Chandogya upanishad (ch. 6,7 & 8) – 12

Chapter 6, Section 16 

Mantras 6-16-1to3

purusham somyota hastagrhitamanayantyapaharṣitsteyamakarshitparasumasmai tapateti sa yadi tasya karta bhavati tata evanrtamatmanam kurute so'nrtabhisandho'nrtenatmanamantardhaya parasum taptam pratigrhnati sa dahyate'tha hanyate || 6.16.1 ||

atha yadi tasyakarta bhavati tateva satyamatmanam kurute sa satyabhisandhah satyenatmanamantardhaya parasum taptam pratigrhṇati sana dahyate'tha mucyate || 6.16.2 ||

sa yatha tatra nadahyetaitadatmyamidam sarvam tatsatyam sa athma tattvamasi svetaketo iti taddhasya vijajnaviti vijajnaviti || 6.16.3 || iti shodasah khandah || iti shashtho'dhyayah ||

Dear son, suppose a man is brought with his hands tied, and they say: ‘This man has stolen something. He has committed robbery. Heat up an axe for him.’ If he has committed the offence, then surely he will prove himself to be a liar. Being dishonest and trying to hide under the cover of falsehood, he will be burned when he grasps the hot axe, and then he will be punished.(1)  But if he has not committed the offence, then surely he will prove himself to be truthful. Being honest, he will be protected by the cover of truth and will not be burned when he grasps the hot axe and then he will be set free.(2)  ‘That man, being honest, is not burnt by the hot axe.  (Similarly a person who has attained Athma Jnanam will not be affected by samsara).  That [Sat] is the Self of all (in the world). It is the Truth. It is the Athma. That thou art, O Svetaketu.’ Svetaketu understood; yes, he understood. (3) End of sixteenth section.  (Also) the end of sixth chapter of Chandogya Upanishad.

            Uddalaka gives another illustration in this section. A person accused of committing theft is brought before the king.  The accused person denies the charge. In that kingdom they had a test to test the truth of one’s statement. He would be asked to hold the heated blade of an axe in his hand. If the hand suffers burns from the hot blade, he is judged as covered by untruth and he is punished for the crime as well. If the hand is unaffected by the heat of the blade he was considered not guilty being protected by truth.  This example is given to infer that if one has not got the knowledge that his Real Self is Brahman, the self of all but perseveres in the false notion that the body-mind complex is his real self he is burnt by the heat of samsara, being subject to the tapa triam – adhibauthika, adhidaivika and adhyathmika and suffers the punishment of continuous journey in the cycle of birth and death until he gains the cover of Self-knowledge that saves him from samsara and rids him of rebirth.  Uddalka ends this narration with the reiteration that the subtlest essence and the Self of all is Sat, the Existence that is Brahman, followed by the declaration “You are That (Tattvamasi)“  which means that the Real Self  of Svetaketu is not the mortal body-mind-complex but  Athma, the immortal Brahman.  This time Svetaketu understands and the sixteenth section as well as the sixth chapter ends.

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