Upanishads

Annapurna Upanishad

Atharva Veda
Upanishad group – Shakta

Oh! O Devas, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious;
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship!
May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas,
Praising them with our body and limbs steadily!
May the glorious Indra bless us!
May the all-knowing Sun bless us!
May Garuda, the thunderer of evil, bless us!
May Brihaspati grant us well-being!
Om! May there be Peace in me!
May there be Peace in my surroundings!
May there be Peace in the forces that act upon me!

I-1-2. The king of the yogis, Nidagha, prostrated himself (like a rod) before Ribhu, that foremost knower of Brahman. Then, rising, that ascetic reverently said: "Teach me the truth about the Self; by what kind of worship, O Brahman, did you attain this state?"

I-3-4. Teach me that great science which gives supremacy over the empire of liberation. "You have done well, Nidagha! Listen to the eternal science, by the knowledge of which alone you will become liberated in life. Placed in Om, which embraces the Root of phenomena (Brahman), supporting the syllable "aim,"

I-5-7. "Eternal bliss, independent ('hrim'), celebrated, with flowing accents ('sauh'), the ruler of the world ('srim'), Mahalakshmi, (simultaneously) desire ('klim'), fulfillment and humanity, is the divine Annapurna. "I prayed to Her using the celebrated and quintessential incantation of 27 syllables, cultivated by many female ascetics,

I-8. "Namely, aim, hrim, sauh, srim, klim, aum namo bhagavatyannapurne mamabhilasitam annam dehi svaha. [Salutation, O divine Annapurna, honor me with the food I desire]: "Thus my father instructed me. Thenceforth I became established in (this) discipline, persevering in the actions of my station (in life), and gave myself up to the daily practice of this incantation.

I-9. "When many days had passed, Annapurna appeared before me, wide-open, her lotus face beaming with a smile.

I-10. "Seeing her, I prostrated myself on the ground, and then stood up with folded hands. "Well, child, you have done well; ask a boon from me, do not delay."

I-11. O (Nidagha), best of sages! Thus hidden by the wide-open eyes (of the deity), I said: "O Daughter of the Mountain, let the truth of the Self dawn in my mind."

I-12. Saying "so be it," she disappeared, then and there. Then, through the perception of the world's diversity, the idea (mati) arose in me.

I-13. Delusion manifests itself fivefold; it will be expounded below. By the first delusion, the jiva and God appear to have different forms.

I-14. By the second, the attribute of the doer, abiding in the Self, appears real. The third (is) that the jiva is associated with the three bodies as having attachment.

I-15. The fourth considers the cause of the world (God) to be changeable. The fifth delusion attributes reality to the world as distinct from its cause. Then, too, the cessation of the fivefold delusion flashes forth in the mind.

I-16. From that moment, spontaneously, my mind was assimilated into Brahman. O Nidagha, so also can you attain knowledge of reality.

I-17. With humility and reverence (Nidagha said to Ribhu: impart to me, who have faith (in you)), the peerless science of Brahman.

I-18. Pleased, Ribhu said: "So be it." I will impart to you the knowledge of reality, O sinless one. Be a powerful mediator, an ardent enjoyer, and a great renunciate. Having thus investigated your own true nature, be happy.

I-19. "I am Brahman, ever manifest, pure, first, infinite; there is no room for the slightest dalliance with anything else" – thus think, becoming faultless; attain Nirvana (eternal peace) by purifying and stilling all the movements of the mind.

I-20. Know that nothing seen here is there; all this is like a "city in the sky" and "water in the desert."

I-21. On the other hand, that which is nowhere seen is not given (as an object) at all; beyond the reach of the sixth sense, the mind, O sage, become like That.

I-22. Understand: I am That which is indestructible, infinite, Spirit, the Self of all, whole, complete, abundant and indivisible.

I-23. Due to the absolute contemplation of absence (or nothingness), when the mind is exhausted, there arises the state of being-in-general (satta-samanya), whose essence is unconditioned consciousness.

I-24. Certainly, devoid of any objective nuance, when consciousness (cit) subsides, there arises an extremely transparent being-in general, which resembles non-existence.

I-25. For the liberated Self, both embodied and disembodied, there certainly occurs that supreme perception known as the state beyond the fourth (turiya).

I-26. O sinless one, this occurs in the case of the knower, both when he has risen from samadhi (collectedness) and when he is established in it; being born of awareness, it does not occur only to the ignorant.

