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Samnyasa Upanishads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation c6: Translations

Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣads: Hindu Scriptures on Asceticism and Renunciation c6

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English

Contents

Translations

Āruṇi Upaniṣad

c6.s1.1

[*3*] Āruṇi went to the world of Prajāpati, and, going up to him, he said: "By what means, O Lord, can I give up rites¹ completely?" Prajāpati said to him: "A man should forsake his sons, brothers, relatives, and so forth; he should give up the topknot, [*4*] the sacrificial string, the sacrifice, the ritual code,² and Vedic recitation; and he should disregard the worlds of Bhūr, Bhuvas, Svar, Mahas, Jana, Tapas, Satya, Atala, Pātāla, Vitala, Sutala, Rasātala, Talātala, and Mahātala,³ and the entire universe. [*5*] Let him take a staff and a garment; and let him give up everything else."

c6.s1.2

¹ The Sanskrit term *karma* has several related meanings. In general it means work or action. Although this meaning is always present, in the literature on renunciation the term normally has the specific meaning of ritual action. A renouncer gives up all rites and things related to ritual activity, such as the sacred fires and the sacrificial string. Throughout the translation of these Upaniṣads, therefore, I have translated *karma* as rite or ritual action. See Introduction, 3.1.

c6.s1.3

² The term probably refers to the text describing the rituals and ceremonies [*kalpasūtra*] of one's Vedic branch.

c6.s1.4

³ The first seven are the pleasant worlds: Earth, Atmosphere, Sky, "Great," "People," "Austerity," and "Truth." The last is often identified with the world of Brahmā. The final seven are the nether worlds or hells of Indian mythology. For an account of these, see ViP 1.5–6; HDh 4:159–171.

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II

c6.s1.6

“A householder or a Vedic student or a forest hermit should discard his sacrificial string on the ground or in water. *[6]* He should deposit his external fires in the fire of his stomach and the *gāyatrī*⁴ in the fire of his speech.

c6.s1.7

⁴ The *gāyatrī*, also called *sāvitrī*, is the famous verse of the Ṛg Veda [3.62.10]: “We meditate on that excellent glory of the god Savitṛ, that he may stimulate our prayers.” The abandonment of sacred fires and of sacred formulae is here conceived of as their internalization: cf. Introduction, 3.2.

c6.s1.8

“A celibate Kuṭīcara⁵ should give up his family, put away his bowl, discard his water strainer, throw away his staffs, and forsake the heavenly worlds.” So said Prajāpati.

c6.s1.9

⁵ As the previous paragraph speaks of the renunciation of a non-renouncer, so this paragraph deals with a Kuṭīcara's elevation to the Paramahaṃsa state. Kuṭīcara, more commonly called Kuṭīcaka, literally means “hut-dweller” and is the lowest class of renouncers (cf. ĀśU 100; NpU 174–178; BSU 254; Introduction, chapter 5). Such renouncers live with or receive food from their relatives. Thus, giving up the family probably means that they cease to live with and to receive food from them. “Worlds” are the seven pleasant worlds mentioned above. They are elsewhere viewed as the goals of lower types of renouncers (cf. NpU 177; BSU 263).

c6.s1.10

“Thereafter let him function without mantras.⁶ He should bathe at the start of the three junctures of the day, *[7]* and, in deep contemplation, he should realize his union with the Self.⁷ Of all the Vedas let him recite just the Āraṇyakas and the Upaniṣads.”\∗8

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⁶ A Paramahaṃsa renouncer uses no mantra other than the mystic syllable OM (Ypra 38.14; 40.11–12). He performs acts such as sipping and bathing in silence. His abstention from mantras follows from his abandonment of ritual activity, for the two are inseparably linked (NpU 137).

c6.s1.12

⁷ The junctures (*sandhyā*) occur between night and day (dawn), between forenoon and afternoon (noon), and between day and night (dusk). These are sacred times at which Hindus worship the sun with special rituals, also called *sandhyā*. In the Advaita tradition the highest class of renouncers, namely Paramahaṃsas, do not perform this worship in the customary manner with mantras, water offerings, and other rites. Their *sandhyā* consists of meditating on the unity between all creatures and Brahman (Ypra 41–46). Within this context the term *sandhyā* is allegorized using its phonetic similarity to and its etymological relationship with *samādhi* (deep yogic contemplation) and *sandhi*, which means both juncture and union. A Paramahaṃsa's *sandhyā*, therefore, consists of contemplation (*samādhi*) in which he realizes his union (*sandhi*) with Brahman. See also JU 62.

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\∗8 8. This statement implies that the renouncer no longer recites the ritual portions of the Vedas: cf. Introduction, 3.1.

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III

c6.s1.15

“‘I am truly Brahman. ‘String’ [*sūtra*] is derived from ‘stringing’ [*sūcana*]. Brahman is the string; and assuredly I, who know it,⁹ am the string. Let a wise man who knows thus discard the external string.¹⁰ [*8*] Let him also give up desire, anger, greed, delusion, deceit, arrogance, falsehood, and the like. An ascetic shall wander alone for eight months; he shall keep a fixed residence during the entire rainy season or during just two months of it.’”¹¹

c6.s1.16

⁹ The term *vidvān* may be taken adjectivally; the meaning would then be “I who am wise.” In these texts, however, this term is frequently used in a verbal sense. In the present context the term refers to the previous statement. The meaning, therefore, is that the man who knows Brahman to be the string becomes himself identified with the string.

c6.s1.17

¹⁰ Here we have an allegorical explanation of another renunciatory custom, the abandonment of the sacrificial string. By the early centuries of the common era, the wearing of this string had come to symbolize the twice-born status of the upper classes and especially the priestly status of Brahmins. The conferring of the sacrificial string had become by this time the central feature of the Brāhmaṇical rite of initiation. In the present allegory Brahman, the absolute reality, is considered the true sacred string (*sūtra*), following the statement of BāU 3.7 where Brahman is said to be the string that ties the universe together. A similar metaphor is found in the BhG 7.7: “On me all this is strung, as rows of gems upon a string.” Within the context of the string metaphor, the term *sūcana*, which normally means pointing or indicating, seems to have a different significance; it appears to indicate a needle’s (*sūci*) act of piercing, namely, the passing of a thread through several objects to tie them together. The true sacrificial string, therefore, is Brahman and, consequently, one’s own self. One who knows this does not need an external string. Cf. BU 86–87; PbU 295–299.

