Yājñavalkya

Yājñavalkya

Karavīra has other meanings too: see all meanings of Karavīra. Yoga has other meanings too: see all meanings of Yoga. Śatānīka has other meanings too: see all meanings of Śatānīka.

Yājñavalkya Maharshi is the great brāhmaṇa of the Yajurveda who, after giving back the Yajus mantras to his guru Vaiśampāyana, received the Śukla Yajurveda through the ārādhana of Sūrya and founded the Vājasaneyī śākhā. He won the debate at King Janaka‘s yajña, taught his wives Kaṭhyāyanī and Maitreyi, and is the teacher of the Yājñavalkya Smṛti and of yoga. The Agni Purāṇa tells that he and others obtained the Kāṇva, Vājasaneya and other śākhās of the Yajurveda, names him among the teachers of dharma, and says that he will be the purohita of Kalki at the end of the Kali Yuga. The Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that he came forth with the Yajurveda from the south face of Brahmā, and that he asked Brahmā which devatā gives moksha, heard from him the glory of Bhagavān Sūrya, worshipped Divākara and went to Sūrya Loka.

In the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Sūta Maharshi tells Śaunaka that Yājñavalkya, son of Devarāta and disciple of Vaiśampāyana, offered to perform alone a vrata no one else could, was told by his angry guru to give up what he had learned, vomited out the Yajus mantras, which the ṛshis took up as tittiri birds, and then, by a stotra to Sūrya, received from Sūrya in the form of a horse Yajus mantras unknown till then, which he made into the fifteen śākhās of the Vājasaneya saṃhitā. The Bhāgavata also names him among the siddhas who give ātma-jñāna to the world, as the maharshi in whose form Śrī Hari teaches karma, as the teacher of adhyātma-yoga to the Maithila kings and of the Veda to Śatānīka.

Origins and Names of Yājñavalkya

In the land of Kuru and Panchāla, on the banks of the Gaṅgā, lay the sacred town of Camatkāra. There dwelt a foremost brāhmaṇa, renowned for his mastery of yajñas and the Vedas. His eloquence earned him the name Yājñavalkya, while his generous tradition of food-offering (annadāna) called him Vājasanī, for “vāj” also signifies the ritual of offering food. As preceptor of the Brahmanas, he was hailed as Brahmarātaḥ, and by divine grace he begot a son, thus revered as Devarātaḥ, “protected by the devas.”

Divine Birth of Yājñavalkya

By the favor of Īśvara, Yājñavalkya’s wife Sūnandā conceived on Kārtika śuddha-dvādaśī, a Thursday in the Dhanu-lagna. At the sight of the child’s luminous form, all proclaimed him none other than Brahmādeva incarnate. In homage to his lineage and gifts, he was named Yājñavalkya, Vājasanī, Brahmarātaḥ, and Devarātaḥ—titles reflecting both mortal and divine descent.

Early Education and Vedic Training

At age five, his father performed the aksharābhyāsa rite, and at eight, the upanayana. For his schooling he was entrusted to the ṛshi Bāśkala, under whom he studied the Ṛgveda. From Jaimini he learned the Sāma-veda, and from the ṛshi Aruṇi (alias Uddālaka) the Atharva-veda. When his mastery of the three Vedas was complete, his father presented him to Vaiśampāyana Maharshi—appointed by Kṛshṇa-Dvaipāyana Vyāsa to teach the entire Yajur-veda. Impressed by the boy’s aptitude, Vaiśampāyana accepted him as foremost among his disciples.

Counsel of Father and Devotion to Guru

On seeing his son embraced by the great ṛshi, Yājñavalkya’s father declared, “My son, our merit is profound. You have no master but this guru—no deity but this one. Consider no other as supreme.” From that moment, Yājñavalkya devoted himself entirely to Vaiśampāyana, serving him with unwavering diligence. So pleased was the guru that, after imparting the Yajur-veda, he revealed to Yājñavalkya numerous secret teachings, conferring both brahma-tejas and the merit of devoted service.

Pride and the Test of Brahmāhatyā

Endowed with sattvaguṇa, Yājñavalkya’s confidence blossomed into sattvikāhaṅkāra—pride in his purity and wisdom. When a visitor dared imply he harbored anger, he retorted fiercely, denying any flaw. Observing this, Vaiśampāyana chose to overlook the fault. Yet when Yājñavalkya boasted before the assembled students of his power to atone for any brahma-hatyā, the guru’s patience wore thin.

