9188907 mandukya upanishad

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Mandukya Upanishad

Om ! O gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious;

May we see with our eyes what is auspicious;

May we, while offering our praise to gods

With our bodies strong of limbs,



Enjoy the life which the gods are pleased to grant us.

May Indra of great fame be well disposed to us;

May the allnowing "or immensely wealthy# $usha be propitious to us;

May %aruda, the &an'uisher of miseries, be well pleased with us;

May (rihaspati grant us all prosperity.

Om ! $eace ! $eace ! $eace !

). *ll this is the letter Om. * &i&id e+planation of this "is begun#. *ll that is past,present, and future is but Om. Whate&er transcends the three periods of time, too,is Om.

. *ll this is certainly (rahman. -his elf is (rahman. -his elf, as such, ispossessed of four 'uarters.

/. "-he elf# seated in the waing state and called 0ais&anara who, possessed ofthe consciousness of the e+terior, and se&en limbs and nineteen mouths, enjoys thegross objects, is the first 'uarter.

1. "-he elf# seated in the state of dream and called -aijasa who, possessed of theconsciousness of the interior, and se&en limbs and nineteen mouths, enjoys thesubtle objects, is the second 'uarter.

2. Where the sleeper desires not a thing of enjoyment and sees not any dream, thatstate is deep sleep. "-he elf# seated in the state of deep sleep and called $rajna, inwhom e&erything is unified, who is dense with consciousness, who is full of bliss,who is certainly the enjoyer of bliss, and who is the door to the nowledge "of thepreceding two states#, is the third 'uarter.3. -his is the 4ord of all; this is omniscient; this is the indwelling controller "of all#;this is the source and indeed the origin and dissolution of all beings.

5. -he 6ourth is thought of as that which is not conscious of the internal world, norconscious of the e+ternal world, nor conscious of both the worlds, nor dense withconsciousness, nor simple consciousness, nor unconsciousness, which is unseen,actionless, incomprehensible, uninferable, unthinable, indescribable, whose proof

consists in the identity of the elf "in all states#, in which all phenomena come to acessation, and which is unchanging, auspicious, and nondual. -hat is the elf; thatis to be nown.

7. -hat same elf, from the point of &iew of the syllable, is Om, and &iewed fromthe stand point of the letters, the 'uarters are the letters, and the letters are the'uarters. -he letters are a, u and m.

8. 0ais&anara seated in the waing state is the first letter a, owing to its all



per&asi&eness or being the first. 9e who nows thus &erily accomplishes alllongings and becomes the first.

):. -aijasa seated in the dream is u, the second letter "of Om#, owing to thesimilarity of e+cellence or intermediate position. 9e who nows thus &erilyad&ances the bounds of his nowledge and becomes e'ual "to all# and none who is

not a nower of (rahman is born in his family.

)). $rajna seated in the state of deep sleep is m, the third letter "of Om#, becauseof his being the measure or the entity wherein all become absorbed. 9e who nowsthus measures all this and absorbs all.

). -hat which is without letters "parts# is the 6ourth, beyond apprehension throughordinary means, the cessation of the phenomenal world, the auspicious and thenondual. -hus Om is certainly the elf. 9e who nows thus enters the elf by theelf.











9ere ends the Manduyopanishad, as contained in the *thar&a0eda.

MANDUKYA KARIKA OF GAUDAPADA



I. AGAMA PRAKARANA

In&ocation

). I bow to that (rahman who per&ades the entire world by a diffusion of the rays ofnowledge that per&ade all things that are mo&ing and unmo&ing, who after ha&ingenjoyed "in the waing state# all objects of enjoyment that are gross, and whoagain, after ha&ing drun "in the state of dream# all objects born of desire andillumined by the intellect, reposes while e+periencing bliss 9imself and maing usall enjoy by "9is own# Maya, and who, through an attribution of Maya, is the fourthin number, and is supreme, immortal and unborn.

. May he, the elf of the uni&erse, dwelling in the fourth state, protect us, who,after ha&ing enjoyed "in the waing state# the gross enjoyments resulting from&irtue and &ice, enjoys again "in the dream state# the other subtle objects which arecreated by 9is own intelligence and illumined by 9is own light, and who, afterha&ing absorbed all of them gradually into 9imself and ha&ing abandoned alldistinctions, becomes de&oid of attributes.

I). 0is&a ha&ing e+terior consciousness is allper&ading, whereas -aijasa hasinterior consciousness, and $rajna, similarly is dense with consciousness. -hus theOne alone is regarded in there ways.

I. 0is&a is seen in the right eye which is its seat of e+perience, whereas -aijasa isinside the mind and $rajna is in the space inside the heart. In these three ways hedwells in the body.

I/. 0is&a is e&er the enjoyer of the gross, taijasa of the subtle, and, similarly, $rajnaof bliss. now "therefore# the enjoyment in three ways.

I1.-he grass satisfies 0is&a, the subtle satisfies -aijasa and, similarly, gladnesssatisfies $rajna. now "therefore# the satisfaction in three ways.

I2. 9e who nows these two, &i< that which is shown to be the thing to be enjoyedand that which is "shown# to be the enjoyer, in the three states, does not becomeaffected, e&en though enjoying.

I3. It is a settled fact that coming into being can be said only of positi&e entitiesthat e+ist. $rana creates all; and $urusha creates the conscious beings separately.

