When one truly perceives the Self—this innermost essence—as the very God, as the Lord, direct and upright, the sovereign of all that was and all that will be, then all doubts melt away. In this Self, the five groups of five—the senses and their objects—and space itself are established. Knowing the Self in this way, one attains immortality and becomes Brahman. It is from this Self that the year revolves, with its days moving ever forward. The gods honor this Self as the light of all lights, as life itself, as the immortal principle. The Self is the breath of breath, the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, the food of food, the mind of the mind. Those who know this have realized the ancient, primeval Brahman, which is to be attained by the mind alone. Here, in this realization, there is no diversity at all. But he who perceives any diversity here, who sees difference, goes from death to death. For this is to be known by the mind alone; it is immeasurable and unchanging. Pure, supreme, greater than space, unborn, the great, the unchanging—knowing him alone, the wise Brahmin should seek understanding, not becoming entangled in many words, for that only wearies the voice. This, indeed, is the Self—dwelling in the space within the heart, the ruler, the lord, the master of all, governing all that exists. By good deeds, he becomes greater; by evil deeds, he becomes lesser. He is the lord of beings, the protector of the world, and the bridge that keeps the worlds apart. All the recitation of the Vedas, all celibacy, austerity, faith, and undying offerings are directed toward knowing this. Without knowing this, one may become merely a sage. Those who desire the world alone seek it through renunciation. Thus, the ancient knowers of Brahman, having understood this, did not desire offspring. “What shall we do with offspring, we whose Self has become this world?” they said. Renouncing the desire for sons, for wealth, and for worlds, they lived as mendicants, for all such desires are but one and the same. This is that Self—“not this, not this”—ungraspable, for it cannot be seized; undecaying, for it does not age; unattached, for it does not cling or suffer. Whether one thinks, “I have done evil,” or “I have done good,” the Self transcends both, untouched by either. It is immortal, beyond good and evil; neither good nor evil deeds affect it. As the verse declares: “This is the eternal greatness of the knower of Brahman; it does not increase by action nor decrease.” Having known the Self, one is not tainted by evil deeds. Therefore, one who knows thus—calm, self-controlled, withdrawn, enduring, and full of faith—should see the Self in himself. He sees all as the Self, and all becomes his Self. He crosses over all evil; evil does not burn him; he burns all evil. He becomes free from evil, pure, without hunger or thirst—a knower of Brahman, if he knows thus. “O King, you have attained this,” said Yajnavalkya. This is the great, unborn Self, the eater of food, the giver of wealth. Whoever knows this obtains wealth. This is the great, unborn Self, undecaying, immortal, fearless, deathless. “You have attained the fearless Brahman, Janaka,” said Yajnavalkya. “So, revered one, I give the kingdom of Videha to you, and myself as well, to be your servant.” Now, Yajnavalkya had two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani. Of these, Maitreyi was a seeker of Brahman, while Katyayani was of ordinary understanding. Yajnavalkya was about to embrace a new way of life. He said to Maitreyi, “I am about to renounce this house and go forth. Let me make a final settlement between you and Katyayani.” Maitreyi asked, “If, sir, this whole earth filled with wealth were mine, would I become immortal through it?” Yajnavalkya replied, “No. Your life would be as the life of those who have abundance, but there is no hope of immortality through wealth.” Maitreyi said, “If by this I do not become immortal, what use is it to me? Whatever you know, that alone please tell me.” Yajnavalkya answered, “Truly, you are dear to us, and you speak what is dear. So I will explain it to you, I will clarify it for you; meditate upon my words.” And Maitreyi said, “Speak, venerable one.” Yajnavalkya continued: “Not for the sake of the husband is the husband dear, but for the sake of the Self the husband is dear; not for the sake of the wife is the wife dear, but for the sake of the Self the wife is dear; not for the sake of the children are the children dear, but for the sake of the Self the children are dear; not for the sake of wealth is wealth dear, but for the sake of the Self wealth is dear; not for the sake of Brahman is Brahman dear, but for the sake of the Self Brahman is dear; not for the sake of Kshatra is Kshatra dear, but for the sake of the Self Kshatra is dear; not for the sake of worlds are the worlds dear, but for the sake of the Self the worlds are dear; not for the sake of gods are the gods dear, but for the sake of the Self the gods are dear; not for the sake of beings are beings dear, but for the sake of the Self beings are dear; not for the sake of all is all dear, but for the sake of the