One day the guru’s disciple committed a grave misdeed. In wrath, Vaiśampāyana struck him with his foot—an act equated with brahma-hatyā. Distressed, he summoned all disciples and lamented his deed, seeking a remedy. Yājñavalkya proclaimed himself alone capable of removing the pāpa, urging the guru to entrust the task to him. Incensed, Vaiśampāyana rebuked him for arrogance and ordered him to forsake all learning and depart.

The Vow and the Birth of the Taittirīya

Humbly, Yājñavalkya fell at his guru’s feet, confessed pride, and begged forgiveness. Yet the guru insisted that all his knowledge be renounced. Obediently, Yājñavalkya expelled the Yajur-veda from his body in a stream of blood, offering it as his guru’s due. Birds—tittiriḥ—alighted and consumed the sacred lore. Thus was born the Taittirīya branch of the Yajur-veda, its teachings preserved by the titiri birds and later uttered in “Taittirīya Upanishad.”

Revival through Tapas and the Ārādhana of Sūrya

Having relinquished his Vedic learning, Yājñavalkya performed austere tapas to worship Sūrya. The deva Sūrya, pleased by his devotion, appeared in radiance and offered a vara. Yājñavalkya requested the knowledge he had surrendered. Sūrya replied, “O Yājñavalkya, I shall teach you as guru that which your former teacher cannot: the Śukla-Yajur-veda. By its power you shall surpass your preceptor. For other Vedas, worship Sarasvatī and she will grant them.” Thereupon Yājñavalkya worshipped Sarasvatī with reverence; she manifested and bestowed upon him all knowledge. Gratified, he praised her and became resplendent as the repository of transcendent lore.

Establishment of the Vājasaneyī Śākhā

Under Yājñavalkya’s instruction, the Śukla-Yajur-veda proliferated in many recensions known as Vājasaneyī Śākhā. His foremost disciple, Kauṇva, gave rise to the Kauṇveyas. Thus Yājñavalkya uniquely founded this Vedic branch before withdrawing from the world. Today only a few of the original fifteen sub-branches survive, testament to his singular legacy.

Debate at King Janaka’s Yajña

Once King Janaka, the cakravartin, performed a grand yāga and invited Yājñavalkya to attend. The ṛshi arrived and beheld many maharshiḥs assembled. Janaka addressed them: “O venerable ones, here are vast heaps of wealth; if any among you deems himself worthy, let him take them.” However, the Upanishad notes that these treasures were but cows, not gold or jewels.

Each ṛshi inwardly thought, “Am I not complete?” yet none dared to claim the wealth—except Yājñavalkya. He summoned his own disciples and directed them to carry off all the treasures. A few challenged him, disputing his greatness, but were vanquished in debate and departed in defeat.

Among the assembly was the ascetic Śākalya. He confronted Yājñavalkya: “What arrogance is this? Do you think none here equals you? If you possess such prowess, argue with me and prevail.” Yājñavalkya replied, “Where shall we begin? You are far inferior.” Undeterred, Śākalya demanded, “If I lose, I shall commit suicide—do you agree?” Yājñavalkya consented: “If you are vanquished, you may take your own life.” Thus the wager was set.

Yājñavalkya subjected Śākalya to a hundred questions in succession, answering each with perfect truth. Finally, he posed a single query to Śākalya, who could not respond. True to his word, Śākalya ended his life, and Yājñavalkya reclaimed the treasures.

Recognition and Resurrection by Janaka

King Janaka exclaimed, “This Śākalya was no ordinary ascetic. He was learned, austere, and a great brāhmaṇa. To perish in debate against you is no glory. By your tapas you have the power even to restore him to life.” Delighted, Yājñavalkya revived Śākalya by his ascetic potency.

Impressed further, Janaka acknowledged Yājñavalkya’s mastery: “By you I understand what indriyaḥs are, what avyaktaḥ is, what brahman is, and what param is, as well as the processes of creation and dissolution and the numbers that pertain to time. All this is contained in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanishad.”