c6.s1.18

¹¹ Normally the rainy season when an ascetic has to live in one place lasts four months: KśU 33. He is expected to wander for the eight months of the dry season.

c6.s1.19

IV

c6.s1.20

[*9*] “A man who knows the import of the Veda may indeed abandon these either before or after his Vedic initiation [JU 64]: father, son, fire, sacrificial string, rites, wife, and everything else here below. ‘I have renounced! I have renounced! I have renounced!’—having proclaimed this three times, he should say:

c6.s1.21

“Safety¹² from me to all beings!
From me everything proceeds.

c6.s1.22

¹² The term *abhaya* literally means freedom from fear. The renouncer here declares that he will not be a source of fear for any living being. This is the ritual expression of the principle of non-injury (*ahiṃsā*) that should govern the renouncer’s life.

c6.s1.23

“He should raise the bamboo staff with the mantra:

c6.s1.24

“Protect me, friend,
You who are my strength and my friend.
You are the bolt of Indra, slaying obstructions;
Be my refuge and banish all that is evil.

c6.s1.25

*[10]* “Let him then take nothing besides a loincloth.

c6.s1.26

“Thereafter they¹³ live the life of mendicants. Celibacy, non-injury, non-possession, and truthfulness—guard these assiduously.”

c6.s1.27

¹³ The text here shifts from the singular to the plural, probably because this is a citation taken from BāU 3.5.1. The next sentence, likewise, shifts to the second person plural.

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V

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*[11]* “Now, Paramahaṃsa renouncers sit and sleep on the ground. Celibates use bowls made of clay, bottle-gourd, or wood, while ascetics enter a village to beg for food, using their hands or stomachs as begging bowls.¹⁴ Let him utter the mystic saying: ‘*Oṃ hi*, *oṃ hi*, *oṃ hi*.’ It is truly the mystic saying.¹⁵ Wise is he who knows this.

c6.s1.30

¹⁴ The category of celibates is clearly contrasted with that of ascetics. Celibates use bowls, whereas ascetics receive food with their hands. “Celibates” appears to be a synonym for Kuṭīcakas, who were called “celibate” earlier at ĀrU 6, while “ascetics” are identified with Paramahaṃsas, the highest class of ascetics. An ascetic who uses his stomach as a bowl (*udarapātrin*) uses his mouth to gather food that is thrown on the ground by the donor. A verse cited in the Ypra (57.56–57) states: “Like a cow, the sage always seeks food with his mouth” (MBh 1.86.17; NpU 182; BSU 268).

c6.s1.31

¹⁵ Here and elsewhere in these documents, I have translated the term *upaniṣad* as “mystic saying” or “mystic doctrine.” The term appears with a similar meaning in the most ancient Upaniṣads (ChU 1.13.4; 8.8.4–5; TU 2.9.1). It refers to secret texts with magical powers and to secret teachings. Many of these texts, such as the one given here, have no linguistic meaning.

c6.s1.32

“Let him discard his Palāśa, Bilva, or Udumbara staff, his deerskin, his girdle, and his sacrificial string.¹⁶ *[12]* Valiant is he who knows this.

c6.s1.33

¹⁶ Since only Vedic students carry such staffs, this statement must refer to renunciation of students. Staffs of Palāśa (Butea Frondosa) and Bilva (Aegle Marmelos, commonly called wood apple) are prescribed for Brahmin students, and Udumbara (Ficus Glomerata) staffs for Vaiśya students. Although the Kṣatriya staff of Banyan wood is not mentioned, the intent seems to be to include all three upper classes. At least implicitly, therefore, the ĀrU appears to recognize that people of all these classes, and not just Brahmins, are qualified to renounce.

c6.s1.34

“That highest step of Viṣṇu
The sages always see,
Like an eye stretched across the sky.
That highest step of Viṣṇu
The wise men, ever vigilant,
Light up with joyous praise. [RV 1.22.20–21]

c6.s1.35

“That is the teaching on liberation. That is the teaching of the Veda.”

Laghu-Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣad

c6.s2.1

and *Kuṇḍikā Upaniṣad*

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[A]

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[*15*] When a man who had maintained the three sacred fires¹ dies, his funerary rite is performed with mantras. If he happens to recover,² however, he should resolve: "I wish to go beyond the order."³ Then, he should duly gather the requisites⁴ and retire to the wilderness with the intention of offering an oblation to his ancestors. Early in the morning of the new moon, after kindling the fires, he should offer the libation connected with an oblation to ancestors, and perform the Brahma-sacrifice.⁵

c6.s2.4

¹ I follow the division of this Upaniṣad into sections A–G given by Sprockhoff 1976, 37–38. The three sacred fires are the east fire (*āhavanīya*), the west or householder's fire (*gārhapatya*), and the south fire (*dakṣiṇāgni*). They are used for Vedic sacrifices. A person who maintains all these fires constantly in his house is called *āhitāgni*. He is distinguished from those who maintain just one fire (*ekāgni*), i.e. the domestic fire established at marriage, and from those who do not maintain any sacred fire (*anagni*). The *āhitāgni* is the model Brahmin, and the standard rite of renunciation is addressed to him. Medieval handbooks prescribe modified versions of the rites for the others. Cf. Ypra 7.30f; 10.5; 11.6; 12.6–7.

c6.s2.5

² The opening sentence makes it clear that the rites explained in this Upaniṣad are addressed to a Brahmin who was on the point of death but who has recovered his health.

c6.s2.6

³ The meaning of the compound word *āśramapāraṃ* is not altogether clear. It can mean beyond the four orders or the farthest limit of the orders. It is more likely, as Sprockhoff (1976, 54) has suggested, that the term means beyond the order in which he is now, namely the householder's order. This resolution is more than a mere wish or desire as assumed by Sprockhoff 1976, 52; it is rather the formal and public declaration of intent (*saṃkalpa*) that precedes any ritual action, including renunciation.

c6.s2.7

⁴ I have followed here the conjectural reading offered by Schrader (345), which makes much better sense than the possibly corrupt reading adopted in the critical edition on the basis of the manuscript evidence (Sprockhoff 1976, 55).

c6.s2.8

⁵ We have very little information regarding this sacrifice (Sprockhoff 1976, 57–59). An offering called *brahmānvādhāna* is described in BDh 2.17.18–19.

c6.s2.9

He is omniscient and all-knowing;
knowledge is his austerity.
[*16*] This, his offering divine,
leads to immortality.

