is overtaken by day and night, by what does the sacrificer free himself from their grasp?” Yajnavalkya replied, “By the Adhvaryu priest, by the eye, by the sun; for the eye is the Adhvaryu. This is the means of release.” Again, Asvala asked, “Since all is overtaken by the waxing and waning fortnights, by what does the sacrificer free himself?” Yajnavalkya said, “By the Brahman priest, by the mind, by the moon; for the mind is the Brahman of the sacrifice. This is the means of release.” Asvala then asked about the space between earth and heaven: “By what means does the sacrificer ascend to the heavenly world?” Yajnavalkya answered, “By the Udgātṛ priest, by the method, by the breath; for the breath is the Udgātṛ. The breath is the wind, the utterance of the Udgātṛ, the supreme release.” Asvala asked, “With how many verses does the Hotṛ perform the sacrifice?” “With three,” said Yajnavalkya: the puronuvākyā, the yājyā, and the śasyā. With these, one wins the earth-world, the intermediate world, and the heavenly world. Next, “With how many offerings does the Adhvaryu pour into the sacrifice?” “With three,” answered Yajnavalkya: the offering that blazes up, that overflows, and that settles down. With these, one wins the world of the gods, the world of humans, and the world of ancestors. Then, “With how many deities does the Brahman priest protect the sacrifice on the southern side?” “With one—the mind. The mind is infinite, and with the infinite, he wins the world of reality.” Again, “With how many stotras does the Udgātṛ chant in the sacrifice?” “With three,” said Yajnavalkya, “the puronuvākyā, yājyā, and śasyā, each with its own deity and with reference to the self: the breath, the downward breath, and the vyāna. With these, one wins all that is possessed of breath.” Thus, Asvala ceased questioning. Then Jāratkārava Ārtabhāga questioned Yajnavalkya: “How many grahas and atigrahas are there?” “Eight of each,” replied Yajnavalkya. The breath is a graha, seized by apāna; the tongue by rasa; speech by name; eye by form; ear by sound; mind by desire; hands by action; skin by touch. Thus, eight grahas and eight atigrahas. Ārtabhāga asked, “Since all is food for death, is there a deity for whom death is food?” Yajnavalkya replied, “Fire is death; having taken food, he conquers death.” “When a person dies, what does not leave him?” “Name,” said Yajnavalkya. “Name is infinite, and with the infinite, he wins the world of reality.” “When a person dies, do the breaths depart?” “No,” said Yajnavalkya, “they are gathered here. He swells and lies dead.” “When the speech goes to fire, breath to wind, eye to sun, mind to moon, directions to ear, earth to body, space to self, plants to hair, trees to head-hair, blood and semen to waters—what does this person become?” Yajnavalkya asked Ārtabhāga to join hands, saying, “Let us know this together.” They withdrew and deliberated, finding that whatever they spoke or praised was action. One becomes virtuous through virtuous action, sinful through sinful action. Thus, Ārtabhāga ceased questioning. Then Bhujyu Lāhyāyani asked, “When we wandered among the Madras, we met Patañcala Kāpya, whose daughter was possessed by a Gandharva. The Gandharva, Śudhanvan Āṅgiras, spoke of the boundaries of the worlds, asking, ‘Where did Parikṣit dwell?’ I ask you, Yajnavalkya: where did Parikṣit dwell?” Yajnavalkya replied, “They went to the place where those who perform the horse sacrifice go. Thirty-two chariots of the Videhas circle the world daily, twice the earth’s span, with the ocean encircling it. The space between is as thin as a razor’s edge. Indra, as a great bird, carried them to Vāyu, who brought them to Parikṣit’s dwelling. Vāyu alone was praised; therefore, Vāyu is both individual and totality. Whoever knows this conquers death and attains all life.” Bhujyu ceased questioning. Kahoda Kauṣītakeya then asked, “Yajnavalkya, explain to me that Brahman which is directly perceived, the innermost Self of all.” Yajnavalkya replied, “This is that Self, the innermost of all.” “Which is that?” “That which transcends hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, old age, and death. Knowing this Self, Brahmins renounce desire for sons, wealth, and worlds, and take up the life of mendicancy. The desire for sons is the desire for wealth, and for worlds; both are merely desires. The wise, having attained wisdom, remain as children; having renounced both childhood and wisdom, the sage remains; having renounced both speech and silence, the Brahmin remains. One becomes a Brahmin by whatever means one becomes—whoever knows thus.” And Kahoda ceased questioning. Thus, the profound wisdom of the Self, Brahman, and the path of release was revealed among the sages.