स ह द्वादशवर्ष उपेत्य चतुर्विँशतिवर्षः सर्वान्वेदानधीत्य महामना अनूचानमानी स्तब्ध एयाय तँह पितोवाच
He, having approached at the age of twelve and having studied all the Vedas by the age of twenty-four, returned home, proud, considering himself learned, and self-assured. Then his father spoke to him.
श्वेतकेतो यन्नु सोम्येदं महामना अनूचानमानी स्तब्धोऽस्युत तमादेशमप्राक्ष्यः येनाश्रुतँ श्रुतं भवत्यमतं मतमविज्ञातं विज्ञातमिति कथं नु भगवः स आदेशो भवतीति
Śvetaketu, dear one, since you have become proud, considering yourself learned and self-assured, did you ask for that instruction by which what is unheard becomes heard, what is unthought becomes thought, what is unknown becomes known? How, revered sir, is such instruction possible?
यथा सोम्यैकेन मृत्पिण्डेन सर्वं मृन्मयं विज्ञातँ स्याद्वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं मृत्तिकेत्येव सत्यम्
Just as, dear one, by knowing a single lump of clay, all things made of clay become known—modification is only a name, arising from speech, while the clay alone is real.
यथा सोम्यैकेन लोहमणिना सर्वं लोहमयं विज्ञातँ स्याद्वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं लोहमित्येव सत्यम्
Just as, dear one, by knowing a single piece of gold, all things made of gold become known—modification is only a name, arising from speech, while the gold alone is real.
यथा सोम्यिकेन नखनिकृन्तनेन सर्वं कार्ष्णायसं विज्ञातँ स्याद्वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं कृष्णायसमित्येव सत्यमेवँसोम्य स आदेशो भवतीति
Just as, dear one, by knowing a single piece of iron, all things made of iron become known—modification is only a name, arising from speech, while the iron alone is real. Indeed, dear one, such is that instruction.
न वै नूनं भगवन्तस्त एतदवेदिषुर्यद्ध्येतदवेदिष्यन्कथं मे नावक्ष्यन्निति भगवाँस्त्वेव मे तद्ब्रवीत्विति तथा सोम्येति होवाच
Surely, revered sir, my teachers did not know this; for if they had known, how would they not have told me? Revered sir, please teach me this. So be it, dear one, he replied.
सदेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम् । तद्धैक आहुरसदेवेदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयं तस्मादसतः सज्जायत
In the beginning, dear one, this world was just Being, one only, without a second. Some say, in the beginning this world was just Non-being, one only, without a second; from Non-being, Being was born.
कुतस्तु खलु सोम्यैवँस्यादिति होवाच कथमसतः सज्जायेतेति। सत्त्वेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम्
But how, dear one, could it be so? he said. How could Being arise from Non-being? In truth, dear one, in the beginning this world was just Being, one only, without a second.
तदैक्षत बहु स्यां प्रजायेयेति तत्तेजोऽसृजत । तत्तेज ऐक्षत बहु स्यां प्रजायेयेति तदपोऽसृजत । तस्माद्यत्र क्वच शोचति स्वेदते वा पुरुषस्तेजस एव तदध्यापो जायन्ते
That Being thought: 'May I become many, may I be born.' It created fire. That fire thought: 'May I become many, may I be born.' It created water. Therefore, wherever a person feels pain or sweats, water is produced from fire alone.
ता आप ऐक्षन्त बह्व्यः स्याम प्रजायेमहीति ता अन्नमसृजन्त । तस्माद्यत्र क्व च वर्षति तदेव भूयिष्ठमन्नं भवत्यद्भ्य एव तदध्यन्नाद्यं जायते
That water thought: 'May we become many, may we be born.' It created food. Therefore, wherever it rains, food becomes abundant; for from water alone is food produced.
तेषां खल्वेषां भूतानां त्रीण्येव बीजानि भवन्त्याण्डजं जीवजमुद्भिज्जमिति
Among these beings, there are only three kinds of birth: from eggs, from living beings, and from sprouts.
सेयं देवतैक्षत हन्ताहमिमास्तिस्रो देवता अनेन जीवेनात्मनानुप्रविश्य नामरूपे व्याकरवाणीति
That deity thought: 'Let me enter these three deities with this living self and differentiate names and forms.'
तासां त्रिवृतं त्रिवृतमेकैकां करवाणीति सेयं देवतेमास्तिस्रो देवता अनेनैव जीवेनात्मनानुप्रविश्य नामरूपे व्याकरोत्
Of these, let me make each one threefold. So that deity, entering these three deities with this living self, differentiated names and forms.
तासां त्रिवृतं त्रिवृतमेकैकामकरोद्यथा तु खलु सोम्येमास्तिस्रो देवतास्त्रिवृत्त्रिवृदेकैका भवति तन्मे विजानीहीति
Of these, it made each one threefold. Now, dear one, how these three deities become threefold in each, learn that from me.
