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When the Brahmanas in the court of Janaka realised that Yajnavalkya was thorough in his answers regarding Karmakanda, they could conquer him by asking him the questions related to Brahmajnana.  

When the Brahmanas in the court of Janaka realised that Yajnavalkya was thorough in his answers regarding Karmakanda, they could conquer him by asking him the questions related to Brahmajnana.  

Ushasta, the son of Chakra, asks Yajnavalkya to explain the Brahman who is direct and immediate and who is within all. <blockquote>अथ हैनमुषस्तश्चाक्रायणः पप्रच्छ । याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच यत्साक्षादपरोक्षाद्ब्रह्म य आत्मा सर्वान्तरस्तं मे व्याचक्ष्वेति । (Brhd. Upan. 3.4.1)</blockquote>Yajnavalkya's answers in this section proclaim the nature of Brahman and Atman एषः ते आत्मा सर्वान्तरः । More details of this samvada is discussed in [[Yajnavalkya Ushasta Samvada (याज्ञवल्क्य-उषस्त संवादः)]]

Ushasta, the son of Chakra, asks Yajnavalkya "explain to me that supreme Brahman who is direct (साक्षात्) and immediate (अपरोक्षम्) and who is within all (सर्वान्तरस्तं)".<ref name=":4" /> <blockquote>अथ हैनमुषस्तश्चाक्रायणः पप्रच्छ । याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच यत्साक्षादपरोक्षाद्ब्रह्म य आत्मा सर्वान्तरस्तं मे व्याचक्ष्वेति । (Brhd. Upan. 3.4.1)</blockquote>Yajnavalkya's answers in this section proclaim the nature of Brahman and Atman एषः ते आत्मा सर्वान्तरः । This one who is your Atman is within all. More details of this samvada are discussed in [[Yajnavalkya Ushasta Samvada (याज्ञवल्क्य-उषस्त संवादः)]].

==== Gargi        ====

==== कहोलः ॥ Kahola ====

Adhyaya three of Brhadaranyaka Upanishad deals with the forms of Brahman, murta and amurta. participates in a competition arranged by King Janaka about the selecting great Brhama Jnani (knower of Brahman). His intellectual dialogues with Gargi (a learned scholar of the times) form a beautiful chapter filled with lot of philosophical and mystical question-answers in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad. He was then praised as the greatest Brahmajnyani by all the sages at the function organised by king Janaka. In the end, Yajnavalkya  took Vidvat Sanyasa (renunciation after the attainment of the knowledge of Brahman) and retired to the forest.

Kahola, the son of Kaushitaki, pursues questioning of Yajnavalkya after Ushasta is satisfied with the answers he received. His questions, a further extension to Ushasta's question of who is within all, are also about the details of Brahman. They are as follows (Brhd. Upan. 3.5.1)

* स ब्राह्मणः केन स्याद्येन स्यात्तेनेदृश एव । how does one become a realiser of Brahman

Thus in both Ushasta and Kahola's questioning one can find the decisively differentiating characteristics of Paramatma from the Jivatma.<ref name=":4" /> The full details of [[Yajnavalkya Kahola Samvada (याज्ञवल्क्य-कहोल संवादः)]].

 

Yajnavalkya's intellectual dialogues with Gargi is the crown jewel of the third adhyaya of Brhdaranyaka Upanishad which is filled with many philosophical and profound questions. The sixth and eighth brahmanas of the third adhyaya give an indepth discussion about the lakshanas of Brahman. The sixth brahmana starts with Gargi Vachaknavi's question thus<blockquote>अथ हैनं गार्गी वाचक्नवी पप्रच्छ याज्ञवल्क्येति होवाच । यदिदं सर्वमप्स्वोतं च प्रोतं च कस्मिन्नु खल्वाप ओताश्च प्रोताश्चेति । (Brhd. Upan. 3.6.1)</blockquote>She asked "Yajnavalkya, if all this is woven warp and woof in waters, what then is that, in which the waters are woven?"

 

They go onto discuss the elements, the nature of the deities and their lokas (worlds), after which Yajnavalkya restrains her from further questioning.<ref name=":4" />

 

In the end, Yajnavalkya  took Vidvat Sanyasa (renunciation after the attainment of the knowledge of Brahman) and retired to the forest.

== Importance of Yajnavalkya ==

== Importance of Yajnavalkya ==