Knowledge of the Living Spirit

"Prâna, or breath,¹⁶ is Brahman," thus says Kaushîtaki. "Of this prâna, which is Brahman, the mind is the messenger, speech the housekeeper, the eye the guard, the ear the informant. He who knows mind as the messenger of prâna, which is Brahman, becomes possessed of the messenger. He who knows speech as the housekeeper, becomes possessed of the housekeeper. He who knows the eye as the guard, becomes possessed of the guard. He who knows the ear as the informant, becomes possessed of the informant.

"Prâna, or breath,¹⁶ is Brahman," says Kaushîtaki. "For prâna, which is Brahman, the mind is the messenger, speech is the housekeeper, the eye is the guard, and the ear is the informant. Whoever knows the mind as the messenger of prâna, which is Brahman, gains the messenger. Whoever knows speech as the housekeeper gains the housekeeper. Whoever knows the eye as the guard gains the guard. Whoever knows the ear as the informant gains the informant.

"Now to that prâna, which is Brahman, all these deities, mind, speech, eye, ear, bring an offering, though he asks not for it, and thus to him who knows this all creatures bring an offering, though he asks not for it. For him who knows this, there is this Upanishad, or secret vow, 'Beg not!' As a man who has begged through a village and got nothing sits down and says, 'I shall never eat anything given by those people,' and as then those who formerly refused him press him to accept their alms, thus is the rule for him who begs not, but the charitable will press him and say, 'Let us give to thee.'"

Now all these deities, mind, speech, eye, and ear, bring offerings to prâna, which is Brahman. They do this even though prâna does not ask for them. In the same way, all creatures bring offerings to one who knows this, though he does not ask for them. For one who knows this, there is this Upanishad, or secret vow: "Do not beg!" A man who has begged throughout a village and received nothing sits down and says, "I will never eat anything given by those people." Then those who once refused him press him to accept their alms. In the same way, the rule applies to one who does not beg. The charitable will press him and say, "Let us give to you."

"Prâna, or breath, is Brahman," thus says Paingya. "And in that prâna, which is Brahman, the eye stands firm behind speech, the ear stands firm behind the eye, the mind stands firm behind the ear, and the spirit stands firm behind the mind.¹⁷ To that prâna, which is Brahman, all these deities bring an offering, though he asks not for it, and thus to him who knows this, all creatures bring an offering, though he asks not for it. For him who knows this, there is this Upanishad, or secret vow, 'Beg not!' As a man who has begged through a village and got nothing sits down and says, 'I shall never eat anything given by those people,' and as then those who formerly refused him press him to accept their alms, thus is the rule for him who begs not, but the charitable will press him and say, 'Let us give to thee.'

"Prâna, or breath, is Brahman," says Paingya. "In prâna, which is Brahman, the eye stands firm behind speech. The ear stands firm behind the eye, the mind behind the ear, and the spirit behind the mind.¹⁷ All these deities bring offerings to prâna, which is Brahman, though he does not ask for them. In the same way, all creatures bring offerings to anyone who knows this, though he does not ask for them. For one who knows this, there is an Upanishad, or secret vow: 'Do not beg!' A man may beg throughout a village and receive nothing. He then sits down and says, 'I will never eat anything those people give me.' Then the people who refused him press him to accept their gifts. In the same way, this is the rule for one who does not beg. The charitable will press him and say, 'Let us give to you.'

"Now follows the attainment of the highest treasure, i.e., spirit.¹⁸ If a man meditates on that highest treasure, let him on a full moon or a new moon, or in the bright fortnight, under an auspicious Nakshatra, at one of these proper times, bending his right knee, offer oblations of ghee with a ladle, after having placed the fire, swept the ground, strewn the sacred grass, and sprinkled water. Let him say: 'The deity called Speech is the attainer, may it attain this for me from him who possesses and can bestow what I wish for. Svâhâ to it!' 'The deity called prâna, or breath, is the attainer, may it attain this for me from him. Svâhâ to it!' 'The deity called the eye is the attainer, may it attain this for me from him. Svâhâ to it!' 'The deity called the ear is the attainer, may it attain this for me from him. Svâhâ to it!' 'The deity called mind is the attainer of it, may it attain this for me from him. Svâhâ to it!' 'The deity called knowledge is the attainer of it, may it attain this for me from him. Svâhâ to it!'