Teachings on Prakṛti and Purusha

Yājñavalkya taught that to achieve an undisturbed mind, one must comprehend prakṛti and purusha. Just as one lamp may light many others, so prakṛti manifests myriad guṇaḥs that interact and grow. Sattvaguṇaḥ comprises qualities such as sukha, ānanda, ārogya, akrodha, ārjava, śuddhi, prakāśatva, sthairya, ahiṃsā, nirmala-śraddhā, vinīti, and lajja. Rājas-guṇaḥ includes vishaya (desire), darpa (pride), tiraskāra (contempt), kāma-krodha (lust, anger), mātsarya (jealousy), and absence of karuṇā. Tāmas-guṇaḥ is marked by darkness, overeating, moha (delusion), vāda (argumentation), fear, ignorance, and inertia.

He explained that purusha is the witness, prakṛti the seen; the self remains untouched by prakṛti’s fluctuations. When mind, indriyaḥ, buddhi, and ahaṅkāra merge with prakṛti, one attains dhyāna. True moksha arises when buddhi transcends prakṛti, realizing parā-prakṛti and abiding as aksharaḥ, the unborn, unchanging witness.

Discourse with Gandharva King Viśvāvasu

Thereafter, the gandharva-rāja Viśvāvasu came to Yājñavalkya and requested instruction. “O ṛshi, teach me the knowledge of Viśva, Mitra, Varuṇa, Jñānajaya, the nature of knowledge, tapas, the sun, the sciences, the objects and non‐objects of knowledge, and motion and rest (these constitute Sāṃkhya).”

Yājñavalkya replied: “O gandharva-rāja, Viśva denotes prakṛti in both manifest and unmanifest aspects. Viśva is that which creates the past, present, and future; it is the common essence named as manifest and unmanifest. In this understanding all doubt vanishes. Manifest and unmanifest prakṛti are one. Those yet to manifest are future; those that endure are beyond decay. Thus the terms jñeya-ajāñeya, vedyā-avedyā, calacala signify purusha and prakṛti respectively.

Purusha experiences prakṛti yet remains its witness and is not bound. To realize moksha, one discerns that although experiencing the world, the self is distinct from prakṛti. At death one sheds the body and abides in one’s true nature, free from rebirth.

Thus did Yājñavalkya impart profound wisdom before departing.

Marriage to Kaṭhyāyānī and Maitreyi

Near the city of Mithilā, in a forest hermitage, dwelt the ṛshi Kaṭuḍa, who had a daughter named Kaṭhyāyanī. When she reached the age suitable for marriage, her father offered her to Yājñavalkya, who gladly wed her. In mantra-śāstra the name Kaṭhyāyanī implies “one without a husband,” not one who has lost a husband.

Similarly, a brāhmaṇa named Mitra had a daughter Maitreyi. Hearing of Yājñavalkya’s fame, she expressed her desire to marry him, and he accepted. The yogīśvarī Gārgi introduced Maitreyi to Kaṭhyāyanī and placed her in the ṛshi’s service. By Yājñavalkya’s blessing, Kaṭhyāyanī bore three sons—Candrakaṇṭa, Mahāmegha, and Vijayakumāra—as recounted in the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upanishad.

Conferment as Yogīndra

On another occasion, all the maharshiḥs assembled and posed: “Who among us may bear the title Yogīśvarēśvara or be consecrated as Yogīndra? Who is supreme?” They journeyed to Yājñavalkya and received from him the supreme secrets of yoga. “He is endowed with infinite jñāna; there is none other,” they declared, and crowned him Yogīndra. Their teachings form the twelve chapters of the Yogayājñavalkya.

Renunciation and Counsel to His Wives

In his later years, Yājñavalkya resolved to take sannyāsa. Summoning Kaṭhyāyanī and Maitreyi, he offered them any vara. Having already amassed great wealth, he asked what they desired. Both replied, “We seek only the path to mokshamārga, free from old age and death.”

To them the ṛshi taught that true love is self-love: a husband loves his wife for his own joy, not for her sake alone. All affection arises from self-interest. Therefore one must inquire, “Who am I that loves? Who is this ‘I’?” He instructed that all perception, reflection, and meditation must turn inward to the self (ātman), for the supreme Self alone is cause of all and the source of Vedic teaching. With these truths imparted, he renounced household life.

Philosophy and Works of Yājñavalkya

Composition of the Yājñavalkya Smṛti

While residing in Mithilā, Yājñavalkya was asked by brāhmaṇa and ṛshi to expound the duties of varṇa-āśrama. He composed the Yājñavalkya-smṛti in three kāṇḍas of āchāra (conduct), vyavahāra (legal procedure), and prayascitta (penance).

