Let the seer devote himself to that which lies in the cave

5 This indeed which here in this world and here in
that world is called the object—
Having shaken himself free from it, let the seer
devote himself to that which lies in the cave.

This which is directly experienced by perception: pleasures of women, food, drink and so on. The particle id (indeed) has the (distributive) force of ‘anything’ – this which is perceived whatever it may be.

here means in this world.

the object the exceptional neuter form in the Sanskrit of the word may be taken either from attraction to the earlier (neuter) word ‘this’, or as a mere shift of gender, or as some Vedic usage, or it may be that the word is capable of both genders.

The word id (indeed) and the word iha (here) are each repeated, and this must have significance. The second iḍ is thus to be taken in the sense of ‘and’, and the second iha means ‘in that world’.

The word world – like the traditional crow which can look both ways with a single eye – has regard to both ihas, so the sense is: here in this world and here in that world, all this which is called the object.

One standing near or within a heavenly or other world refers to it as ‘here in the world’ and ‘in the world’.

Having shaken free having rejected all that.

the seer one of transcendental vision, the man of intelligence. Having shaken off ends and means, having come out from the three-fold desire, let him devote himself to that which lies in the cave, to the truth of Self thus described.

Where then is that (realization) to be practised? The verse says: