Once, the wise Uddalaka continued his teaching to his son, Śvetaketu. He explained how, when a person feels thirst, it is fire that carries what is drunk to its proper place within the body. Just as cows, horses, and humans each have their own names, so too, fire is called “drink” in this context. From this drink, the shoot arises, and he urged Śvetaketu to understand that nothing arises without a root. Śvetaketu was asked to consider: where could the root of the shoot be, except in water? So, by means of the shoot, one must seek the root in fire; and by means of the shoot, the root in Being. All creatures, he said, have Being as their root, their abode, their foundation. Just as the three elements—fire, water, and earth—enter the person and each become threefold, so it was previously said: when a person departs from this world, speech merges into the mind, mind into breath, breath into fire, and fire into the highest deity. Uddalaka then revealed: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true. That is the Self. That you are, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu, eager for deeper understanding, asked his father to explain further. Uddalaka agreed. He continued: “Just as bees gather nectar from many different trees and blend it into a single honey, so too, all these creatures, having merged with Being, do not know: ‘We have merged with Being.’ Whether they become a tiger, a lion, a wolf, a boar, an insect, a moth, a gnat, or a mosquito—whatever they become, that they become.” Again, Uddalaka affirmed: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true. That is the Self. That you are, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu asked for more, and his father agreed to continue. Uddalaka gave another example: “The rivers in the east flow eastward, and those in the west flow westward; all of them, coming from the ocean, merge into the ocean and become the ocean itself. There, they do not know: ‘I am this one, I am that one.’ In the same way, all these creatures, having come from Being, do not know: ‘We have come from Being.’ Whether they become a tiger, a lion, a wolf, a boar, an insect, a moth, a gnat, or a mosquito—whatever they become, that they become.” He repeated: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true. That is the Self. That you are, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu, still yearning, asked for further explanation, and his father consented. Uddalaka then pointed to a great tree: “If someone strikes the root of this great tree, it will bleed sap while living; if they strike the middle, it will bleed sap while living; if they strike the top, it will bleed sap while living. Pervaded by the living self, it stands rejoicing, drinking in nourishment. If the life leaves one branch, that branch withers; if it leaves a second, that one withers; if it leaves a third, that one withers; if it leaves all, all wither. In the same way, dear one, understand this.” He continued: “When life departs from it, indeed, it dies; life itself does not die. That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true. That is the Self. That you are, Śvetaketu.” Again, Śvetaketu asked for more, and Uddalaka agreed. Next, Uddalaka asked Śvetaketu to bring a fruit of the banyan tree. Śvetaketu did so. Uddalaka told him to break it, and asked what he saw. Śvetaketu replied, “Very small seeds.” Uddalaka asked him to break one of the seeds and asked what he saw. Śvetaketu answered, “Nothing at all, revered sir.” Uddalaka explained, “You do not see this subtle essence; yet, truly, from this subtle essence alone, this great banyan tree stands. Believe this, Somya.” He repeated: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true, that is the Self. You are that, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu requested further explanation, and Uddalaka agreed. Then Uddalaka instructed: “Place this salt in water, and come to me in the morning.” Śvetaketu did so. In the morning, Uddalaka asked him to bring the salt he had placed in the water. Śvetaketu searched but could not find it. Uddalaka asked him to taste the water from different places, and each time, Śvetaketu found it salty. Uddalaka said, “Though you do not see it here, it is truly present.” He declared again: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true, that is the Self. You are that, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu asked for further explanation, and Uddalaka agreed. Uddalaka then described: “Suppose a man is blindfolded and brought from Gandhāra, then released among people. He would blow in every direction—east, west, south, north—blindfolded, brought, blindfolded, released. If someone removes his blindfold and tells him, ‘Gandhāra is in this direction, go this way,’ then, asking from village to village, a wise and intelligent man would reach Gandhāra. In the same way, a man who has a teacher knows, but only for as long as he is not freed; then he attains.” He concluded: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true, that is the Self. You are that, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu asked again, and Uddalaka agreed to continue. Uddalaka explained further: “When a man is afflicted, his relatives gather around him, saying, ‘Do you know me? Do you know me?’ As long as his speech has not merged in his mind, his mind in breath, breath in fire, fire in the supreme deity, he knows them. But when his speech merges in his mind, his mind in breath, breath in fire, fire in the supreme deity, then he does not know them.” He repeated: “That which is this subtle essence, all this has that as its Self. That is the true, that is the Self. You are that, Śvetaketu.” Śvetaketu asked for more, and Uddalaka agreed. Uddalaka then described a man brought holding something stolen. People say, “He stole, he committed theft, the axe burns him.” If he is the doer, he makes himself false. With intent on falsehood, hiding himself with falsehood, he accepts the burning axe; he is burned, then killed. But if he is not the doer, he makes himself true. With intent on truth, hiding himself with truth, he accepts the burning axe; he is not burned, then released. He said, “Just as he would not be burned there, so all this has that as its Self. That is the true, that is the Self. You are that, Śvetaketu.” Thus Śvetaketu understood. Later, Nārada approached the sage Sanatkumāra and requested instruction. Sanatkumāra asked Nārada to recount what he already knew. Nārada replied, “I study the Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharva as the fourth, history and ancient lore as the fifth Veda, the Veda of the Vedas, the science of ancestors, numbers, divination, treasure, speech, single texts, knowledge of the gods, knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of beings, knowledge of warriors, knowledge of stars, knowledge of serpents and spirits. This, revered one, I study.” He admitted, “I am a knower of mantras, but not a knower of the Self. I have heard that only the knower of the Self crosses sorrow. I grieve. May the revered one lead me beyond sorrow.” Sanatkumāra replied, “Whatever you have studied is only name.” He explained, “Name is the Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharva as the fourth, history and ancient lore as the fifth Veda, the Veda of the Vedas, the science of ancestors, numbers, divination, treasure, speech, single texts, knowledge of the gods, knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of beings, knowledge of warriors, knowledge of stars, knowledge of serpents and spirits. All this is name alone. Meditate on name.” Sanatkumāra said, “Whoever meditates upon name as Brahman, to the extent that name reaches, there he moves as he wishes. One who meditates upon name as Brahman asks: ‘Venerable one, is there something greater than name?’ ‘Indeed, there is something greater than name,’ is the reply. ‘Please, venerable one, tell that to me.’” He continued, “Speech is indeed greater than name. Speech makes known the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, the Atharvaveda as the fourth, the Itihasa and Purana as the fifth Veda, the Veda of the Vedas, the rites for ancestors, the collections for the gods, the treasury, the words of speech, the single course, the knowledge of the gods, the knowledge of Brahman, the knowledge of beings, the knowledge of rulers, the knowledge of stars, the knowledge of serpents and divine beings, the heaven and the earth, the wind and the space, the waters and the fire, the gods and humans, the animals and birds, the grass and trees, the wild beasts, the insects, the flying creatures, the ants, righteousness and unrighteousness, truth and falsehood, good and not good, what is pleasing to the heart and what is not, for if there were no speech, neither righteousness nor unrighteousness would be made known, nor truth nor falsehood, nor good nor not good, nor what is pleasing to the heart nor what is not. By speech all this is made known. Meditate on speech.” He said, “Whoever meditates upon speech as Brahman, to the extent that speech reaches, there he moves as he wishes. One who meditates upon speech as Brahman asks: ‘Venerable one, is there something greater than speech?’ ‘Indeed, there is something greater than speech,’ is the reply. ‘Please, venerable one, tell that to me.’” Sanatkumāra explained, “Mind is indeed greater than speech. Just as two amalaka fruits, or two kola fruits, or two bilva fruits are grasped in a fist, so speech and name are grasped by the mind. When one contemplates with the mind, one studies the mantras; when one wills, one acts; when one desires sons or cattle, one desires; when one desires this world or the next, one desires. Mind is indeed the self; mind is indeed the world; mind is indeed Brahman. Meditate on mind.” He said, “Whoever meditates upon mind as Brahman, to the extent that mind reaches, there he moves as he wishes. One who meditates upon mind as Brahman asks: ‘Venerable one, is there something greater than mind?’ ‘Indeed, there is something greater than mind,’ is the reply. ‘Please, venerable one, tell that to me.’” Sanatkumāra continued, “Intention is indeed greater than mind. When one intends, then one contemplates; then one utters speech; then one utters name; in name the mantras become one; in the mantras, the actions. All these indeed have intention as their one course, are of the nature of intention, are established in intention. Heaven and earth are established by intention; wind and space are established by intention; waters and fire are established by intention. For the sake of intention, rain is intended; for the sake of rain, food is intended; for the sake of food, breath is intended; for the sake of breath, mantras are intended; for the sake of mantras, actions are intended; for the sake of actions, the world is intended; for the sake of the world, everything is intended. This is intention. Meditate on intention.” He declared, “Whoever meditates upon intention as Brahman, truly he attains the worlds that are established and firm, and he himself becomes established and unshaken. To the extent that intention reaches, there he moves as he wishes.