I5. -hose who thin of creation hold it as the manifestation of %od=s power; while

others regard creation as same as dream and illusion.

I7. >reation is the mere will of the 4ord, say those who thought out well the"process of# creation, but those who rely upon time hold that the birth of beings isfrom time.

I8. ome others hold that creation is for the enjoyment "of %od#, yet others saythat it is for 9is sport. (ut it is the &ery nature of the resplendent (eing, "for# what



desire can he ha&e whose desire is all fulfilled?

I):. -uriya, the 4ord powerful to bring about the cessation of all sorrows, isimperishable, is regarded as the nondual 4ord of all entities, and is allper&ading.

I)). 0is&a and -aijasa are regarded as conditioned by cause and effect. $rajna isconditioned by cause. (ut these two "&i< cause and effect# do not e+ist in -uriya.

I). $rajna nows neither himself nor others, neither truth nor untruth. (ut that -uriya is e&er the all seer.

I)/. -he noncognition of duality is common to both $rajna and -uriya. $rajna ispossessed of sleep of the nature of cause, whereas that sleep does not e+ist in

-uriya.

I)1. -he first two "&i< 0is&a and taijasa# are associated with dream and sleep, but$rajna "is associated# with sleep de&oid of dream. -he nowers of (rahman do not

see either sleep or dream in -uriya.

I)2. @ream belongs to him who percei&es wrongly and sleep to him who nows notAeality. When the false notion of these two comes to an end, the state of -uriya isattained.

I)3. When the indi&idual elf, sleeping under the influence of Maya that isbeginningless, is awaened, then he realises "-uriya that is# unborn, sleepless,dreamless and nondual.

I)5. If a phenomenal world were to e+ist, it should, no doubt, cease to be. -hisduality is but an illusion; in reality it is nondual.

I)7. -he notion "such as the teacher, the taught and the scripture# will disappear, ifanyone had imagined it. -his notion "of the teacher etc.,# is for the purpose ofinstruction. When "the -ruth is# realised, duality does not e+ist.

I)8. When the identity of 0is&a with the letter a is meant, ie., when the identity of0is&a with the letter a is admitted, the common feature of being the first is seen tobe ob&ious, as also the common feature of allper&asi&eness.

I:. In the e&ent of -aijasa being apprehended as identical with u, ie, when theidentity of taijasa with the letter u is admitted, the common feature of superiority isseen clearly and so, too, is the intermediate position.

I). In the e&en of $rajna being apprehended as identical with m, ie, when theidentity of $rajna with the letter m is admitted, the common feature of being themeasure is seen to be ob&ious and so too is the common feature of absorption.

I. 9e who nows conclusi&ely the common similarities in the three states,becomes worthy of worship and adoration by all beings, and is also a great sage.



I/. -he letter a leads to 0is&a and the letter u to -aijasa. *gain, the letter m"leads# to $rajna. 6or the one who is free from letters, there is no attainment.

I1. Om should be nown, 'uarter by 'uarter. It is beyond doubt that the 'uarters"of the self# are the letters "of Om#. 9a&ing nown Om, 'uarter by 'uarter, oneshould not thin of anything else.

I2. 4et the mind be fi+ed on Om, for Om is (rahman, the fearless. 6or him who use&er fi+ed on Om, there is no fear anywhere.

I3. Om is indeed the lower (rahman; Om is "also# regarded as the higher"(rahman#. Om is without a cause, without interior and e+terior, without effect, andis undecaying.

I5. Om is indeed the beginning, middle and end of e&erything. 9a&ing nown Omthus, one attains immediately the identity with the self.

I7. One should now Om to be the 4ord dwelling in the hearts of all. ha&ing nownthe allper&asi&e Om, the intelligent one does not grie&e.

I8. 9e by whom is nown Om which is without measure and possessed of infinitemagnitude and which is auspicious, since all duality ceases in it, is a sage and noneelse.

II. VAITATHYA PRAKARANA

II). -he wise declare the unreality of all objects in a dream because they arelocated within "the body# and "also# because they are confined within a limited

space.

II. ince the period is short, one does not go to the place and see. *lso, e&erydreamer, whenawaened, does not e+ist in that place "of dream#.

II/. -he none+istence of the chariot etc., "seen in dream# is heard of "in the sruti#from the point of &iew of reasoning. -he nowers of (rahman say that the unrealitythus arri&ed at "through reasoning# is re&ealed "by the sruti# in the conte+t ofdream.

II1. -here is the unreality of the objects e&en in the waing state. Bust as they are

unreal in dream, so also are they unreal in the waing state. the objects "in dream#differ owing to the location within the body owing to the spatial limitation.

II2. -he wise say that the states of waing and dream are same, in &iew of thesimilarity of the objects "seen in both the states# and in &iew of the wellnownground of inference.



II3. -hat which is none+istent in the beginning and at the end is definitely so in thepresent "ie., in the middle#. -he objects, though they bear the mar of the unreal,appear as though real.

II5. -heir utility is opposed in dream. therefore, on the ground of ha&ing abeginning and an end, they are regarded as definitely unreal.

II7. "-o see# unusual things "in dream# is indeed an attribute of the dreamer just asit is in the case of those who dwell in hea&en. -hese he percei&es by going there,e&en as one, well instructed, does in this world.