c6.s2.10

Having thus (declared his intention),⁶ he should then recite:

c6.s2.11

⁶ The formal declaration of intent (*saṃkalpa*) precedes every ritual act. See above LSU 15, n. 3.

c6.s2.12

Rising victorious above
heaven and earth, all yonder worlds;
May Brahman, creator of all,
kindly grant all prosperity.⁷

c6.s2.13

⁷ This verse constitutes the *puro'nuvākyā*, that is, the invitatory formula recited by the Hotṛ priest prior to the principal offering. Here and in the two following verses beginning with "O Sacrifice . . ." and in the verse beginning "Into me . . ." the manuscripts give only the first words (*pratīka*). This is a common practice among classical Indian authors when they cite mantras well known to their readers. I have provided the whole text for the benefit of modern readers.

c6.s2.14

In the east at first Brahman was born;
Vena revealed him from the radiant summit,
Disclosed his forms, the deepest, the most exalted,
womb of the existent and the non-existent.⁸ [AV 4.1.1]

c6.s2.15

⁸ This verse constitutes the *yājyā*, that is, the formula of consecration recited by the Hotṛ priest immediately before the Adhvaryu priest throws the oblation into the fire.

c6.s2.16

Let him then offer an oblation with the words: "To Brahman, to Atharvan, to Prajāpati, to Anumati, to Agni Sviṣṭakṛt!" Next, he should offer the two fire drills⁹ in the fire with the words:

c6.s2.17

⁹ The fire drills consist of a cylindrical shaft and a flat slab of wood. The drill is turned on the slab with the aid of a string. The friction creates a fire that is used for starting sacred fires. The drills are part of the sacrificial paraphernalia that a renouncer discards at his renunciatory rite.

c6.s2.18

O Sacrifice!
Go to the sacrifice!
Go to the Lord of the sacrifice!
Go to your own place of birth! *Svāhā*! [AV 7.97.5]

c6.s2.19

O Lord of the sacrifice!
This is your sacrifice,
Full of great power and strength,
accompanied by songs of praise! *Svāhā!* [AV 7.97.6]

c6.s2.20

[*17*] Thereupon, he should offer the oblations of ghee, reciting the four lessons beginning with: "To a friend would I turn with friendship. . . ."¹⁰ His consecration takes place through these very lessons.¹¹ He should then deposit the two fires¹² in himself, saying:

c6.s2.21

¹⁰ These four lessons form the eighteenth book of the *Atharva Veda*. They are funeral hymns addressed to Yama, the god of the dead.

c6.s2.22

¹¹ It is clear that this statement refers back to the very first sentence of the Upaniṣad. The recitation of these verses constitutes the funerary rite or the last sacrament, (*saṃskāra*, translated here as "consecration") of the person who is about to renounce. Cf. Sprockhoff 1976, 60–63.

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¹² The two fires are probably the east fire and the west fire. Two fires are also deposited at the *sarvamedha* sacrifice: *ŚB* 13.6.2.20.

c6.s2.24

Into me first I take the fire,
with power, with splendor, with might.
In me children, in me long life,
in me the fire I place. *Svāhā!* [AV 7.82.2]

c6.s2.25

Let him steadfastly keep his vow. On this there are the following verses:

c6.s2.26

[B]

c6.s2.27

[Beginning of the Kuṇḍikā Upaniṣad]

c6.s2.28

When a man who took delight in serving his teacher becomes tired of the student life, [*18*] and, after finishing the study of Vedas, is permitted to leave by his teacher, he is called an *āśramin*.¹³

c6.s2.29

¹³ This term commonly means a person who lives in an order (*āśrama*). People outside such orders, e.g., widowers, are called *anāśramin*. Here a rather technical meaning is given to the term: an *āśramin* is viewed as a young man who has completed his period of Vedic study and has returned home ready to undertake household duties. Such a person is generally known as a *snātaka*: one who has taken the bath that concludes the period of studentship.

c6.s2.30

Having married a wife of equal birth, and kindled the fire as well as he can, let him offer a Brahma-sacrifice [LSU 15, n. 5]. Let him offer it (after fasting for) a day and a night.¹⁴

c6.s2.31

¹⁴ The text is obscure and possibly corrupt. Schrader’s conjectural emendation of *tāsām* (“of them”) to *tasyā* poses a problem of *sandhi*; the form can be either the genetive singular *tasyāḥ* or the dative singular *tasyai*. Schrader does not offer any explanation. I think that it is the genetive, and that Schrader has assumed that the object of the verb *nirvapet* in this context should be in the genetive. With regard to the interpretation of *ahorātreṇa* as “after fasting for a day and a night,” I have followed Nārāyaṇa’s commentary given in the *Ṭippaṇī*.

c6.s2.32

Dividing his estate among his sons, and getting rid of vulgar sensual lusts, let him pursue the path of the forest and wander around in a pure region.¹⁵

c6.s2.33

¹⁵ This and the following verse imply that a man should spend some time as a forest hermit before renouncing. Although an *āśrama* theory is not explicitly formulated, these verses reflect the classical view that a man should live successively as a student, a householder, and a hermit before becoming a renouncer. Cf. JU 64.

c6.s2.34

He may subsist on air or on water, or he may eat the prescribed food and live on fallen fruit. [*19*] When he deposits the sacred fires in himself, let them not shed any tears on earth.¹⁶

c6.s2.35

¹⁶ During renunciation neither the new renouncer nor his relatives are expected to cry. Cf. KśU 37.

c6.s2.36

When indeed a person possesses it, how can one say that he has renounced? But how can it have the same name, because of which one is called a renouncer?¹⁷

c6.s2.37

¹⁷ The meaning of this verse is extremely unclear. I have followed Deussen (1905, 689, n. 2). The first half-verse appears to be a genuine question, while the second half-verse seems to be the answer in the form of a rhetorical question. After depositing the fire in himself, the renouncer carries it internally and thus possesses a fire. This internal fire, as the next verse points out, is pure and does not hinder renunciation.

c6.s2.38

Fire that is cleansed of reward, therefore, hinders¹⁸ not renunciation. That fire departs to the forest and takes refuge with a hermit.

c6.s2.39

¹⁸ In interpreting *sahate* as “hinders not,” I follow Nārāyaṇa’s commentary given in the *Ṭippaṇī*: *saṃnyāsavirodhī na bhavati*, “it is not an obstacle to renunciation,” which is also followed by Deussen.