I-27. All fluctuations between states of reasoning, etc., having vanished long ago, his face immersed in the beautiful light of Brahmic bliss, (the sage) attains the blessed state by right knowledge alone.

I-28. The inner coolness (calm peace) of one who perceives this multitude of gunas as not-I is called Concentration.

I-29. The steady mind is empty of latent impulses; so is (the state of) contemplation. So is Solitude. Moreover, it is nothing but eternal peace.

I-30. The mind with weakened latent impulses is said to be bound for the supreme state. Then, the mind without such impulses attains the status of a non-doer.

I-31. On the other hand, the mind's imagination to be a doer is overflowing with latent impulses; it causes all suffering; therefore, weakened latent impulses.

I-32. When the imagination of oneness with all objects is mentally abandoned, due to his constant introverted state, all things resolve into empty space.

I-33. As crowds in the marketplace, though active, are as good as non-existent (to the observer) when he is not connected (with them), so to the knower, a village is like a forest.

I-34. Being inwardly abstracted, the knower, whether sleeping, waking, walking or reading, contemplates the city, the countryside or the village as if it were nothing but a forest (i.e. with complete disinterestedness).

I-35. Once the inner coolness is won, the world becomes cool. For those who are burned by inner thirst, the world is ablaze.

I-36. For all (unliberated) beings, what is within is projected without.

I-37. But he who loves the inner Self, though he acts through the organs of action, is not subject to joy and sorrow; he is called concentrated.

I-38. He who, as a matter of course and not through fear, contemplates all beings as his own Self, and the possessions of others as clods of earth, alone sees correctly.

I-39. Let death come now or at the end of cycles; he remains unstained, like gold (fallen) into the mud.

I-40. Consider in your mind: Who am I? How is all this (caused)? How (do) death and birth (occur)? Thus (by considering) you will gain great benefit (from investigation).

I-41. Your mind will cast off its (discursive) form and quietly attain rest, as soon as by investigation you realize your true nature.

I-42. O Brahmin, your mind, cured of feverishness, no longer sinks in empirical activity, just as an elephant does not sink in a hole made by the hoof of a cow.

I-43. But a petty mind, O Brahmin, sinks in any petty matter, just as a smitten mosquito sinks in water collected in a hole made by the hoof of a cow.

I-44. O best of ascetics, to the extent that all objects are easily renounced, the Self alone, the transcendental light, remains.

I-45. As long as all objects are not renounced, the Self is not won. That which remains after renouncing all objective diversity is called the Self.

I-46. Therefore, to realize the Self, renounce everything. Having discarded everything (objects), become like that which remains.

I-47. Whatever object is seen in the world around, it is but a vibration of Consciousness, it is nothing but something permanent.

I-48. O Brahmin, by the term samadhi (collectedness) the sages denote the transcendental understanding which is concentrated, ever at peace and knows things as they are.

I-49. The term 'Concentration' denotes the steady, grief-like state (of the self) which is unperturbed, unselfish and unattached to dualities.

I-50. O Brahmin, it denotes the perfect flow of the mind which is sure, choiceless and aimless.

I-51. The best of the Vedic scholars, the great ones, attain that fourth and steady perception which is formed solely through the portion of the light of the Spirit.

I-52. (It) rests in the heart of all things and is not unlike dreamless sleep when the mind and ego subside.

I-53. After the mind is eliminated by the mind, this state – this supreme divine body of bliss – is automatically attained.

I-54. From where follows the destruction of all desires for objects; then dawns the auspicious and magnificently glorious light, and then, in the case of the best, due to the dominion of the balanced mind (occurs) the ineffable transformation into the substance of the Self.

I-55. Indeed, directly experienced as the God of gods and the Self of all beings, moving and unmoving, that complete and infinite reality of the Self, residing in the rapidly evolving mind which is subdued externally.

I-56. The unattached, steady and controlled mind does not manifest in the worlds; the attached mind, though subjected to long austerities, is, as it were, completely bound.

I-57. A person free from internal clinging, whose mind abides in the blissful (Brahman), may or may not act externally; he can never be either the doer or the experiencer.

II-1. Nidagha: What is attachment? What kind of it leads to human bondage? And what kind of it is said to liberate? How is it (attachment) cured?

II-2. (Ribhu): Imagination which completely ignores the distinction between the body and the embodied (I) – exclusive faith in the body – that is the attachment which is said to bind.

II-3. All this is the Self: what should I seek here and what should I avoid? Know that this is the attitude of non-attachment which the Jivanmukta encourages.

II-4. I am not; none other than I is; neither this nor non-other exists. This (attitude) is called non-attachment, which always maintains: "I am Brahman."

