स आगच्छतील्यं वृक्षं तं ब्रह्मगन्धः प्रविशति, स आगच्छति सालज्यं संस्थानं तं ब्रह्मरसः प्रविशति, आगच्छत्यपराजितमायतनं तं ब्रह्मतेजः प्रविशति स आगच्छति । इन्द्रप्रजापती द्वारगोपौ तावस्मादपद्रवतः स आगच्छति विभुप्रमितं तं ब्रह्मयशः प्रविशति स आगच्छति विचक्षणामासन्दीं बृहद्रथन्तरे सामनी पूर्वौ पादौ श्यैत नौधसे चापरौ वैरूपवैराजे अनूच्येते शाक्वररैवते तिरश्ची सा प्रज्ञा प्रज्ञया हि विपश्यति स आगच्छ्त्यमितौजसं पर्यङ्कं स प्राणस्तस्य भूतं च भविष्यच्च पूर्वौ पादौ श्रीश्चेरा चापरौ बृहद्रथन्तरे अनूच्ये भद्रयज्ञायज्ञीये शीर्षण्यमृचश्च सामानि च प्राचीनातानानि यजूंषि तिरश्चीनानि सोमांशव उपस्तरणमुद्गीथ उपश्रीः श्रीरुपबर्हणं तस्मिन्ब्रह्मास्ते तमित्थंवित्पादेनैवाग्र आरोहति । तं ब्रह्माह कोऽसीति तं प्रतिब्रूयात्
sa āgacchatīlyaṃ vṛkṣaṃ taṃ brahmagandhaḥ praviśati, sa āgacchati sālajyaṃ saṃsthānaṃ taṃ brahmarasaḥ praviśati, āgacchatyaparājitamāyatanaṃ taṃ brahmatejaḥ praviśati sa āgacchati | indraprajāpatī dvāragopau tāvasmādapadravataḥ sa āgacchati vibhupramitaṃ taṃ brahmayaśaḥ praviśati sa āgacchati vicakṣaṇāmāsandīṃ bṛhadrathantare sāmanī pūrvau pādau śyaita naudhase cāparau vairūpavairāje anūcyete śākvararaivate tiraścī sā prajñā prajñayā hi vipaśyati sa āgacchtyamitaujasaṃ paryaṅkaṃ sa prāṇastasya bhūtaṃ ca bhaviṣyacca pūrvau pādau śrīścerā cāparau bṛhadrathantare anūcye bhadrayajñāyajñīye śīrṣaṇyamṛcaśca sāmāni ca prācīnātānāni yajūṃṣi tiraścīnāni somāṃśava upastaraṇamudgītha upaśrīḥ śrīrupabarhaṇaṃ tasminbrahmāste tamitthaṃvitpādenaivāgra ārohati | taṃ brahmāha ko'sīti taṃ pratibrūyāt
He comes to the tree Ilya, and the fragrance of Brahmā enters him; he comes to the city Sālajya, and the savour of Brahmā enters him; he comes to the abode Unconquered, and the radiance of Brahmā enters him; he comes to the doorkeepers Indra and Prajāpati, and they flee from him; he comes to the hall Vibhupramita, and the glory of Brahmā enters him. He comes to the throne Vicakṣaṇā: the chants Bṛhat and Rathantara are its two front legs, Śyaita and Naudhasa the hind ones, Vairūpa and Vairāja are laid lengthwise, Śākvara and Raivata crosswise. This throne is insight, for by insight one sees clearly. He comes to the couch Amitaujas: it is the breath. The past and the future are its front legs, Śrī and Irā the hind ones; Bṛhat and Rathantara are laid lengthwise, Bhadra and Yajñāyajñīya are the head-piece; the ṛcs and the sāmans are stretched lengthwise, the yajuses crosswise; the soma-stalks are the coverlet, the udgītha the bolster, Śrī the pillow. On it sits Brahmā. The one who knows thus mounts it foot foremost. And Brahmā asks him: “Who are you?” — and let him answer.
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The entry continues, and it is arranged as a series of successive receivings: at the tree the fragrance of Brahmā enters the newcomer, in the city the savour, in the hall the radiance, in the chamber the glory. Notice the direction: not he takes, but it enters him. Approach to the highest is described as saturation, not as capture.
The doorkeepers — Indra and Prajāpati, the mightiest of the gods — “flee from him”. This is no mockery of the gods: before one led by the glory of Brahmā the guard withdraws, for it has nothing to ask of him.
Then the throne and the couch are described, and described strangely at first sight: their legs, their lengthwise and crosswise parts, are the Vedic chants. Bṛhat, Rathantara, Śyaita, Naudhasa, Vairūpa, Vairāja, Śākvara, Raivata — sāmans known to every singer. The sense of this is plain: the abode of the Highest is woven of that by which He is hymned. What is described is not furniture, but the fact that the universe is held together by the word.
And twice it is said what these things mean. The throne is prajñā, “insight”: “for by insight one sees clearly”. The couch is prāṇa, “breath” — life itself, with the past and the future for its front legs. Thus are joined the two chief themes of this Upaniṣad: insight and life. In the third adhyāya Indra will say outright that prāṇa and prajñā are one.
The detail “mounts it foot foremost” is from daily use: so one enters a house where one is invited. And at the very top, on the bed made of hymns, sits Brahmā — and the first thing he does is ask.
The question is the same the moon asked: “who are you?” But the answer to it will be different, and in that difference lies the whole point of the first adhyāya. At the moon it sufficed to recognise oneself as a link of the round; here one must answer otherwise.