Balaki belonged to the Gargi family. He was proud but a good expositor! On a certain occasion he went to Ajatasatru, king of Kasi and offered to tell him of Brahman! Ajatasatru was a little surprised. But he said he was ready to listen to his speech and offer a thousand cows for his speech! Balaki said that the person in the Sun is Brahman and that he meditates on him. The king told him that he meditated on the Sun as ‘ all surpassing and head and king of all beings. Those who meditate on him shall become head and all surpassing! Balaki said he meditated on the Moon as Brahman. Ajatasatru replied that he meditated him as “the great white robed king Soma! One who meditates on him shall have Soma poured out in his sacrifices and he shall have plenty of food! Balaki continued and said that he meditated on Space as Brahman.
Qa
The King replied that he considered Space as ‘full and unmoving’. Those who meditate on Space shall be blessed with children and cattle! Balak further said that he meditated on Wind and Fire as Brahman! Ajathasatru replied that he knew about it! Wind for him is ‘ irresistible and unconquerable’! Fi!re is forbearing for him. People who meditate on fire become forbearing!
Balaki of Gargya said that he meditated on Water as Brahman! Ajatasatru said that he knew about that as the agreeable! Those who worship it shall have agreeable things and agreeable children! Finally Balaki said that he meditated on the person who is in the self as the Brahman! The king replied that for him it is self possessed! All those who meditate become self possessed along with their children!
Balaki had nothing else to say and he stopped! Ajatasatru said that the information is not enough. Balaki of Gargya, to get more knowledge, wanted to be the student of Ajatasatru and learn more! A brahmin becoming a student of a Kshatriya was contrary to the practice in those days but Ajatasatru,the king, accepted Balaki as his student to make him know the Brahman clearly. The king took the hand of Balakl, rose from the spot, and came to a person who was asleep. The king called called him by these three names, “ Great, white robed, radiant Soma”. The man did not wake up. The king rubbed him with his hand and woke him up! Ajatasatru questioned, “What happened to the conciousness when the man was asleep? How did it come back? Balaki of Gargya had no answer!
Ajatasatru explained that the person with consciousness ‘has taken to himself the functions of these sense organs and rests in the space within the heart. When the person takes in these he is said to sleep”. Then his breath, speech, the ear and the eye are kept in. The mind is also kept in! Dreams are his world and he’ taking his senses along, moves about as he pleases in his own body like a great king taking his men along and moving about as he pleases in his own country. When he's fast asleep he knows nothing whatsoever! He moves through the seventy two thousand channels called Hita extending from the heart to the body and rests in the surrounding body! He rests like a great king having reached the summit of his happiness!
Ajatasatru explained that “as a spider moves along its threads and as from fire sparks fly in all directions, even so from this Self come forth all organs, all worlds, all deities and all beings! Its mystic name is ‘ the Truth of truth. The senses are the truth and the Self is the Truth of truth.”Through the conversation between Balaki of Gargya and king Ajatasatru, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad explains that the person in the Sun, the moon, space, water, and fire is Brahman itself! The Katha Upanishad confirms the same idea when it proclaims, “ na tatra suryo bhati na chandra tarakam nemo vidyuto bhanti kuthoya magnihi tameva bhanti manubhati sarvam tasya bhasa sarvamidam vibhati” What is sleep? The Upanishad clarifies that it is the withdrawal of Self along with the senses and moving in different worlds! When the Individual is fast asleep he is totally cut off from the external world and it's associations! The self is present but subconsciously, oblivious of its environment! The dialogue is an attempt to elucidate what Self is and what happens when a person sleeps and dreams!
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