II-5. He does not approve of inaction; nor does he cling to actions. He, the renouncer, is perfectly balanced (in outlook); he is called non-attached.

II-6. He who mentally, and not only in a particular action, renounces the fruits, etc., of all his actions – that adept is said to be non-attached.

II-7. Imagination and the manifold actions proceeding (therefrom) are cured here not by indulging in imagination; thus promoting well-being.

II-8-9. The mind that does not cling to actions, thoughts and things, to wanderings and calculations of time, but rests only in Consciousness, finding no pleasure anywhere, even when turned towards some objects, enjoys the Self.

II-10. Whether it performs or does not perform all these empirical activities; doing or not doing, its real occupation is self-delight.

II-11. Or, having given up even this objective element as stabilized Consciousness, the tranquilized jiva abides in the Self as a shining jewel.

II-12. The tranquil state of the attenuated mind, freed from all objective references, is called deep sleep in wakefulness.

II-13. This sleep state, O Nidagha, when fully developed through practice, is called the Fourth by the best knowers of Truth.

II-14. Having attained the indestructible status in this fourth stage, one attains the unblissful equipoise (as it were), his nature being unchangeably delightful.

II-15. Thence, exalted above all relativities such as unbliss and great bliss, the timeless yogi who has attained the state beyond the fourth is said to be liberated.

II-16. When all bonds of birth are loosened and all tamasic notions are dissolved, the great sage (abides) as a blissful being of the Self, like a crystal of salt in water.

II-17. That which is the trans-empirical and experiential reality present in the (opposed) perceptions of the material and the conscious is the essence; Brahman is said to be That.

II-18(a). Bondage is grasped by the object; on liberation from it, liberation is said to occur.

II-18(b)-19. Resting in that unperturbed experience, discriminating the connection between substance and perception, abide; thus is attained (the peace of) deep sleep. That evolves into the Fourth; fix your gaze on That.

II-20. The Self is neither gross nor subtle; neither manifest nor hidden; neither spiritual nor material; neither non-being nor being.

II-21. That non-dual indestructible one which has become the object, the basis of the mind and all the sense organs, is neither self nor other; neither one nor many.

II-22. That true joy (experienced) in the relation between the object and the perception is the transcendental state; therefore it is, so to speak, nothing (in itself).

II-23. Liberation is not in the top of heaven; not in the lower world; not on earth. The extinction of the mind in which all desires are extinguished is considered liberation.

II-24. With the thought within, "give me liberation," the mind arises; this worldly bondage is firm in the mind agitated by the thought.

II-25. Mere impurity of the mind reduces it to the state of monstrous transmigration; on the other hand, its mere purification is considered liberation.

II-26. What is bondage and what is liberation in regard to the Self that transcends all things or that permeates all forms? Think freely.

II-27. The loving Spirit, exalted above all hopes, complete, holy in mind, having attained the peerless state of peace, he seeks nothing here.

II-28. He is called a Jivanmukta (Liberated in life) who lives, unattached, in the pure Being that upholds everything, the undoubted Spirit that is the Self.

II-29. He does not crave for what is yet to be; he does not stake on the present; he does not remember the past; yet he does all the work.

II-30. Never attached to those who cling to him; devoted to the devoted; he is severe, as it were, to the severe.

II-31. A child among children; an adult among adults; brave among the brave; a youth among the young; a lamenter among those who lament;

II-32. Steadfast, blissful, polished, of holy speech, wise, simple and sweet; never given to self-pity;

II-33. Through discipline, when the pulsation of the vital breath ceases, the mind dissolves completely; what remains is impersonal bliss (Nirvana);

II-34. From where all discursive speech returns. With the destruction of all one's mental constructions, this (Brahmic) status abides.

II-35. This is the supreme Self, whose essence is the light of Consciousness without beginning or end; the wise consider this bright certainty to be right knowledge.

II-36. The fullness conditioned by the knowledge 'the whole world is Self alone' is the right measure of Self-realization everywhere in the world.

II-37. All is Self alone; what are the (empirical) states of being and non-being? Whither have they disappeared? Where are these concepts of bondage and liberation? That which stands out is Brahman alone.

II-38. All is one supreme Heaven. What is liberation? What is bondage? This is the great Brahman, established mightily, with an expanded form; duality has vanished far from It; be you, yourselves, only I.

II-39. When the form of the trunk, stone, and cloth is seen correctly, there is not even a shadow of difference; inclined to imagine (differences), where are you?

