View this in:
English Devanagari Telugu Tamil Kannada Malayalam Gujarati Odia Bengali  |
Marathi Assamese Punjabi Hindi Samskritam Konkani Nepali Sinhala Grantha  |
This document is in romanized sanskrit according to IAST standard.

Mundaka Upanishad - Mundaka 2, Section 1

॥ dvitīya muṇḍakē prathamaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ॥

The whole universe, all objects and Jivas have come out of the same Infinite Intelligence. That is to say, Jivas are the same as the Supreme being just as sparks are similar to the fire from which they emanate. But the only difference is in their intensity.

Also, verses here allude to the Supreme God with and without attributes.

Now, the essence of the highest Brahman is Nirguna. So, this means that He has no attributes, no form or colour. Further He is also not a cause for anything. In fact, its very difficult to describe Nirguna or Absolute Brahman. However, Vedantic wisdom uses the famous Neti, Neti (not this, not this) formula to arrive at the Indescribable Indestructible Absolute Brahman.

Further, the secondary form of Brahman is Saguna, which means Brahman with attributes. This is also called the ‘Unmanifested Maya’ or the material cause, here.

tadētat satyaṃ
yathā sudīptāt pāvakādvisphuliṅgāḥ
sahasraśaḥ prabhavantē sarūpāḥ ।
tathā'kṣarādvividhāḥ sōmya bhāvāḥ
prajāyantē tatra chaivāpi yanti ॥ 1॥

The truth is that just as thousands of similar sparks emanate from a blazing fire, so do a multitude of beings (Jivas) originate from the Indestructible one and finally return back (dissolve) to the source (Saguna Brahman- Supreme Being with Form, Unmanifested Maya) again.

divyō hyamūrtaḥ puruṣaḥ sa bāhyābhyantarō hyajaḥ ।
aprāṇō hyamanāḥ śubhrō hyakṣarāt parataḥ paraḥ ॥ 2॥

But that Transcendental Effulgence (Nirguna Brahman- Supreme Being without form, Purusha) which exists both inside and outside of everything, has no mind or form is birthless and is without vital force is superior to Saguna Brahman.

ētasmājjāyatē prāṇō manaḥ sarvēndriyāṇi cha ।
khaṃ vāyurjyōtirāpaḥ pṛthivī viśvasya dhāriṇī ॥ 3॥

From him (Saguna Brahman) originate the Prana, the Mind, the fire, water, ether, air and earth that support everything.

agnīrmūrdhā chakṣuṣī chandrasūryau
diśaḥ śrōtrē vāg vivṛtāścha vēdāḥ ।
vāyuḥ prāṇō hṛdayaṃ viśvamasya padbhyāṃ
pṛthivī hyēṣa sarvabhūtāntarātmā ॥ 4॥

Sarvabhut-antaratma (the Virat Self within all of us) is one whose head corresponds to the Heaven, his two eyes the Sun and the Moon, his speech are the revealed Vedas, his heart the air, and his two feet emerging from Earth.

tasmādagniḥ samidhō yasya sūryaḥ
sōmāt parjanya ōṣadhayaḥ pṛthivyām ।
pumān rētaḥ siñchati yōṣitāyāṃ
bahvīḥ prajāḥ puruṣāt samprasūtāḥ ॥ 5॥

The Heavens, fueled by the Sun emerges from Him. From the Moon emerges the clouds and from the clouds the plants and grains on Earth. Man emerges (sustains) out of this and copulates (sincati retas) with woman (of which children emerge) Thus all creatures have emerged out of the Purusha.

tasmādṛchaḥ sāma yajūṃṣi dīkṣā
yajñāścha sarvē kratavō dakṣiṇāścha ।
saṃvatsaraścha yajamānaścha lōkāḥ
sōmō yatra pavatē yatra sūryaḥ ॥ 6॥

It is from Him alone have originated the Rig, Yajur and Sama Vedas and (from Him) the Sacrifice, the Sacrificer, The Kratavah, (sacrificial stake) diksha (rules) and (corresponding gifts). And (from Him) the Sun and the Moon that sanctify the world.

tasmāchcha dēvā bahudhā samprasūtāḥ
sādhyā manuṣyāḥ paśavō vayāṃsi ।
prāṇāpānau vrīhiyavau tapaścha
śraddhā satyaṃ brahmacharyaṃ vidhiścha ॥ 7॥

From Him have emerged the Gods and Sadhyas (groups of God); man-birds-animals; Prana-apana (the two out of 5 vital forces, the other three being samana, vyana, udana); rice and barley; austerities, truthfulness, brahmacharya (continence) and dutifulness in injunctions (vidhi)

sapta prāṇāḥ prabhavanti tasmāt
saptārchiṣaḥ samidhaḥ sapta hōmāḥ ।
sapta imē lōkā yēṣu charanti prāṇā
guhāśayā nihitāḥ sapta sapta ॥ 8॥

Moreover, From Him emerge the seven sense organs (saptah pranah); seven flames (sapta archisah), seven fuels (sapta samidah); seven oblation (sapta homah); seven seats of senses (seven lokas). The pranas move seated in the heart placed there in groups of seven by God.

ataḥ samudrā girayaścha sarvē'smāt
syandantē sindhavaḥ sarvarūpāḥ ।
ataścha sarvā ōṣadhayō rasaścha
yēnaiṣa bhūtaistiṣṭhatē hyantarātmā ॥ 9॥

Also, from Him have originated the oceans (samudra) and mountains (giriyah) and rivers of every description. From Him also originates all the herbs and their essences by virtue of which the Self (antaratma) thrives amongst the Mahabhutas (elements)

puruṣa ēvēdaṃ viśvaṃ karma tapō brahma parāmṛtam ।
ētadyō vēda nihitaṃ guhāyāṃ
sō'vidyāgranthiṃ vikiratīha sōmya ॥ 10॥

The Purusha (nirguna Brahman) is all this karma, austerity, knowledge, it is the highest Indestructible Brahman. The one who has realized it (the presence) in the cavity of the heart has severed the knot of ignorance (avidya-granthi)

॥ iti muṇḍakōpaniṣadi dvitīyamuṇḍakē prathamaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ॥




Browse Related Categories: