In the beginning, all this was the Self alone—one, without a second. It is upon this Self that one should meditate, for in it, all things become one. This Self is the foundation of everything; through it alone is all known, just as one finds a path by following footprints. The one who truly knows the Self attains fame and mastery in the sacred verses. This Self is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than anything else, more inward than all. If anyone claims something else is dear, and is told, “That which you hold dear will perish,” so be it. But the wise meditate on the Self alone as truly dear. For one who does so, what is truly dear does not perish. People say, “By knowing Brahman, all becomes known,” and they wonder, “What is this Brahman, from which all emerges?” In truth, in the beginning, Brahman alone existed, one without a second. It knew itself: “I am Brahman.” Thus, all that exists came forth from that realization. Whoever among the gods awakened to this truth became that; so too among the sages and among humans. The sage Vāmadeva, seeing this, declared, “I became Manu, I became the Sun.” Even now, whoever knows, “I am Brahman,” becomes all. Such a one is not ruled over by gods or ancestors, for he has become the Self. But those who worship another, thinking “He is one, I am another,” do not truly know; they are like cattle for the gods, serving them as cattle serve a human. Just as it is unpleasant for cattle to be taken, so too is it for humans to be taken by the gods. Thus, what is unpleasant for the gods is what humans know. Again, in the beginning, Brahman alone was. Being one, it differentiated itself and created the highest form—Kṣatra, or sovereignty—the divine rulers: Indra, Varuṇa, Soma, Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mṛtyu, and Īśāna. There is nothing higher than Kṣatra. Therefore, the priest honors the king in the Rājasūya sacrifice, for Kṣatra alone grants fame. Yet, the womb of Kṣatra is Brahman; thus, even a king, at the height of power, ultimately seeks Brahman, his origin. Whoever injures the king returns to his own origin and becomes more sinful, as one who turns away from the best. Brahman further differentiated itself, creating the divine classes known in groups: the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Viśve Devas, and Maruts. It then created the Śūdra class, Pūṣan, who nourishes all that exists. Then, Brahman created Dharma, the highest form, which is the sovereignty of sovereignty. There is nothing above Dharma; even the weaker submit to the stronger by Dharma, as to a king. Dharma is truth, and truth is Dharma; they are one and the same. Thus, Brahman became manifested as Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and Śūdra. Among the gods, Brahman is Agni; among humans, the Brāhmaṇa; as Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and Śūdra, so among humans. Through Agni among gods and Brāhmaṇa among humans, the worlds are sought. By these two forms, Brahman became manifest. But whoever leaves this world without knowing his own true world, the unknown does not enjoy him, just as the unrecited Veda or unperformed acts bear no fruit. Even great deeds are exhausted in time. One should meditate on the Self alone as one’s world; for such a knower, deeds are never exhausted, and whatever he desires from his own Self, that he creates. This Self is indeed the world of all beings. When one offers sacrifices, he attains the world of the gods; when he recites, the world of the sages; when he desires offspring or makes offerings to ancestors, the world of the ancestors; when he serves or feeds humans, the world of humans; when he gives grass and water to animals, the world of animals; and when he sustains creatures in his home—dogs, birds, insects—the world of those beings. Just as one who desires well-being for all worlds, so all beings desire well-being for the one who knows this. Thus it is known and investigated. In the beginning, only the Self existed. It desired: “May I have a wife, then offspring, then wealth, then perform actions.” This is the full extent of desire; nothing lies beyond. Even now, when one is alone, one desires a wife, offspring, wealth, and action. Until each is attained, one feels incomplete; completeness is found in their fulfillment. Within a person, the mind is the Self; speech is the wife; breath is the offspring; sight is human wealth, for by sight one finds what is good; hearing is divine wealth, for by hearing one learns what is beneficial. The Self is the agent of all action. All this—sacrifice, animals, person, existence—is fivefold. One who knows this attains all. By intelligence and austerity, the Self generated seven kinds of food: one common to all, two for the gods, three reserved for itself, and one for animals. All that breathes