Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad

The very same knowledge which Yajnavalkya declared to Maitreyi, Bph. 2. 4.

What Brahma taught to Atharvan,

Saunaka, verily, Indeed, a great householder, approached Angiras according to rule, and asked : ' Through understand- ing of what, pray, does all this world become understood, Sir?' 3

The Black (kali), and the Tenible, and the Swift-as-Thought, The Very-red, and the Very-smoky-colored,

Of these, the lower is the Rig- Veda, the Yajur- Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda,

That which is invisible, ungraspable, without family, without

As a spider emits and draws in [its thread], As heibs arise on the earth,

By austerity (tapas) Brahma becomes built up. From that, food is produced;

He who is all-knowing, all-wise, Whose austerity consists of knowledge — From Him are produced the Brahma here, [Namely] name and form,2 and food.

Thinking sacrifice and merit is the chiefest thing, Naught better do they know — deluded I Having had enjoyment on the top of the heaven won by good

Having sciutimzed the woilds that are built up by work, a

Such a knowing [teacher], unto one who has approached

That is, the world of the fathers, and the world of the gods, respectively ; described in Chand 5. 10.

Heavenly (dzvya\ formless (a-murtta) is the Peison (Purusha). He is without and within, unborn,

From Him is produced breath (prana), Mind (manas\ and all the senses (mdriya), Space (kha), wind, light, water,

Fire is His head; His eyes, the moon and sun;

From Him [proceeds] fire, whose fuel is the sun; From the moon (Soma), rain; herbs, on the earth. The male pours seed in the female.

From Him the Rig Verses, the Saman Chant, the sacrificial

From Him, too, gods are manifoldly produced, The celestials (Sadhyas), men, cattle, birds,

From Him come forth the seven life-breaths (prdna)? The seven flames, their fuel, the seven oblations, These seven worlds, wherein do move

Fiom Him5 the seas and the mountains all. Fiom Him roll rivers of every kind.

The Person (Purusha) himself is eveiything here:

With a double meaning, doubtless, in accordance with the great thought of metaphysical knowledge which is here being expounded. Besides being derivable from */vyadh, 'to penetrate 3} mddhi means aUo ' know/

That which is flaming, which is subtler than the subtle, On which the worlds aie set, and their inhabitants —

Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishad, One should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation. Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That, Penetrate1 that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.

The mystic syllable Om (pranava) is the bow. The arrow

He on whom the sky, the earth, and the atmosphere

Where the aiteries are brought together Like the spokes in the hub of a wheel — Therein he moves about,

He who is all-knowing, all-wise, Whose is this greatness on the earth — He is in the divine Brahma city1

The knot of the heart is loosened, All doubts are cut off,

In the highest golden sheath

The sun shines not there, nor the moon and stars; These lightnings shine not, much less this [earthly] fire I After Him, as He shines, doth everything shine.

Brahma, indeed, is this immortal. Brahma before, Brahma behind, to right and to left.

Two birds, fast bound companions. Clasp close the self-same tree.

On the self-same tree a person, sunken, Grieves for his impotence, deluded ;

When a seer sees the brilliant

Truly, it is Life (Prana) that shines foith in all things! Understanding this, one becomes a knower. There is no

This Soul (Atman) is obtainable by truth, by austerity (tapas), By proper knowledge (jndna\ by the student's life of chastity

Truth alone conquers, not falsehood.

Vast, heavenly, of unthinkable form,

Not by sight is It grasped, not even by speech,

That subtile Soul (Atman) is to be known by thought (cetas) Wherein the senses (prdnd) fivefoldly have entered.

Whatever world a man of purified nature makes clear in mind, And whatever desires he desires for himself — That world he wins, those desires too.

He knows that Supreme Brahma-abode, Founded on which the whole world shines radiantly.

He who in fancy forms desires,

This Soul (Atman) is not to be obtained by instruction, Nor by intellect, nor by much learning.

This Soul (Atman) is not to be obtained by one destitute of

Attaining Him, the seers (rsi) who are satisfied with knowledge, Who are perfected souls (krtatman\ fiom passion free (vita-

They who have ascertained the meaning of the Vedanta-

Gone are the fifteen parts2 according to their station,

As the flowing rivers in the ocean Disappear, quitting name and form,3

He, verily, who knows that supreme Brahma, becomes very Brahma.1 In his family no one ignorant of Brahma arises. He crosses over sorrow. He crosses over sin (papman\ Liberated from the knots of the heart, he becomes immortal.

This very [doctrine] has been declared in the verse : — They who do the rites, who are learned in the Vedas, who

This is the truth. The seer (rsi) Angiras declared it in ancient time. One who has not performed the vow does not read this.