II8. E&en in dream what is imagined by the mind "chitta# within is unreal, whilewhat is grasped outside by the mind is real. (ut both these are seen to be unreal.

II):. E&en in the waing state what is imagined by the mind within is unreal, whilewhat is grasped by the mind outside is real. It is reasonable to hold both these to beunreal.

II)). If the objects of both the states be unreal, who comprehends all these andwho again imagines them?

II). -he selfluminous elf, by Its own Maya imagines Itself by Itself and It alonecognises all objects. -his is a settled fact of the 0edantate+ts.

II)/. -he 4ord imagined in di&erse forms the worldly objects e+isting in the mind.With the mind turned outward, 9e imagines di&ersely permanent objects "as alsoimpermanent things#. -hus the 4ord imagines.

II)1. -hings that e+ist within as long as the thought lasts and things that are

e+ternal and conform to two points of time, are all imaginations alone. -hedistinction "between them# is caused by nothing else.

II)2. -he objects that seem to be unmanifested within the mind, and those thatseem to be manifested without, are all mere imaginations, their distinction beingthe difference in the senseorgans.

II)3. 6irst of all, 9e imagines the Bi&a "indi&idual soul# and then "9e imagines#&arious objects, e+ternal and internal. *s is "a manCs# nowledge, so is "his#memory of it.

II)5. Bust as a rope, the nature of which is not nown in the dar, is imagined to be

things such as a snae, a waterline, etc., so too is the elf imagined "as &ariousthings#.

II)7. *s when the "real nature of the# rope is nown, the illusion ceases and therope alone remains in its nondual nature, so too is the ascertainment of the elf.



II)8. "-he elf# is imagined as infinite objects lie prana etc. -his is the Maya of theluminous One by which It itself is deluded, "as it where#.

II:. -he nowers of $rana hold $rana "to be the cause of the world#, which thenowers of the elements regard the elements "to be the cause#. Dualities "are thecause#, say the nowers of 'uality, whereas the nowers of category considercategories "to be so#.

II). -he nowers of the 'uarters "such as 0is&a# hold the 'uarters "to be thecause#, while the nowers of sensory objects regard sensory objects "to be thecause#. the worlds "are real#, say thenowers of the worlds, and the nowers of the gods consider the gods "to be so#.

II. -hose well&ersed in the 0edic lore hold the 0edas "to be real#, while thesacrificers subscribe it to the sacrifices. -hose who now the enjoyer hold theenjoyer "to be real#, whereas those familiar with the enjoyable things thin of them"to be real#.

II/. ubtlety "is real#, say those who now the subtlety, while those familiar withthe gross regard it to be so. "Aeality is# possessed of a form, say the worshippers of%od with form, while the worshippers of the formless "hold the reality# to beformless.

II1. -he astrologers hold time "to be real#, while the nowers of directionsconsider directions "to be so#. -hose stiff in debate affirm that disputations "lead tothe reality#, whereas those who aspire after the worlds consider them "to be real#.

II2. -he nowers of the mind hold it "to be the elf#, while the nowers of theintellect regard it "to be so#. -he nowers of the heart ascribe "reality to it#,

whereas it is attributed to &irtue and &ice by those who now them.

II3. ome say that twentyfi&e categories "constitute the reality#, whereas othersspea of twentysi+. *gain, some say that thirtyone categories "constitute it#, yetsome others hold that they are infinite.

II5. -hose who now the people "and their pleasures# find reality in pleasures. -hose who are familiar with the stages of life regard them "as real#. -hegrammarians "ascribe reality# to the words in the masculine, feminine and neutergenders, whereas others "now reality# to be the higher and lower "brahman#.

II7. -hose who now all about creation "say that reality consists in# creation.

"Aeality lies# in dissolution, say those who now it, while those who now aboutsubsistence "hold it to be the reality#. *ll these ideas are always imagined on theelf.

II8. 9e to whom "a teacher# might show an object sees that alone "as the reality#. -hat object, too, becoming one with him, protects him. -hat state of beingengrossed culminates in his selfidentity with the object shown.



II/:. (y these things that are nonseparate "from the elf#, this elf is manifestedas though separate. 9e who nows this truly comprehends "the meaning of the0edas# without entertaining any doubt.

II/). Bust as dream and magic, as well as a city in the sy, are seen "to be unreal#,so too, is this uni&erse seen "to be unreal# from the 0edantate+ts by the wise.

II/. -here is no dissolution, no origination, none in bondage, none possessed ofthe means of liberation, none desirous of liberation, and none liberated. -his is theultimate truth.

II//. -his "elf# is imagined to be unreal objects and also to be nondual. -heobjects are also imagined on the nondual "elf#. therefore nonduality isauspicious.

II/1. -his "world# &iewed on the basis of the elf, is not different. either does ite&er e+ist independent by itself nor is anything different or nondifferent "from theelf#. -hus now the nowers of -ruth.

II/2. (y the sages who are free from attachment, fear and anger and well&ersed inthe 0edas is realised this elf which is beyond all imaginations, in which thephenomenal world ceases to e+ist and which is nondual.

II/3. -herefore, ha&ing nown it thus, one should fi+ oneCs memory on nonduality"ie., should gi&e undi&ided attention#. 9a&ing attained the nondual, one shouldconduct oneself as though one were a dullard.

