Part 9

Chapter 3 Section 5
3.5.1 
Kahola, the next questioner asks Yajnavalkya to explain Brahman which is immediate, direct, and the self within all. Yajnavalkya has already answered this in the previous section. Therefore, he gives more details. The Self is witnessing consciousness beyond worldly dualities. It is not affected by hunger and thirst, grief, delusion, decay and death. Since the Self is infinite and complete, It is free from desires of son, wealth, etc. All desires are essentially same for they arise out of attachment to perishable, which in turn is due to Self-ignorance. A knower of Self meditates on the Self which means he identifies himself with the non-changing Self. He transcends death and is immortal. He treats himself different from the transient MBS even while using MBS for worldly transactions. How does a Self-realized person behave? It is said howsoever he may behave he is such, i.e., he is ever established in the Self. There is internal transformation. The expression, ‘Howsoever he may behave,’ is intended for a tribute to this state of a knower of Brahman and does not mean reckless behaviour. Kahola withdraws.

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