Mundaka Upanisad

[3bob]

Mundaka Upanisad

 

Second Mundaka

 

Chapter I

 

1 This is the Truth: As from a blazing fire, sparks essentially akin to it fly forth by the thousand, so also, my good friend, do various beings come forth from the imperishable Brahman and unto Him again return.

 

2 He is the selfluminous and formless Purusha, uncreated and existing both within and without. He is devoid of prana, devoid of mind, pure and higher than the supreme Imperishable.

 

3 From Him are born prana, mind, all the senseorgans, Akasa, air, fire, water and earth, which supports all.

 

4 The heavens are His head; the sun and moon, His eyes; the quarters, His ears; the revealed Vedas, His speech; the wind is His breath; the universe, His heart. From his feet is produced the earth. He is, indeed, the inner Self of all beings

 

5 From Him comes the Fire whose fuel is the sun; from the moon comes rain; from rain, the herbs that grow on the earth; from the herbs, the seminal fluid which a man pours into a woman. Thus many living beings are born of the Purusha.

 

6 From Him have come the Rik, the Saman, the Yajus, the Diksha, all sacrifices, the Kratus, gifts, the year, the sacrificer and the worlds which the moon sanctifies and the sun illumines.

 

7 By Him are begotten the various devas, the sadhyas, men, cattle, birds and also prana and apana, rice and corn, penance, faith, truth, continence and law.

 

8 From Him have sprung the seven pranas, the seven flames, the seven kinds of fuel, the seven oblations and also the seven planes where move the pranas, lying in the cave, which are seven in each living being.

 

9 From Him come all the oceans and the mountains; from Him flow rivers of every kind; from Him have come, as well, all plants and flavours, by which the inner self subsists surrounded by the elements.

 

10 The Purusha alone is verily the universe, which consists of work and austerity. O my good friend, he who knows this Brahmanthe Supreme and the Immortal, hidden in the cave of the heartcuts asunder even here the knot of ignorance.

 

Chapter II

 

1 The Luminous Brahman dwells in the cave of the heart and is known to move there. It is the great support of all; for in It is centred everything that moves, breathes and blinks. O disciples, know that to be your Selfthat which is both gross and subtle, which is adorable, supreme and beyond the understanding of creatures.

 

2 That which is radiant, subtler than the subtle, That by which all the worlds and their inhabitants are supportedThat, verily, is the indestructible Brahman; That is the prana, speech and the mind; That is the True and That is the Immortal. That alone is to be struck. Strike It, my good friend.

 

3 Take the Upanishad as the bow, the great weapon and place upon it the arrow sharpened by meditation. Then, having drawn it back with a mind directed to the thought of Brahman, strike that mark, O my good friendthat which is the Imperishable

 

4 Om is the bow; the atman is the arrow; Brahman is said to be the mark. It is to be struck by an undistracted mind. Then the atman becomes one with Brahman, as the arrow with the target.

 

5 In Him are woven heaven, earth and the space between and the mind with all the senseorgans. Know that nondual Atman alone and give up all other talk. He is the bridge to Immortality.

 

6 He moves about, becoming manifold, within the heart, where the arteries meet, like the spokes fastened in the nave of a chariot wheel. Meditate on Atman as Om. Hail to you! May you cross beyond the sea of darkness!

 

7 He who knows all and understands all and to whom belongs all the glory in the worldHe, Atman, is placed in the space in the effulgent abode of Brahman. He assumes the forms of the mind and leads the body and the senses. He dwells in the body, inside the heart. By the knowledge of That which shines as the blissful and immortal Atman, the wise behold Him fully in all things.

 

8 The fetters of the heart are broken, all doubts are resolved and all works cease to bear fruit, when He is beheld who is both high and low.

 

9 There the stainless and indivisible Brahman shines in the highest, golden sheath. It is pure; It is the Light of lights; It is That which they know who know the Self.

 

10 The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, not to speak of this fire. When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light everything is lighted.

 

11 That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind, that Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that Supreme Brahman alone.

 

Translation" by Swami Nikhilananda: http://www.ramakrishna.org/sn.htm

Edited May 1, 2012 by 3bob

[Boy]

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Edited October 11, 2012 by Boy

[3bob]

Beautiful! Moving and precise. For some, this will be the only (part of an) Upanishad they will ever hear. It is enough. Thank you for sharing, 3bob!

 

Glad you liked the quote... and hopefully it will also be enough to interest/inspire some people to read/study further along such lines.