Yājñavalkya, the great sage, spoke to Maitreyi with luminous analogies, guiding her into the subtle heart of reality. “Consider,” he began, “the sound of a drum. When the drum is struck, the sounds that arise cannot be grasped from outside; but by grasping the drum itself, or the act of striking it, you catch the sound at its source. In the same way, when a lute is played, the music cannot be seized from the air, but only by holding the lute or the act of playing it. Likewise, when a conch is blown, the sounds cannot be taken from outside; only by grasping the conch or the act of blowing can one find the origin of the sound. “In the same way, Maitreyi, from the Great Being arises everything—just as from a moist fire, when kindled, many streams of smoke pour forth. From this Being, breath emerges, and with it, the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda, the Itihasas, the Puranas, all knowledge, the Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, explanations, commentaries, gifts, offerings, food and drink, this world and the next, and all beings. All these are but its breaths. “Just as all waters flow towards the ocean, all touches come to rest in the skin, all smells in the nose, all tastes in the tongue, all forms in the eye, all sounds in the ear, all thoughts in the mind, all Vedas in the heart, all actions in the hands, all paths in the feet, all pleasures in the genitals, all excretions in the anus, and all knowledge in speech—so too, all things find their destination in the Self. “Imagine a lump of salt—solid, without inside or outside, just a mass of salt through and through. Such is this Great Being: infinite, without limit, a mass of pure consciousness. All beings arise from it and return to it. When the individual departs, there is no more separate consciousness—so I declare, Maitreyi.” Confused, Maitreyi asked, “Venerable one, you have bewildered me. What does it mean that after departing, there is no more individual consciousness?” Yājñavalkya replied gently, “I do not speak confusion. The Self is indestructible—its nature is not to be cut off. Only the union of the elements dissolves. When one does not see, even while seeing, one should see this; for the seer, there is no end of seeing, for it is indestructible. There is no second thing; so, what else could one see? When one does not smell, even while smelling, one should smell this; for the smeller, there is no end of smelling. There is no second thing; so, what else could one smell? When one does not taste, even while tasting, one should taste this; for the taster, there is no end of tasting. There is no second thing; so, what else could one taste? When one does not speak, even while speaking, one should speak this; for the speaker, there is no end of speaking. There is no second thing; so, what else could one speak? When one does not hear, even while hearing, one should hear this; for the hearer, there is no end of hearing. There is no second thing; so, what else could one hear? When one does not think, even while thinking, one should think this; for the thinker, there is no end of thinking. There is no second thing; so, what else could one think? “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 end 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 end 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 duality, one sees another, smells another, tastes another, speaks to another, hears another, thinks of another, touches another, knows another. But when all has become the Self, whom would one see, smell, taste, speak to, hear, think of, touch, or 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, Yājñavalkya departed. The lineage of this wisdom was then recounted: Paśutimāṣya from Gaupavana, Gaupavana from Paśutimāṣya, Paśutimāṣya from Gaupavana, Gaupavana from Kauśika, and so on, through Kauṇḍinya, Hāṇḍilya, Chāṇḍilya, Gautama—each receiving and passing on this knowledge. Agniveśya from Agniveśya, Gārgya from Gārgya, Gautama from Śaitava, and the line continued through many venerable names, all the way back to Parameṣṭhin and to Brahman, self-born. Homage to Brahman. This is the whole; that is the whole. From the whole, the whole arises. When the whole is taken from the whole, the whole alone remains. Space is Brahman, space is the ancient, and air is space—so said the son of Kauravyāyaṇī. This is the Veda; the Brāhmaṇas know it, and by this, whatever is to be known is known. Then, the story of Prajāpati’s children was told. Three kinds of offspring—gods, humans, and asuras—lived as students with Prajāpati. When their studies were complete, the gods asked for instruction. Prajāpati uttered the syllable ‘Da.’ “Did you understand?” he asked. “We understood,” they replied, “Control yourselves.” “Yes, you have understood,” he affirmed. The humans then asked for instruction. He uttered the same syllable, ‘Da.’ “Did you understand?” he asked. “We understood,” they replied, “Give.” “Yes, you have understood,” he affirmed. The asuras, too, asked for instruction. Again, he uttered ‘Da.’ “Did you understand?” he asked. “We understood,” they replied, “Be compassionate.” “Yes, you have understood,” he affirmed. Thus, the divine voice in thunder repeats, ‘Da, Da, Da’—Control yourselves, Give, Be compassionate. One should learn these three: self-control, giving, and compassion. This Prajāpati is the heart, which is Brahman, which is all. The heart is made of three syllables: hṛ-da-yam. ‘Hṛ’—to him they offer themselves and others, who knows thus. ‘Da’—to him they give themselves and others, who knows thus. ‘Yam’—he attains the heavenly world, who knows thus. This alone is the truth. Whoever knows this great, first-born being, the truth that is Brahman, conquers all worlds and dwells in them, for Brahman is truth. In the beginning, all was water. From water, truth was created; truth is Brahman, Brahman is Prajāpati, Prajāpati is the gods. Therefore, they worship truth alone. Truth is three syllables: sa-tyam. The first and last syllables are truth; the middle is falsehood. Thus, falsehood is surrounded by truth and becomes truth alone. One who knows this is untouched by falsehood. That which is truth is this sun. The person in the sun’s disk and the person in the right eye rest upon each other. The one here is established in the other by the rays, and the one there by the breaths. When one is about to depart, one sees only this pure disk; the rays do not return to him. The person in the disk—his ‘bhūḥ’ is the head, his ‘bhuvaḥ’ the arms, his ‘svaḥ’ the supports. His secret teaching is ‘aha.’ He destroys and casts off evil, who knows thus. The person in the right eye—his ‘bhūḥ’ is the head, his ‘bhuvaḥ’ the arms, his ‘svaḥ’ the supports. His secret teaching is ‘aham.’ He destroys and casts off evil, who knows thus. They say lightning is Brahman, for it illumines; it destroys evil for one who knows this. This person is made of mind; his light is truth. Within the heart, as rice or barley is within the husk, so is this person within the inner self. He is the lord, ruler, and master of all; he governs all that exists, who knows thus. One should meditate upon speech as a cow with four teats: svāhā, vaṣaṭ, hant, and svadhā. The gods live on svāhā and vaṣaṭ, humans on hant, ancestors on svadhā. Her vital breath is the bull, and mind the calf. Within a person is the fire called Vaiśvānara, by which food is cooked and eaten. Its sound is heard when the ears are covered; when one is about to depart, this sound is heard no more. The highest austerity is practiced in seclusion; one who knows this conquers the supreme world, whether the body is taken to the forest or offered in the fire. When a person departs, he goes to the wind; there, a space opens, as in the hub of a chariot wheel, and through it he ascends upward. He reaches the sun; there, a space opens, as in the opening of a drum, and through it he ascends upward. He reaches the moon; there, a space opens, as in the hollow of a kettledrum, and through it he ascends upward. He reaches a world free from sorrow and full of glory, where he dwells for endless years. Some say, “Food is Brahman.” That is not so, for food decays without breath. Others say, “Breath is Brahman.” That is not so, for breath dries up without food. These two, united, attain the highest state. Then Prātṛda asked his father, “What good or harm should I do for one who knows thus?” The father replied, “Do not speak thus, Prātṛda. Who, having become one with these two, attains the highest state?” Therefore it is said, “All beings are established in food,” and, “All beings delight in breath.” All beings enter into it and delight in it, who knows thus. The hymn (uktha) is breath, for breath raises up all this. The knower of the hymn stands firm, attains union and the same world as the hymn, who knows thus. The Yajus is breath, for by breath all beings are joined. All beings are joined to him for excellence; he attains union and the same world as the Yajus, who knows thus. Thus, the wisdom of the Self, the unity of all, and the path to immortality and truth were revealed, flowing from teacher to disciple, as an unbroken river of knowledge.