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rebirth as the lowest and most ephemeral animals (on Brahma-sutra, III. i. 8 f.). When men of inferior knowledge or good works die, their sense-functions are merged into the manas, manas into "breaths," "breaths" into the individual soul, which together with the "subtle body" passes into the heart, of which the peak is now lit up (B.A. IV. iv. 2); thence the soul of the man of lower knowledge travels out by the sushumna (an imaginary vein leading to the top of the head) by the road of the sun's rays (Ch. VIII. vi. 5), to the "Way of the Gods," but that of the man of good works issues by way of the other 100 chief veins of the body into the "Way of the Fathers" (on Brahma-sutra IV. ii. 17 f.). On IV. iii. 1 f. S'ankara endeavours to reconcile the discrepant lists of the stations in the "Way of the Gods" given in Ch. IV. xv. 5, V. x. 1, B.A. VI. ii. 15, and Kau. I. iii., and points out that by their names are to be understood their presiding deities. As regards the road of return to rebirth, he follows Ch. V. x. 5 f. and B.A. VI. ii. 16 (on III. i. 22 f.). Brahma Knowledge, by L. D. Barnett, [1911], at sacred-texts.com [p. 56] PART II SOME TEXTS OF THE VEDANTA I. CREATION [*1] 1. IN the beginning this universe was Self alone; there was naught else open-eyed. He bethought Himself: "Now I will create worlds!" He created these worlds--the Ocean, the Light, the Dead, the Waters. That is the Ocean which is beyond the heaven; the heaven is its foundation. The Light is the sky. The Dead is the Earth; the Waters are those beneath. He bethought Himself: "There are the worlds; now I will create world-wardens!" He drew from the waters Man, [*2] and made him solid. He brooded over him. When he had been brooded over, his mouth burst asunder like an egg; from his mouth arose Speech, from speech Fire. His nostrils burst asunder; from his nostrils arose the incoming Breath, from the [p. 57] [paragraph continues] Breath Wind. His eyes burst asunder; from his eyes arose Sight, from Sight the Sun. His ears burst asunder; from his ears arose Hearing, from Hearing Space. His skin burst asunder; from his skin arose hair, from the hair plants and trees. His heart burst asunder; from his heart arose Mind, from Mind the Moon. His navel burst asunder: from his navel arose the outgoing Breath, from the Breath Death. His secret parts burst asunder; from his secret parts arose seed, from seed the Waters. 2. These gods, having been created, fell into this great ocean; this He gave over to Hunger and Thirst. [*1] They said to Him: "Find out for us a dwelling-place in which we may rest and eat food." He brought them a cow. They said: "This is not enough for us." He brought them a horse. They said: "This is not enough for us." He brought them a man. They said: "Well done, forsooth!" For man is in sooth well done. He said to them: "Enter, each according to your dwelling-places." So Fire, becoming Speech, entered his mouth; Wind, becoming the incoming Breath, entered his [p. 58] nostrils; the Sun, becoming Sight, entered his eyes; Space, becoming Hearing, entered his ears; the Plants and Trees, becoming hair, entered his skin; the Moon, becoming Mind, entered his heart; Death, becoming the outgoing Breath, entered his navel; the Waters, becoming seed, entered his secret parts. Hunger and Thirst said to Him: "Find out for us a dwelling-place." He said to them: "I give you a share with these gods, I make you partners with them." Therefore it is that whosoever be the godhead for whom an offering is taken, Hunger and Thirst are partners therein. 3. He bethought Himself: "There are the worlds and the world-wardens; now I will create for them Food." He brooded over the waters; when they had been brooded over, there arose from the waters a shape. The shape that arose was Food. When this was created, it sought to escape Him. He sought to seize it with Speech, but could not; if He had seized it with Speech, one might have been filled with food through speaking only. He sought to seize it with the incoming Breath, but could not; if He had seized it with the Breath, one might have been filled with food through breathing only. He sought to seize it with the Eye, but could not; if He had seized it with the Eye, one might have been filled with food through sight only. He sought to seize it with the Ears [p. 59] but could not; if He had seized it with the Ear, one might have been filled with food through hearing only. He sought to seize it with the Skin, but could not; if He had seized it with the Skin, one might have been filled with food through touch only. He sought to seize it with the Mind, but could not; if He had seized it with the Mind, one might have been filled with food through thinking only. He sought to seize it with the secret parts, but could not; if He had seized it with the secret parts, one might have been filled with food through excretion only. He sought