Mandukya Upanishad

Mantra 1

ओमित्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव । यच्चान्यत्त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ॥ १ ॥

om ity etad akṣaram idaṃ sarvaṃ tasyopavyākhyānaṃ bhūtaṃ bhavad bhaviṣyad iti sarvam oṅkāra eva | yac cānyat tri-kāla-atītaṃ tad apy oṅkāra eva

AUM: this syllable is everything. What was, what is and what will be, all of it is AUM. And whatever lies beyond the three times, that too is AUM.

Mantra 2

सर्वं ह्येतद्ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात् ॥ २ ॥

sarvaṃ hy etad brahmāyam ātmā brahma so 'yam ātmā catuṣpāt

All this is indeed Brahman. This Self is Brahman. This same Self has four quarters.

ātmā

the Self, one's own innermost self

catuṣpāt

four-footed, having four quarters. pāda, quarter, is literally a foot

Mantra 3

जागरितस्थानो बहिष्प्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः स्थूलभुग्वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः ॥ ३ ॥

jāgarita-sthāno bahiḥ-prajñaḥ sapta-aṅga ekonaviṃśati-mukhaḥ sthūla-bhug vaiśvānaraḥ prathamaḥ pādaḥ

The first quarter is Vaishvanara. His place is the waking state, his awareness is turned outward, he has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and he experiences gross things.

vaiśvānara

of all people, from viśva, all, and nara, person. Here, the Self in the waking state, shared by all

bahiḥ-prajña

aware of the outside. bahiḥ, outside; prajñā, awareness

sapta-aṅga, ekonaviṃśati-mukha

seven limbs, nineteen mouths. mukha is mouth or face, and so an opening or doorway. The commentary reads the seven limbs as parts of the cosmos, and the nineteen mouths as the five senses, five organs of action, five breaths and four inner faculties

sthūla-bhuj

one who experiences the gross, the solid, material things of the waking world. bhuj, to enjoy or experience

Mantra 4

स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः प्रविविक्तभुक् तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः ॥ ४ ॥

svapna-sthāno 'ntaḥ-prajñaḥ sapta-aṅga ekonaviṃśati-mukhaḥ pravivikta-bhuk taijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ

The second quarter is Taijasa. His place is the dream state, his awareness is turned inward, he has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and he experiences subtle things.

svapna-sthāna

whose place, or sphere, is the dream state. svapna, dream; sthāna, place, the standing-place

taijasa

the luminous one, from tejas, light

antaḥ-prajña

aware of the inside. antaḥ, inside; prajñā, awareness

pravivikta-bhuk

one who experiences the subtle, the finer, mental things of dream. pravivikta means separated out, refined. bhuk is the same word as bhuj in mantra 3

Mantra 5

यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत्सुषुप्तम् । सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक् चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः ॥ ५ ॥

yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṃ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṃ paśyati tat suṣuptam | suṣupta-sthāna ekī-bhūtaḥ prajñāna-ghana evānanda-mayo hy ānanda-bhuk ceto-mukhaḥ prājñas tṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ

Where a sleeper desires nothing and sees no dream, that is deep sleep. The third quarter is Prajna, whose place is that state. He has become one, a dense mass of awareness, full of bliss and an enjoyer of bliss, and his mouth is awareness.

yatra supto

where one is asleep. yatra, where; supta, asleep

kāmaṃ kāmayate

desires a desire. kāma, desire; kāmayate, desires, from the same root. With na kañcana, not any, it means no desire at all

svapnaṃ paśyati

sees a dream. svapna, dream; paśyati, sees

tat suṣuptam

that is deep sleep. su-, well, fully; supta, asleep

ekī-bhūta

become one, undivided. The commentary reads it as everything becoming undifferentiated

prajñāna-ghana

a dense mass of awareness. ghana is a dense, solid mass

ānanda-maya, ānanda-bhuk

full of bliss, an enjoyer of bliss. ānanda, bliss; -maya, full of; bhuk, one who enjoys

ceto-mukha

whose mouth, or doorway, is cetas, awareness. The commentary reads it as the doorway to the awareness of dream and waking

