Bhashya
इदानीं ब्रह्मलोकानाम् अन्तरतमं सूत्रं वक्तव्यमिति तदर्थआरम्भः ; तच्च आगमेनैव प्रष्टव्यमिति इतिहासेन आगमो-पन्यासः क्रियते— अथ हैनम् उद्दालको नामतः, अरुण-स्यापत्यम् आरुणिः पप्रच्छ ; याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच ; मद्रेषुदेशेषु अवसाम उषितवन्तः, पतञ्चलस्य- पतञ्चलो नामतः— तस्यैव कपिगोत्रस्य काप्यस्य गृहेषु यज्ञमधीयानाः यज्ञ-शास्त्राध्ययनं कुर्वाणाः ।तस्य आसीत् भार्या गन्धर्वगृही-ता; तमपृच्छाम- कोऽसीति ।सोऽब्रवीत्- कबन्धोनामतः, अथर्वणोऽपत्यम् आथर्वण इति ।सोऽब्रवीद्गन्धर्वःपतञ्चलं काप्यं याज्ञिकांश्च तच्छिष्यान्- वेत्थ नु त्वं हे काप्यजानीषे तत्सूत्रम्; किं तत्? येन सूत्रेण अयं च लोकः इदं चजन्म, परश्च लोकः परं च प्रतिपत्तव्यं जन्म, सर्वाणि चभूतानि ब्रह्मादिस्तम्बपर्यन्तानि, संदृब्धानि संग्रथितानि स्त्र-गिव सूत्रेण विष्टब्धानि भवन्ति येन- तत् किं सूत्रं वेत्थ ।सोऽब्रवीत् एवं पृष्टः काप्यः- नाहं तद्भगवन्वेदेति- तत्सूत्रं नाहं जाने हे भगवन्निति संपूजयन्नाह ।सोऽब्रवीत्पुनर्गन्धर्वः उपाध्यायमस्मांश्च- वेत्थ नु त्वं काप्य तमन्त-र्यामिणम्- अन्तर्यामीति विशेष्यते- य इमं च लोकं परंच लोकं सर्वाणि च भूतानि यः अन्तरः अभ्यन्तरः सन्यमयति नियमयति, दारुयन्त्रमिव भ्रामयति, स्वं स्वमु-चितव्यापारं कारयतीति ।सोऽब्रवीद्देवमुक्तः पतञ्चलःकाप्यः-- नाहं तं जाने भगवन्निति संपूजयन्नाह ।सो-ऽब्रवीत्पुनर्गन्धर्वः; सूत्रतदन्तर्गतान्तर्यामिणोर्विज्ञानं स्तू-यते-- यः कश्चिद्वै तत् सूत्रं हे काप्य विद्यात् विजानी-यात् तं च अन्तर्यामिणं सूत्रान्तर्गतं तस्यैव सूत्रस्य नियन्तारंविद्यात् यः इत्येवमुक्तेन प्रकारेण- स हि ब्रह्मवित् परमा-त्मवित्, स लोकांश्च भूरादीनन्तर्यामिणा नियम्यमानान्लोकान् वेत्ति, स देवांश्चाग्न्यादीन् लोकिनः जानाति,वेदांश्च सर्वप्रमाणभूतान्वेत्ति, भूतानि च ब्रह्मादीनि सूत्रेणध्रियमाणानि तदन्तर्गतेनान्तर्यामिणा नियम्यमानानि वेत्ति,स आत्मानं च कर्तृत्वभोक्तृत्वविशिष्टं तेनैवान्तर्यामिणानियम्यमानं वेत्ति, सर्वं च जगत् तथाभूतं वेत्ति — इति ;एवं स्तुते सूत्रान्तर्यामिविज्ञाने प्रलुब्धः काप्योऽभिमुखी-भूतः, वयं च ; तेभ्यश्च अस्मभ्यम् अभिमुखीभूतेभ्यःअब्रवीद्गन्धर्वः सूत्रमन्तर्यामिणं च ; तदहं सूत्रान्तर्या-मिविज्ञानं वेद गन्धर्वाल्लब्धागमः सन् ; तच्चेत् याज्ञ-वल्क्य सूत्रम्, तं चान्तर्यामिणम् अविद्वांश्चेत्, अब्रह्मवित्सन्यदि ब्रह्मगवीरुदजसे ब्रह्मविदां स्वभूता गा उदजस उन्न-यसि त्वम् अन्यायेन, ततो मच्छापदग्धस्य मूर्धा शिरः तेतव विस्पष्टं पतिष्यति ।एवमुक्तो याज्ञवल्क्य आह — वेदजानामि अहम्, हे गौतमेति गोत्रतः, तत्सूत्रम् — यत्गन्धर्वस्तुभ्यमुक्तवान् ; यं च अन्तर्यामिणं गन्धर्वाद्दिदितवन्तोयूयम्, तं च अन्तर्यामिणं वेद अहम् — इति ; एवमुक्तेप्रत्याह गौतमः — यः कश्चित्प्राकृत इदं यत्त्वयोक्तं ब्रूयात्-कथम् ? वेद वेदेति — आत्मानं श्लाघयन्, किं तेन गर्जि-
In plain words
Now, the innermost thread running through the worlds of brahman has to be spoken of -- that is why what follows exists. And because a thing like that can only be reached through what has come down from teacher to teacher, the point is made here through a story. So Uddalaka, son of Aruna, questioned Yajnavalkya. 'We were living,' he said, 'in the land of the Madras, in the house of a man named Patancala, of Kapi's line, studying the sacrificial texts. His wife was possessed by a Gandharva. We asked the spirit, "Who are you?" It said, "Kabandha, son of Atharvan." The Gandharva said to Patancala and to us, his students: "Do you know that thread, Kapya? What is it -- the thread by which this world and this life, and the next world and the next life still to come, and every being from Brahma down to a blade of grass, are strung together, knit together, held in place the way a thread holds a garland? Do you know that thread?" Kapya answered: "I do not know that, revered sir" -- he did not know the thread -- and he said it with real respect. The Gandharva asked again, this time of the teacher and of us: "Do you know the inner controller?" And he explained the name itself: the inner controller is the one who, standing inside this world, that world, and every being, governs them, makes them turn the way a hand turns a wooden puppet, and sets each one to its own proper work. Addressed by this being, Patancala said: "I do not know him, revered sir" -- again with real respect. The Gandharva praised the worth of knowing both the thread and the controller within it: whoever knows that thread, and knows the one who governs it from within, knows brahman itself, knows the worlds -- earth and the rest -- as governed by that inner controller; knows the gods -- fire and the rest -- as the deities of those worlds; knows the Vedas as the very ground of all valid knowledge; knows the elements, from Brahma down, held together by the thread and governed by the controller within it; knows the self, the one who acts and enjoys, as governed by that same inner power; and knows the entire universe as governed in just this way. Hearing this praised, Kapya grew eager and turned toward him, and so did the rest of us; and to us, turned toward him like that, the Gandharva revealed the thread and the inner controller. 