1. Mandukya Upanishad

[ Sutra 1 ]

ओमित्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद्‌ भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव।यच्चान्यत्‌ त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ॥1॥

omityetadakṣaramidaṁ sarvaṁ tasyopavyākhyānaṁ bhūtaṁ bhavad bhaviṣyaditi sarvamoṅkāra eva|yaccānyat trikālātītaṁ tadapyoṅkāra eva ॥1॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — ओम्' ही है यह 'अक्षर-शब्द', 'ओम्' ही सशृण 'विश्व' है और यह 'ओम्' की ही व्याख्या है! भूत, वर्तमान तथा भविष्य अर्थात् जो कुछ था, जो कुछ है तथा जो कुछ होगा, वह 'ओम्' है। इसी प्रकार 'काल' (त्रिकाल) की सीमा से परे जो कुछ भी हो सकता है वह भी 'ओम्' ही है ॥1॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — OM is this imperishable Word, OM is the Universe, and this is the exposition of OM. The past, the present and the future, all that was, all that is, all that will be, is OM. Likewise all else that may exist beyond the bounds of Time, that too is OM. ॥1॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — All this is the letter Om. A vivid explanation of this (is begun). All that is past, present, and future is but Om. Whatever transcends the three periods of time, too, is Om. ॥1॥

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[ Sutra 2 ]

सर्वं ह्येतद्‌ ब्रह्म अयमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात्‌ ॥2॥

sarvaṁ hyetad brahma ayamātmā brahma so'yamātmā catuṣpāt ॥2॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — यह सम्पूर्ण 'विश्व' 'शाश्वत-ब्रह्म' ही है यह 'आत्मा' 'ब्रह्म' हैं एवं 'आत्मा' चतुर्विध है, इसके चार पाद हैं ॥2॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — All this Universe is the Eternal Brahman, this Self is the Eternal, and ॥2॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — All this is certainly Brahman. This Self is Brahman. This Self, as such, is possessed of four quarters. ॥2॥

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[ Sutra 3 ]

जागरितस्थानो बहिःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः स्थूलभुग् वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः ॥3॥

jāgaritasthāno bahiḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṁśatimukhaḥ sthūlabhug vaiśvānaraḥ prathamaḥ pādaḥ ॥3॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — जाग्रत्-अवस्था जिसका स्थान है, जो बहिर्गत जगत् का ज्ञाता है, जो सात अगोंवाला है, जिसके लिए उत्रीस द्वार हैं, जो स्थूल पदार्थों की रसानुभूति करता है, 'वैश्वानर' अर्थात् 'विश्व-पुरुष', 'वह' है प्रथम पाद। ॥3॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — He whose place is the wakefulness, who is wise of the outward, who has seven limbs, to whom there are nineteen doors, who feeleth and enjoyeth gross objects, Vaiswanara, the Universal Male, He is the first. ॥3॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — (The Self) seated in the waking state and called Vaisvanara who, possessed of the consciousness of the exterior, and seven limbs and nineteen mouths, enjoys the gross objects, is the first quarter. ॥3॥

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[ Sutra 4 ]

स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः प्रविविक्तभुक् तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः ॥4॥

svapnasthāno'ntaḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṁśatimukhaḥ praviviktabhuk taijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ ॥4॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — स्वप्नावस्था जिसका स्थान है, जो अन्तर्जगत् का ज्ञाता है, जो सात अगोंवाला है, जिसके लिए उत्रीस द्वार हैं, जो सूक्ष्म पदार्थों की रसानुभूति करता है, 'तेजस' अर्थात् 'तेजोमय मन' में 'निवास करने वाला', 'वह' द्वितीय पाद है ॥4॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — He whose place is the dream, who is wise of the inward, who has seven limbs, to whom there are nineteen doors, who feeleth and enjoyeth subtle objects, Taijasa, the Inhabitant in Luminous Mind, He is the second. ॥4॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — (The Self) seated in the state of dream and called Taijasa who, possessed of the consciousness of the interior, and seven limbs and nineteen mouths, enjoys the subtle objects, is the second quarter. ॥4॥

