Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ("Great Forest Teaching") 6.2

6.2.1

iti pratiśuśrāvānuśiṣṭo'nvasi pitretyomiti hovāca

Svetaketu Âruneya went to the settlement of the Pañkâlas. He came near to Pravâhana Gaivali, who was walking about (surrounded by his men). As soon as he (the king) saw him, he said: 'My boy!' Svetaketu replied: 'Sir!'
Then the king said: 'Have you been taught by your father!' 'Yes,' he replied.

6.2.3

vettha yathemāḥ prajāḥprayatyo vipratipadyantā

The king said: 'Do you know how men, when they depart from here, separate from each other?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know how they come back to this world?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know how that world does never become full with the many who again and again depart thither?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know at the offering of which libation the waters become endowed with a human voice and rise and speak?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know the access to the path leading to the Devas and to the path leading to the Fathers, i.e. by what deeds men gain access to the path leading to the Devas or to that leading to the Fathers? For we have heard even the saying of a Rishi: "I heard of two paths for men, one leading to the Fathers, the other leading to the Devas. On those paths all that lives moves on, whatever there is between father (sky) and mother (earth)."'
Svetaketu said: 'I do not know even one of all these questions.'

Then the king invited him to stay and accept his hospitality. But the boy, not caring for hospitality, ran away, went back to his father, and said: 'Thus then you called me formerly well-instructed!' The father said: 'What then, you sage?' The son replied: 'That fellow of a Râganya asked me five questions, and I did not know one of them.'
'What were they?' said the father.
'These were they,' the son replied, mentioning the different heads.

6.2.3-2

iti neti hovācavettho yathemaṃ lokaṃ punarāpadyantā3 iti neti haivovāca vettho yathāsau loka evaṃ bahubhiḥ punaḥ punaḥ prayadbhirnasaṃpūryatā

6.2.2

iti netihaivovāca vettho yatithyāmāhutyām̐ hutāyāmāpaḥ puruṣavāco bhūtvā samutthāya vadantī3 iti neti haivovāca vettho devayānasya vā yathaḥpratipadaṃ pitṛyāṇasya vā yatkṛtvā devayānaṃ vā panthānaṃ pratipadyante pitṛyāṇaṃ vāpi hi na ṣervacaḥ śrutam | dve sṛtī aśṛṇavaṃ pitṛṇāmahaṃ devānāmuta martyānām | tābhyāmidaṃ viśvamejatsameti yadantarā pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ceti nāhamata ekaṃcana vedeti hovāca

The king said: 'Do you know how men, when they depart from here, separate from each other?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know how they come back to this world?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know how that world does never become full with the many who again and again depart thither?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know at the offering of which libation the waters become endowed with a human voice and rise and speak?' 'No,' he replied.
'Do you know the access to the path leading to the Devas and to the path leading to the Fathers, i.e. by what deeds men gain access to the path leading to the Devas or to that leading to the Fathers? For we have heard even the saying of a Rishi: "I heard of two paths for men, one leading to the Fathers, the other leading to the Devas. On those paths all that lives moves on, whatever there is between father (sky) and mother (earth)."'
Svetaketu said: 'I do not know even one of all these questions.'

6.2.3-3

athainaṃ vasatyopamantrayāṃ cakre'nādṛtya vasatiṃ kumāraḥ pradudrāva sa ājagāma pitaraṃ tam̐ hovāceti vāva kila no bhavānpurānuśiṣṭānavoca iti katham̐ sumedha iti pañca mā praśnānrājanyabandhuraprākṣīttato naikaṃcana vedeti katame ta itīma iti ha pratīkānyudājahāra

Then the king invited him to stay and accept his hospitality. But the boy, not caring for hospitality, ran away, went back to his father, and said: 'Thus then you called me formerly well-instructed!' The father said: 'What then, you sage?' The son replied: 'That fellow of a Râganya asked me five questions, and I did not know one of them.'
'What were they?' said the father.
'These were they,' the son replied, mentioning the different heads.