"Now comes the attainment of the highest treasure, the spirit.¹⁸ If a man meditates on this highest treasure, he should perform the following ritual at an appropriate time. He may do so at the full moon or new moon, or during the bright fortnight, under an auspicious Nakshatra. He should place the fire, sweep the ground, spread the sacred grass, and sprinkle water. Then, bending his right knee, he should offer ghee with a ladle. He should say: 'The deity called Speech is the attainer. May Speech obtain this for me from the one who has what I wish for and can give it. Svâhâ to Speech!' 'The deity called prâna, or breath, is the attainer. May breath obtain this for me from him. Svâhâ to breath!' 'The deity called the eye is the attainer. May the eye obtain this for me from him. Svâhâ to the eye!' 'The deity called the ear is the attainer. May the ear obtain this for me from him. Svâhâ to the ear!' 'The deity called mind is the attainer of this. May mind obtain this for me from him. Svâhâ to mind!' 'The deity called knowledge is the attainer of this. May knowledge obtain this for me from him. Svâhâ to knowledge!'

"Then having inhaled the smell of the smoke, and having rubbed his limbs with the ointment of ghee, walking on in silence, let him declare his wish, or let him send a messenger. He will surely obtain his wish.

"Then let him inhale the smell of the smoke and rub his limbs with ghee. Let him walk on in silence and declare his wish, or send a messenger. He will surely obtain his wish.

"Now follows the Daiva Smara, the desire to be accomplished by the gods. If a man desires to become dear to any man or woman, or to any men or women, then at one of the fore-mentioned proper times he offers, in exactly the same manner as before, oblations of ghee, saying: 'I offer thy speech in myself, I this one here, Svâhâ.' 'I offer thy ear in myself, I this one here, Svâhâ.' 'I offer thy mind in myself, I this one here, Svâhâ.' 'I offer thy knowledge in myself, I this one here, Svâhâ.' Then having inhaled the smell of the smoke, and having rubbed his limbs with the ointment of ghee, walking on in silence, let him try to come in contact or let him stand speaking in the wind, so that the wind may carry his words to the person by whom he desires to be loved. Surely he becomes dear, and they think of him.

"Now comes the Daiva Smara, the desire to be fulfilled by the gods. A man may wish to become dear to any man or woman, or to any group of men or women. If so, at one of the proper times mentioned earlier, he offers ghee in exactly the same manner as before. He says: 'I offer your speech into myself, I who am here, Svâhâ.' 'I offer your hearing into myself, I who am here, Svâhâ.' 'I offer your mind into myself, I who am here, Svâhâ.' 'I offer your knowledge into myself, I who am here, Svâhâ.' Then he inhales the smell of the smoke and rubs his limbs with the ghee ointment. Walking on in silence, he should try to make contact with the person he wishes to be loved by. Or he should stand and speak into the wind, so that it carries his words to that person. Surely he becomes dear to them, and they think of him.

"Now follows the restraint instituted by Pratardana, the son of Divodâsa: they call it the inner Agni-hotri. So long as a man speaks, he cannot breathe, he offers all the while his breath in his speech. And so long as a man breathes, he cannot speak, he offers all the while his speech in his breath. These two endless and immortal oblations he offers always, whether waking or sleeping. Whatever other oblations there are (those, e.g., of the ordinary Agni-hotri, consisting of milk and other things), they have an end, for they consist of works which, like all works, have an end. The ancients, knowing this the best Agni-hotri, did not offer the ordinary Agni-hotri.

"Now comes the practice of restraint established by Pratardana, the son of Divodâsa. It is called the inner Agni-hotri. As long as a man speaks, he cannot breathe. All the while, he offers his breath in his speech. And as long as a man breathes, he cannot speak. All the while, he offers his speech in his breath. He always offers these two endless and immortal offerings, whether awake or asleep. All other offerings have an end. These include, for example, the offerings of milk and other things in the ordinary Agni-hotri. They have an end because they consist of works, and all works have an end. The ancients knew that the inner Agni-hotri was the best Agni-hotri, so they did not offer the ordinary Agni-hotri."