Mantra 6

एष सर्वेश्वर एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्यामेष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् ॥ ६ ॥

eṣa sarva-īśvara eṣa sarva-jña eṣo 'ntaryāmy eṣa yoniḥ sarvasya prabhava-apyayau hi bhūtānām

This is the lord of all. This is the knower of all. This is the inner controller. This is the source of all, for it is the origin and the dissolution of beings.

eṣa

this one. The mantra does not say who. The commentary reads it as Prajna

sarva-īśvara, sarva-jña

lord of all, knower of all. sarva, all; īśvara, lord; jña, knower

antaryāmin

inner controller, one who rules from within

yoni

source, origin. Literally the womb

prabhava-apyaya

origin and dissolution. prabhava, coming into being; apyaya, merging back, ending

bhūtānām

of beings, of all that has come to be. bhūta, from bhū, to become; -nām, the ending for "of" in the plural

Mantra 7

नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् । अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७ ॥

nāntaḥ-prajñaṃ na bahiḥ-prajñaṃ nobhayataḥ-prajñaṃ na prajñāna-ghanaṃ na prajñaṃ nāprajñam | adṛṣṭam avyavahāryam agrāhyam alakṣaṇam acintyam avyapadeśyam eka-ātma-pratyaya-sāraṃ prapañca-upaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivam advaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ

They consider the fourth to be that which is not aware of the inner, not aware of the outer, not aware of both, not a dense mass of awareness, not aware, and not unaware. It is unseen, beyond everyday dealings, ungraspable, without any mark, unthinkable and indescribable. Its essence is the certainty of the one Self. In it the world comes to rest. It is peaceful, auspicious and non-dual. That is the Self, and that is what is to be known.

na antaḥ-prajña, na bahiḥ-prajña, na ubhayataḥ-prajña, na prajñāna-ghana, na prajña, na aprajña

not aware of the inner, not aware of the outer, not aware of both, not a dense mass of awareness, not aware, not unaware. na, not

adṛṣṭa, agrāhya, alakṣaṇa, acintya, avyapadeśya

unseen, ungraspable, without a mark, unthinkable, indescribable. Each is the negative prefix a- on a word for seen, grasped, marked, thought, described

avyavahārya

beyond everyday dealings, what cannot be transacted, pointed to or spoken of in the usual way

eka-ātma-pratyaya-sāra

whose essence is the certainty of the one Self. eka, one; ātma, Self; pratyaya, certainty, conviction; sāra, essence

prapañca-upaśama

the stilling of the world, the coming to rest of the spread of manifold experience. prapañca, spreading out, the manifold world; upaśama, coming to rest

śānta, śiva, advaita

peaceful, auspicious, non-dual. śiva also means kind. advaita is a-dvaita, not two

Mantra 8

सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्कारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥ ८ ॥

so 'yam ātmādhyakṣaram oṅkāro 'dhimātraṃ pādā mātrā mātrāś ca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti

This same Self is the syllable AUM, which divides into parts. The quarters are the parts and the parts are the quarters: A, U and M.

so 'yam ātmā

this same Self, the one the mantras before this one describe

adhyakṣaram

regarding the syllable. From adhi, regarding, and akṣara, which means both syllable and imperishable

oṅkāra

the sound AUM. It appears as oṅkāro in the verse

pāda

quarter, literally a foot. Here it means a part of the Self, matched to the parts of AUM

adhimātram, mātrā

adhimātram, regarding the parts, the sounds, from adhi, regarding, and mātrā. mātrā, a measure, a part of a sound; here, each part of AUM

akāra, ukāra, makāra

the sounds A, U and M. The ending -kāra is a suffix for naming a sound

Mantra 9

जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्राप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद्वाप्नोति ह वै सर्वान्कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ९ ॥

jāgarita-sthāno vaiśvānaro 'kāraḥ prathamā mātrāpter ādimattvād vāpnoti ha vai sarvān kāmān ādiś ca bhavati ya evaṃ veda

Vaishvanara, whose place is the waking state, is the letter A, the first measure, because of reaching everywhere or because of being first. One who knows this attains all desires and becomes first.