The first kāṇḍa details fourteen vidyāḥ, parishad-assemblies, saṃskāra rites, sapinda marriages, snāka rites, and pūrohita duties. The second covers nyāya-procedure, ādhikāra, and strīdhana, affirming a woman’s right to property. The third addresses śauca of apārakarma, duties to guests, and the path to moksha, including yama rules and prayascitta for offences. Yājñavalkya’s smṛti thus presents a unified dharma-theory, guiding individuals toward moksha across changing times and circumstances.

Yogayājñavalkya and the Twelve Chapters of Yoga

Yājñavalkya expounded the āṅga and upāṅga of yoga in twelve chapters, setting forth its principles to Gārgi in the text known as Yogayājñavalkya. He declares that this yoga-śāstra was revealed to him by Brahmādeva. Even as a gṛhastha, one who abides in svadharma, by the union of karma-vidyā and Vedānta-jñāna one attains samyag-ātma-darśana and becomes mukta. Liberation does not arise from ātma-jñāna alone but from the harmonious blending of karma and jñāna—naiskarmasiddhi.

The Jñāni’s Immunity to Trials

Once liberated, the jñāni faces no downfall. When apsarāḥ or Indraḥ themselves sought to test him, they were confounded by his inner steadiness. After darśana of Brahman, nothing in creation can delude him.

External and Inner Vision

In saṃsāra, outward vision (bāhya-dṛshṭi) inflicts bondage, while inner vision (antaradṛishṭi) protects. The practice (sādhana) is the withdrawal (upasaṃhāra) of bāhya-dṛshṭi in favor of antaradṛishṭi. Attempts to control the indriya-adhāras and conquer kāma-krodha through sādhanā neutralize external distraction. This does not claim self-revelation; rather, it abolishes the power of outward sight, a goal accessible to all.

The Jñāni’s Indifference to Wealth and Power

Asura-sampatti (demonic wealth) and deva-sampatti (divine riches) may torment their possessors—but to the jñāni, these tastes hold no savor. One must practice indifference (upekshā) toward both. In the āśrama the wicked find safety; in the world they perish—thus one seeks refuge in the hermitage of inner equanimity.

The Place of Each Being in Creation

Just as a bat inhabits the ruins, each being abides where it flourishes by nature. One who harbors enmity toward Īśvara is unseen by Him; but to the devotee, He is fully attentive. This is the essence of guru-tattva: the ṛshis embody the proximity of Brahmā, Vishṇu, and Rudra, yet walk as mortals, rescuing countless jīvas.

From Rāmeśvara to Kedārānātha, the outward practices—pūjā, mantras, vigraha—may vary, but the metaphysical core remains one. Indian culture rests on guru-tattva, the teaching and surrender to the guru. This lineage of mahārshiḥs endows our tradition with imperishable vitality. Even as ages pass, the power of their transmission sustains Bharatiya saṃskṛti, renewing it eternally.

Yājñavalkya in the Agni Purāṇa

When Agni deva tells of the dividing of the Veda, he says that at the end of the Dvāpara Yuga Śrī Mahāvishṇu descends as Vedavyāsa and divides the Veda. Vyāsa‘s śishya Vaiśampāyana made twenty-seven śākhās of the tree of the Yajurveda, and Yājñavalkya and others obtained the Kāṇva, Vājasaneya and other śākhās (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 150).

When Pushkara begins to teach Paraśurāma the dharma that gives bhukti (enjoyment) and mukti (moksha), he says he will tell it in brief as it was told by the teachers of dharma: Manu, Vishṇu, Yājñavalkya, Hārīta, Atri, Yama, Aṅgiras, Vasishṭha, Daksha, Saṃvarta, Śātātapa, Parāśara, Āpastamba, Uśanas, Vyāsa, Kātyāyana, Bṛhaspati, Gautama, Śaṅkha and Likhita (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 162).

At the end of the Kali Yuga, when mlecchas who wear dharma as a cloak rule as kings, Bhagavān Vishṇu will appear as Kalki, the son of Vishṇuyaśas. Kalki will have Yājñavalkya as his purohita. Most skilled in weapons and bearing the astras, he will destroy the mlecchas, set the bounds of the four varṇas and keep the people in the four āśramas on the path of sad-dharma (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 16).