Self all is dear. Therefore, the Self must be seen, heard, reflected upon, and meditated upon, Maitreyi; for through seeing, hearing, thinking, and knowing the Self, everything is known.” He went on: “Brahman departs from him who knows Brahman as other than the Self; the Vedas depart from him who knows the Vedas as other than the Self; sacrifices, Kshatra, worlds, gods, beings, all depart from him who knows them as other than the Self. This is Brahman, this is Kshatra, these are the worlds, these are the gods, these are the Vedas, these are the beings, this is all—whatever is this Self. “Just as, when a drum is struck, one cannot grasp the sounds that come from outside, but by grasping the drum or the act of striking, the sound is caught; just as, when a lute is played, one cannot grasp the sounds that come from outside, but by grasping the lute or the act of playing, the sound is caught; just as, when a conch is blown, one cannot grasp the sounds that come from outside, but by grasping the conch or the act of blowing, the sound is caught—so too, from this great being, like streams of smoke from a moist fire, all emerges: the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda, Itihasa, Purana, knowledge, Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, explanations, commentaries, gifts, offerings, food eaten, drink drunk, this world and the next, and all beings—all these are its breaths. “Just as all waters have the ocean as their one destination, all touches the skin, all smells the nose, all tastes the tongue, all forms the eye, all sounds the ear, all thoughts the mind, all Vedas the heart, all actions the hands, all paths the feet, all pleasures the genitals, all excretions the anus, all knowledge speech as its one destination—so too, everything returns to the Self. “Just as a lump of salt, without interior or exterior, is entirely a mass of salt, so indeed is this great being, infinite, without limit, entirely a mass of consciousness. Rising from these beings, it dissolves them back into itself. After departing, there is no more individual consciousness—thus I say,” said Yajnavalkya. Maitreyi, puzzled, asked, “Venerable one, you have led me to confusion here. I do not understand this: ‘After departing, there is no more individual consciousness.’” Yajnavalkya replied, “I do not speak confusion, for this Self is indeed indestructible; its nature is not to be cut off; only the union of the elements occurs. “When one does not see, even while seeing, one should see this; for the seer, there is no cessation of seeing, because of its indestructibility. There is not a second thing; therefore, what else could one see apart from it? “When one does not smell, even while smelling, one should smell this; for the smeller, there is no cessation of smelling, because of its indestructibility. There is not a second thing; therefore, what else could one smell apart from it? “When one does not taste, even while tasting, one should taste this; for the taster, there is no cessation of tasting, because of its indestructibility. There is not a second thing; therefore, what else could one taste apart from it? “When one does not speak, even while speaking, one should speak this; for the speaker, there is no cessation of speech, because of its indestructibility. There is not a second thing; therefore, what else could one speak apart from it? “When one does not hear, even while hearing, one should hear this; for the hearer, there is no cessation of hearing, because of its indestructibility. There is not a second thing; therefore, what else could one hear apart from it? “When one does not think, even while thinking, one should think this; for the thinker, there is no cessation of thinking, because of its indestructibility. There is not a second thing; therefore, what else could one think apart from it? “That which does not touch this—when one touches, it is this that is to be touched, yet it is not touched; for there is no cessation of the toucher from the touched, because it is indestructible. Nor is there any second thing apart from it, by which it could be touched. “That which does not know this—when one knows, it is this that is to be known, yet it is not known; for there is no cessation of the knower from the known, because it is indestructible. Nor is there any second thing apart from it, by which it could be known. “Where there is, as it were, duality, there one sees another, one smells another, one tastes another, one speaks to another, one hears another, one thinks of another, one touches another, one knows another. But where for him everything has become the Self, then by what means and whom would one see? By what means and whom would one smell? By what means and whom would one taste? By what means and whom would one speak? By what means and whom would one hear? By what means and whom would one think? By what means and whom would one touch? By what means and whom would one know? By what means would one know That by which all this is known? By what means would one know the knower? Thus ends the instruction, O Maitreyi. This alone is immortality.” Having spoken thus, Yajnavalkya departed.