From that Supreme Source, all the oceans and mountains arise; from Him, countless rivers pour forth in every form. All plants and their essences come from Him, and it is by Him that the inner Self dwells within all living beings. This entire universe—every action, every austerity, the very essence of Brahman, and the highest nectar—is nothing but the Person alone. Whoever realizes this truth, hidden deep within the heart’s cave, breaks free from the knot of ignorance, gentle seeker. Here, manifest and present, is the great abode, residing in the cave of the heart. It moves, breathes, and blinks; recognize this as both existence and non-existence—the most excellent, supreme knowledge among beings. That which is radiant and subtler than the subtlest, in which all worlds and their inhabitants are contained, is the imperishable Brahman. It is the life-force, speech, and mind; it is truth and immortality. This, gentle one, is what must be known. Take the Upanishad as a mighty bow, set the sharp arrow of meditation upon it, and with a mind absorbed in That, draw and aim at the imperishable as your target, gentle seeker. Om is the bow, the Self is the arrow, and Brahman is the target. With unwavering attention, pierce that target and become one with it, just as an arrow becomes one with its mark. Know that One Self in whom heaven, earth, and the space between are woven, together with the mind and all the life-forces. Realize only that Self, and let go of all other words—this alone is the bridge to immortality. As the spokes are held together in the hub of a wheel, so are all the channels of being united in that One. He moves within, manifesting in countless ways. Meditate on the Self as Om—may you prosper and cross beyond all darkness. He who knows all and is all-knowing, whose glory shines upon the earth—this Self resides in the luminous city of Brahman, in the highest sky. Made of mind, leader of the life-forces, established in food, with the heart as his abode—by knowing Him, the wise behold the blissful, immortal form that shines forth. When that Supreme, both higher and lower, is seen, the knot of the heart is untied, all doubts are cut asunder, and all actions come to an end. In the highest golden sheath is Brahman, pure, without stain, indivisible; that radiant Light of all lights is what the knowers of the Self behold. There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars; even lightning does not shine there, much less this earthly fire. Shining alone, He illumines all; by His light, all things shine. Brahman is this immortal before, Brahman behind, to the right and to the left; below and above, Brahman alone pervades. Truly, this whole universe is the supreme Brahman. Two birds, united and close companions, perch on the same tree. Of these, one eats the sweet fruit, while the other looks on without eating. On that same tree, the individual soul, sunk in ignorance, grieves and is bewildered. But when he sees the other—the Lord, and His greatness—he becomes free from sorrow. When the seer beholds the golden-colored Creator, the Lord, the Person, the source of Brahman, then the wise one, shaking off both virtue and vice, becomes stainless and attains supreme equality. He is the vital force that shines in all beings. Knowing this, the wise man does not indulge in excessive argument. He delights in the Self, rejoices in the Self, and is active—he is the highest among knowers of Brahman. This Self is attained by truth, by austerity, by right knowledge, and by constant chastity. Within the body, pure and full of light, the ascetics whose faults are exhausted behold Him. Truth alone prevails, not falsehood. By truth is the path laid out—the way of the gods—which the sages, whose desires are fulfilled, travel to where lies the supreme treasure of truth. That is vast, divine, and of inconceivable form; subtler than the subtlest, it shines. It is farther than the far, yet here, very near; it is seen here, hidden in the cave of the heart. It is not grasped by the eye, nor by speech, nor by other gods, nor by austerity or action. By the grace of knowledge, when the mind is purified, one sees that indivisible being through meditation. This subtle Self must be realized by the mind, in which the life-force has entered fivefold. In this Self, all the minds of beings are woven; when it is purified, this Self shines forth. Whatever world a pure-minded person contemplates with his mind, whatever desires he wishes, he attains that world and those desires. Therefore, one who desires prosperity should worship the knower of the Self. He knows that supreme abode of Brahman where the whole universe is established, shining and pure. Those wise ones who worship the Person without desires surpass this pure world. Whoever, thinking himself to be the doer, desires objects, is born again and again with those desires in various places; but for one whose desires are fulfilled, whose Self is established, here itself all desires dissolve. This Self is not attained by instruction, nor by intellect, nor by much hearing; it is gained only by him whom it chooses—to him, this Self reveals its own true form. This Self is not attained by one lacking strength, nor through carelessness, nor by improper austerity; but by these means, whoever strives with knowledge—to him, this Self enters the abode of Brahman. Having attained this, the sages, satisfied in knowledge, self-controlled, free from passion, and peaceful—those wise ones, having reached the all-pervading, enter into all entirely, with minds united. Those ascetics, pure in mind, who are firmly established in the knowledge of Vedanta through the discipline of renunciation—at the end of their time, in the worlds of Brahman, all become completely liberated and immortal. When the fifteen parts and all the gods, along with their presiding deities, have merged, then all actions and the knowledge-made self become one in the supreme, imperishable. Just as flowing rivers disappear into the ocean, leaving behind their names and forms, so too, the wise one, freed from name and form, attains the supreme, divine Person beyond the beyond. Whoever truly knows that supreme Brahman becomes Brahman indeed; in his lineage, no one ignorant of Brahman is born. He crosses over sorrow, crosses over evil, and, freed from the knots of the heart, becomes immortal. This is declared in the ancient verse: Those who are active, learned in the scriptures, and devoted to Brahman, who themselves offer with faith to the one fire—to them alone should this knowledge of Brahman be taught, to those who have duly performed the vow of the head. This is the truth: the sage Angiras declared it in ancient times; this is not studied by one who has not performed the vow. Salutation to the supreme sages, salutation to the supreme sages.