यदग्ने रोहितँरूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं तदन्नस्यापागादग्नेरग्नित्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम्
The red form in fire is the form of fire; the white is of water; the black is of food. The fire-ness of fire is only a name, arising from speech, while the three forms alone are real.
यदादित्यस्य रोहितँरूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं तदन्नस्यापागादादित्यादादित्यत्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम्
The red form in the sun is the form of fire; the white is of water; the black is of food. The sun-ness of the sun is only a name, arising from speech, while the three forms alone are real.
यच्छन्द्रमसो रोहितँरूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं तदन्नस्यापागाच्चन्द्राच्चन्द्रत्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम्
The red form in the moon is the form of fire; the white is of water; the black is of food. The moon-ness of the moon is only a name, arising from speech, while the three forms alone are real.
यद्विद्युतो रोहितँरूपं तेजसस्तद्रूपं यच्छुक्लं तदपां यत्कृष्णं तदन्नस्यापागाद्विद्युतो विद्युत्त्वं वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयं त्रीणि रूपाणीत्येव सत्यम्
The red form in lightning is the form of fire; the white is of water; the black is of food. The lightning-ness of lightning is only a name, arising from speech, while the three forms alone are real.
एतद्ध स्म वै तद्विद्वाँस आहुः पूर्वे महाशाला महाश्रोत्रिया न नोऽद्य कश्चनाश्रुतममतमविज्ञातमुदाहरिष्यतीति ह्येभ्यो विदाञ्चक्रुः
Indeed, those who were learned, the great householders and great scholars of old, used to say: 'Today, no one will speak of anything unheard, unthought, or unknown to us,' for they had attained knowledge from those before them.
यदु रोहितमिवाभूदिति तेजसस्तद्रूपमिति तद्विदाञ्चक्रुर्यदु शुक्लमिवाभूदित्यपाँरूपमिति तद्विदाञ्चक्रुर्यदु कृष्णमिवाभूदित्यन्नस्य रूपमिति तद्विदाञ्चक्रुः
When something appeared red, they said, 'That is the form of fire'; when something appeared white, they said, 'That is the form of water'; when something appeared black, they said, 'That is the form of food.' Thus, they discerned.
यद्वविज्ञातमिवाभूदित्येतासामेव देवतानाँसमास इति तद्विदाञ्चक्रुर्यथा नु खलु सोम्येमास्तिस्रो देवताः पुरुषं प्राप्य त्रिवृत्त्रिवृदेकैका भवति तन्मे विजानीहीति
When something seemed unknown, they said, 'That is the union of these deities.' Just as, dear one, these three deities, upon entering a person, each become threefold, so understand this from me.
अन्नमशितं त्रेधा विधीयते तस्य यः स्थविष्ठो धातुस्तत्पुरीषं भवति यो मध्यमस्तन्माँसं योऽणिष्ठस्तन्मनः
Food that is eaten is divided into three parts: the heaviest portion becomes excrement, the middle portion becomes flesh, and the subtlest portion becomes mind.
पीतास्त्रेधा विधीयन्ते तासां यः स्थविष्ठो धातुस्तन्मूत्रं भवति यो मध्यमस्तल्लोहितं योऽणिष्ठः स प्राणः
Water that is drunk is divided into three parts: the heaviest portion becomes urine, the middle portion becomes blood, and the subtlest portion becomes breath.
तेजोऽशितं त्रेधा विधीयते तस्य यः स्थविष्ठो धातुस्तदस्थि भवति यो मध्यमः स मज्जा योऽणिष्ठः सा वाक्
Fire that is consumed is divided into three parts: the heaviest portion becomes bone, the middle portion becomes marrow, and the subtlest portion becomes speech.
अन्नमयँहि सोम्य मनः आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति भूय एव मा भगवान्विज्ञापयत्विति तथा सोम्येति होवाच
Indeed, dear one, mind is made of food, breath is made of water, and speech is made of fire. Let the revered one explain further.' 'So be it, dear one,' he replied.
सोम्य मथ्यमानस्य योऽणिमा स उर्ध्वः समुदीषति तत्सर्पिर्भवति
Dear one, the subtlest part of the middle portion of curds rises upward and becomes clarified butter.
एवमेव खलु सोम्यान्नस्याश्यमानस्य योऽणिमा स उर्ध्वः समुदीषति तन्मनो भवति
In the same way, dear one, the subtlest part of the food that is eaten rises upward and becomes mind.
अपाँसोम्य पीयमानानां योऽणिमा स उर्ध्वः समुदीषति सा प्राणो भवति
Dear one, the subtlest part of the water that is drunk rises upward and becomes breath.
सोम्याश्यमानस्य योऽणिमा स उर्ध्वः समुदीषति सा वाग्भवति
Dear one, the subtlest part of the food that is eaten rises upward and becomes speech.
अन्नमयँ हि सोम्य मन आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति भूय एव मा भगवान्विज्ञापयत्विति तथा सोम्येति होवाच
Indeed, dear one, mind is made of food, breath is made of water, and speech is made of fire. Let the revered one explain further.' 'So be it, dear one,' he replied.