यद् एव ते कश्चिद् अब्रवीत् तच् छृणवामेति । अब्रवीन् म उदङ्कः शौल्बायनः । प्राणो वै ब्रह्मेति । यथा मातृमान् पितृमान् आचार्यवान् ब्रूयात् तथा तच् छौल्बायनो ऽब्रवीत् प्राणो वै ब्रह्मेति । अप्राणतो हि किं स्याद् इति । अब्रवीत् तु ते तस्यायतनं प्रतिष्ठाम् । न मे ऽब्रवीद् इति । एकपाद् वा एतत् सम्राड् इति । स वै नो ब्रूहि याज्ञवल्क्य । प्राण एवायतनम् आकाशः प्रतिष्ठा । प्रियम् इत्य् एनद् उपासीत । का प्रियता याज्ञवल्क्य । प्राण एव सम्राड् इति होवाच । प्राणस्य वै सम्राट् कामायायाज्यं याजयति । अप्रतिगृह्यस्य प्रतिगृह्णाति । अपि तत्र वधाशङ्का भवति यां दिशम् एति प्राणस्यैव सम्राट् कामाय । प्राणो वै सम्राट् परमं ब्रह्म । नैनं प्राणो जहाति । सर्वाण्य् एनं भूतान्य् अभिक्षरन्ति । देवो भूत्वा देवान् अप्येति । य एवं विद्वान् एतद् उपास्ते । हस्त्यृषभं सहस्रं ददामीति होवाच जनको वैदेहह् । स होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः -- पिता मे ऽमन्यत नाननुशिष्य हरेतेति
yad eva te kaścid abravīt tac chṛṇavāmeti | abravīn ma udaṅkaḥ śaulbāyanaḥ | prāṇo vai brahmeti | yathā mātṛmān pitṛmān ācāryavān brūyāt tathā tac chaulbāyano 'bravīt prāṇo vai brahmeti | aprāṇato hi kiṃ syād iti | abravīt tu te tasyāyatanaṃ pratiṣṭhām | na me 'bravīd iti | ekapād vā etat samrāḍ iti | sa vai no brūhi yājñavalkya | prāṇa evāyatanam ākāśaḥ pratiṣṭhā | priyam ity enad upāsīta | kā priyatā yājñavalkya | prāṇa eva samrāḍ iti hovāca | prāṇasya vai samrāṭ kāmāyāyājyaṃ yājayati | apratigṛhyasya pratigṛhṇāti | api tatra vadhāśaṅkā bhavati yāṃ diśam eti prāṇasyaiva samrāṭ kāmāya | prāṇo vai samrāṭ paramaṃ brahma | nainaṃ prāṇo jahāti | sarvāṇy enaṃ bhūtāny abhikṣaranti | devo bhūtvā devān apyeti | ya evaṃ vidvān etad upāste | hastyṛṣabhaṃ sahasraṃ dadāmīti hovāca janako vaidehah | sa hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ -- pitā me 'manyata nānanuśiṣya hareteti
Devanagari rendered by HREEM from the edition's roman (IAST) text; the IAST is the edition's own.
Ya^avalkya said: ‘ Let us hear what anybody may have told you.’ Ganaka Vaideha replied: ‘ Udanka Yaulbayana told me that life (pri#a) is Brahman.’ Ya^wavalkya said: ‘As one who had (the benefit of a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Udanka Yaulbayana tell you that life is Brahman; for what is the use of a person without life? But did he tell you the body and the resting-place of that Brahman?’ Ganaka Vaideha said: ‘ He did not tell me.’ Ya^wavalkya said: ‘ Your Majesty, this (Brahman) stands on one leg only.’ Ganaka Vaideha said: ‘Then tell me, Y^»a- valkya.’ Ya^avalkya said: ‘ Breath is its body, ether its place, and one should worship it as what is dear.’ kanaka Vaideha said: ‘What is the nature of that which is dear? ’ Ya^avalkya replied: ‘Your Majesty, life itself (is that which is dear);’ because for the sake of life, Your Majesty, a man sacrifices even for him who is unworthy of sacrifice, he accepts presents from him who is not worthy to bestow presents, nay, he goes to a country, even when there is fear of being hurt, for the sake of life. Life, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Life does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.’ Ganaka Vaideha said: ‘I shall give you (for this) a thousand cows with a bull as big as an elephant.’ Ya^Tzavalkya said: ‘My father was of opinion that one should not accept a reward without having fully instructed a pupil.’
Translated by F. Max MüllerFrom an unproofread scan of the printed edition; spelling and line breaks may carry OCR errors.