In the great assembly of seekers and sages, the venerable Yājñavalkya was questioned on the deepest mysteries of life and the Self. The conversation began with the nature of the senses and actions. Yājñavalkya explained: “The hands themselves are instruments of grasping, and they are seized by a force greater than themselves—action. Through the hands, all deeds are performed. Likewise, the skin is an instrument, grasping sensations, and is seized by the power of touch. By the skin, we perceive tactile experience.” Thus, Yājñavalkya described eight such ‘graspers’ (grahas) and eight corresponding ‘over-graspers’ (atigrahas). The dialogue then turned to the nature of death and immortality. One among the assembly asked, “Since all this is food for death, is there any deity for whom death itself is food?” Yājñavalkya replied, “Fire is indeed death. By consuming food, fire conquers death again and again.” Another question arose: “When a person dies, what is it that does not leave him?” Yājñavalkya answered, “Name remains. Name is infinite, and so are the gods. Through the infinite alone, one attains the world of reality.” Then came a further inquiry: “When a person dies, do the vital breaths depart from him or not?” Yājñavalkya clarified, “No, they do not depart; they are gathered here itself. The body swells, becomes inflated, and, in that state, lies dead.” The questioner pressed on: “When speech merges with fire, breath with wind, the eye with the sun, mind with the moon, directions with the ear, earth with the body, space with the self, plants with the hair, trees with the head-hair, and blood and semen with the waters—what does this person become?” Yājñavalkya gently asked for his hand, suggesting the answer was not to be spoken lightly. Ārtabhāga, another sage, proposed, “Let us realize this together. Is this not so? Is it not united?” They withdrew and reflected. Whatever they did or praised was action; one becomes virtuous through virtuous action and sinful through sinful action. With this, Ārtabhāga was satisfied and ceased his questions. Then Bhujyu Lāhyāyani spoke: “Yājñavalkya, once, as wandering mendicants among the Madras, we visited Patañcala Kāpya. His daughter was possessed by a Gandharva, and when we inquired, the Gandharva revealed himself as Śudhanvan Āṅgiras. On asking about the boundaries of the worlds, he replied, ‘Where did Parikṣit dwell?’ Now I ask you, Yājñavalkya, where did Parikṣit dwell?” Yājñavalkya answered, “They went to the place where those who perform the horse sacrifice go.” Bhujyu then asked, “Where do those who perform the horse sacrifice go?” Yājñavalkya elaborated, “Thirty-two chariots of the Videhas circle this world each day, traversing twice the earth’s expanse, with the ocean encircling the earth twice as much. The space between is as thin as a razor’s edge or a fly’s wing. Indra, taking the form of a great bird, carried them to Vāyu, who then took them within himself and bore them to the place where Parikṣit dwelled. Thus, Vāyu alone was praised as both individual and totality. Whoever knows this conquers death again and attains all life.” Satisfied, Bhujyu Lāhyāyani ceased his questioning. Next, Kahoda Kauṣītakeya asked, “Yājñavalkya, explain to me that Brahman which is directly perceived, not indirect—the Self, the innermost of all.” Yājñavalkya replied, “This is that Self, the innermost of all.” Kahoda pressed, “Which is the innermost of all?” Yājñavalkya said, “That which transcends hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, old age, and death. Knowing this Self, the wise renounce desires for sons, wealth, and worlds, and take up the life of mendicancy. All these desires are ultimately one and the same. Therefore, the wise, having attained wisdom, remain as children; having renounced both childhood and wisdom, they abide as sages; having renounced both speech and silence, they abide as Brahmins. One becomes a Brahmin by whatever means one becomes—whoever knows thus.” With this, Kahoda Kauṣītakeya ceased questioning. Then Uṣasta Cākrāyaṇa spoke: “Yājñavalkya, explain to me that Brahman which is directly perceived, not indirect—the Self, the innermost of all.” Yājñavalkya replied, “This is that Self, the innermost of all.” Uṣasta asked, “Which is the innermost of all?” Yājñavalkya explained, “That which breathes with the breath, the downward breath, the diffused breath, the upward breath, and the equalizing breath—that is the innermost Self.” Uṣasta pressed further: “Just as one points out a cow or a horse, so this is designated. Explain to me that Brahman which is directly perceived, not indirect—the Self, innermost of all.” 