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[ Sutra 5 ]

यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत् सुषुप्तम्‌।सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक्‌ चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः ॥5॥

yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṁ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṁ paśyati tat suṣuptam |suṣuptasthāna ekībhūtaḥ prajñānaghana evānandamayo hyānandabhuk cetomukhaḥ prājñastṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ |॥5॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — जब कोई सोता है तथा किसी भी कामना की अभिलाषा नहीं करता, न किसी स्वप्न को देखता है, वह है पूर्ण सुषुप्तावस्था। सुषुप्ति जिसका स्थान है, जो 'एकीभूत' हो गया है, जो प्रज्ञानघन अर्थात् स्वयं में घनीभूत प्रज्ञा है जो केवल आनन्दमय है, जो निरपेक्ष आनन्द का रसास्वाद करता है, सचेतन मन जिसके लिए द्वार है 'प्राज्ञ' 'प्रज्ञा का ईश', 'वह' तृतीय पाद है ॥5॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — When one sleepeth and yearneth not with any desire, nor seeth any dream, that is the perfect slumber. He whose place is the perfect slumber, who is become Oneness, who is wisdom gathered into itself, who is made of mere delight, who enjoyeth delight unrelated, to whom conscious mind is the door, Prajna, the Lord of Wisdom, He is the third. ॥5॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — Where the sleeper desires not a thing of enjoyment and sees not any dream, that state is deep sleep. (The Self) seated in the state of deep sleep and called Prajna, in whom everything 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 knowledge (of the preceding two states), is the third quarter. ॥5॥

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[ Sutra 6 ]

एष सर्वेश्वरः एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम्‌ ॥6॥

eṣa sarveśvaraḥ eṣa sarvajña eṣo'ntaryāmyeṣa yoniḥ sarvasya prabhavāpyayau hi bhūtānām ॥6॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — यह 'सर्वेश्वर' है, यह 'सर्वज्ञ' है, यह है 'अन्तरात्मा'-अन्तर्यामी, यह समस्त विश्व की 'योनि' अर्थात् जन्म देने वाला 'गर्भ' है, यह समस्त प्राणियों की 'उत्पत्ति' एवं उनका 'प्रलय' है ॥6॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — This is the Almighty, this is the Omniscient, this is the Inner Soul, this is the Womb of the Universe, this is the Birth and Destruction of creatures. ॥6॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — This is the Lord of all; this is omniscient; this is the in-dwelling controller (of all); this is the source and indeed the origin and dissolution of all beings. ॥6॥

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[ Sutra 7 ]

नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम्‌ । अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥7॥