II/5. -he ascetic should be free from praise and salutation and also from rituals. -he body and the elf should be his support and he should depend upon what

chance brings.

II/7. 9a&ing percei&ed -ruth internally and ha&ing percei&ed it e+ternally, oneshould become identified with -ruth, should deri&e delight from -ruth, and shouldne&er de&iate from -ruth

III. ADVAITA PRAKARANA

III). -he aspirant, resorting himself to de&otion, remains in the conditioned(rahman. $rior to creation all this was of the nature of the birthless (rahman.9ence the man "with such a &iew# is considered to be of narrow outloo.

III. -herefore, I shall describe that "(rahman# which is free from limitation, isunborn and is e&er the same. 4isten how nothing whatsoe&er is born, though itappears to be born in all respects.

III/. -he self is said to be e+isting in the form of Bi&as "indi&idual souls#, just as "theinfinite# ether e+ists in the form of ether confined within jars. imilarly, It is said tobe e+isting as the aggregate of bodies, e&en as ether e+ists lie jars etc. -his is the



illustration with regard to birth.

III1. Bust as when the jars etc., cease to e+ist, the ether etc., confined within thembecome merged in the infinite ether, so also the indi&idual souls become merged inthe elf here.

III2. Bust as when the ether confined within a particular jar contains dust andsmoe, that is not the case with all jars, in the same way, all the indi&idual souls arenot associated with happiness etc.

III3. -hough forms, functions and names differ here and there "in respect of theether contained by jars etc.,#, yet this causes no differences in the ether. imilar isthe conclusion with regard to indi&idual souls.

III5. *s the ether within a jar is not a modification nor a part of the "infinite# ether,so an indi&idual soul is ne&er a modification nor a part of the "supreme# elf.

III7. Bust as to the children the sy becomes soiled by dirt, so too, to the unwise theelf becomes tainted by impurities.

III8. -he elf, in regard to Its death and birth, going and coming, and Its e+istencein all the bodies, is not dissimilar to ether.

III):. *ll aggregates "such as body# are created lie dream by the Maya of the elf.Whether they be superior "to another# or e'ual, there is no ground to pro&e theirreality.

III)). -he indi&idual elf of the sheaths beginning with that made of food, whichha&e been described in the -aittiriya Fpanishad, is "the same as# the supreme elf,

as e+plained "by us already# on the analogy of ether.

III). Bust as it is taught that ether in the earth and the belly is &erily the same, soalso the supreme (rahman is declared to be the same with reference to e&ery two"&i<., the corporeal and superphysical#, in the Madhu(rahmana "(rihadaranyaaFpanishad#.

III)/. ince the nondifference of Bi&a "indi&idual soul# and the supreme elf ise+tolled on the basis of their identity, and since di&ersity is censured, therefore,that "nonduality# alone is reasonable.

III)1. -he separateness of the indi&idual soul and the supreme elf which has been

declared "in the sruti# prior to the discussion of creation "in the Fpanishads#, is in asecondary sense in &iew of the result of the future, for it "separateness# is not infitness if held in its primary sense.

III)2. -he creation which is differently set forth by means of "the illustrations of#earth, gold, spars etc., is "just# a means to re&eal the idea "of identity#. (utmultiplicity does not e+ist in any manner.



III)3. -here are three stages of life G low, medium, and high. -his meditation isenjoined for their sae out of compassion.

III)5. -he dualists, firmly settled in their own doctrine which is arri&ed at by theirown conclusions, contradict one another. (ut this "&iew of the nondualist# is in noconflict with them.

III)7. onduality is indeed the supreme Aeality, inasmuch as duality is said to beits product. 6or them duality constitutes both "the Aeal and the unreal#. 9ence this"our &iew# is not opposed "to theirs#.

III)8. -his unborn "elf# undergoes modification through Maya and not in any otherway. 6or, if the modifications are to be a reality, the immortal would tend to bemortal.

III:. -he disputants thin of the &ery unborn elf on terms of birth. 9ow can theelf that is unborn and immortal tend towards mortality?

III). -he immortal can ne&er become mortal. o, too mortal can ne&er becomeimmortal. 6or a change in oneCs nature cannot e&er tae place in any manner.

III. 9ow can the entity that is immortal remain unchanged according to one towhom a thing that is immortal by nature can be born, since it is a product "in his&iew# ?

III/. -he sruti fa&ours e'ually the creation in reality and through Maya. -hat whichis settled by the sruti and supported by reasoning is true, and not anything else.

III1. ince the sruti says, H-here is no multiplicity hereH, Hthe 4ord, owing to Maya,

"is seen di&ersely#H, and H-he elf, though unborn, "appears to be born in manyways#H, it becomes ob&ious that 9e is born through Maya.

III2. (y the censure of "the worship of# 9iranyagarbha is negated creation. (y thestatement, HWho will cause it to be born?H, is denied causality.

III3. On the ground of nonapprehension "of (rahman#, all the precedinginstruction "for Its comprehension# is negated by the sruti, H-his elf is that whichhas been declared as ot this, not thisCH. 9ence the unborn elf becomes re&ealedby Itself.

III5. (irth of that which e+ists occurs only through Maya and not in reality. 9e who

thins that something is born in reality, "should now# that that which is alreadyborn is "re#born.

