01What use is wealth
The Brihadaranyaka tells it twice, in 2.4 and again in 4.5. Yajnavalkya had two wives. Katyayani knew only what women in a household know, the text says; Maitreyi was a brahmavadini, one who speaks of Brahman. He told her he was leaving and would settle things between her and Katyayani. She asked: if this whole earth full of wealth were mine, would I be immortal by it? No, he said, your life would be like the life of the rich, and there is no hope of immortality through wealth. Then, she said, what should I do with that which will not make me immortal?
02For the sake of the Self
Yajnavalkya, pleased, sat her down and taught. A husband is dear not for the husband’s sake but for the sake of the Self; a wife, sons, wealth, the worlds, the devas, all are dear for the sake of the Self. The Self must be seen, heard, reflected on, meditated upon. As salt dissolved in water cannot be picked out yet is tasted everywhere, so is the Self in all. Where there is duality one sees another; where all has become the Self, by what and whom should one see?
“What should I do with that which will not make me immortal?”
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.3