“It is true the body is perishable, but within it dwells the imperishable Self. This body is subject to pleasure and pain; no one who identifies with the body can escape from pleasure and pain.”
Tweet
– The Chandogya Upanishad
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the oldest parts of the collection of ancient Vedic texts and is thought to have been compiled sometime between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. One of the most well-known sections of the Chandogya Upanishad is the story of Indra, King of the Gods, Virochana, King of the Godless and their encounter with the sage Prajapati who attempted to teach them the ultimate truth of their being. Virochana peels off from his teacher at a very early stage, satisfied by an explanation of the Self that equated it only with the body. Indra is characterized by his persistent curiosity as he keeps returning to his teacher for more instruction as his understanding deepens and Prajapati attempts to point his student towards an knowledge of the Self that goes beyond the limits of his conceptions.
The great teacher Prajapati said: “The Self is pure, free from decay and death, free from hunger and thirst, and free from sorrow. The Self desires nothing that is not good, wills nothing that is not good. Seek and realize the Self! Those who seek and realize the Self fulfill all their desires and attain the goal supreme.”
The devas and the asuras, the gods and the godless, heard this truth and said: “Let us seek and realize the Self so that we may fulfill all our desires.” So Indra from among the gods and Virochana from among the godless approached Prajapati, carrying fuel in their hands as a sign that they wanted to become his disciples.
They dwelt with him for thirty-two years, and at the end of that time Prajapati asked why they had stayed with him so long. Indra and Virochana replied, “We have heard of your inspiring words: ‘The Self is pure, free from decay and death, free from hunger and thirst, and free from sorrow. The Self desires nothing that is not good, wills nothing that is not good. Seek and realize the Self! Those who seek and realize the Self fulfill all their desires and attain the goal supreme.’ We have been living here as your disciples because we want to realize the Self.”
Prajapati said to them: “When you look into another’s eyes, what you see is the Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme.”
“Venerable One,” asked the two disciples, “what is it we see reflected in the water or in a mirror?”
“It is the Self you see in all these,” he said to them. “Now look at yourself in a bowl of water, and ask me anything you want to learn about the Self.”
They looked at themselves in a bowl of water.
“What did you see in the water?”
“We have seen the Self, even the hair and the nails.”
“Put on your best clothes, adorn your body, and look again in the water.”
They did so, and came back to Prajapati.
“What did you see in the water?” he asked.
“We have seen the Self, well dressed and well adorned,” they replied.
“That is the Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme.”
“The Self is pure, free from decay and death, free from hunger and thirst, and free from sorrow. The Self desires nothing that is not good, wills nothing that is not good. Seek and realize the Self!“
Indra and Virochana went away satisfied. But Prajapati said to himself: “They have seen the Self, but they have not recognized the Self. They mistake the Self to be the body. Those who think the Self is the body will lose their way in life.”
Virochana, quite sure that the Self is the body, went back to the godless and began to teach them that the body alone is to be saved, the body alone is to be adored. He taught them that whoever lives for indulging the senses will find joy in this world and the next. Even today people are called godless when they lack faith, love, and charity, because that is the way of the godless. They dress even dead bodies in fine clothes and adorn them with ornaments so that they may enjoy their life in the next world.
But Indra, as he was on his way home to the gathering of the gods, began to question this knowledge. “If the Self is the same as the body, well dressed when the body is well dressed, well adorned when the body is well adorned, then the Self will be blind when the body is blind, lame when the body is lame, paralyzed when the body is paralyzed. And when the body dies, the Self too will die. In such knowledge I see no value.”
Again Indra went back to Prajapati with fuel in hand.
“Why have you returned, Indra?” his teacher asked. “Did you not go away quite satisfied?”
“Venerable One,” replied Indra, “if the Self is well dressed when the body is well dressed, well adorned when the body is well adorned, then the Self will be blind when the body is blind, lame when the body is lame, paralyzed when the body is paralyzed. And when the body dies, the Self too will die. In such knowledge I see no value.”
“You are thinking clearly, Indra,” said Prajapati. “Live with me for another thirty-two years and I will teach you more of the Self.”
“In the dreaming state, it is true, the Self is not blind when the body is blind, nor lame when the body is lame; yet in this state the Self may still suffer and even weep. In such knowledge I see no value.“
So Indra lived with Prajapati for another thirty-two years. Then Prajapati said to him: “That which moves about in joy in the dreaming state is the Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme.”
Indra went away satisfied, but on his way home to the gathering of the gods he began to question this knowledge. “In the dreaming state, it is true, the Self is not blind when the body is blind, nor lame when the body is lame, nor paralyzed when the body is paralyzed, nor slain when the body is slain. Yet in dreams the Self may appear to suffer and to be slain; it may become conscious of pain and even weep. In such knowledge I see no value.”
Again Indra went back to Prajapati with fuel in hand.
“Why have you returned, Indra?” his teacher asked. “Did you not go away quite satisfied?”
“Venerable One,” replied Indra, “in the dreaming state, it is true, the Self is not blind when the body is blind, nor lame when the body is lame; yet in this state the Self may still suffer and even weep. In such knowledge I see no value.”
“You are thinking clearly, Indra,” said Prajapati. “Live with me for another thirty-two years and I will teach you more of the Self.”
Indra lived with Prajapati for another thirty-two years. Then his teacher said: “When a person is sleeping soundly, free from dreams, with a still mind, that is the Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme.”
Indra went away satisfied, but on his way home to the gathering of the gods he began to question this knowledge. “In the state of dreamless sleep one is not aware of oneself or any other. The state of dreamless sleep is very close to extinction. In this knowledge I see no value.”
Again Indra went back to Prajapati with fuel in hand.
“Why have you returned, Indra?” his teacher asked. “Did you not go away quite satisfied?”
“Venerable One”, replied Indra, “in the state of dreamless sleep one is not aware of oneself or of any other. The state of dreamless sleep is very close to extinction. In this knowledge I see no value.”
“You are thinking clearly, Indra,” said Prajapati. “Live with me for another five years and I will teach you to realize the Self.”
“Like the wind, like clouds, like thunder and lightning, which rise from space without physical shape and reach the transcendent light in their own form, those who rise above body-consciousness ascend to the transcendent light in their real form, the Self.“
Indra lived with Prajapati for another five years. Altogether he lived with his teacher for one hundred and one years, which is why people say, “Even Indra had to live with his teacher for one hundred and one years.” After that time, Prajapati revealed the highest truth of the Self to Indra:
“It is true the body is perishable, but within it dwells the imperishable Self. This body is subject to pleasure and pain; no one who identifies with the body can escape from pleasure and pain. But those who know they are not the body pass beyond pleasure and pain to live in abiding joy.
“Like the wind, like clouds, like thunder and lightning, which rise from space without physical shape and reach the transcendent light in their own form, those who rise above body-consciousness ascend to the transcendent light in their real form, the Self.
“In that state, free from attachment, they move at will, laughing, playing, and rejoicing. They know the Self is not this body, but only tied to it for a time as an ox is tied to its cart. Whenever one sees, smells, speaks, hears, or thinks, they know it is the Self that sees, smells, speaks, hears, and thinks; the senses are but his instruments.
“Worshipping this Self in the world of Brahman, the gods obtained all worlds and all desires. Those who know this Self and realize this Self obtain all worlds and all desires.” So said Prajapati; so taught Prajapati.