II-40. That imperishable and calm essence, (present) at the beginning and end of things and of yourself, always be That.

II-41. With the mental distinctions of duality and non-duality and the delusions of old age and death, the I alone shines in its phases (atmabhih), like the sea in its (phases of) waves.

II-42. What enjoyment of the desired (fruits) can disturb him who abides steadfastly, ever wedded, in thought, with the pure Self that fells the tree of dangers, to the state of supreme bliss?

II-43. Mental enjoyments are the enemies of one who has thought much; they do not move him at all, just as gentle breezes do not move a hill at all.

II-44. "Multiplicity exists in various representations, not in reality, within; just as in a lake there is nothing but water" – a person filled with this single confidence is said to be liberated; one who has perceived Reality.

III-1. (Nidagha): What is the nature of liberation without a body? Who is the great sage who possesses it? By which Yoga did he attain this supreme status?

III-2. Ribhu: In the region of Sumeru, the celebrated sage Mandavya, having taken refuge in the Truth (imparted by) Kaundinya, became liberated while still alive.

III-3. Having attained the status of jivanmukti, that eminent knower of Brahman, that great sage, once resolved to withdraw all his sense organs (from their respective objects).

III-4. He sat in the lotus posture, with half-closed eyes, slowly avoiding contacts (with objects), external and internal.

III-5. Then he, with his sinless mind, (thought) about (the degree of) the steadiness of his mind: "Apparently, though detached, this mind of mine is extremely restless."

III-6. It wanders from the cloth to the pot and from there to the big cart. The mind wanders among objects as a monkey wanders from tree to tree.

III-7. The five apertures, the eyes, etc., known as the sense organs of knowledge, I observe attentively with my mind.

III-8. O ye sense organs! Slowly give up your mood of agitation. Here am I, the divine spiritual Self, the witness of everything.

III-9. With this all-knowing Self I have realized (the nature of) the eyes, etc. I am

completely secure and at rest. Fortunately, I am fearless.

III-10. I rest continually in my Self, the Fourth; my the life-breaths, its expansions, all, in due order, have subsided within.

III-11. (I am) like a fire with its manifold flames, when the fuel has been consumed; it flared up, but is now extinguished—the blazing fire, indeed, is extinguished.

III-12. Having been thoroughly purified, I remain balanced, enjoying everything equally, so to speak. I am awake, though in deep sleep; though in deep sleep, I am awake.

III-13-14. Having resorted to the Fourth, I remain in the body with a stable status, having renounced, along with the long thread of sound reaching OM, the objects in all the three worlds created by the imagination.

III-15. As a bird, in order to fly in the sky, leaves the net (in which it was entangled), the great sage casts off (his) identification with the sense organs; then (he casts off) his consciousness of the limbs, which had become illusory.

III-16. He gained the knowledge of a newborn child; as if the air had given up its power to vibrate, he put an end to the tendency of consciousness to cling to objects.

III-17. Then, having attained the unconditioned state of Consciousness – the state of pure Being – having resorted (so to speak) to the state of dreamless sleep, he remained motionless like a mountain.

III-18. Having won the stability of dreamless sleep, he reached the Fourth; although having gone beyond bliss, (he is) still blissful; he became both being and non-being.

III-19. Then he becomes that which is beyond even the range of words, which is the nothingness of the nihilist and the Brahman of the knowers of Brahman;

III-20. Which is the pure immaculate cognition of the knowers of cognition, the Purusha of the Sankhyas and the Ishvara Yogins;

III-21. The Shiva Shivagam; the Time of those who affirm Time as one (as the fundamental principle); the final teaching of all the shastras and that which corresponds to every heart;

III-22. Which is the All, the all-pervading Reality, the Truth. He became That, the ineffable, the motionless, even the source of light;

III-23. The principle of which the only proof is His experience – He remained That.

III-24. That which is unborn, immortal, beginningless and the First immaculate state, whole and indivisible – He remained That; a state more subtle than the state of heaven. In a moment He became the sacred God.

IV-1. Has a Jivanmukta such characteristics as the power of flying in space, etc.? If so, great sage, then this is not the case with the perfect man (described above).

IV-2. O Brahman, the ignorant Self, still in bondage, attains (the powers of) flying in space, etc., by (certain) substances, spells, practices and the powers of time.

IV-3. This is not the concern of the knowing Self. He who is satisfied in his Self never craves for (the phenomena of) ignorance.

IV-4. Whatever objects are present in the world, they are (considered) to be made up of the stuff of ignorance. How can a great yogi who has dispelled ignorance dive into them?

