A gathering of wise seekers and learned priests had assembled, each eager to probe the mysteries of existence and the nature of the Self. Yājñavalkya, renowned for his wisdom, sat among them, and one after another, the earnest questioners approached him. The first to speak was Āśvala, the hotṛ priest. He asked, “Yājñavalkya, with how many offerings does the adhvaryu today pour into this sacrifice?” Yājñavalkya replied, “With three offerings: one that blazes up, one that overflows, and one that settles down.” Āśvala pressed further, “What does the sacrificer win by these?” Yājñavalkya explained, “With the blazing offering, he wins the world of the gods, which itself blazes; with the overflowing offering, he wins the world of humans, ever overflowing; and with the offering that settles, he wins the world of the ancestors, for that world lies below.” Āśvala, not yet satisfied, asked, “With how many deities does the brahman priest protect the sacrifice on the southern side?” Yājñavalkya answered, “With one—the mind. The mind is infinite, as are all the gods. Through the infinite, one attains the world of reality.” Again, Āśvala inquired, “With how many stotras does the udgātṛ chant in this sacrifice?” Yājñavalkya replied, “With three: the puronuvākyā, the yājyā, and the śasyā, each with its own deity and each connected to the self. The puronuvākyā is breath, the yājyā is the downward breath, and the śasyā is the diffused breath. By these, he wins whatever is possessed of breath.” With this, Āśvala’s questions ceased. Then Jāratkārava Ārtabhāga spoke, “Yājñavalkya, how many grahas and atigrahas are there?” “There are eight grahas and eight atigrahas,” Yājñavalkya replied. He explained: “Breath is a graha, seized by apāna, the atigraha, by which we perceive smell. The tongue is a graha, seized by rasa, by which we perceive taste. Speech is seized by name, the eye by form, the ear by sound, the mind by desire, the hands by action, and the skin by touch. Thus, eight grahas and eight atigrahas.” Ārtabhāga asked, “Is there a deity for whom death is food, since all is food for death?” Yājñavalkya said, “Fire is death; having taken food, fire conquers death again.” He continued, “When a person dies, what does not leave him?” “Name,” replied Yājñavalkya. “Name is infinite, as are all the gods. Through the infinite, one attains the world of reality.” Ārtabhāga asked, “When a person dies, do the breaths depart?” “No,” Yājñavalkya said, “they gather here. The body swells and lies inflated in death.” He pressed, “When speech returns to fire, breath to wind, eye to the sun, mind to the moon, directions to the ear, earth to the body, space to the self, plants to the hair, trees to the head-hair, and blood and semen to the waters, what does the person become?” Yājñavalkya replied, “Bring your hand, dear one.” Ārtabhāga suggested, “Let us know this together.” They withdrew and deliberated, realizing that whatever one does or praises is action, and by virtuous or sinful action, one becomes virtuous or sinful. With this, Ārtabhāga ceased his questioning. Next, Bhujyu Lāhyāyani spoke. “Yājñavalkya, when we wandered among the Madras, we came to the house of Patañcala Kāpya. His daughter was possessed by a Gandharva. We asked the spirit, ‘Who are you?’ It replied, ‘I am Śudhanvan Āṅgiras.’ We asked about the boundaries of the worlds, and he said, ‘Where did Parikṣit dwell?’ I now ask you, Yājñavalkya, where did Parikṣit dwell?” Yājñavalkya answered, “They went to the place where those who perform the horse sacrifice go. Thirty-two chariots of the Videhas circle the world twice its expanse, the ocean circles the earth likewise, and the space between is as thin as a razor’s edge or a fly’s wing. Indra, as a great bird, carried them to Vāyu, who, placing them in himself, brought them to where Parikṣit dwelled. Thus, Vāyu alone was praised; Vāyu is both individual and totality. Whoever knows this conquers death and attains all life.” Bhujyu then ceased his questioning. Kahoda Kauṣītakeya then asked, “Yājñavalkya, explain to me that Brahman which is directly perceived, the innermost Self of all.” Yājñavalkya replied, “This is that Self, the innermost of all.” Kahoda asked, “Which is the innermost of all?” Yājñavalkya said, “That which transcends hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, old age, and death. Knowing this, the wise renounce the desire for sons, wealth, and worlds, and