c6.s2.40

“Self-controlled, he once departed from the world to the forest along with his wife. Now forsaking desires he renounces. What fear has overtaken him? [*20*] Or, pray, on account of what grief does he abandon great pleasures?”

c6.s2.41

“Afraid of dwelling in a womb, afraid likewise of heat and cold,
I seek to enter the Cave, the state supreme that is free from pain.”¹⁹

c6.s2.42

¹⁹ According to one source, the last two verses are recited during the eight oblations to the deceased ancestors that precede the rite of renunciation (Sprockhoff 1976, 51, n. 56). The question-and-answer format of the verses fits this context well. The Brahmins invited to the feast ask the question, and the man who intends to renounce gives the answer. “Cave” here has a double meaning. It is one of the ideal places of residence for a renouncer. It also means the cavity of the heart, which a renouncer enters mentally during meditation.

c6.s2.43

[C]

c6.s2.44

Having renounced fire, let him not bring it back.²⁰ “When Manyu brought his wife home . . .”: silently reciting these mantras concerning the self,²¹ let him then undergo initiation.²² He should wear an ochre garment, and keep the hair of his armpits and the pubic region.²³ Going forth with his arms raised [cf. NpU 168], let him not restrict himself to specific roads,²⁴ [*21*] but wander about homeless. He eats what he begs;

c6.s2.45

²⁰ Or: “After having renounced, let him not bring back the fire.” See Sprockhoff 1989, 154, n. 69. The term *return* here probably has a technical meaning. The depositing of the sacred fires is not peculiar to the rite of renunciation. The fires are deposited in the fire drills or in the self when a Brahmin wants to carry them along on a journey. When the fires are needed for a rite, they are rekindled or brought back by a special rite. Cf. *Baudhāyana Gṛhyaśeṣa Sūtra*, 4.13. Our text wants to point out that after renunciation one is not allowed to bring back the fires and to return to ritual activity. Cf. Introduction, 4.2.

c6.s2.46

²¹ These mantras are the thirty-four verses of AV 11.8. They deal with the origin of certain gods and with the creation of human beings.

c6.s2.47

²² This is one of the few places where the technical term *dīkṣā* (“consecration” or “initiation”) is used with reference to the procedure for becoming a renouncer. The term, however, is used here not with reference to the preceding renunciatory ritual at which the sacred fire is abandoned but with regard to the assumption of the various insignia of renunciation. Cf. Introduction, 4.5.

c6.s2.48

²³ Renouncers are required to shave the hair of the head and face. They are, however, explicitly forbidden to shave the armpits and the pubic hair.

c6.s2.49

²⁴ The Sanskrit term *vimuktamārga* is unclear. I have followed Schrader’s explanation. The *Mahābhārata* [12.9.18] has a similar verse: “Not inquiring from anyone about the road and wandering along any road, let him not desire to go to any special region.”

c6.s2.50

he should not give alms.²⁵ Let him carry a water strainer to protect living things.²⁶

c6.s2.51

²⁵ Even though it is not explicitly stated, the reason for not giving alms appears to be the fact that a renouncer eats begged food. A beggar does not own anything that he may legitimately give away. Giving is one of the basic virtues of all Indian religions. It is significant that the renouncers are the only group of people who do not practice that virtue.

c6.s2.52

²⁶ The use of the water strainer before drinking saves the lives of insects and other little creatures that live in water.

c6.s2.53

[D]

c6.s2.54

On this there are the following verses:

c6.s2.55

A pot, a drinking cup, a sling,²⁷ a tripod,²⁸ a pair of shoes, a patched garment against the cold, a loincloth, a water strainer, a bathing cloth, and an outer garment: an ascetic should avoid anything else other than these.

*[22]* Let him sleep on a river bank or in a temple. Let him not afflict his body with extremes of pleasure or of pain.

Let him bathe, drink, and cleanse himself with water that is purified. When he is praised let him not rejoice, nor curse others when he is reviled.

A split-gourd bowl for begging and such, and bathing materials are allowed. He shall always come out victorious, who lives this life with his senses controlled.

c6.s2.56

²⁷ A sling is made with strings and is similar in shape to a pot hanger. It is tied to the staff and is used to carry the water pot. Cf. Olivelle 1986, 44–49.

c6.s2.57

²⁸ In an earlier period a tripod (*triviṣṭabdha*) was used by wandering ascetics to carry a pot of water. In later times it was replaced by a walking stick made by tying three bamboo reeds (*tridaṇḍa*) together. The two are frequently confused in later literature. For a discussion of the tripod and the triple staff, see Olivelle 1986, 35–54.

c6.s2.58

[E]

c6.s2.59

The union of knowledge occurs in the mind. From the mind arises space, from space wind, from wind light, from light water, from water earth, from earth [*23*] [plants, from plants food, from food semen, and from semen man. He who knows thus the origin]²⁹ of these beings attains Brahman. He attains the Ageless, the Deathless, the Imperishable, the Unchanging, when he controls his out-breath and his in-breath while repeatedly reciting it.³⁰

c6.s2.60

²⁹ The section within brackets is wanting in the manuscripts. It is given within brackets by Schrader in the critical edition following the parallel passage in TU 2.1.

c6.s2.61

³⁰ The SR inserts here the first four verses of section G. It is probably these verses that the renouncer is expected to recite repeatedly (Sprockhoff 1976, 42).

c6.s2.62

[F]

c6.s2.63

On this there are the following verses:

c6.s2.64

Placing both his hands on the spot between his anus and genitals, and gently biting³¹ his tongue extended out to the size of a barley corn, let him engage in the control of breathing.³²

Eyes open the size of a bean and fixed on ears and brows, [*24*] let him keep his nose and his ears from contact with odors and sounds.

Through this exercise whose habit comes from former lives, he then attains the blessed state, where abides Brahman, the final end.