nāntaḥprajñaṁ na bahiṣprajñaṁ nobhayataḥprajñaṁ na prajñānaghanaṁ na prajñaṁ nāprajñam | adṛṣṭamavyavahāryamagrāhyamalakṣaṇamacintyamavyapadeśyamekātmapratyayasāraṁ prapañcopaśamaṁ śāntaṁ śivamadvaitaṁ caturthaṁ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ ॥7॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — वह न अन्तःप्रज्ञ है न बहिष्प्रज्ञ है, न उभय-प्रज्ञ अर्थात् अन्तः एवं बहिष्प्रज्ञ एक साथ है, न वह प्रज्ञान-घन है, न प्रज्ञ (ज्ञाता) है, न अप्रज्ञ (अज्ञाता) । वह जो अदृष्ट है, अव्यवहार्य है, अग्राह्य है, अलक्षण है, अचिन्त्य है, अव्यपदेश्य अर्थात् अनिर्देश्य है, 'आत्मा' के ऐकान्तिक अस्तित्व का बोध ही जिसका सार है, 'जिसमें' समस्त प्रपञ्चात्मक जगत् का विलय हो जाता है, जो 'पूर्ण शान्त' है, जो 'शिवम्' है-मंगलकारी है, और जो 'अद्वैत' है, 'उसे' ही चतुर्थ (पाद) माना जाता है; 'वही' है 'आत्मा', एकमात्र 'वही' 'विज्ञेय' (जानने योग्य तत्त्व) है ॥7॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — He who is neither inward wise, nor outward wise, nor both inward and outward wise, nor wisdom self gathered, nor possessed of wisdom, nor unpossessed of wisdom, He Who is unseen and incommunicable, unseizable, featureless, unthinkable, and unnameable,Whose essentiality is awareness of the Self in its single existence, in Whom all phenomena dissolve, Who is Calm, Who is Good, Who is the One than Whom there is no other, Him they deem the fourth; He is the Self, He is the object of Knowledge ॥7॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — The Fourth is thought of as that which is not conscious of the internal world, nor conscious of the external world, nor conscious of both the worlds, nor dense with consciousness, nor simple consciousness, nor unconsciousness, which is unseen, actionless, incomprehensible, un-inferable, unthinkable, indescribable, whose proof consists in the identity of the Self (in all states), in which all phenomena come to a cessation, and which is unchanging, auspicious, and non-dual. That is the Self; that is to be known. ॥7॥

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[ Sutra 8 ]

सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्कारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥8॥

so'yamātmādhyakṣaramoṅkāro'dhimātraṁ pādā mātrā mātrāśca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti ॥8॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — अथ, यह है 'आत्मा', और 'अक्षर-शब्द' है 'ओम्'; और 'उसके' पाद (अंश) हैं उसके वर्णाक्षर, तथा वर्णाक्षर हैं 'उसके' पादांश-'अकार', 'उकार' तथा 'मकार' ॥8॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — Now this the Self, as to the imperishable Word, is OM; and as to the letters, His parts are the letters and the letters are His parts, namely, A U M. ॥8॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — That same Self, from the point of view of the syllable, is Om, and viewed from the stand point of the letters, the quarters are the letters, and the letters are the quarters. The letters are a, u and m. ॥8॥

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[ Sutra 9 ]

जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्रा । आप्तेरादिमत्वाद् वा आप्नोति ह वै सर्वान्‌ कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥9॥

jāgaritasthāno vaiśvānaro'kāraḥ prathamā mātrā | āpterādimatvād vā āpnoti ha vai sarvān kāmānādiśca bhavati ya evaṁ veda ॥9॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — जागरित-अवस्थावाला, 'वैश्वानरः'-वैश्व-पुरुष', अपने 'आदित्व' एवं 'व्यापकता' के कारण 'वह' है 'अकार', प्रथम वर्णाक्षर; जो 'उसे' इस प्रकार जानता है वह सर्वव्याप्त हो जाता है तथा अपनी समस्त कामनाओं को प्राप्त करता है; वह स्वयं 'आदि'-उत्स एवं आरम्भ-बन जाता है ॥9॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — The Waker, Vaiswanara, the Universal Male, He is A, the first letter, because of Initiality and Pervasiveness; he that knoweth Him for such pervadeth and attaineth all his desires; he becometh the source and first. ॥9॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — Vaisvanara seated in the waking state is the first letter a, owing to its all-pervasiveness or being the first. He who knows thus verily accomplishes all longings and becomes the first. ॥9॥

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[ Sutra 10 ]