'That is what I now know,' Uddalaka told Yajnavalkya, 'having received the teaching straight from the Gandharva. If you, Yajnavalkya, don't know that thread and that controller, and yet -- not being a knower of brahman -- you go on taking for yourself the cows set aside for those who are, your head, burnt through by my curse, will fall off, clean and plain.' Thus challenged, Yajnavalkya answered: 'I know it, Gautama' -- calling him by his family name -- 'the thread the Gandharva told you of, and the inner controller you all learned of from him -- I know that too.' At this Gautama shot back: 'Anyone at all could say that. Saying "I know, I know" while patting yourself on the back -- what good is that boasting...'
Close to the Sanskrit
Now, since the innermost thread of the worlds of brahman is to be spoken of, the undertaking here is for that purpose. And since that is to be inquired into only through scriptural transmission, the presentation of the transmitted teaching is made by means of a narrative. Then indeed Uddalaka -- by name; Aruni, offspring of Aruna -- questioned him. 'O Yajnavalkya,' he said. 'We dwelt, having lived, in the country of the Madras, in the house of Patancala -- Patancala by name -- of that very Kapya of Kapi's lineage, studying the sacrificial texts, engaged in the study of the science of sacrifice. He had a wife possessed by a Gandharva; we asked it, "Who are you?" It said, "Kabandha, by name; Atharvana, offspring of Atharvan." The Gandharva said to Patancala Kapya and the ritual priests, his pupils: "Do you know, do you understand that thread, O Kapya? What is it? That thread by which this world and this birth, and the further world and the further birth yet to be attained, and all beings from Brahma down to a tuft of grass, are strung together, are knit together, are held in place by the thread like a garland -- that thread, what is it? Do you know it?" He, Kapya, thus asked, said: "I do not know that, revered sir" -- meaning, "I do not know that thread, O revered sir" -- saying so while showing reverence. Again the Gandharva said to the teacher and to us: "Do you know, O Kapya, that inner controller?" The term 'inner controller' is thus defined: he who, being within, inside, this world, that world, and all beings, controls and regulates them, makes them turn like a wooden machine, causes each to perform its own appropriate function. Thus addressed by the deity, Patancala Kapya said: "I do not know him, revered sir" -- saying so with reverence. Again the Gandharva said: the knowledge of the thread and of the inner controller abiding within it is now being praised -- whoever indeed, O Kapya, would know, would understand, that thread, and would know that inner controller abiding within the thread, the regulator of that very thread -- whoever, in the manner just stated -- for he is indeed a knower of brahman, a knower of the supreme self; he knows the worlds, beginning with the earth, as regulated by the inner controller; he knows the gods, the world-deities beginning with Agni; he knows the Vedas, which serve as the basis of all valid means of knowledge; he knows the elements, beginning with Brahma, held together by the thread, as regulated by the inner controller residing within it; he knows the self, distinguished by agency and enjoyership, as regulated by that very inner controller; and he knows the whole universe as being of that same regulated nature -- thus. When the knowledge of the thread and inner controller was thus praised, Kapya, made eager, turned toward him, and so did we; and to us, having thus turned toward him, the Gandharva declared the thread and the inner controller; that knowledge of the thread and inner controller I now know, having obtained the teaching from the Gandharva. If you, O Yajnavalkya, are ignorant of that thread and of that inner controller, if, not being a knower of brahman, you drive off -- you wrongfully take away -- the cows that are the property of the knowers of brahman, then your head, of you who are burnt by my curse, will clearly fall off. Thus addressed, Yajnavalkya said: 'I know, I understand, O Gautama' -- addressing him by his clan-name -- 'that thread which the Gandharva declared to you; and that inner controller whom you all have learned of from the Gandharva -- that inner controller too I know.' When this was said, Gautama replied: 'Any ordinary person at all could say this that you have said -- how? -- "I know, I know" -- praising himself. What is the use of that boasting...'