III7. -he birth of that which is none+istent cannot occur either through Maya or inreality, for a son of a barren woman cannot be born either through Maya or inreality.



III8. *s in dream the mind &ibrates through Maya, as though with dual roles, so inthe waing state the mind &ibrates through Maya, as though with dual roles.

III/:. -here can be no doubt that the nondual mind alone appears in dream in dualroles. imilarly, in the waing state too, the nondual mind appears to possess dualroles.

III/). Whate&er there is, mo&ing and unmo&ing, which constitutes this duality, ispercei&ed by the mind, for when mind does not e+ist as mind, duality is ne&erpercei&ed.

III/. When the mind ceases to imagine conse'uent on the realisation of the -ruthwhich is the elf, then it attains the state of not being the mind and becomes anonpercei&er, owing to the absence of objects to be percei&ed.

III//. "-he nowers of (rahman# say that the nowledge which is free fromimagination, and unborn is not distinct from the nowable. -he nowledge of which(rahman is the sole object is unborn and e&erlasting. -he unborn "elf# is nown bythe "nowledge that is# unborn.

III/1. -he beha&iour of the mind "thus# restrained, which is free from allimagination and which is endowed with discrimination, should be noticed. -he mindin deep sleep is of a different character and is not lie that "when it is underrestraint#.

III/2. -he mind becomes dissol&ed in deep sleep, but when under restraint, itdoesnCt become dissol&ed. -hat "mind# alone becomes (rahman, the fearless,endowed with the light that is >onsciousness on all sides.

III/3. "(rahman is# birthless, sleepless, dreamless, nameless, formless, e&erresplendent and omniscient. "*s regards -hat# there can be no routine practice ofany ind.

III/5. -he elf is de&oid of all "e+ternal# organs, and is abo&e all internal organs. Itis e+'uisitely serene, eternally resplendent, di&inely absorbed, unchanging andfearless.

III/7. Where there is no thought whate&er, there is no acceptance or rejection. -hen nowledge, rooted in the elf, attains the state of birthlessness andsameness.

III/8. -his Joga that is said to be not in touch with anything is hard to be percei&edby anyone of the Jogis, for the Jogis who behold fear in what is fearless, are afraidof it.

III1:. 6or all the Jogis, fearlessness, cessation of misery, awareness and e&erlastingpeace, depend upon the control of their mind.



III1). (y a tireless effort such as that by which the emptying of an ocean, drop bydrop, is aimed at with the help of the edge of a usa grass, the con'uest of themind will become possible through absence of dejection.

III1. With the "proper# means one should bring under restraint the mind that istorn amid desire and enjoyment. E&en when the mind is well settled down in sleep,it should be brought under restraint, for sleep is as harmful as desire.

III1/. Aemembering that e&erything is producti&e of grief, one should withdraw"oneCs mind# from the enjoyment of the objects of desire. "imilarly#, rememberingthat e&erything is the unborn (rahman, one does not certainly see the born "ie.,duality#.

III11. -he mind that is in deep sleep should be awaened and the mind that isdistracted should be brought bac to tran'uillity again. One should now the mindas passiontinged, and should not disturb it when it has attained the state ofe'uillibrium.

III12. In that state one should not enjoy the happiness, but should, by means ofdiscrimination, become unattached. When the mind that has become still tendstowards wandering, it should be unified "with the self# with efforts.

III13. When the mind does not become merged nor distracted again, when itbecomes motionless and does not mae appearances "as objects#, then it &erilybecomes (rahman.

III15. -hat highest (liss e+ists in oneCs own elf. It is calm, identical with liberation,indescribable, and unborn. ince It is one with the unborn nowable "(rahman#, thenowers of (rahman spea of It as the Omniscient "(rahman#.

III17. o Bi&a "indi&idual soul#, whichsoe&er, is born. It has no cause "of birth#. "uchbeing the case#, this is the highest -ruth where nothing is born whatsoe&er.

IV. ALATASANTI PRAKARANA

"On e+tinguishing the fire brand#

I0). I bow down to him who is the best among men and who has realised theindi&idual souls that are lie ether, through his nowledge which again resembles

ether and is not different from the object of nowledge.

I0. I bow down to that Joga which is de&oid of touch with anything "that impliesrelationship#, which conduces to the happiness of all beings and is beneficial, andwhich is free from dispute and contradiction and is taught by the scriptures.

I0/. >ertain disputants postulate the birth of an entity already e+isting, while someothers, proud of their intelligence, and opposing among themsel&es, postulate the



birth of what is not e+isting already.

I01. -hat which already e+ists cannot be born and that which does not e+ist alsocannot be born. -hose who argue thus are none but nondualists and proclaim onlythe birthlessness.

I02. We appro&e the birthlessness re&ealed by them. We do not 'uarrel with them.ow, learn this which is free from all disputes.

I03. -he disputants thin of the self on terms of birth. 9ow can the elf that isunborn and immortal tend towards mortality.

I05. -he immortal can ne&er become mortal. o, too the mortal can ne&er becomeimmortal. 6or a change in oneCs nature cannot e&er tae place in any manner.

I07. 9ow can the entity that is immortal remain unchanged according to one inwhose &iew a thing that is immortal by nature can be born, since it is an effect "in

his &iew# ?