Then, fixing the heart on penance by these means, breath breaks the crown, rises up from the body, and reaches the Imperishable.³³

c6.s2.65

³¹ I have followed the reading *saṃdaśya* found in the SR, which is also found in many northern manuscripts. The critical edition reads *saṃdṛśya* (“behold”), which does not suit the context at all.

c6.s2.66

³² I have followed Nārāyaṇa’s commentary given in the *Ṭippaṇī* in interpreting the term *saṃśrayet* (here probably meaning “resort to”) as practicing the control of breathing.

c6.s2.67

³³ This verse deals with the death of a man who has attained the liberating knowledge. “By these means” refers to the yogic practices, such as breath control, alluded to above. “Heart” means the mind. “Penance” refers to the supramental state called *unmanī* (NU s. 48; Schrader, 385). Some commentators explain “breaking the crown” to mean that the breath goes up through the opening at the top of the head. It may also be an allusion, however, to the ritual breaking of the skull of a dead renouncer. Cf. Ydhs, 135; Ypra 71.32.

c6.s2.68

[*25*] People who know the High and the Low,³⁴ and who, having broken their body's crown, have attained the highest state, do not return to earth again.

c6.s2.69

³⁴ The reference is probably to the highest Brahman who is without attributes and to the lower Brahman to whom are ascribed such activities as the creation of the world.

c6.s2.70

[*End of the Laghu-Saṃnyāsa Upaniṣad*]

c6.s2.71

[G]

c6.s2.72

Stirred by the wind of illusion,
the waves of the whole universe
Repeatedly rise and fall³⁵
within me, the ocean of total bliss.³⁶
As the sky is not tied to a cloud,
so to the body I am not tied.
Awake, dreaming, or deep in sleep,
how could I its qualities have?
Like the sky am I,
far beyond the reach of time.³⁷
Like the sun am I,
other than the illumined.
Like a hill am I,
forever unchangeable.
Like the sea am I,
without a farther shore.
[*26*] I am Nārāyaṇa! Naraka I killed!
I am Puruṣa! Citadels I laid waste!
I am the Lord!

c6.s2.73

³⁵ The author plays on the double meaning of the Sanskrit terms *vīci* and *vibhrama*. The former means both waves and deceit, while the latter means both stirring and error. This and the following verses appear in a different order in the *Vivekacūḍāmaṇi* (495–529) ascribed to Śaṃkara.

c6.s2.74

³⁶ This series of verses that close the Upaniṣad are uttered by a man who has obtained the liberating knowledge of his identity with Brahman, the ultimate reality.

c6.s2.75

³⁷ In translating *kalpavidūragaḥ* I have followed the interpretation given by Schrader in the *Ṭippaṇī*: *kālātītaḥ*. *Kalpa* generally refers to the time between the birth and death of the universe. In all likelihood, in the present context it refers to time in general, which characterizes all worldly existence.

c6.s2.76

I am pure consciousness, the witness of all!
I am free from the thought of “I” and “mine”!
I have no lord!
The witness is different; he is untouched
by the qualities of things witnessed.
Like a lamp, the unchanging and impartial man
is not touched by the duties of home.³⁸
Let this insentient body
wallow in water or on land.
By its qualities I am not touched,
as space by the qualities of a pot.³⁹
I do not act, I do not change.
I have no parts, I have no form.
I am eternal, I have no thought.
I am unique, I have no support.
All are myself and I am all!
I am unique and I transcend all!
I am my own eternal bliss,
pure undivided consciousness!
Seeing me alone everywhere,
knowing myself to be unique,
[*27*] Enjoying the bliss of myself,
I become free from every thought.
Walking, standing, or sitting down,
sleeping, or doing anything else,
Let a wise sage live as he likes,
ever delighting in himself.

c6.s2.77

³⁸ The meaning is that an “unchanging and impartial” renouncer is not subject to the duties of householders. The example of the lamp seems to mean that a lamp is not affected by the objects it illuminates. So the witness is not touched by the qualities of the objects he witnesses. The parallel is more striking in Sanskrit, where the same term *dharma* indicates both qualities and duties.

c6.s2.78

³⁹ The relationship between the conscious self and the unconscious body is compared to that between space and a pot. Space is by its very nature unlimited, and even when it becomes limited by the dimensions of a pot, it remains unaffected by the pot’s qualities of fragility and finitude. Similarly, although in the state of ignorance the self is limited by the body, constituting thereby the individual human being (*jīva*), yet it does not assume the qualities of the body.

c6.s2.79

That is the secret teaching.

Kaṭhaśruti Upaniṣad

Chapter One

c6.s3.t1.1

[*31*] "He who renounces in the proper order¹ becomes a renunciant."

c6.s3.t1.2

¹ The proper order in all likelihood refers to the proper sequence of ceremonies constituting the rite of renunciation: see below KśU 34, n. 8. It is less likely that it refers to the four orders (*āśrama*) that a person is expected to pass through. See NpU 137, n. 13; Sprockhoff 1976, 72–73; 1990, 29. For a comparative study of the KśU and the *Mānava Śrautasūtra*, see Sprockhoff 1987.

c6.s3.t1.3

"What is it that people call renunciation? And how does one become a renunciant?"²

c6.s3.t1.4

² The text does not identify the interlocutors. They may be the same as those of the second chapter, namely Prajāpati and the gods.

c6.s3.t1.5

"A man who has protected himself well by rites³ should obtain the cheerful approval of his mother, father, wife, sons, friends, and relatives. Having invited as before all the priests who usually officiate for him, he should offer a sacrifice to Agni Vaiśvānara and give all his possessions.⁴ After the officiating priests have placed all the sacrificial vessels on the sacrificer’s body,⁵ [*32*] he should deposit all the breaths, namely, the in-breath, the out-breath, the diffused breath, the up-breath, and the middle breath, in all the fires, namely, the east fire, the householder’s fire, the south fire, the hall fire, and the domestic fire.⁶ He should remove his hair together with the topknot and discard his sacrificial string. He should then go out and, looking at his son, utter this parting address:

c6.s3.t1.6

³ These rites are probably the sacraments (*saṃskāra*). See NpU 135. Regarding the meaning of *karma* as "rite," see ĀrU 3, n. 1.

c6.s3.t1.7

⁴ "As before": the reference could be to an earlier chapter of the original text from which this section is taken, in which case the procedure of invitation would have been given there (Sprockhoff 1976, 74). Or else, it may just mean that he should invite them in the usual manner. The text does not identify the person(s) to whom he gives his possessions. It is likely that this gift is actually the sacrificial fee (*dakṣiṇā*) given to the officiating priests. A sacrificial fee of all one's possessions is mentioned in MDh 6.38. In LSU 18 and elsewhere the candidate for renunciation is expected to divide his estate among his sons.