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 Cākrāyaṇa ceased questioning. Next, Gārgī Vācaknavī, the wise woman sage, questioned him: “Yājñavalkya, that in which all this is woven, warp and woof—what are the waters woven into?” He replied, “In air, Gārgī.” She continued, “In what is air woven?” “In space, Gārgī.” “In what is space woven?” “In the intermediate worlds, Gārgī.” And so the questioning continued: intermediate worlds into heavenly worlds, heavenly worlds into the worlds of the sun, then the moon, the stars, the gods, the Gandharvas, Prajāpati, and finally the worlds of Brahman. When Gārgī asked, “In what are the worlds of Brahman woven?” Yājñavalkya warned her, “Do not ask further, Gārgī, lest your head fall off. You are venturing into the realm of the gods, beyond the proper limit.” Gārgī ceased her questioning. Then Uddālaka Āruṇi spoke: “Yājñavalkya, among the Madras, in the house of Patañcala Kāpya, we studied sacrifice. His wife was possessed by a Gandharva, who revealed himself as Kabandha Atharvaṇa.” Kabandha Atharvaṇa then asked Patañcala Kāpya and the sacrificers, “Do you know, Kāpya, the thread by which this world, the other world, and all beings are held together?” Kāpya replied, “I do not know, revered one.” Kabandha continued, “Do you know the inner controller, who controls this world, the other world, and all beings from within?” Again, Kāpya confessed his ignorance. Kabandha declared, “Whoever knows that thread and that inner controller is truly 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 that thread and that inner controller, and yet claim to be a knower of Brahman, your head will fall off.” Yājñavalkya calmly replied, “I know, Gautama, that thread and that inner controller.” “If you say you know, please speak as you know,” Kabandha insisted. Yājñavalkya explained, “Air, Gautama, is that thread; by air, as the thread, this world, the other world, and all beings are held together. That is why, when a person dies, people say, ‘His limbs are loosened’—for by air as the thread, all are held together. Now, hear about the inner controller.” He continued, “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 the intermediate space, whom the intermediate space does not know, whose body is the intermediate space, who controls the intermediate space from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.” Yājñavalkya went on, “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, within the sky, whom the sky does not know, whose body is the sky, who controls the sky from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the sun, within the sun, whom the sun does not know, whose body is the sun, who controls the sun from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the moon and stars, within the moon and stars, whom they do not know, whose body is the moon and stars, who controls them from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.” “He who stands in space, within space, whom space does not know, whose body is space, who controls space from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the directions, within the directions, whom the directions do not know, whose body is the directions, who controls the directions from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in lightning, in thunder, in all worlds, in all the Vedas, in all sacrifices—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.” Yājñavalkya concluded, “He who stands in all beings, who is within all beings, whom all beings do not know, whose body is all beings, who controls all beings from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. Thus far is the teaching concerning the elements. Now, concerning the self: He who stands in the breath, within the breath, whom the breath does not know, whose body is the breath, who controls the breath from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.” “He who stands in speech, within speech, whom speech does not know, whose body is speech, who controls speech from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the eye, within the eye, whom the eye does not know, whose body is the eye, who controls the eye from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the ear, within the ear, whom the ear does not know, whose body is the ear, who controls the ear from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in the mind, within the mind, whom the mind does not know, whose body is the mind, who controls the mind from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.” “He who stands in the skin, within the skin, whom the skin does not know, whose body is the skin, who controls the skin from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in knowledge, within knowledge, whom knowledge does not know, whose body is knowledge, who controls knowledge from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in light, within light, whom light does not know, whose body is light, who controls light from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal. He who stands in darkness, within darkness, whom darkness does not know, whose body is darkness, who controls darkness from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.” “He who stands in seed, within seed, whom seed does not know, whose body is seed, who controls seed from within—he is your Self, the inner controller, immortal.