6.2.4

sa hovāca tathā nastvaṃ tāta jānīthā yathā yadahaṃ kiṃca veda sarvamahaṃ tattubhyamavocaṃ prehi tu tatra pratītya brahmacaryaṃ vatsyāva iti bhavāneva gacchatviti sa ājagāma gautamo yatrapravāhaṇasya jaivalerāsa tasmā āsanamā-hṛtyodakamāhārayāṃ kārātha hāsmā arghyaṃ cakāra tam̐ hovāca varaṃ bhagavate gautamāya dadma iti

The father said: 'You know me, child, that whatever I know, I told you. But come, we shall go thither, and dwell there as students.'
'You may go, Sir,' the son replied.
Then Gautama went where (the place of) Pravâhana Gaivali was, and the king offered him a seat, ordered water for him, and gave him the proper offerings. Then he said to him: 'Sir, we offer a boon to Gautama.'

6.2.5

sa hovāca pratijñāto ma eṣa varo yāṃ tu kumārasyānte vācama-bhāṣathāstāṃ me brūhīti

Gautama said: 'That boon is promised to me; tell me the same speech which you made in the presence of my boy.'

6.2.6

sa hovāca daiveṣu vai gautama tadvareṣu mānuṣāṇāṃ brūhīti

He said: 'That belongs to divine boons, name one of the human boons.'

6.2.7

sa hovāca vijñāyate hāsti hiraṇyasyāpāttaṃ go aśvānāṃ dāsīnāṃ pravārāṇāṃ paridhānasya mā no bhavānbahoranantasyāparyantasyābhyavadānyo bhūditi sa vai gautama tīrthenecchāsā ityupaimyahaṃ bhavantamiti vācā ha smaiva pūrva upayanti sa hopāyanakīrtyovāsa

He said: 'You know well that I have plenty of gold, plenty of cows, horses, slaves, attendants, and apparel; do not heap on me what I have already in plenty, in abundance, and superabundance.'
The king said: 'Gautama, do you wish (for instruction from me) in the proper way?'
Gautama replied: 'I come to you as a pupil.'
In word only have former sages (though Brahmans) come as pupils (to people of lower rank), but Gautama actually dwelt as a pupil (of Pravâhana, who was a Râganya) in order to obtain the fame of having respectfully served his master.

6.2.8

sa hovāca tathā nastvaṃ gautama māparādhāstava ca pitāmahā yatheyaṃ vidyetaḥ pūrvaṃ na kasmim̐ścana brāhmaṇa uvāsa tāṃ tvahaṃ tubhyaṃ vakṣyāmi ko hi tvaivaṃ bruvantamarhati pratyākhyātumiti

The king said: 'Do not be offended with us, neither you nor your forefathers, because this knowledge has before now never dwelt with any Brâhmana. But I shall tell it to you, for who could refuse you when you speak thus?

6.2.9

asau vai loko'gnirgautama tasyāditya eva samidraśmayo dhūmo'hararcirdiśo'ṅgārā avāntaradiśo visphu-liṅgāstasminnetasminnagnau devāḥ śraddhāṃ juhvati tasyā āhutyai somo rājā saṃbhavati

'The altar (fire), O Gautama, is that world (heaven); the fuel is the sun itself, the smoke his rays, the light the day, the coals the quarters, the sparks the intermediate quarters. On that altar the Devas offer the sraddhâ libation (consisting of water). From that oblation rises Soma, the king (the moon).

6.2.10

parjanyo vā agnirgautama tasya saṃvatsara eva samidabhrāṇi dhūmo vidyudarciraśaniraṅgārā hādunayo visphuliṅgāstasminnetasminnagnau devāḥsomam̐ rājānaṃ juhvati tasyā āhutyai vṛṣṭiḥ saṃbhavati

'The altar, O Gautama, is Parganya (the god of rain); the fuel is the year itself, the smoke the clouds, the light the lightning, the coals the thunderbolt, the sparks the thunderings. On that altar the Devas offer Soma, the king (the moon). From that oblation rises rain.

6.2.11

ayaṃ vai loko'gnirgautama tasya pṛthivyeva samidagnirdhūmo rātrirarciścandramā aṅgārā nakṣatrāṇi visphuliṅgāstasminnetasminnegnau devā vṛṣṭiṃ juhvati tasyā āhutyā annam̐ saṃbhavati

'The altar, O Gautama, is this world; the fuel is the earth itself, the smoke the fire, the light the night, the coals the moon, the sparks the stars. On that altar the Devas offer rain. From that oblation rises food.

6.2.12

puruṣo vā agnirgautama tasya vyāttameva samitprāṇo dhūmo vāgarciścakṣuraṅgārāḥ śrotraṃ visphuliṅgāstasminnetasminnagnau devā annaṃ juhvati tasyā āhutyai retaḥ saṃbhavati

'The altar, O Gautama, is man; the fuel the opened mouth, the smoke the breath, the light the tongue, the coals the eye, the sparks the ear. On that altar the Devas offer food. From that oblation rises seed.

