सः होवाच गार्ग्यः यः एव अयम् आदर्शे पुरुषः एतम् एव अहम् ब्रह्म उपास इति सः होवाच अजातशत्रुः मा म एतस्मिन् संवदिष्ठाः रोचिष्णुः इति वै अहम् एतम् उपास इति सः यः एतम् एवम् उपास्ते रोचिष्णुः ह भवति रोचिष्णुः ह अस्य प्रजा भवति अथो यैः संनिगच्छति सर्वान् तान् अतिरोचते
saḥ hovāca gārgyaḥ yaḥ eva ayam ādarśe puruṣaḥ etam eva aham brahma upāsa iti saḥ hovāca ajātaśatruḥ mā ma etasmin saṃvadiṣṭhāḥ rociṣṇuḥ iti vai aham etam upāsa iti saḥ yaḥ etam evam upāste rociṣṇuḥ ha bhavati rociṣṇuḥ ha asya prajā bhavati atho yaiḥ saṃnigacchati sarvān tān atirocate
Gārgya said: "The person who is in a mirror — him I venerate as Brahman." Ajātaśatru said: "Do not speak to me of him! I venerate him as the Shining One." He who venerates him thus becomes shining, and his offspring shine, and he outshines all with whom he comes together.
ca8e14396aff · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:50:55 AM UTC
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The eighth address is the mirror, and the rank is rociṣṇu, "the Shining One". The person in the mirror we remember: Virocana stumbled over him, taking the reflection for the ātman (ChU 8.8). Gārgya does not make that crude mistake — he venerates not the image but the luminous principle in mirroring; and yet he remains within the ranks of the partial.
The fruit is fine and dangerous at once: "he outshines all" — the veneration of brilliance gives brilliance, conspicuousness, pre-eminence in assemblies. How much religious life lives on this reward! The king will enter it too in the account — and then present the sum: a total of brilliance is not the Light.