I08. (y the term nature is to be nown that which comes into being through rightattainments, which is intrinsic, inborn, and nonproduced, and which does not gi&eup its character.

I0):. *ll the souls are free from decay and death by nature. (ut by thining ofdecay and death, and becoming absorbed in that thought, they de&iate "from thatnature#.

I0)). *ccording to him who holds that the cause itself is the effect, the cause mustbe born. 9ow can that which is born be unborn? 9ow can that which is subject to

modification be eternal ?

I0). If "in your &iew# the effect is nondifferent from the cause and if, for thatreason, the effect also is unborn, how can the cause be eternal, since it is nondifferent from the effect that undergoes birth ?

I0)/. 9e who holds the &iew that the effect is born from an unborn cause, has noe+ample "to be cited#. If the born effect is &iewed as born from another born thing,it leads to ad infinitum.

I0)1. 9ow can they, who hold that the effect is the source of the cause and thecause is the source of the effect, assert beginninglessness for cause and effect ?

I0)2. *ccording to the disputants who hold that the effect is the origin of the causeand the cause is the origin of the effect, birth may be possible, just as a fathermight be born of a son.

I0)3. If cause and effect be possible, the order "in which they originate# has to befound out by you, for if they originate simultaneously, there is no relationship



between the two, as is the case with the horns of a cow.

I0)5. Jour cause that is produced from an effect cannot be established. 9ow will acause, that is itself not established, produce an effect ?

I0)7. If the cause emerges from the effect and if the effect emerges from thecause, which of the two has arisen first on which depends the emergence of theother ?

I0)8. Jour inability "to reply# tantamounts to ignorance, or there will be adifference in the order of succession "postulated by you#. -hus indeed is theabsence of birth re&ealed by the wise in all manner.

I0:. What is called the illustration of a seed and a sprout is always e'ual to themajor term "yet to be pro&ed#. -he middle term "&i<., the illustration# that is e'ualto the unpro&ed major term, cannot be applied for establishing a proposition yet tobe pro&ed.

I0). -he ignorance regarding antecedence and succession re&eals birthlessness.6rom a thing that is born, why is it that its antecedent cause is not comprehended ?

I0. othing whatsoe&er is born either of itself or of something else. imilarly,nothing whatsoe&er is born whether it be e+istent or none+istent or both e+istentand none+istent.

I0/. * cause is not born of an effect that is beginningless, nor does an effect taebirth naturally "from a cause that is beginningless#. 6or that which has no cause hasno birth also.

I01. nowledge has its object, since otherwise it brings about the destruction ofduality. (esides, from the e+perience of pain, the e+istence of e+ternal objects, asupheld by the system of thought of the opponents, is admitted.

I02. In accordance with the perception of the cause of nowledge, the latter isdeemed to be based on e+ternal objects. (ut from the point of &iew of reality, the"e+ternal# cause is regarded as no cause.

I03. >onsciousness is not in contact with objects nor is it in contact with theappearances of objects. 6or the object is certainly none+istent and "the ideasconstituting# the appearances of object are not separate from consciousness.

I05. >onsciousness does not e&er come in contact with objects in the threeperiods of time. Without a cause "ie., e+ternal object# how can there be its falseapprehension ?

I07. -herefore consciousness is not born, nor are things percei&ed by it born. -hose who percei&e it as ha&ing birth, may as well see footprints in the sy.



I08. ince it is the birthless that is born "in the &iew of the disputants#,birthlessness is its nature. 9ence de&iation from this nature can happen in no waywhatsoe&er.

I0/:. If transmigratory e+istence be beginningless, its termination will not bereached. *nd liberation will not be eternal, if it has a beginning.

I0/). -hat which is none+istent in the beginning and the end is definitely so in thepresent. -he objects, although similar to the unreal, loo as though real.

I0/. -heir utility is opposed in dream. -herefore, for the reasons of their ha&ing abeginning and an end, they are definitely remembered to be unreal.

I0//.*ll objects are unreal in dream, inasmuch as they are seen within the body. Inthis narrow space, how is the &ision of creatures possible ?

I0/1. It is not reasonable to say that objects in dream are seen by "actually# going

to them, since it runs counter to the regulation of time that is needed for the journey. 6urther, none, when awae, remains in the place of dream.

I0/2. "In dream# what has been discussed with friends and others "and settled# isnot resorted to when awae. Whatsoe&er is ac'uired "in dream:, too, is not seenwhen awae.

I0/3. *nd in dream the body becomes unreal, since another body is seen "in thebed#. *s is the body, so is e&erything cognised by the consciousness G all unreal.

I0/5. ince the e+perience "of objects# in dream is just lie that in the waingstate, the former is thought of as being caused by the latter. uch being the case,

the waing state is considered to be real for that dreamer alone.

I0/7. uch birth is not established, e&erything is said to be unborn. (esides, it isnot possible for the unreal to be born from the real, in any way whatsoe&er.

I0/8. 9a&ing seen unreal things in the waing state, one, deeply impressed, seesthose &ery things in dream. 4iewise, ha&ing seen unreal objects in dream, onedoes not see them when awae.

I01:. -here is no none+istent that ser&es as the cause of the none+istent, in thesame way as the e+istent does not ser&e as the cause of the none+istent. -here isno real entity that ser&es as the cause of another real entity. 9ow can the unreal be

the product of the real ?

