Chandogyo

All this universe is in truth Brahman. He is the beginning and end and life of all. As such, in silence, give unto Him adoration.

Man in truth is made of faith. As his faith is in this life, so he becomes in the beyond : with faith and vision let him work.

There is a Spirit that is mind and life, light and truth and spaces. He contains all works and desires and all perfumes and all tastes. He enfolds the whole universe, and in silence is loving to all.

This is the Spirit that is in my heart, smaller than a grain of rice, or a grain of barley, or a grain of mustard-seed, or a grain of canary-seed, or the kernel of a grain of canary- seed. 

This is the Spirit that is in my heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven itself, greater than all these worlds.

He contains all works and desires and all perfumes and all tastes. He enfolds the whole universe and in silence is loving to all.

This is the Spirit that is in my heart, this is Brahman.

To Him I shall come when I go beyond this life. And to Him will come he who has faith and doubts not. Thus said Sandilya, thus said Sandilya.

Once Satyakama went to his mother and said : “ Mother, I wish to enter upon the life of a religious student : of what family am I ? ” To him she answered : “I do not know, my child, of what family thou art. In my youth, I was poor and, I served as a maid many masters, and then I had thee: I therefore do not know of what family thou art. My name : is Jabala and thy name is Satyakama. Thou mayest call thyself Satyakama Jabala.” :

The boy went to the Master Haridrumata Gautama . and said : “ I want, to become a student of sacred wisdom. May I come to you, Master ? ” /

To him the Master asked : “ Of what family art thou, my son ?

“I do not know of what family I am,” answered Satyakama, “ I asked my mother and she said : ‘ I do not know, my child, of what family thou art. In my youth, I was poor and served as a maid many masters, and then I had thee : I therefore do not know of what family thou art* My name is Jabala and thy name is Satyakama.’ I am therefore Satyakama Jabala, Master.”

To him Master Gautama said : “ Thou art a Brahman, since thou hast not gone away from the truth. Come, my son, I will take thee as a student.”

FATHER AND SON

There lived once a boy, Svetaketu Aruneya by name. One day his father spoke to him in this way:

“ Svetaketu, go and become a student of sacred wisdom.

There is no one in our family who has not studied the holy Vedas and who might only be given the name of Brahman by courtesy.”

The boy left at the age of twelve and, having learnt

the Vedas, he returned home at the age of twenty-four, very proud of his learning and having a great opinion of himself

His father, observing this, said to him : “ Svetaketu, my boy, you seem to have a great opinion of yourself, you think you are learned and you are proud. Have you asked for that knowledge whereby what was not heard is heard, what was not thought is thought, and what was not known is known ? ” “ What is that knowledge, father ? ” asked Svetaketu.

“Just as by knowing a lump of clay, my son, all that is clay can be known, since any differences are only words and the reality is clay.

“Just as by knowing a piece of gold all that is gold can be known, since any differences are only words and the reality is only gold.

“ And just as by knowing a piece of iron all that is iron is known, since any differences are only words and the reality is only iron.”

Svetaketu said : “ Certainly my honoured masters knew not this themselves. If they had known, why would they not have told me ? Explain this to me, father.” “
So be it, my child.” 

“ Bring me a fruit from this banyan tree.”

“ Here it is, father.”
“ Break it.”
“ It is broken. Sir.”
“ What do you see in it ? ”
“ Very small seeds, Sir.”
“Break one of them, my son.”
“ It is broken. Sir.”
“What do you see in it?”
“ Nothing at all, Sir.”

Then his father spoke to him.
“ My son, from the very essence in the seed ‘which you cannot see comes in truth this vast banyan tree.

“ Believe me, my son, an invisible and subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe.
That is Reality. That is Atman. Thou art That.”

“ Explain more to me, father,” said Svetaketu. “ So be it, my son.”

“ Place this salt in water and come to me tomorrow morning.”

Svetaketu did as he was commanded, and in the morning his father said to him : “ Bring me the salt you put into the water last night.” Svetaketu looked into the water, but he could not find it, for it had dissolved.

His father then said : “ Taste the water from this side. How is it ? ” “ It is salt.” “ Taste it from the middle. How is it ? ” “ It is salt.” “ Taste it from that side. How is it ? ” “ It is salt.” “ Look for the salt again and come again to me.” The son did so, saying : “ I cannot see the salt. I only see water.”

His father then said : “ In the same way, O my son, you cannot see the Spirit. But in truth He is here.

“ An invisible and subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe. That is Reality. That is Truth. Thou art That.” “ Explain more to me, father.” “ So be it, my son.”

“ Even as a man, O my son, who had been led blind-folded from his land of the Gandharas and then left in a desert place might wander to the East and North and South, because he had been taken blindfolded and left in an unknown place ; but if a good man took off his bandage and told him : ‘ in that direction is the land of the Gandharas, go in that direction,’ then, if he were a wise man, he would go asking from village to village until he would have reached his land of the Gandharas, so it happens in this world to a man who has a Master to direct him to the land of the Spirit,

Such a man can say : ‘I shall wander in this world until I attain liberation ; but then I shall go and reach my Home.’

“ This invisible and subtle essence is the Spirit of the whole universe.
That is Reality.
That is Truth. Thou art That.”

Is there anything higher than thought ?

Meditation is in truth higher than, thought. The earth seems to rest in silent meditation : and the waters and the mountains and the sky and the heavens seem all to be in meditation. Whenever a man attains greatness on this earth, he has his reward according to his meditation.

Where there is creation there is progress, where there is no creation there is no progress : Know the nature of creation.

Where there is joy there is creation. Where there is no, joy there is no creation :

Know the nature of joy.

Where there is the Infinite there is joy. There is no joyin the finite. Only in the Infinite there is joy :

Know the nature of the Infinite.

Where nothing else is seen, or heard or known there is the Infinite.
Where something else is seen, or heard or known there is the finite.
The Infinite is immortal ; but the finite is mortal.

“ Where does the Infinite rest ? ” On His own greatness, or not even on His own greatness.

In this world they call greatness the possession of cattle and horses, ‘ elephants and gold, servants and wives, lands and houses. But I do not call this greatness, for here one thing depends upon another.

But the Infinite is above and below, North and South and East and West. The Infinite is the whole universe.

I am above and below. North and South and East and West. I am the whole universe.

Atman is above and below, North and South and East and West. Atman is the whole Universe.

He who sees, knows and understands this, who finds in Atman, the Spirit, his love and his pleasure and his union and his joy, becomes a Master of himself. His freedom then is infinite.

But those who see not this become the servants of other masters and in the worlds that pass away attain not their libertion.