c6.s3.t1.8

⁵ This ceremony reinforces the funerary character of the renunciatory rite. Cf. Introduction, 4.3; LSU 15. At the funeral of a Brahmin who had offered Vedic sacrifices, each of his sacrificial vessels is placed on a particular part of his body during cremation, e.g., the *juhū* spoon in his right hand and the *upabhṛt* spoon in his left hand. Cf. HDh 4:207.

c6.s3.t1.9

⁶ These are the five sacred fires connected with Brāhmaṇical rites: LSU 15, n. 1. For details of the rite of depositing the fires in the breaths, see JU 65–66.

c6.s3.t1.10

“You are Brahman!
You are the sacrifice!
You are all!

c6.s3.t1.11

“If he has no son, he should think of himself in the same manner. Then he should go forth toward the east or toward the north without looking around.

c6.s3.t1.12

“He may beg food from all four classes. He should take his food using his hand as a begging bowl. [*33*] Let him partake of food as if it were medicine; and let him eat whatever he happens to get merely to sustain his life, so as not to put on fat and to remain lean. Let him spend just one night in a village and five nights in a town. He may spend the four months of the rainy season in a village or in a town. Let him take a ragged garment or one made of bark; let him not take anything else. If he is infirm, however, he may mortify himself using whatever enables him to endure his infirmity.”⁷

c6.s3.t1.13

⁷ The text is unclear and possibly corrupt. I follow Schrader’s conjectural reading. If this sentence is related to the preceding, the meaning appears to be that an infirm renouncer is not required to mortify himself by using only a ragged garment or a bark. He is allowed to use clothes to protect himself from the cold without diminishing his mortification thereby. If it is unrelated to the preceding, then it can be translated: “. . . he may mortify himself in a manner that enables him to endure his infirmity.” Cf. Sprockhoff 1989, 149.

c6.s3.t1.14

[*34*] [They asked:] “When a person renounces thus in the proper order or when a person abandons,⁸ what serves as his sacrificial string? What is his topknot? How does he perform his ablutions?”

c6.s3.t1.15

⁸ The meaning of the term *vyuttiṣṭhati* (“abandons”) is not clear. It appears to indicate the opposite of “renouncing in the proper order” (see above KśU 31, n. 1). As Sprockhoff (1976, 73) has suggested, it may refer to a man who renounces when he is about to die (*ātura*) and, therefore, is unable to follow all the prescribed rites: NpU 137. If, however, we take *vā* as an emphatic particle, then the two statements may refer to the same person: “When, in fact, a person renounces thus in the proper order, when indeed he abandons, . . . .”

c6.s3.t1.16

He told them: “This very contemplation of the self is his sacrificial string, and knowledge is his topknot. He may perform ablutions with water found anywhere, but not in a water pot, for the knowers of Brahman say that he resides at the water’s edge.”⁹

c6.s3.t1.17

⁹ The implication is that he does not carry the customary water pot used for ablutions: NpU 154–155. He may actually dwell near a river, or there may be an allegory of the river. His knowledge becomes an internal river that purifies him without the need for external cleansing. One text gives a verse to be recited when the water pot is discarded: “O water pot! O great *tīrtha* (sacred bathing place)! You purified me in the past. Henceforth I shall remain immersed in the *tīrtha* of knowledge. Away with you! I have obtained inner purity. What use have I of external purification.” Cf. Olivelle 1986, 156.

c6.s3.t1.18

[*35*] [They asked:] “After the sun has set how can he perform ablutions?”¹⁰ He told them:

c6.s3.t1.19

¹⁰ The Sanskrit term *upasparśana* refers to a variety of rites using water: washing, bathing, sipping water, and touching certain parts of the body with water. This question seems to suggest that a renouncer bathes or washes himself without regard to the appropriate times (e.g., at dawn and dusk) and that he bathes even after sundown. It also suggests that a renouncer is constantly purified internally without regard to the time of day.

c6.s3.t1.20

“As by day so also by night;
For him there is no day or night.

c6.s3.t1.21

“The same point has also been made by a seer: ‘For him, indeed, it is always day’ [ChU 3.11.3]. He who knows thus unites himself with it.”¹¹

c6.s3.t1.22

¹¹ The reference of the pronoun *it* is unclear (Sprockhoff 1976, 69). It probably refers to the self, which is beyond time and which is not bound by day and night. Sprockhoff (1989, 150) takes it to mean Brahman.

Chapter Two

c6.s3.t2.1

Now, the gods came together and said to Prajāpati: "We do not know! We do not know!" He told those holiest of people: "When I tell it to you, you will understand it." Thereafter,¹² indeed, those holy ones no longer spoke—they no longer spoke! That is all. [*36*] He who knows this becomes equal in rank with the gods; he goes to the same world as the gods; and he attains union with the gods.

c6.s3.t2.2

¹² The text is elliptic. The meaning probably is that Prajāpati remained silent. His very silence is the most eloquent instruction on the nature of Brahman. Realizing this, the gods themselves observed silence with reference to the nature of Brahman. Śaṃkara, commenting on VeS 3.2.17, cites a similar saying: "It is also stated in the Veda that when Bādhva was questioned by Bāṣkalin, he explained Brahman by remaining silent: 'He [Bāṣkalin] said: 'Sir, teach me.' He [Bādhva] remained silent. Asked a second and a third time, he said: 'I speak but you do not understand. This self is silence.' " See Sprockhoff 1976, 69–70.

c6.s3.t2.3

II

c6.s3.t2.4

[The gods said to the Lord: "Lord, teach us the knowledge of Brahman." Prajāpati told them:]¹³ "He should remove his hair together with the topknot and discard his sacrificial string. He should then go out and, looking at his son, say:

c6.s3.t2.5

¹³ The section within brackets is found only in the SR and is placed within brackets in the critical edition.

c6.s3.t2.6

"You are Brahman!
You are the sacrifice!
You are *vaṣaṭ*!
You are OM!
You are *svāhā*!
You are *svadhā*!
You are the creator!
You are the ordainer!
You are the carpenter!¹⁴
You are the foundation!

c6.s3.t2.7

¹⁴ The exclamations *vaṣaṭ*, *svāhā*, and *svadhā* are used while oblations are poured into the sacred fire. *Svāhā* is used in oblations to the gods, while *svadhā* is used in ancestral rites. Tvaṣṭṛ is the divine carpenter or builder in Vedic mythology. Cf. Introduction, 3.1.

c6.s3.t2.8

"The son then says:

c6.s3.t2.9

"I am Brahman!
I am the sacrifice!
I am *vaṣaṭ*!
I am *OṂ*!
I am *svāhā*!
I am *svadhā*!
I am the creator!
[*37*] I am the ordainer!
I am the carpenter!
I am the foundation!