"Uktha is Brahman, thus said Sushkabhringâra. Let him meditate on the uktha as the same with the Rik, and all beings will praise him as the best. Let him meditate on it as the same with the Yagus, and all beings will join before him as the best. Let him meditate on it as the same with the Sâman, and all beings will bow before him as the best. Let him meditate on it as the same with might, let him meditate on it as the same with glory, let him meditate on it as the same with splendor. For as the bow is among weapons the mightiest, the most glorious, the most splendid, thus is he who knows this among all beings the mightiest, the most glorious, the most splendid. The Adhvaryu conceives the fire of the altar, which is used for the sacrifice, to be himself. In it he the Adhvaryu weaves the Yagus portion of the sacrifice. And in the Yagus portion the Hotri weaves the Rik portion of the sacrifice. And in the Rik portion the Udgâtri weaves the Sâman portion of the sacrifice. He, the Adhvaryu, or prâna, is the self of the threefold knowledge; he indeed is the self of prâna. He who knows this is the self of it, i.e., becomes prâna.

"Uktha is Brahman," said Sushkabhringâra. Let a person meditate on the uktha as one with the Rik. Then all beings will praise him as the best. Let him meditate on it as one with the Yagus. Then all beings will join before him as the best. Let him meditate on it as one with the Sâman. Then all beings will bow before him as the best. Let him meditate on it as one with might, with glory, and with splendor. The bow is the mightiest, most glorious, and most splendid of weapons. In the same way, one who knows this is the mightiest, most glorious, and most splendid among all beings. The Adhvaryu sees the altar fire used for the sacrifice as himself. Into this fire, the Adhvaryu weaves the Yagus portion of the sacrifice. Into the Yagus portion, the Hotri weaves the Rik portion. Into the Rik portion, the Udgâtri weaves the Sâman portion. The Adhvaryu, or prâna, is the self of the threefold knowledge. He is indeed the self of prâna. One who knows this is the self of the threefold knowledge, that is, he becomes prâna.

"Next follow the three kinds of meditation of the all-conquering Kaushîtaki. The all-conquering Kaushîtaki adores the sun when rising, having put on the sacrificial cord,¹⁹ having brought water, and having thrice sprinkled the water-cup, saying: 'Thou art the deliverer, deliver me from sin.' In the same manner he adores the sun when in the zenith, saying: 'Thou art the highest deliverer, deliver me highly from sin.' In the same manner he adores the sun when setting, saying: 'Thou art the full deliverer, deliver me fully from sin.' Thus he fully removes whatever sin he committed by day and by night. And in the same manner he who knows this, likewise adores the sun, and fully removes whatever sin he committed by day and by night.

Next come the three kinds of meditation of the all-conquering Kaushîtaki. Kaushîtaki puts on the sacrificial cord,¹⁹ brings water, and sprinkles the water-cup three times. Then he worships the rising sun, saying: 'You are the deliverer, deliver me from sin.' In the same way, he worships the sun at its highest point, saying: 'You are the highest deliverer, deliver me greatly from sin.' In the same way, he worships the setting sun, saying: 'You are the full deliverer, deliver me fully from sin.' In this way, he completely removes whatever sin he committed by day and by night. Anyone who knows this also worships the sun in the same way and completely removes whatever sin they committed by day and by night.

"Then, secondly, let him worship every month in the year at the time of the new moon, the moon as it is seen in the west in the same manner as before described with regard to the sun, or let him send forth his speech towards the moon with two green blades of grass, saying: 'O thou who art mistress of immortal joy, through that gentle heart of mine which abides in the moon, may I never weep for misfortune concerning my children.'

"Second, at each new moon during the year, let him worship the moon as it appears in the west. Let him worship it in the same way described earlier for the sun. Or, holding two green blades of grass, let him speak to the moon: 'O mistress of immortal joy, through that gentle heart of mine that lives in the moon, may I never weep over misfortune concerning my children.' "

"The children of him who thus adores the moon do not indeed die before him. Thus it is with a man to whom a son is already born.

"The children of a man who worships the moon in this way do not die before him. This is so for a man who already has a son.

"Now for one to whom no son is born as yet. He mutters the three Rik verses. 'Increase, O Soma! may vigor come to thee.' 'May milk, may food go to thee.' 'That ray which the Âdityas gladden.'

"Now, for a man who has not yet had a son. He mutters the three Rik verses. 'Grow, O Soma! May strength come to you.' 'May milk and food come to you.' 'That ray which the Âdityas rejoice in.'