6.2.13

yoṣā vā agnirgautama tasyā upastha eva samillomāni dhūmo yonirarciryadantaḥ karoti te'ṅgārā abhinandā visphuliṅgāstasminnetasminnagnau devā reto juhvati tasyā āhutyai puruṣaḥ saṃbhavati sa jīvati yāvajjīvatyatha yadā mriyate

'The altar, O Gautama, is woman. On that altar the Devas offer seed. From that oblation rises man. He lives so long as he lives, and then when he dies,

6.2.14

athainamagnaye haranti tasyāgnirevāgnirbhavati samitsamiddhūmo dhūmo'rcirarciraṅgārā aṅgārā visphuliṅgā visphuliṅgāstasminnetasminnagnau devāḥ puruṣaṃ juhvati tasyā āhutyai puruṣo bhāsvaravarṇaḥ saṃbhavati

'They take him to the fire (the funeral pile), and then the altar-fire is indeed fire, the fuel fuel, the smoke smoke, the light light, the coals coals, the sparks sparks. In that very altar-fire the Devas offer man, and from that oblation man rises, brilliant in colour.

6.2.15

te ya evametadvidurye cāmī araṇye śraddhām̐ satyamupāsate te'rcirabhisaṃbhavantyarciṣo'harahna āpūryamāṇapakṣamāpūryamāṇapakṣādyānṣaṇmāsānudaṅṅāditya eti māsebhyo devalokaṃ devalokādādityamādityādvaidyutaṃ tānvaidyutānpuruṣo mānasa etya brahmalokāngamayati te teṣu brahmalokeṣu parāḥparāvato vasanti teṣāṃ na punarāvṛttiḥ

'Those who thus know this (even Grihasthas), and those who in the forest worship faith and the True (Brahman Hiranyagarbha), go to light (arkis), from light to day, from day to the increasing half, from the increasing half to the six months when the sun goes to the north, from those six months to the world of the Devas (Devaloka), from the world of the Devas to the sun, from the sun to the place of lightning. When they have thus reached the place of lightning a spirit comes near them, and leads them to the worlds of the (conditioned) Brahman. In these worlds of Brahman they dwell exalted for ages. There is no returning for them.

6.2.16

atha ye yajñena dānena tapasā lokāñjayanti te dhūmamabhisaṃbhavanti dhūmādrātrim̐ rātrerapakṣīyamāṇapakṣamapakṣīyamāṇapakṣādyānṣaṇmāsāndakṣiṇāditya eti māsebhyaḥ pitṛlokaṃ pitṛlokāccandraṃ te candraṃ prātyānnaṃ bhavanti tām̐statra devā yathā somam̐ rājānamāpyāyasvāpakṣīyasvetyevamenām̐statra bhakṣayanti teṣāṃ yadā tatparyavaityathemamevākāśamabhiniṣpadyanta ākāśādvāyuṃ vāyorvṛṣṭiṃ vṛṣṭeḥ pṛthivīṃ te pṛthivīṃ prāpyānnaṃ bhavanti te punaḥ puruṣāgnau hūyante tato yoṣāgnau jāyante lokānpratyutthāyinasta evamevānuparivartante'tha ya etau panthānau na viduste kīṭāḥ pataṅgā yadidaṃ dandaśūkam

'But they who conquer the worlds (future states) by means of sacrifice, charity, and austerity, go to smoke, from smoke to night, from night to the decreasing half of the moon, from the decreasing half of the moon to the six months when the sun goes to the south, from these months to the world of the fathers, from the world of the fathers to the moon. Having reached the moon, they become food, and then the Devas feed on them there, as sacrificers feed on Soma, as it increases and decreases. But when this (the result of their good works on earth) ceases, they return again to that ether, from ether to the air, from the air to rain, from rain to the earth. And when they have reached the earth, they become food, they are offered again in the altar-fire, which is man (see § 11), and thence are born in the fire of woman. Thus they rise up towards the worlds, and go the same round as before.
'Those, however, who know neither of these two paths, become worms, birds,, and creeping things.'

6.2.16.p1

iti ṣaṣṭādhyāye dvitīyaṃ brāhmaṇam