become mendicants. The desire for sons is the desire for wealth; the desire for wealth is the desire for worlds; all are but desires. The wise remain as children, then as sages, renouncing both childhood and wisdom, speech and silence. One becomes a Brahmin by whatever means one becomes; whoever knows thus.” Kahoda ceased questioning. Uṣasta Cākrāyaṇa then asked, “Yājñavalkya, explain to me that Brahman which is directly perceived, the innermost Self of all.” Yājñavalkya said, “This is that Self, the innermost of all.” Uṣasta asked, “Which is the innermost of all?” Yājñavalkya replied, “That which breathes with the breath, with the downward breath, with the diffused breath, with the upward breath, and with the equalizing breath—that is the innermost Self.” Still unsatisfied, Uṣasta said, “Explain to me that Brahman which is as directly perceived as ‘That is a cow, that is a horse.’” Yājñavalkya replied, “You cannot see the seer of seeing, nor hear the hearer of hearing, nor think the thinker of thinking, nor know the knower of knowing. This is that Self, the innermost of all. Everything else is afflicted.” Uṣasta ceased questioning. Then Gārgī Vācaknavī, wise among women, spoke. “Yājñavalkya, that in which all this is woven, both warp and woof—in what are the waters woven?” “In air, Gārgī.” “In what is air woven?” “In space.” “In what is space woven?” “In the intermediate worlds.” “And those?” “In the heavenly worlds.” “And those?” “In the worlds of the sun.” “And those?” “In the worlds of the moon.” “And those?” “In the worlds of the stars.” “And those?” “In the worlds of the gods.” “And those?” “In the worlds of the Gandharvas.” “And those?” “In the worlds of Prajāpati.” “And those?” “In the worlds of Brahman.” “And those?” At this, Yājñavalkya warned, “Gārgī, do not ask further, lest your head fall off. You are venturing beyond the proper limit, into the realm of the gods.” Gārgī ceased her questioning. Uddālaka Āruṇi then spoke. “Yājñavalkya, when we stayed among the Madras in the house of Patañcala Kāpya, studying the sacrifice, his wife was possessed by a Gandharva. We asked, ‘Who are you?’ and the reply came, ‘I am Kabandha Atharvaṇa.’ Kabandha Atharvaṇa asked Patañcala Kāpya, ‘Do you know the thread by which this world, the other world, and all beings are held together?’ Kāpya replied, ‘I do not know, revered one.’ Kabandha asked, ‘Do you know the inner controller who controls all from within?’ Again, Kāpya replied, ‘I do not know.’ Kabandha said, ‘Whoever knows that thread and inner controller is a knower of Brahman, of worlds, of gods, of Vedas, of sacrifices, of beings, of the Self, of all. If you, Yājñavalkya, do not know, your head will fall off.’” Yājñavalkya said, “I know, Gautama, that thread and that inner controller.” “If you say you know, then speak as you know,” came the challenge. Yājñavalkya spoke: “Air, Gautama, is the thread; by air, this world, the other world, and all beings are held together. When a person dies, his limbs are loosened, for by air, as the thread, all are held together.” The assembly agreed. “Now speak of the inner controller, Yājñavalkya.” Yājñavalkya declared: “He who stands within the earth, yet is other than the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body is the earth, who controls the earth from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands within the waters, yet is other than the waters, whom the waters do not know, whose body is the waters, who controls the waters from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands within fire, yet is other than fire, whom fire does not know, whose body is fire, who controls fire from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands within the intermediate space, yet is other than it, whom it does not know, whose body is the intermediate space, who controls it from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands within air, yet is other than air, whom air does not know, whose body is air, who controls air from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the sky, sun, moon and stars, space, directions, lightning, thunder, all worlds, all the Vedas, all sacrifices, all beings—who is within them, whom they do not know, whose body they are, who controls them from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.” Thus, the teaching concerning the elements was given. And now, Yājñavalkya turned to the teaching concerning the Self.