"Having muttered these three Rik verses, he says: 'Do not increase by our breath, by our offspring, by our cattle; he who hates us and whom we hate, increase by his breath, by his offspring, by his cattle. Thus I turn the turn of the god, I return the turn of Âditya.' After these words, having raised the right arm towards Soma, he lets it go again.

After quietly reciting these three Rik verses, he says: "Do not increase through our breath, our children, or our cattle. Increase through the breath, children, and cattle of the person who hates us and whom we hate. In this way, I turn the turn of the god. I return the turn of Âditya." After saying these words, he raises his right arm toward Soma, then lowers it again.

"Then, thirdly, let him worship on the day of the full moon the moon as it is seen in the east in the same manner, saying: 'Thou art Soma, the king, the wise, the five-mouthed, the lord of creatures. The Brahmana is one of thy mouths; with that mouth thou eatest the kings; make me an eater of food by that mouth! The king is one of thy mouths; with that mouth thou eatest the people; make me an eater of food by that mouth! The hawk is one of thy mouths; with that mouth thou eatest the birds; make me an eater of food by that mouth! Fire is one of thy mouths; with that mouth thou eatest this world; make me an eater of food by that mouth! In thee there is the fifth mouth; with that mouth thou eatest all beings; make me an eater of food by that mouth! Do not decrease by our life, by our offspring, by our cattle; he who hates us and whom we hate, decrease by his life, by his offspring, by his cattle. Thus I turn the turn of the god, I return the turn of Âditya.' After these words, having raised the right arm, he lets it go again.

"Third, on the day of the full moon, let him worship the moon as it appears in the east, in the same manner. Let him say: 'You are Soma, the king, the wise one, the five-mouthed lord of creatures. The Brahmana is one of your mouths. With that mouth you eat kings. Make me an eater of food through that mouth! The king is one of your mouths. With that mouth you eat the people. Make me an eater of food through that mouth! The hawk is one of your mouths. With that mouth you eat the birds. Make me an eater of food through that mouth! Fire is one of your mouths. With that mouth you eat this world. Make me an eater of food through that mouth! Your fifth mouth is within you. With that mouth you eat all beings. Make me an eater of food through that mouth! Do not decrease through our lives, our offspring, or our cattle. Decrease through the life, offspring, and cattle of the one who hates us and whom we hate. Thus I turn the turn of the god. I return the turn of Âditya.' After saying these words, he raises his right arm, then lowers it again."

"Next, having addressed these prayers to Soma, when being with his wife, let him stroke her heart, saying: 'O fair one, who hast obtained immortal joy by that which has entered thy heart through Pragâpati, mayest thou never fall into sorrow about thy children.' Her children then do not die before her.

"Next, after offering these prayers to Soma, let him stroke his wife's heart when he is with her. Let him say: 'O beautiful one, you have gained immortal joy through what entered your heart through Pragâpati. May you never grieve for your children.' Her children will then not die before her.

"Next, if a man has been absent and returns home, let him kiss his son's head, saying: 'Thou springest from every limb, thou art born from the heart, thou, my son, art my self indeed: live thou a hundred harvests.' He gives him his name, saying: 'Be thou a stone, be thou an axe, be thou solid gold; thou, my son, art light indeed: live thou a hundred harvests.' He pronounces his name. Then he embraces him, saying: 'As Pragâpati the lord of creatures embraced his creatures for their welfare, thus I embrace thee,' (pronouncing his name). Then he mutters into his right ear, saying: 'O thou, quick Maghavan, give to him.' 'O Indra, bestow thy best wishes'—thus he whispers into his left ear. Let him then thrice kiss his head, saying: 'Do not cut off the line of our race, do not suffer. Live a hundred harvests of life; I kiss thy head, O son, with thy name.' He then thrice makes a lowing sound over his head, saying: 'I low over thee with the lowing sound of cows.'

Next, if a man has been away and returns home, he should kiss his son's head, saying: "You spring from every limb and are born from the heart. You, my son, are truly my own self. Live for a hundred harvests." He gives his son his name, saying: "Be a stone, be an axe, be solid gold. You, my son, are truly light. Live for a hundred harvests." He says his son's name. Then he embraces him, saying: "Just as Pragâpati, the lord of creatures, embraced his creatures for their welfare, so I embrace you" (saying his son's name). Then he murmurs into his son's right ear: "O swift Maghavan, give to him." He whispers into his left ear: "O Indra, give him your best wishes." Then he should kiss his son's head three times, saying: "Do not let our family line end. Do not suffer. Live a hundred harvests of life. I kiss your head, O son, and speak your name." Then he makes a lowing sound over his son's head three times, saying: "I low over you with the lowing sound of cows."

"Next follows the Daiva Parimara, the dying around of the gods, the absorption of the two classes of gods, mentioned before, into prâna or Brahman. This Brahman shines forth indeed when the fire burns, and it dies when it burns not. Its splendor goes to the sun alone, the life prâna, the moving principle, to the air.

"Next comes the Daiva Parimara, the dying around of the gods. This is the absorption of the two classes of gods mentioned earlier into prâna or Brahman. Brahman shines when the fire burns and dies when it does not. Its splendor goes to the sun alone. Its life, prâna, the moving principle, goes to the air.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when the sun is seen, and it dies when it is not seen. Its splendor goes to the moon alone, the life to the air.

"This Brahman shines when the sun is visible, and it dies when the sun is not visible. Its splendor goes to the moon alone, and its life goes to the air.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when the moon is seen, and it dies when it is not seen. Its splendor goes to the lightning alone, its life to the air.

"This Brahman shines when the moon is visible and dies when the moon is not visible. Its splendor goes only to the lightning, and its life goes to the air.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when the lightning flashes, and it dies when it flashes not. Its splendor goes to the air, and the life to the air.

"This Brahman shines when the lightning flashes, and it dies when the lightning does not flash. Its splendor goes to the air, and its life goes to the air.

"Thus all these deities (fire, sun, moon, lightning), having entered the air, though dead, do not vanish; and out of the very air they rise again. So much with reference to the deities. Now then, with reference to the body.

"All these deities (fire, sun, moon, lightning) enter the air. Though dead, they do not vanish. They rise again from the air itself. This is what happens with the deities. Now, let us turn to the body.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when one speaks with speech, and it dies when one does not speak. His splendor goes to the eye alone, the life to breath.

"This Brahman shines when a person speaks, and it dies when the person does not speak. His splendor passes to the eye alone, and his life passes to the breath.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when one sees with the eye, and it dies when one does not see. Its splendor goes to the ear alone, the life to breath.

"This Brahman shines when one sees with the eye, and it dies when one does not see. Its splendor passes to the ear alone, and its life passes to the breath.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when one hears with the ear, and it dies when one does not hear. Its splendor goes to the mind alone, the life to breath.

"This Brahman shines when one hears with the ear, and it dies when one does not hear. Its splendor goes to the mind alone, and its life goes to breath.

"This Brahman shines forth indeed when one thinks with the mind, and it dies when one does not think. Its splendor goes to the breath alone, and the life to breath.

"This Brahman shines when a person thinks, and it dies when the person does not think. Its splendor passes to the breath alone, and its life passes to the breath.

"Thus all these deities (the senses, etc.), having entered breath or life alone, though dead, do not vanish; and out of very breath they rise again. And if two mountains, the southern and northern, were to move forward trying to crush him who knows this, they would not crush him. But those who hate him and those whom he hates, they die around him.

"Thus all these deities (the senses, etc.) enter breath or life alone. Though dead, they do not vanish. They rise again from breath itself. If two mountains, one to the south and one to the north, moved forward to crush the person who knows this, they would not crush him. But those who hate him and those he hates die around him."

"Next follows the Nihsreyasâdâna, i.e., the accepting of the preeminence of breath or life by the other gods. The deities, speech, eye, ear, mind, contending with each for who was the best, went out of this body, and the body lay without breathing, withered, like a log of wood. Then speech went into it, but speaking by speech, it lay still. Then the eye went into it, but speaking by speech, and seeing by the eye, it lay still. Then the ear went into it, but speaking by speech, seeing by the eye, hearing by the ear, it lay still. Then mind went into it, but speaking by speech, seeing by the eye, hearing by the ear, thinking by the mind, it lay still. Then breath went into it, and thence it rose at once. All these deities, having recognized the preeminence in life, and having comprehended life alone as the conscious self, went out of this body with all these five different kinds of life, and resting in the air, knowing that life had entered the air and merged in the ether, they went to heaven. And in the same manner he who knows this, having recognized the preëminence in prâna, and having comprehended life alone as the conscious self, goes out of this body with all these, does no longer believe in this body, and resting in the air, and merged in the ether, he goes to heaven: he goes to where those gods are. And having reached this heaven, he, who knows this, becomes immortal with that immortality which those gods enjoy.