to seize it with the outgoing Breath, and He swallowed it. It is the Wind that grasps Food, the Wind that wins Food. [*1] He bethought Himself: "How can this be without me?" He bethought Himself: "By what way shall I come in?" He bethought Himself: "If speaking is by speech, in-breathing by the in-breath, sight by the eye, hearing by the ear, touch by the skin, thinking by the mind, out-breathing by the out-breath, excretion by the secret parts, then who am I?" [*2] He cleft asunder the crown of the head, and by that door came in. This door is called the "cleft"; it makes for bliss. [*3] [p. 60] Three dwellings has He, and three dream-states --this is His dwelling, this His dwelling, this His dwelling. Having been born, He surveyed living things. "What is here," said He, "that one would call other [than Me]?" He saw man to be most utterly Brahma, and He said, "idam adars'am" ("I have seen it"). Therefore He has the name Idan-dra. His name is indeed Idan-dra; but him who is Idan-dra men call Indra, in a dark manner; for the gods love what is dark. Footnotes ^56:1 Aitareya Upanishad, i. ^56:2 Purusha; see above, section section 4, 5, 7. ^57:1 The cosmic powers, Fire, Wind, Sun, Space, Vegetation, Moon, Death, and Water (each of which is created from a corresponding function of the ideal Man) are in themselves powerless. They sink back into the primitive waters, and suffer hunger and thirst; they must have a home in the real Man in order to be satisfied and active. The forces of Nature exist only through and in the human subject ^59:1 The outgoing breath, apana, probably is here identified with the function of digestion (p. 43). The rest of the sentence is based upon a word-play. ^59:2 For the answer to this question, see the next extract. ^59:3 See above, section 9. Brahma Knowledge, by L. D. Barnett, [1911], at sacred-texts.com II. WHO AM I? [*3] The heart, the mind, consciousness, comprehension, understanding, intelligence, wisdom, insight, resolution, thought, prudence, eagerness, memory, conception, power, life, desire, will--all these are names of the Intelligence. This is Brahma, this is Indra, this is Praja-pati, this is all the gods, the five great elements Earth, Wind, Ether, Water, and Light, the tiny creatures and they that are midway, the seeds of either kind, the creatures born from eggs, membranes, sweat, [p. 61] and sprouts, the horses, oxen, men, elephants, whatsoever is breathing, walking or flying, and whatso is motionless; all this is guided by intelligence, founded on intelligence. The universe is guided by intelligence, founded on intelligence. Intelligence is Brahma. Footnotes ^60:1 See above, section section 12, 15. Brahma dwells in the eye during the waking state, in the mind during dreams, and in the heart during dreamless sleep. ^60:2 Indra is a Vedic god of the first rank; hence by a wordplay our writer identifies him with Brahma. ^60:3 Aitareya Upanishad, iii. Brahma Knowledge, by L. D. Barnett, [1911], at sacred-texts.com III. THE WORLD WITHIN [*1] "Now within this town of Brahma [*2] is a dwelling, a little lotus-flower; within this is a little space; what is therewithin men should inquire after, yea, should seek to know." If they should say to him: "Within this town of Brahma is a dwelling, a little lotus-flower; within this is a little space; what is found there-within which men should inquire after, yea, should seek to know?"-- he shall say: "Verily that space within the heart is as great as this Space; therein are lodged both heaven and earth, both fire and wind, both sun and moon, lightning and stars, what one hath here and what he hath not, all this is lodged therein." If they should say to him: "If all this is lodged in this town of Brahma, and all beings and all [p. 62] desires--what remains thereof when old age comes upon it, or it dissolves?"-- he shall say: "This grows not old with his aging, nor is it smitten by slaying of him. This is the true town of Brahma. In it are lodged the Desires. [*1] It is the Self, free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, hungerless, thirstless, real of desire, real of purpose...So they who depart without finding here the Self and these real Desires, walk not as they list in any worlds; but they who depart after finding here the Self and these real Desires, walk as they list in all worlds... These real Desires are covered over by Untruth; real as they are, Untruth is their covering. Man here can see no more any of his folk who depart hence. But when he goes there [*2] he finds all--those of his folk who are living, and those who have departed, and whatever else he wins not for seeking. For there those real Desires are that were covered over by Untruth. It is as with men who, knowing not the ground, should walk again and again over a hidden treasure and find it not; even so all creatures, [p. 63] coming to it day by day, find not this Brahma-world, for they are cast back by Untruth ...