I01). Bust as one, for want of discrimination, taes unthinable objects in thewaing state as real, so too, in dream, one sees things in that state alone, for wantof discrimination.

I01. 6or those who, from their own e+perience and right conduct, belie&e in thee+istence of substantiality, and who are e&er afraid of the birthless, instruction



regarding birth has been imparted by the wise.

I01/. 6or those who, for fear of the Fnborn, and also owing to their perception "ofduality#, de&iate from the right path, the e&il springing up from acceptance of birth"creation#, does not accrue. -he e&il effect, if there be any, will be but little.

I011. Bust as an elephant magically conjured up is called an elephant by relying onperception and right conduct, similarly, for reasons of perception and right conducta thing is said to be e+isting.

I012. -hat which bears semblance of birth, appears as though mo&ing, and,similarly seems to be a thing "of attributes#, is >onsciousness that is birthless,unmo&ing and nonmaterial, serene and nondual.

I013. -hus >onsciousness is unborn; thus the souls are regarded to be unborn. -hose who realise thus certainly do not fall into misfortune.

I015. Bust as the firebrand set in motion appears as straight, crooed etc.,similarly, the &ibration of >onsciousness appears as the percei&er and thepercei&ed.

I017. Bust as the firebrand de&oid of motion is without appearances and birth, soalso >onsciousness de&oid of &ibration is without appearances and birth.

I018. When the firebrand is in motion, the appearances do not come fromelsewhere. either do they, when the firebrand is free from motion, go elsewhere,nor do they enter into it.

I02:. -hey did not go out of the firebrand owing to their not being of the nature of

substance. In the case of >onsciousness, too, the appearances must be the same,for as appearance there can be no distinction.

I02). When >onsciousness is in motion, the appearances do not come fromelsewhere. either do they, when the >onsciousness is free from motion, goelsewhere, nor do they enter again into It.

I02. -hey did not go out of >onsciousness owing to their not being of the natureof substance, for they e&er remain incomprehensible on account of the absence ofrelation of effect and cause.

I02/. * substance could be the cause of a substance and another could be the

cause of any other thing. (ut the souls cannot be regarded either as substances oras some other thing different from all else.

I021. -hus e+ternal objects are not born of >onsciousness; nor is >onsciousnessborn of e+ternal objects. -hus ha&e the wise settled the birthlessness of cause andeffect.



I022. *s long as there is fascination for cause and effect, so long do cause andeffect come into e+istence. When the fascination for cause and effect ceases, thereis no further springing up of cause and effect.

I023. *s long as one is completely absorbed in cause and effect, so long doestransmigration continue. When the absorption in cause and effect ceases, one doesnot undergo transmigration.

I025. 6rom the relati&e plane "of thining# e&erything seems to be born and is not,therefore, eternal. 6rom the absolute plane "of perception# e&erything is the unborn"elf# and there is, therefore, nothing lie destruction.

I027. -he souls that are thus born are not born in reality. -heir birth is lie that ofan object through Maya. *nd that Maya again is none+istent.

I028. Bust as from a magical seed comes out a sprout of that &ery nature which isneither permanent nor destructible, so too, is the reasoning applicable in respect ofobjects.

I03:. In the case of all birthless entities the terms permanent and nonpermanentcan ha&e no application. Where words fail to describe, no entity can be spoen of ina discriminati&e manner.

I03). *s in dream >onsciousness &ibrates through illusion, as though dual bynature, so in the waing state >onsciousness &ibrates through illusion as thoughpossessed of dual appearances.

I03. -here can be no doubt that the nondual >onsciousness alone appears indream as though dual. imilarly, in waing state, too, the nondual >onsciousness

appears as though dual, undoubtedly.

I03/. -he dreamer, as he wanders in the dreamland always sees the creaturesborn from eggs or from moisture as e+isting in all the ten directions.

I031. -hese "creatures#, perceptible to the consciousness of the dreamer, ha&e noe+istence apart from his consciousness. o also this consciousness of the dreameris admitted to be the object of perception to that dreamer alone.

I032. -he man in the waing state, as he wanders in the places of the waingstate, always sees the creatures born from eggs or from moisture as e+isting in allthe ten directions.

I033. -hese "creatures#, perceptible to the consciousness of the man in the waingstate, ha&e no e+istence apart from his consciousness. o also, this consciousnessof the man in the waing state is admitted to be the object of perception to thatman of the waing state alone.

I035. (oth these are perceptible to each other. H@oes it e+ist?H "-o such a 'uestion#HoH is said "by way of answer#. (oth these are de&oid of &alid proof, and each can



be percei&ed only through the idea of the other.

I037. Bust as a creature seen in dream taes birth and dies, so also do all thesecreatures come into being and disappear.

I038. Bust as a creature conjured up by magic taes birth and dies, so also do allthese creatures come into being and disappear.

I05:. Bust as an artificial creature "brought into being by incantation and medicine#,taes birth and dies, so also do all these creatures come into being and disappear.

I05). o creature whichsoe&er is born, nor is there any source for it. -his is thatsupreme truth where nothing is born whatsoe&er.

I05. -his duality consisting in the subjectobject relationship is nothing but the&ibration of >onsciousness. *gain, >onsciousness is without object and is,therefore, declared to be e&er unattached.

