The Yājñavalkya cycle in the Brcombining ring belowhad Ārancombining dot belowyaka Upaniscombining dot belowad

In a recent paper, Brereton (1997) presents a detailed and persuasive analysis of BAU 3, Yājñavalkya's disputations at the court of King Janaka, as a ring composition, an extensive expansion on a simple story (Śatapatha Brāhmancombining dot belowa 11.6.3) which serves as its "frame." His argument for this frame is based on robust evidence and, as he acknowledges, has been anticipated by other scholars. The evidence for ring composition is, as he admits, more subtle, but is persuasive nevertheless. I present evidence that Brereton's passage forms part of a much larger text (BAU 2.1-4.5), which is even more clearly a ring composition. This larger composition in turn may constitute a later expansion of Brereton's text, and recognizing this textual layering may make it possible to shed some light on a major difference in interpreting the concluding verses of BAU 3.