c6.s3.t2.10

"These are (the addresses and the responses). Let him not shed tears while he follows (his father). If he sheds tears, he will cut down his progeny and his knowledge. After circumambulating (the new renouncer), they return without looking to and fro. Such a person will go to heaven."¹⁵

c6.s3.t2.11

¹⁵ The text shifts from the singular to the plural and back again to the singular. Such shifts are not uncommon in these Upaniṣads and often indicate borrowing from a different source. Here, however, the plural may be used because the injunction is aimed at all who follow the new renouncer and not just at the son of the renouncer. "Such a person" (lit. simply "he") may refer to the son or the father.

c6.s3.t2.12

III

c6.s3.t2.13

"After a Vedic student has studied one, two, or all the Vedas and completed his studentship, he should marry a wife, beget sons, place them in suitable occupations, and offer sacrifices according to his ability. Renunciation is meant for such a man [*38*] with the approval of his elders and relatives.

c6.s3.t2.14

"Repairing to the wilderness, he should offer a fire sacrifice with milk for twelve days and subsist on milk during those twelve days. At the end of the twelve days he should offer to Agni Vaiśvānara an oblation prepared in twelve dishes, to Prajāpati a porridge offering, and to Viṣṇu an oblation prepared in three dishes.¹⁶ He should throw into the fire the wooden vessels he had formerly used for fire rituals. He should throw the clay vessels into the water and give the metal ones to his teacher. ‘Do not leave me and go away; I shall not leave you and go away’: he should address thus the householder’s fire, the south fire, and the east fire [LSU 15, n. 1]. *[39]* Some say that he should drink¹⁷ a handful of ashes taken from the area where the fire drills (were burnt). He should remove his hair together with the topknot, take off his sacrificial string, and offer it in water, saying: ‘Earth, *svāhā*!’ Thereupon he may resort to not eating, drowning, entering a fire, the path of heroes, or the great journey;¹⁸ or he may retire to a dwelling for the aged.¹⁹

c6.s3.t2.15

¹⁶ For a description of these rites see Ypra 12.6–33. Regarding the term *kapāla* (here translated as “dish”) and the oblations cooked on different numbers of dishes, see J. Gonda, *Rice and Barley Offerings in the Veda* (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1987). The porridge is made by boiling rice or barley with butter and milk.

c6.s3.t2.16

¹⁷ Presumably he mixes the ashes with water before drinking. Given the ambiguity of the Sanskrit syntax, the statement “Some say” may indeed refer to the entire section from “Do not leave . . .” to “. . . fire drills (were burnt).”

c6.s3.t2.17

¹⁸ These are the traditional methods of religious suicide. The path of heroes is to die in a just battle. The great journey is to walk toward the north without eating anything until one drops dead. See JU 68 and my “Ritual Suicide and the Rite of Renunciation,” *WZKSA* 22 (1978): 19–44. I cannot follow Sprockhoff’s (1979, 395; 1987, 257; more recently 1989, 154, n. 62) argument against calling such a death suicide. I take suicide to be any act that is intended to cause and does cause one’s own death. The fact that one accepts that death freely or for a noble reason does not make such a death less a suicide. Although in starvation, heroic death, and the Great Journey one does not positively bring about death, yet entering fire and drowning constitute positive acts of suicide.

c6.s3.t2.18

¹⁹ The Sanskrit expression *vṛddhāśrama* is ambiguous. It can mean the order (*āśrama*) reserved for the old, in which case it amounts to renunciation. It is more likely, however, that the term refers to a hermitage of or for the aged. Cf. Sprockhoff 1976, 70, n. 11; 1979, 395–396.

c6.s3.t2.19

“What he eats in the evening becomes his evening sacrifice. What he eats in the morning becomes his morning sacrifice. What he eats on the new moon becomes his new moon sacrifice. What he eats on the full moon becomes his full moon sacrifice. When in the spring he shaves his head, his beard, and the hair of his body, and pares his nails, that constitutes his *Agniṣṭoma* sacrifice.”²⁰

c6.s3.t2.20

²⁰ This passage is a good example of the tendency of these Upaniṣads to understand and to interpret the renouncer’s life and activities using ritual categories and concepts: Introduction, 3.1 As the fires, so also the fire sacrifice is internalized. An *agniṣṭoma* is a long Vedic Sacrifice at which Soma is offered to the gods. On the fire sacrifice offered in one’s breath (*prāṇāgnihotra*) see H. W. Bodewitz, *Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa I, 1–65, Translation and Commentary with a Study Agnihotra and Prāṇāgnihotra* (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1973).

Chapter Three

c6.s3.t3.1

[*40*] “Having renounced the fires,²¹ let him not bring them back. ‘When Manyu brought his wife home . . .’ [AV 11.8]: he should silently recite these mantras regarding the self and undergo initiation, saying: ‘May all living beings prosper!’ He should wear an ochre garment and, leaving the hair of his armpits and the pubic region, shave himself closely. He shall wear no sacrificial string and use his stomach as a begging bowl [ĀrU 11, n. 14]. Why? Because he contemplates his very self.²² [*41*] Going forth with his arms raised, let him not restrict himself to specific roads but wander about homeless. He eats what he begs; he should not give alms. Let him carry a water strainer²³ to protect living things. An exception is made during the rainy season.²⁴ On this, moreover, there are the following verses:

c6.s3.t3.2

²¹ This entire chapter corresponds, with some variations, to LSU 20–22, where explanatory notes are given.

c6.s3.t3.3

²² This elliptic question and answer may be a gloss (Sprockhoff 1989, 155, n. 77). It is lacking in the parallel passage in LSU 20. It probably refers to the controversy frequently hinted at in these Upaniṣads on the abandonment of the topknot and the sacrificial string. Thus the meaning may be that he regards his self as his topknot and sacrificial string. See KśU 34.

c6.s3.t3.4

²³ I follow Schrader’s conjectural reading; see, however, Sprockhoff’s (1976, 71) observations.

c6.s3.t3.5

²⁴ The context does not provide any clue as to what rule this exception applies. In general, however, the rule of wandering is suspended during the rainy season. See KśU 33.