jāgarita-sthāna

whose place, or sphere, is the waking state. jāgarita, waking; sthāna, place, the standing-place

akāra

the letter A, the sound A named with the suffix -kāra, as in mantra 8

āpti, ādimattva

reaching, pervading, and being first, having a beginning. Two reasons the text gives for matching A with the waking state

āpnoti

attains, reaches. From the root āp, which also gives āpti, reaching. In the verse vā, or, joins it as vāpnoti

sarvān kāmān

all desires, everything one wants. sarva, all; kāma, desire

ya evaṃ veda

one who knows it thus. The same phrase closes mantras 9, 10, 11 and 12

Mantra 10

स्वप्नस्थानस्तैजस उकारो द्वितीया मात्रोत्कर्षादुभयत्वाद्वोत्कर्षति ह वै ज्ञानसन्ततिं समानश्च भवति नास्याब्रह्मवित्कुले भवति य एवं वेद ॥ १० ॥

svapna-sthānas taijasa ukāro dvitīyā mātrotkarṣād ubhayatvād votkarṣati ha vai jñāna-santatiṃ samānaś ca bhavati nāsyābrahma-vit kule bhavati ya evaṃ veda

Taijasa, whose place is the dream state, is the letter U, the second measure, because of rising higher or because of standing between the two. One who knows this raises the stream of knowledge and becomes equal to all. In his family, no one is born who does not know Brahman.

ukāra

the letter U, the sound U named with the suffix -kāra, as in mantra 8

utkarṣa, ubhayatva

rising higher, excellence, and being both, being between. The commentary reads U as higher than A and between A and M

jñāna-santati

the stream, the unbroken line of knowledge

samānaś ca bhavati

and becomes equal, the same. The commentary reads it as: no one envies him, friend or foe

abrahma-vit

one who does not know Brahman. brahma-vit, knower of Brahman; a-, not

kule bhavati

is born in the family. kula, family, line; bhavati, becomes, comes to be

Mantra 11

सुषुप्तस्थानः प्राज्ञो मकारस्तृतीया मात्रा मितेरपीतेर्वा मिनोति ह वा इदं सर्वमपीतिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ११ ॥

suṣupta-sthānaḥ prājño makāras tṛtīyā mātrā miter apīter vā minoti ha vā idaṃ sarvam apītiś ca bhavati ya evaṃ veda

Prajna, whose place is deep sleep, is the letter M, the third measure, because it measures, or because it is where things merge. One who knows this measures all this, and becomes the place where it merges.

suṣupta-sthāna

whose place, or sphere, is deep sleep. suṣupta, deep sleep; sthāna, place, the standing-place

prājña

the one of prajñā, awareness. Prajna, the name of the third quarter

makāra

the letter M, the sound M named with the suffix -kāra, as in mantra 8

miti, minoti

measuring, and measures, from mā, to measure. The commentary compares it to a vessel that measures grain, which the first two quarters enter and come out of

apīti

merging, going into, from api-i, to go into. The commentary reads it as A and U merging into M, and waking and dream merging into deep sleep

mātrā

a measure, and also a letter, a part of a sound. Both meanings are at work here

Mantra 12

अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैत एवमोङ्कार आत्मैव संविशत्यात्मनात्मानं य एवं वेद ॥ १२ ॥

amātraś caturtho 'vyavahāryaḥ prapañca-upaśamaḥ śivo 'dvaita evam oṅkāra ātmaiva saṃviśaty ātmanātmānaṃ ya evaṃ veda

The fourth has no measure. It is beyond everyday dealings, the stilling of the world, auspicious, non-dual. So AUM is the Self itself. One who knows this enters the Self by the Self.

amātra

without measure. The fourth is not one of the three measures, A, U or M

avyavahārya

beyond everyday dealings, what cannot be transacted or spoken of in the usual way

prapañca-upaśama

the stilling of the world, the coming to rest of the spread of manifold experience

advaita

non-dual, not two. a-, not; dvaita, twoness, duality

saṃviśati

enters, merges into

ātmanā ātmānam

the Self by the Self. The same word for the one who enters and the one entered