"Next comes the Nihsreyasâdâna, the other gods' acceptance of the supremacy of breath, or life. The deities of speech, sight, hearing, and mind argued over which of them was best. They went out of the body, and it lay breathless and withered, like a log of wood. Then speech entered the body, but though the body could speak, it still lay there. Then sight entered it, but though the body could speak and see, it still lay there. Then hearing entered it, but though the body could speak, see, and hear, it still lay there. Then mind entered it, but though the body could speak, see, hear, and think, it still lay there. Then breath entered the body, and it rose at once. All these deities recognized the supremacy of life and understood that life alone is the conscious self. They left the body with all five different kinds of life and rested in the air. They knew that life had entered the air and merged with the ether. Then they went to heaven. In the same way, those who know this recognize the supremacy of prâna and understand that life alone is the conscious self. They leave the body with all these and no longer believe in the body. They rest in the air and, merged with the ether, go to heaven, where those gods are. Having reached heaven, those who know this become immortal, sharing the immortality that those gods enjoy.

"Next follows the father's tradition to the son, and thus they explain it. The father, when going to depart, calls his son, after having strewn the house with fresh grass, and having laid the sacrificial fire, and having placed near it a pot of water with a jug, full of rice, himself covered with a new cloth, and dressed in white. He places himself above his son, touching his organs with his own organs, or he may deliver the tradition to him while he sits before him. Then he delivers it to him. The father says: 'Let me place my speech in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy speech in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my scent in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy scent in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my eye in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy eye in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my ear in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy ear in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my tastes of food in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy tastes of food in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my actions in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy actions in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my pleasure and pain in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy pleasure and pain in me.' The father says: 'Let me place happiness, joy, and offspring in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy happiness, joy, and offspring in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my walking in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy walking in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my mind in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy mind in me.' The father says: 'Let me place my knowledge in thee.' The son says: 'I take thy knowledge in me.' But if the father is very ill, he may say shortly: Let me place my spirits in thee,' and the son: 'I take thy spirits in me.'

Next comes the father's passing on of the tradition to his son. It is explained as follows. When the father is about to depart, he prepares the house. He spreads fresh grass, lays the sacrificial fire, and places a pot of water and a jug full of rice nearby. Dressed in white and covered with a new cloth, he calls his son. He places himself above his son, touching the son's organs with his own. Or he may pass on the tradition while his son sits before him. Then he passes it on. The father says: 'Let me place my speech in you.' The son says: 'I take your speech into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my sense of smell in you.' The son says: 'I take your sense of smell into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my sight in you.' The son says: 'I take your sight into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my hearing in you.' The son says: 'I take your hearing into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my tastes of food in you.' The son says: 'I take your tastes of food into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my actions in you.' The son says: 'I take your actions into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my pleasure and pain in you.' The son says: 'I take your pleasure and pain into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place happiness, joy, and offspring in you.' The son says: 'I take your happiness, joy, and offspring into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my walking in you.' The son says: 'I take your walking into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my mind in you.' The son says: 'I take your mind into myself.' The father says: 'Let me place my knowledge in you.' The son says: 'I take your knowledge into myself.' But if the father is very ill, he may simply say: 'Let me place my spirits in you.' The son then says: 'I take your spirits into myself.'

"Then the son walks round his father, keeping his right side towards him, and goes away. The father calls after him: 'May fame, glory of countenance, and honor always follow thee.' Then the other looks back over his left shoulder, covering himself with his hand or the hem of his garment, saying: 'Obtain the heavenly worlds and all desires.'

"Then the son walks around his father, keeping his right side toward him, and leaves. The father calls after him: 'May fame, a radiant appearance, and honor always follow you.' The son looks back over his left shoulder, covering himself with his hand or the hem of his garment. He says: 'May you attain the heavenly worlds and all your desires.'

"If the father recovers, let him be under the authority of his son, or let him wander about as an ascetic. But if he departs, then let them despatch him, as he ought to be despatched, yea, as he ought to be despatched."

"If the father recovers, let him live under his son's authority or wander as an ascetic. But if he dies, let them send him off as they should, indeed, as they should."