The World Within

Brahma Knowledge, by L. D. Barnett, [1911], at sacred-texts.com

III. The World Within ¹

"Now within this town of Brahma ² is a dwelling, a little lotus-flower; within this is a little space; what is therewithin men should inquire after, yea, should seek to know."

If they should say to him: "Within this town of Brahma is a dwelling, a little lotus-flower; within this is a little space; what is found there-within which men should inquire after, yea, should seek to know?"—

he shall say: "Verily that space within the heart is as great as this Space; therein are lodged both heaven and earth, both fire and wind, both sun and moon, lightning and stars, what one hath here and what he hath not, all this is lodged therein."

If they should say to him: "If all this is lodged in this town of Brahma, and all beings and all

p. 62

desires—what remains thereof when old age comes upon it, or it dissolves?"—

he shall say: "This grows not old with his aging, nor is it smitten by slaying of him. This is the true town of Brahma. In it are lodged the Desires. ¹ It is the Self, free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, hungerless, thirstless, real of desire, real of purpose…So they who depart without finding here the Self and these real Desires, walk not as they list in any worlds; but they who depart after finding here the Self and these real Desires, walk as they list in all worlds…

These real Desires are covered over by Untruth; real as they are, Untruth is their covering. Man here can see no more any of his folk who depart hence. But when he goes there ² he finds all—those of his folk who are living, and those who have departed, and whatever else he wins not for seeking. For there those real Desires are that were covered over by Untruth. It is as with men who, knowing not the ground, should walk again and again over a hidden treasure and find it not; even so all creatures,

p. 63

coming to it day by day, find not this Brahma-world, for they are cast back by Untruth 1…

Now that perfect Peace, rising up from this body, enters into the Supreme Light and issues forth in its own semblance. This is the Self," said he, "this is the deathless, the fearless; this is Brahma…

Now the Self is the dyke holding asunder the worlds that they fall not one into another. Over this dyke pass not day and night, nor old age, nor death, nor sorrow, nor good deeds, nor bad deeds. All ills turn away thence; for this Brahma-world is void of ill. Therefore in sooth the blind, after passing over this dyke is no more blind, the wounded no more wounded, the sick no more sick. Therefore in sooth even Night after passing over this dyke issues forth as Day; for in this Brahma-world is everlasting light"

Footnotes

61:1 Chhāndogya Upanishad, viii. 1 f.

61:2 The body, whose organs of sense are compared to gates; the king within is the soul, or Self; the lotus the heart.

62:1 Namely, the knowledge and will of the absolute subject of thought, or true Self. As such, these Desires are essentially infinite; their limitation arises from an external "Untruth," the finite conditions of the world of physical experience, which the thinker is able to cast off.

62:2 Namely, into his own heart, into the full consciousness of his selfhood.