and does not breathe is established in these foods, which never diminish though always eaten. Whoever knows this inexhaustibility partakes of food with its symbol and reaches the gods, living on strength. Of the seven foods, one is common to all—what is eaten. Whoever honors this food is not overcome by evil, for it is mixed and shared by all. Two are for the gods—the main offering and the secondary. Thus, offerings are made to the gods at the new and full moon; therefore, one should perform sacrifices with oblations. One food was given to animals—milk. At first, both humans and animals live on milk. Therefore, when a child is born, clarified butter is first tasted or applied to the breast. When a calf is born, it does not yet eat grass, but lives on milk, in which all is established. Some say, “By offering milk throughout the year, one conquers death again.” But truly, on whatever day one offers, that day one conquers death again, for food is offered to all the gods. These foods do not diminish, though always eaten. The person is inexhaustibility, for he generates food again and again by intelligence and action. If he did not, food would diminish. He eats food with the mouth as symbol, and thus, by strength, reaches the gods. Three foods the Self reserved for itself: mind, speech, and breath. When the mind is elsewhere, one neither sees nor hears, for by mind alone one perceives. In the mind reside desire, resolve, doubt, faith, lack of faith, steadiness, unsteadiness, shame, intelligence, and fear—all are functions of the mind. Even when touched from behind, one knows by the mind. All sound depends on speech, and speech on sound. Breath comprises inhalation, exhalation, diffused, upward, and equalizing breaths; all this is made of breath. Thus, the Self is made of speech, mind, and breath. There are three worlds: speech is this world, mind is the intermediate world, breath is the heavenly world. There are three Vedas: Rig is speech, Yajur is mind, Sama is breath. There are gods, ancestors, and humans: speech is the gods, mind is the ancestors, breath is the humans. There are father, mother, and offspring: mind is the father, speech is the mother, breath is the offspring. Whatever is known, to be known, or unknown—all are in speech, mind, or breath. What is known is the form of speech; speech is the knower and protector. What is to be known is the form of mind; mind is the knower and protector. What is unknown is the form of breath; the vital breath is the unknown, and by becoming that, breath protects. For speech, earth is the body, and fire is its luminous form; as much as there is of speech, so much is the earth and fire. For mind, the sky is the body, and the sun its luminous form; as much as there is of mind, so much is sky and sun. These two, united, are a pair, and from them, breath is born—Indra, who is without rival. The second is with a rival; one who knows this has no rival. For breath, water is the body, and the moon its luminous form; as much as breath, so much is water and moon. All these are equal and infinite. Whoever worships them as finite conquers a finite world; whoever worships them as infinite conquers an infinite world. He is the year, Prajapati, with sixteen parts; fifteen are nights, the sixteenth is fixed. He is filled by nights and diminished by waters. On the new moon night, with the sixteenth part, he enters all beings that breathe, and is reborn in the morning. Therefore, one should not cut off the breath of any living being on that night, not even a lizard, for the sake of this deity. The year, Prajapati, with sixteen parts, is this very person who knows thus. His wealth is fifteen parts, the Self is the sixteenth. He is filled by wealth and diminished by waters. Thus, the Self is not wealth; the Self is superior. Even if one owns all, if he lives by the Self, he lives by the highest. There are three worlds: the world of humans, ancestors, and gods. The world of humans is won by a son, not by any other action; the world of ancestors by action; the world of the gods by knowledge. Of these, the world of the gods is the highest, thus knowledge is praised. When a man is about to depart, he addresses his son: “You are Brahman, you are the sacrifice, you are the world.” The son replies, “I am Brahman, I am the sacrifice, I am the world.” Whatever was left unsaid is unified as Brahman; all sacrifices as the sacrifice; all worlds as the world. Thus, all is unified. “Let me not be separated from all this.” Therefore, a son who has been instructed is cherished, and so he is taught. When one who knows thus departs, he enters, together with his breaths, into his son. If any debt or wrong remains, the son releases him from all; thus, he is called “son.” With a son, one stands firm in this world, and into him these immortal breaths enter.