अध्याय 17
श्लोक 3.5.1
अथ हैनं कहोलः कौषीतकेयः पप्रच्छ पप्रच्छ याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच यदेव साक्षादपरोक्षाद्ब्रह्म य आत्मा सर्वान्तरस्तं मे व्याचक्ष्वेत्येष त आत्मा सर्वान्तरः ।कतमो याज्ञवल्क्य सर्वान्तरो ।योऽशनायापिपासे शोकं मोहं जरां मृत्युमत्येत्येतं वै तमात्मानं विदित्वा ब्राह्मणाः पुत्रैषणायाश्च वित्तैषणायाश्च लोकैषणायाश्च व्युत्थायाथ भिक्षाचर्यं चरन्ति ।या ह्येव पुत्रैषणा सा वित्तैषणा या वित्तैषणा सा लोकैषणोभे ह्येते एषणे एव भवतस्तस्माद्ब्राह्मणः पाण्डित्यं निर्विद्य बाल्येन तिष्ठासेत् ।बाल्यं च पाण्डित्यं च निर्विद्याथ मुनिरमौनं च मौनं च निर्विद्याथ ब्राह्मणः ।स ब्राह्मणः केन स्याद् येन स्यात् तेनेदृश एवातोऽन्यदार्तम् ।य एवं वेद एवातोऽन्यदार्तम् ।ततो ह कहोलः कौषीतकेय उपरराम
atha hainaṃ kaholaḥ kauṣītakeyaḥ papraccha papraccha yājñavalkyeti hovāca yadeva sākṣādaparokṣādbrahma ya ātmā sarvāntarastaṃ me vyācakṣvetyeṣa ta ātmā sarvāntaraḥ | katamo yājñavalkya sarvāntaro | yo'śanāyāpipāse śokaṃ mohaṃ jarāṃ mṛtyumatyetyetaṃ vai tamātmānaṃ viditvā brāhmaṇāḥ putraiṣaṇāyāśca vittaiṣaṇāyāśca lokaiṣaṇāyāśca vyutthāyātha bhikṣācaryaṃ caranti | yā hyeva putraiṣaṇā sā vittaiṣaṇā yā vittaiṣaṇā sā lokaiṣaṇobhe hyete eṣaṇe eva bhavatastasmādbrāhmaṇaḥ pāṇḍityaṃ nirvidya bālyena tiṣṭhāset | bālyaṃ ca pāṇḍityaṃ ca nirvidyātha muniramaunaṃ ca maunaṃ ca nirvidyātha brāhmaṇaḥ | sa brāhmaṇaḥ kena syād yena syāt tenedṛśa evāto'nyadārtam | ya evaṃ veda evāto'nyadārtam | tato ha kaholaḥ kauṣītakeya upararāma
English
Then Kahola Kaushîtakeya asked. 'Yâgñavalkya, 'he said, 'tell me the Brahman which is visible, not invisible, the Self (Âtman), who is within all.' Yâgñavalkya replied: 'This, thy Self, who is within all.' 'Which Self, O Yâgñavalkya, is within all?' Yâgñavalkya replied: 'He who overcomes hunger and thirst, sorrow, passion, old age, and death. When Brâhmanas know that Self, and have risen above the desire for sons , wealth, and (new) worlds , they wander about as mendicants. For a desire for sons is desire for wealth, a desire for wealth is desire for worlds. Both these are indeed desires. Therefore let a Brâhmana, after he has done with learning, wish to stand by real strength ; after he has done with that strength and learning, he becomes a Muni (a Yogin); and after he has done with what is not the knowledge of a Muni, and with what is the knowledge of a Muni, he is a Brâhmana. By whatever means he has become a Brâhmana, he is such indeed . Everything else is of evil.' After that Kahola Kaushîtakeya held his peace.