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 16, 150, 162

Per Bhāgavata Purāṇa

The Yajus given back and the Taittirīya

Sūta Maharshi tells Śaunaka and the ṛshis of Naimisha how the Vedas were divided. Among the disciples of Vaiśampāyana, the Caraka-adhvaryus are so called because they performed the vrata that removes their guru’s pāpa of brahmahatyā. Yājñavalkya, a disciple of Vaiśampāyana, said to him: “Venerable one, how much is gained by a vrata performed by those of small power? I will perform a vrata that is utterly impossible to perform.” Vaiśampāyana was angry and said: “Go! What use is a disciple like you, who has insulted the knowers of the Veda? Give up at once the learning you learned from me.” Yājñavalkya, son of Devarāta, vomited out the groups of Yajus mantras and went away. The maharshis saw them and, out of great longing for those Yajus, became tittiri birds, partridges, and took them up; so those most beautiful Yajus mantras are famed as the Taittirīya.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 6

His stotra to Sūrya

Then Yājñavalkya, wishing for mantras his guru did not have, praised Sūrya Deva, the master (nātha) of the Vedas. His stotra, in order:

1. Namaskāra to Bhagavān Sūrya, whose form is Oṃkāra.
2. In the hearts of all beings, womb-born, egg-born, worms and insects, trees and plants, from Brahmā to a blade of grass, he is present as the ātmā, and outside as Time.
3. That Time is the gathering of years that grows by its parts, the kshaṇa, the lava, the nimisha and the rest.
4. Like space, he is not limited by these.
5. One without a second, he turns water into vapour and gives it back as rain, and so carries on the life of all beings (tat savitur vareṇyam).
6. For those who praise him at the three sandhyās as the Veda lays down, he destroys all their pāpa, their sorrow and the ajñāna that causes pāpa.
7. “We meditate, facing it, on this blazing orb of yours.”
8. He is the refuge of all moving and unmoving beings, and as their ātmā and antaryāmī he moves the mind, the senses and the prāṇas (dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt).
9. When darkness, like a python with a terrible mouth, swallows the world and it lies as if dead, he raises it up with a glance of compassion.
10. At the three sandhyās he sets man to the means of moksha, the ārādhana of Īśvara, the ātmā, under the name of his own dharma.
11. As a great king moves through his kingdom, a fear to the wicked, he moves everywhere.
12. The dikpālas in their places offer him arghya with palms joined like lotus buds.
13. “Therefore I serve your feet, seeking Yajus mantras not known to anyone until now. The elders of the three worlds bow to your lotus feet.”

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 6

The Vājasaneya saṃhitā

Pleased with the stotra, Bhagavān Sūrya took the form of a horse and taught Yājñavalkya Yajus mantras that no one had known until then. The all-knowing Yājñavalkya made fifteen śākhās from those hundreds of Yajus mantras. Because Sūrya gave them in the form of a horse (vāji), they are called the Vājasaneya saṃhitās, and Kāṇva, Mādhyandina and others studied them.

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 12, Chapter 6

In other chapters

• Citraketu names Yājñavalkya among the siddhas who wander wholly free, giving ātma-jñāna to the world (Skandha 6, Chapter 15).
• In every yuga Śrī Hari teaches jñāna in the form of siddhas such as Kapila, karma in the form of maharshis such as Yājñavalkya, and yoga in the form of yogeśvaras such as Dattātreya (Skandha 8, Chapter 14).
• Yājñavalkya Maharshi of the Kosala land learned adhyātma-yoga, which cuts the knot of ajñāna in the heart, from Hiraṇyanābha, a disciple of Jaimini (Skandha 9, Chapter 12). By the grace of Yājñavalkya and the other lords of yoga, all the kings of Mithila’s line were firm in ātma-jñāna, and though they lived as gṛhasthas they were beyond attachment and aversion (Skandha 9, Chapter 13).
• Śatānīka, son of Janamejaya, will receive the Veda from Yājñavalkya, the knowledge of astras from Kṛpācārya, and the knowledge of Vedic karma and of the Paramātmā from Śaunaka Maharshi (Skandha 9, Chapter 22).
• Yājñavalkya was among the maharshis who came to see Balarāma and Śrī Kṛshṇa (Skandha 10, Chapter 84).

Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 15; Skandha 8, Chapter 14; Skandha 9, Chapters 12–13, 22; Skandha 10, Chapter 84

Per Bhavishya Purāṇa

With the Yajurveda

When the Vedas came forth from the four faces of Brahmā, the Yajurveda came from the south face together with Yājñavalkya Muni. In the same account Vasishṭha Muni came with the Ṛgveda, Gautama with the Sāmaveda and Śaunaka Mahāmuni with the Atharvaveda.