c6.s3.t3.6

“The pot, the drinking cup, the sling, the tripod, the pair of shoes, the patched garment against the cold, the loincloth, the water strainer, the bathing cloth, the outer garment, the sacrificial string, and the Vedas: all these ascetics shall avoid.²⁵

c6.s3.t3.7

²⁵ These verses also occur at LSU 21. But note the significant change. The LSU forbids renouncers to carry *anything besides* the items listed, whereas the KśU forbids the listed items: cf. JU 69–70.

c6.s3.t3.8

[42] “Let him bathe, drink, and cleanse himself with water that is purified. Let him lie on a river bank or sleep in a temple.

c6.s3.t3.9

“Let him not afflict his body with extremes of pleasure or of pain. When he is praised let him not rejoice, nor curse others when he is reviled.

c6.s3.t3.10

[“Let a recluse keep himself chaste with great care. To look and to touch (a woman); to play, to offer praise, and to talk in secret; to intend, to resolve, and to complete the sexual act: these the wise call the eight forms of sex. Chastity is their opposite, and it is to be observed by those who seek liberation.]^26

c6.s3.t3.11

“A man who follows this way of life conquers his senses.”

c6.s3.t3.12

²⁶ The section within brackets is found only in the SR and is given within brackets in the critical edition. The *Kaṭharudra Upaniṣad* found in the SR has thirty-five additional verses (translated into German by Sprockhoff 1989, 158–163).

Paramahaṃsa Upaniṣad

c6.s4.1

[*45*] Once Nārada went up to the Lord and said to him: "What is the way of Paramahaṃsa [ĀrU 14, n. 14] yogins? What is their state?"

c6.s4.2

The Lord said to him: "The way of Paramahaṃsas is extremely rare in the world and not at all common. If there is one such person, he alone abides in the eternally pure Being, [*46*] and he alone is the man of the Vedas:¹ that is the opinion of the wise. He is a great man whose mind always abides in me alone. Accordingly, I also abide in him alone.

c6.s4.3

¹ The meaning is unclear. It may refer to a man who has truly mastered the Vedic knowledge or to one who represents the ideal man propounded in the Vedas.

c6.s4.4

"That man should renounce his sons, friends, wife, relatives, and so forth, as well as the topknot, the sacrificial string, Vedic recitation, and all rites. He should forsake also the entire universe, and take a loincloth, a staff, and a garment for the good of his own body and as a favor to the world.² [*47*] That again is not the highest.³ ‘Who is the highest?’ you may ask. Now this is the highest:

c6.s4.5

² According to commentators, these items are for the good of the renouncer's body because the staff permits him to ward off cattle, snakes, and the like, and the clothes protect him from cold, heat, and shame. They are also for the good of the world because people recognize him as a renouncer by reason of these insignia, thus enabling them to acquire merit by paying him homage and offering him food. Cf. JMV, 156, 406; Ypra 4.92–94.

c6.s4.6

³ The text assumes that there are two types of Paramahaṃsas. The lower Paramahaṃsas wear clothes and carry staffs. What follows refers to the highest class.

c6.s4.7

“A Paramahaṃsa lives without a staff, without a topknot, without a sacrificial string, and without a garment. He is affected neither by cold nor by heat, neither by pleasure nor by pain, neither *[48]* by respect nor by disrespect. He is freed from the six waves of existence.⁴ He gives up slander, pride, jealousy, deceit, arrogance, desire, hate, pleasure, pain, lust, anger, greed, delusion, excitement, indignation, egotism, and the like, and he regards his body as a corpse. He constantly turns away from this wretched body, the cause of doubt, perversity, and error, and abides in that eternally pure Being. That itself is his state.⁵

c6.s4.8

⁴ The six are hunger and thirst, grief and delusion, and old age and death.

c6.s4.9

⁵ This is a clear reference to the opening question regarding the “state” of Paramahaṃsas.

c6.s4.10

*[49]* “I am indeed that calm and unchanging Being, a single mass of bliss and consciousness. That alone is my highest abode. That alone is my topknot and my sacrificial string. By knowing that the highest Self and the lower self are one, the difference between them dissolves into oneness. *[50]* This knowledge is his twilight worship [ĀrU 7, n. 7].”

c6.s4.11

III

c6.s4.12

“A man who, giving up all desires and abiding steadfastly in the Absolute, bears the staff of wisdom, is called a single-staffed [BU 90, n. 29] ascetic.

c6.s4.13

“A man who merely carries a wooden staff and, although he lacks wisdom, eats from all⁶ goes to Mahāraurava and other such terrible hells. [ĀrU 4, n. 3]

c6.s4.14

⁶ A renouncer eats food begged from all castes, thus violating the laws of purity. Without the saving knowledge, such impurity causes the rebirth in unpleasant worlds.

c6.s4.15

“He who knows this difference is a Paramahaṃsa.”

c6.s4.16

IV

c6.s4.17

“A mendicant shall be naked. He shall neither pay homage nor utter *svadhā*, neither give praise nor [*51*] utter *vaṣaṭ*.⁷ For him there is neither invitation nor dismissal,⁸ neither mantras nor meditation nor even worship, neither the perceptible nor the imperceptible, neither the separate nor the non-separate, neither day nor night [KśU 35, n. 10], nor anything at all! His is a homeless state.

c6.s4.18

⁷ See KśU 36, n. 14. Forbidding *svadhā* and *vaṣaṭ* is an indirect prohibition of ritual activity.

c6.s4.19

⁸ The ceremonial invitation of gods is performed at the beginning of a sacrifice. The gods are dismissed at its conclusion.

c6.s4.20

[*52*] “A mendicant thus should neither accept nor even look at such things as gold. One may respond that there is no harm in merely looking at them. [*53*] On the contrary, it is truly harmful, because if a mendicant looks at gold with longing he becomes a murderer of a Brahmin; if a mendicant touches gold with longing he becomes an outcaste; if a mendicant grasps gold with longing he becomes a murderer of the self; but if a mendicant does not look at, touch, or grasp gold with longing, he destroys all the desires lurking in his mind.

c6.s4.21

[*54*] “He does not fear pain. He longs not for pleasure. He forsakes love. He is not attached anywhere either to the pleasant or to the unpleasant. He does not hate. He does not rejoice. The activities of all his senses have come to rest. Firmly fixed in knowledge, the self ever abides in the self alone. He is called an ascetic. He alone is a yogin; and he alone [*55*] is a knower. ‘I am that Brahman who is consummate bliss and pure consciousness’: realizing this, he becomes one who has done all there is to do.”

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