SECOND ADHYÂYA.
FOURTH Vallî
1. Death said: "The Self-existent pierced the openings (of the senses) so that they turn forward; therefore man looks forward, not backward into himself. Some wise man, however, with his eyes closed and wishing for immortality, saw the Self behind.
2. Children follow after outward pleasures, and fall into the snare of wide-spread death. Wise men only, knowing the nature of what is immortal, do not look for anything stable here among things unstable.
3. That by which we know form, taste, smell, sounds, and loving touches, by that also we know what exists besides. This is that (which thou hast asked for).
4. The wise, when he knows that that by which he perceives all objects in sleep or in waking is the great omnipresent Self, grieves no more.
5. He who knows this living soul, which eats honey (perceives objects) as being the Self, always near, the Lord of the past and the future, henceforward fears no more. This is that.
6. He who (knows) him[1] who was born first from
- ↑ The first manifestation of Brahman, commonly called Hiranyagarbha, which springs from the tapas of Brahman. Afterwards only water and the rest of the elements become manifested. The text of these verses is abrupt, possibly corrupt. The two accusatives, tishthantam and tishthantîm, seem to me to require veda to be supplied from verse 4.