He is among the twenty-one named ṛshis and the other maharshis who came wishing to see Śatānīka Mahārāja at the opening of the Purāṇa.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 1–2

His questions to Brahmā

The account comes to King Śatānīka from Sumantu Muni. Inside Sumantu’s telling, Sāmba hears from his father that the ṛshi Yājñavalkya, Yogīśa, master of yogis, once asked this same question of the eternal Brahmā, and his father repeats Brahmā’s answer.

Brahmā, eldest of the devas, born of the lotus, sat at ease, and Yājñavalkya of great tejas asked him:

• “By the ārādhana of a devatā alone a man is freed from the bond of saṃsāra. If a brahmacārī, a gṛhastha, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī wishes for moksha, which devatā should he worship?”
• “Which devatā should be worshipped to reach svarga? In whom should one take refuge for moksha? What must even one who has reached svarga do to gain mukti, whose form is lasting bliss, and not fall back into the saṃsāra of birth and death?”
• “Who is the chief devatā among the devatās? Who is the chief pitṛ among the pitṛ-devatās? Who is the highest beyond the high?”
• “Who is the maker of this universe of moving and unmoving things? In whom does it dissolve at pralaya?”

Brahmā said: “You have asked good questions. I am pleased.” Bowing his head to that Devadeva, he told Yājñavalkya that in this kalpa there is no deva higher than Bhagavān Sūrya, the pratyaksha-daiva, the deity seen with the eyes, and he said: “So you too worship Bhagavān Sūrya.”

Yājñavalkya’s words on Bhagavān Sūrya

Yājñavalkya said: “This Sūrya Deva you speak of is indeed the devatā of all devatās; there is nothing untrue in it. I have heard in many ways the devas, ṛshis, siddhas and men praising his greatness. Who can praise that deity from whom this moving and unmoving world arose, the unborn, undiminishing, immeasurable one?”

He said that from the ray on Sūrya’s right side Bhagavān Vishṇu was born, from the ray on his left side Brahmā, and from his forehead Bhagavān Śiva. He called Sūrya the self of all, who carries one across the ocean of bhava (worldly existence). For men intent on dharma, artha and kāma, he said, the one act in a life that is never wasted is the karma done in refuge in Bhagavān Sūrya, and for those fallen in the impassable forest of saṃsāra, Sūrya namaskāra alone can point the way of mukti.

He praised Sūrya as related to the seven lokas, moving through all of time, dwelling in the heart of the universe, ruler of all the directions, master of the grahas, of immeasurable tejas, giving joy and light to the world, and shattering pāpas at the mere remembrance.

Then he asked for the method: “By what means, what secret mantras, what service, what dānas, what vratas, what upavāsas, what homas, what japas is that Bhagavān Sūrya worshipped and made the destroyer of affliction? I wish to win the grace of that beginningless best of devas. Teach me that way and bless me.”

Hearing words that stir bhakti for Bhagavān Sūrya, Brahmā was filled with immeasurable joy. He said: “Best of brāhmaṇas, I shall tell you the Sūrya ārādhana you ask about, and the vratas, upavāsas, japas and the rest. Listen with śraddhā.”

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 66

What he heard, and where he went

Brahmā told Yājñavalkya what Bhagavān Sūrya had taught him, and said: “When I asked, Bhagavān Sūrya taught me this paratattva. Worship that mahātmā who burns with vast tapas.” He went on to tell him of the fruits of the dreams seen by one who has fasted on the Saptamī, worshipped Sūrya, performed japa and homa, and slept meditating on Sūrya.

Having heard what Brahmā said, Yājñavalkya worshipped Divākara, whose form is Vyoma, and went to Sūrya Loka.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 67, 69, 72

His question to Vasishṭha

At the close of the Uttara Parva, Sumantu Muni tells Mahārāja Śatānīka that the matter Yājñavalkya Muni asked of Bhagavān Vasishṭha, the answer he gave, and what Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa said to Yudhishṭhira son of Pāṇḍu had all been composed earlier by Vyāsa, the best of munis, and that this same matter is what he has set out.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 207

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 1–2, 66–67, 69, 72; Uttara Parva, Chapter 207
• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 16, 150, 162
• Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapter 15; Skandha 8, Chapter 14; Skandha 9, Chapters 12–13, 22; Skandha 10, Chapter 84; Skandha 12, Chapter 6