Story of Yajnavalkya, Janaka and 1000 cows

Raja Janaka is popularly known as the father of adopted daughter Ma Sita who married with Shree Rama son of Raja Dasratha of Ajodhya. Raja Janaka is called Videha i.e. due to non-attachment to material possessions. He was king of Mithila (or Videha) kingdom in 8th or 7th century BC. Its capital is believed to be either Janakpur (in present-day Nepal), or Baliraajgadh (in present-day Madhubani district, Bihar, India). He was intensely interested in spiritual discourse and in his court had rishis such as Yajnavalkya. Yajnavalkya is credited for coining Advaita (non-dual, monism). He wrote texts such as the Yajnavalkya Smriti, Yoga Yajnavalkya and some texts of the Vedanta school.
 
The Episode of 1000 cows

Once, Raja Janaja announced a debate among Vedic scholars on the topic “Truth” and kept an award of thousand cows whose horns were tied with ten gold coins. Yajnavalkya asked one of his pupils to drive these cows to the house.
 
Asvala was the hotri priest of Raja Janaka. He questioned him, whether he treat himself best knower of the truth.  Yajnavalkya said, “I prostrate myself before the greatest knower of Truth, but I am desirous of the cows. I have taken the cows because I wanted the cows. Asvala commenced the debate on “concept of Truth”. Thereafter, a number of sages raised questions to Yajnavalkya. These sages were Arthabhaga, Bhujyuh Lahyayani, Usasta, Kahola Kaushitakeya, Uddalaka Aruni, Gargi Vacaknu and Vidagdha Sakalya.
 
During the course of debate, Yajnavalya explained the various aspects of “Non-dual self and Material creation, sense organs, forms of gods, death, yajna, Self-Realization, Self-Surrender etc. and won the debate.

Source: The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

The spiritual Concepts enlightened by Rishi Yajnavalya:

1. Sense Organs - There is a mutual action and reaction between the senses and the objects. Sense organs such as eyes, ears, tongue, skin etc. grab their objects of senses and objects of senses grab the sense organs simultaneously. The senses flare up more and more and strengthened by their catching hold of the objects. Sense organs are called Graha and objects of senses are called Atigraha. There are eight Graha and Atigraha viz. Prana & Apana together for odour, speech for language, palate & tongue for taste, ears for sound, mind for desire, hands for work, skin for touches and eyes for colors and forms. The senses fight with their objects and the objects fight with the senses. They finally kill each other, one day or the other.
2. Vital force & Desire - Divine vital force is the material desire which creates the universe. Keeping desire for the world is to maintain the desire for rebirth into the cycle of death and rebirth. The ongoing conscious desire   (vital force)   works and flourish in the world that leads to the rebirth into the world. Thus, Vital force maintains or holds together the chain or cycle of material existence.
   
3. Forms of Gods – Gods or deities take various forms based on certain parameters:
   1. Gods are as many as 3003 /303 based on hymns of praise for parmatma;
   2. 33 gods based on desires & material life (desires that manifest forms as eight Vasus, eleven organs of human body as Rudras, twelve months as Adityas, strength and sacrifice as means of rites and rituals termed as Indra & Prajapati);
   3. 6 gods identified as Fire, the earth, the air the sky, the sun and heaven;
   4. 3 gods as all are comprised in three worlds;
   5. 2 gods being matter and vital force;
   6. One & a half gods symbolizing the desire that maintains the life experience itself and
   7. One god i.e. Brahman or non-dual. (An article on full text of debate between Vidagdha Sakalya and Yajnavalkya on concept of gods will be published later)

4.   Atman or Self - Self or Atman is innermost and not an object. Self is that which transcends hunger and thirst, grief, delusion, decay and death. It appears as the various functions. The Experiencer is the atman; the Functionary in every respect through the senses or the mind or the intellect is the atman. Before Self Realization, creation the universe and this earth were seen as the reality. After self-realization, the person knows except Self, everything is perishable.
5.   Absolute consciousness or Brahman - One who inhabits within the earth, air, water, fire, sky, heaven, sun, moon, stars, dimensions of universe, ether, darkness, light, all beings, sense organs, mind, intellect etc. but these does not know who controls from within, that is the Internal Ruler, your own immortal self. These are name and form only. The Internal Ruler or Self alone is the only True Knower; The Absolute Self is the Eternal Witness. The Self has no form but all forms are the Self. It is above heaven and below the earth, It is this heaven and earth as well as between them, and It is pervaded by the “un-manifested ether” (unformed)   eternal   "ether" (Absolute eternal knowledge).
6.   Attributes of Brahman - Yajnavalkya describes the formless Absolute Brahman in terms of Neti-Neti i.e. "not this, not this". It is neither gross nor minute, neither short nor long, neither red color nor oiliness, neither shadow nor darkness, neither air nor ether, unattached, neither savour nor odour, without eyes or ears, without the vocal organ or mind, non-luminous, without the vital force or mouth, not a measure, and without interior or exterior. It does not eat anything, nor is It eaten by anybody. Under the mighty rule of this Immutable, the sun and moon are held in their positions; under the mighty rule of this Immutable, heaven and earth maintain their positions; under the mighty rule of this immutable, moments, Muhurtas, days and nights, fortnights, months, seasons and years are held in their respective places; under the mighty rule of this Immutable, some rivers flow eastward, others flowing westward continue in that direction, and still others keep to their respective courses.  
7.   Ignorant - One who is ignorant of the Non-Dual Divine may perform all proper duties to his gods, such as accepting the austerities of his cast or duties, making offerings and so forth but "such acts" are   "perishable".

1. Yajna & Meditation - Liberation or freedom from re-birth is not possible by fire-sacrifice or Yajna unless priests and yajman separates themselves meditatively from the performance of yajna. They all should perceive that Yajnas are performed through the senses only. The central theme was by meditation, one leaves off his individuality & separate nature and identifies himself with the universal non-dual self. Such attainment is the final freedom. (An article on full debate between Asvala and Yajnavalkya on types of priests, oblations, mantras etc. will be published later).

9.   Self-Realization - To "Realize" or know the Absolute Self means to have achieved full conscious awareness of this Singularity of Existence. This immutable, is never seen but is the Witness; It is never heard, but is the Hearer; It is never thought, but is the Thinker; It is never known, but is the Knower. There is no other witness but This, no other hearer but This, no other thinker but This, no other knower but This. By this Immutable, is the (unmanifested) ether pervaded.  
10.  Self-Surrender - Surrendering one-self without further desire means remaining at rest with Absolute Consciousness.   Surrendering to the Absolute is the true way one "conquers further death".

1. Death - Supreme Being is the swallower of death. One cannot overcome death unless one resorts to the Supreme Being. There cannot be freedom from birth and death; there cannot be therefore freedom from the consequent sorrow of life, until and unless the great Reality is realized.

Reference:

1. https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/brdup/brhad_III-01.html
2. http://www.upanishads.kenjaques.org.uk/Brihadaranyaka_Upanishad
3. https://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/hinduism/upanishads