I05/. -hat which e+ists by &irtue of being an imagined empirical &iew, does note+ist in reality. *gain, that which e+ists on the basis of the empirical &iew broughtabout by other schools of thought, does not really e+ist.

I051. Inasmuch as the soul, according to the conclusions arri&ed at by otherschools of thought, taes birth from a fancied empirical &iew point, it is said inconsistence with that empirical point of &iew that the soul is unborn; but from thepoint of &iew of supreme Aeality, it is not e&en unborn.

I052. -here is a mere fascination for unreal things, though there e+ists no duality.9a&ing realised the absence of duality, one is not born again for want of a cause.

I053. When there are no causes G superior, inferior or medium G then>onsciousness does not tae birth. 9ow can there be any result when the cause isabsent.

I055. -he birthlessness of >onsciousness which is free from causes is constant andabsolute, for all this "ie., duality and birth# was an object of perception to It whichhad been unborn "e&en before#.

I057. 9a&ing realised the -ruth that is uncaused and ha&ing abstained fromobtaining any further cause, one attains the state of fearlessness that is de&oid ofgrief and delusion "ama#.

I058. Owing to fascination for unreal objects, >onsciousness engages Itself inthings that are e'ually unreal. On realisation of the none+istence of objects,>onsciousness, becoming free from attachment, abstains "from them#.

I07:. -hen, there follows a state of stillness, when the >onsciousness has becomefree from attachment and does not engage Itself "in unreal things#. -hat is theobject of &ision to the wise. -hat is the "supreme# state on nondistinction, and that



is birthless and nondual.

I07). -his is birthless, sleepless, dreamless, and selfluminous. 6or this Entity "theelf# is e&er luminous by Its &ery nature.

I07. Owing to the 4ordCs fondness for any object whatsoe&er, he becomes e&er&eiled effortlessly, and is un&eiled e&ery time with strenuous effort.

I07/. * man of puerile imagination definitely co&ers the elf by affirming that ItHe+istsH, e+ists notH, HE+ists and e+ists notH, or again, He+ists notH, He+ists notH, andby possessing such &iews as "that It is# changing and unchanging, both changingand unchanging and none+istent.

I071. -hese are the four alternati&e &iews, owing to a fascination for which the4ord becomes e&er hidden. 9e is the allseer by whom is the 4ord percei&ed asuntouched by these.

I072. 9a&ing attained omniscience in its entirety, as well as the nondual state of(rahmanhood that is de&oid of beginning, middle, and end, does anyone wishanything thereafter ?

I073. -his is the humility of the (rahmanas; this is said to be their natural control.ince, by nature, they ha&e con'uered the senses, this is their restraint. 9a&ingnown thus, the enlightened one becomes rooted in tran'uillity.

I075. -he duality that is coe+istent with both object and "its# perception is said tobe the ordinary "waing# state. -hat state where there is only perception without"the actual presence of an# object is said to be the ordinary "dream# state.

I077. -he state de&oid of object and de&oid of perception is regarded ase+traordinary. -hus ha&e the wise for e&er declared nowledge, object, and thenowable.

I078. On ac'uiring nowledge "of the threefold objects# and on nowing the objectsin succession, there follows conse'uently, for the man of great intellect here, thestate of omniscience for e&er.

I08:. -hose which are to be abandoned, realised, adopted, and made ineffecti&eshould be nown first. Of these, the three, e+cepting the thing to be realised, areregarded as mere imaginations born of ignorance.

I08). It should be nown that all souls are, by nature, similar to ether, and eternal. -here is no di&ersity anywhere among them, e&en an iota of it.

I08. *ll souls are, by nature, illumined from the &ery beginning, and theircharacteristics are well ascertained. 9e, for whom there is thus the freedom fromwant of further ac'uisition of nowledge, is considered to be fit for immortality.



I08/. *ll souls are, from the &ery beginning, tran'uil, unborn and, by nature,entirely detached, e'ual, and nondifferent, and inasmuch as Aeality is thus unborn,uni'ue, and pure, "therefore there is no need of tran'uillity to be brought into theelf#.

I081. -here cannot e&er be any purification for those who always tread the path ofduality. -hey follow the path of difference, and spea of di&ersity and are, therefore,considered to be mean.

I082. -hey who ha&e wellsettled con&ictions regarding that which is unborn ande&er the same,indeed are possessed of great nowledge in this world. (ut thecommon man cannot comprehend it.

I083. -he nowledge e+isting in the birthless souls is regarded unborn andunrelated. Inasmuch as the nowledge has no relation with other objects, it isdeclared to be unattached.

I085. If there be birth for a thing, howe&er insignificant it may be, nonattachmentshall ne&er be possible for the ignorant man. What to spea "then# of thedestruction of co&ering for him ?

I087. *ll souls are de&oid of any co&ering and are by nature pure. -hey areillumined as well as free from the beginning. -hus they are said to be masters sincethey are capable of nowing.

I088. -he nowledge of the one who is enlightened and allper&asi&e, does notenter into objects. *nd so the souls also do not enter into objects. -his fact was notmentioned by the (uddha.

I0)::. 9a&ing realised the nondual state that is hard to percei&e, deep, unborn,uniform and serene,we offer our salutations to It, as best as we can.













9ere ends the Manduyopanishad, included in the *thar&a0eda.

9188907 mandukya upanishad

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