स्वप्नस्थानस्तैजस उकारो द्वितीया मात्रा उत्कर्षादुभयत्वाद् वा उत्कर्षति ह वै ज्ञानसन्ततिं समानश्च भवति नास्याब्रह्मवित् कुले भवति य एवं वेद ॥10॥

svapnasthānastaijasa ukāro dvitīyā mātrā utkarṣādubhayatvād vā utkarṣati ha vai jñānasantatiṁ samānaśca bhavati nāsyābrahmavit kule bhavati ya evaṁ veda ॥10॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — स्वप्न-अवस्थावाला, 'तेजस'--'तेजोमय मन में निवास करने वाला'-अपनी 'श्रेष्ठता' (उत्कर्ष) एवं 'मध्यमावस्था' (उभयत्व) के कारण 'वह' है 'उकार', द्वितीय वर्णाक्षर; जो 'उसे' इस प्रकार जानता है वह अपने ज्ञान की सीमाओं का उत्कर्ष करता (अभी बढ़ाता) है तथा असमानताओं से ऊपर उठ जाता है; ऐसे व्यक्ति के कुल में उसके वीर्य से उत्पन्न सन्तति 'अब्रह्मविद्' (ब्रह्म को न जानने वाली) नहीं होती ॥10॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — The Dreamer, Taijasa, the Inhabitant in Luminous Mind, He is U, the second letter, because of Advance and Centrality; he that knoweth Him for such, advanceth the bounds of his knowledge and riseth above difference; nor of his seed is any born that knoweth not the Eternal. ॥10॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — Taijasa seated in the dream is u, the second letter (of Om), owing to the similarity of excellence or intermediate position. He who knows thus verily advances the bounds of his knowledge and becomes equal (to all) and none who is not a knower of Brahman is born in his family. ॥10॥

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[ Sutra 11 ]

सुषुप्तस्थानः प्राज्ञो मकारस्तृतीया मात्रा मितेरपीतेर्वा मिनोति ह वा इदं सर्वमपीतिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥11॥

suṣuptasthānaḥ prājño makārastṛtīyā mātrā miterapītervā minoti ha vā idaṁ sarvamapītiśca bhavati ya evaṁ veda ॥11॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — सुषुप्त-अवस्थावाला, 'प्राज्ञ'-'प्रज्ञा का ईश्वर' मापने के कारण तथा 'अन्तिमावस्था' के कारण, 'वह' है 'मकार', तृतीय वर्णाक्षर; जो 'उसे' इस प्रकार जानता है वह अपने साथ सम्पूर्ण 'विश्व' को माप लेता है एवं 'ब्रह्म' में लीन हो जाता है ॥11॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — The Sleeper, Prajna, the Lord of Wisdom, He is M, the third letter, because of Measure and Finality; he that knoweth Him for such measureth with himself the Universe and becometh the departure into the Eternal. ॥11॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — Prajna seated in the state of deep sleep is m, the third letter (of Om), because of his being the measure or the entity wherein all become absorbed. He who knows thus measures all this and absorbs all.॥11॥

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[ Sutra 12 ]

अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैत एवमोङ्कार आत्मैव संविशत्यात्मनात्मानं य एवं वेद य एवं वेद ॥12॥

amātraścaturtho'vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo'dvaita evamoṅkāra ātmaiva saṁviśatyātmanātmānaṁ ya evaṁ veda ya evaṁ veda ॥12॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (Hindi) — चतुर्थ है 'अवर्णाक्षर' (अमात्रा), 'अव्यवहार्य', इस (सृष्टि) प्रपञ्च का उपशम अर्थात् अन्त, परम मंगलकारी-'शिव', 'अद्वैत' (अद्वितीय) ऐसा है 'ओम्' । 'आत्मा' ही आत्मा के द्वारा 'आत्मा' में प्रवेश करके 'आत्मा' को जानता है, जो यह जानता है, वही यह जानता है ॥12॥

— Translation from Aurovindo (English) — Letterless is the fourth, the Incommunicable, the end of phenomena, the Good, the One than Whom there is no other; thus is OM. He that knoweth is the Self and entereth by his self into the Self, he that knoweth, he that knoweth. ॥12॥

— Translation from Vidyavachaspati V. Panoli — That which is without letters (parts) is the Fourth, beyond apprehension through ordinary means, the cessation of the phenomenal world, the auspicious and the non-dual. Thus Om is certainly the Self. He who knows thus enters the Self by the Self. ॥12॥