IV-5. Any bewildered person or a person of little understanding, desiring a group of yogic powers, attains them, one after another, through the set practices instrumental to them.

IV-6. Substances, spells, actions, applied at the (right) time, really confer Yogic powers. None of them elevates a person to the status of God.

IV-7. It is only under the influence of some desire that a person works for miraculous powers. The perfect man, who seeks nothing, cannot have any desires at all.

IV-8. When all desires are exhausted, O sage, the Self is conquered. How can the thoughtless (sage) desire miraculous powers?

IV-9. A man liberated in life would not be surprised if the sun were to emit cold light, the moon scorching rays, or fire were to blaze from top to bottom.

IV-10. (The whole world) is superimposed on the supreme Reality, the Earth, like a snake on a rope. No curiosity arises about these superimposed wonders.

IV-11. Those who have truly known what is to be known and have cast off all attachments, whose intellect is great, whose knots of heart have been cut, are free, although they live in the body.

IV-12. Dead is the mind which is unmoved in joy and sorrow, and whom nothing can disturb from its equilibrium, even as the breath does not move a mighty mountain.

IV-13. Dead is the mind of him who is not disturbed by danger, despair, energy, gaiety, dullness, or great jubilation.

IV-14. The destruction of the mind is twofold: definite and indefinite. In (the state of) liberation in life it is definite; in the state of disembodied liberation it is indefinite.

IV-15. The presence of the mind produces sorrow; its destruction is conducive to joy. Weaken the existing mind and cause its destruction.

IV-16. The nature of the mind, know it to be stupidity, O sinless one! When this perishes, your true nature, thoughtlessness, (is won).

IV-17. The mind of one who is liberated in life, having such qualities as friendliness, etc., is rich in noble impulses; he is never reborn.

IV-18. This "destruction" of the mind of the jivanmukta is definite; Nidagha, with the incorporeal liberation comes the indefinite destruction.

IV-19. Liberated in incorporeality is he who realizes the indivisible Self; his mind, the abode of all excellent qualities, as it was, dissolves.

IV-20-21. In that supremely holy, immaculate state of disembodied liberation marked by 'thoughtlessness', in that state of the indefinite destruction of the mind, simply nothing remains, neither qualities nor their absence; neither glory nor its absence; nothing (of any kind) of the world;

IV-22. Neither sunrise nor sunset; neither the sensations of joy nor anger; neither light nor darkness; neither twilight, nor day nor night; neither being, non-being, nor centrality mark the status (of disembodied liberation).

IV-23. The spatial status of those (who are liberated in the disembodied state) who have gone beyond the intellect and the pomp of worldly life is like the sky, the abode of the winds.

IV-24. The great (jivanmuktas), whose bodies are subtle ether, become disembodied there (in the state of disembodied liberation); all their sufferings are cured; they are immaterial; completely motionless, immobilized in bliss, beyond rajas and tamas. In that state the remnants of their minds dissolve.

IV-25. O great sage, Nidagha, rid your mind of all latent tendencies; concentrate your mind with force and go beyond all mental constructs.

IV-26. That ever-self-effulgent Light, illuminating the world, is the only witness of this world, the Self of all, the pure One.

IV-27. As concentrated Intelligence He is the basis of all beings. That non-dual Brahman, characterized by truth, knowledge and bliss, is the object of knowledge.

IV-28-29. The sage performs his duty with the realization, "I am the one Brahman"; (Brahman is) the basis of all, non-dual, supreme, eternal, the essence of being, intelligence and bliss, beyond the range of word and mind.

IV-30. There the forms of the moon and sun do not shine; the winds do not blow; and none of the gods (is present). That divinity alone shines as being, pure in itself, free from rajas.

IV-31. The knot of the heart is cut; all doubts are cut to pieces. All his actions are diminished when He, who is both here and beyond, is seen.

IV-32. In this body are the birds called jiva and the Lord, dwelling together. Of these, the jiva eats the fruits of action, not the great Lord.

IV-33. Alone as the Witness, without participation, the great Lord shines by Himself. Through maya, distinction is established between them. The Spirit is distinct from His form; since He is not diminished, the Spirit is non-different (from all objects).

IV-34. Since the unity of the Spirit is established through reasoning and the means of right knowledge, once that unity is fully known, man no longer grieves; and no one is deluded.

IV-35. Having the certain knowledge, "I am the basis of the whole world, the firm Truth and Knowledge," the sage can dispel (all) sorrow.

IV-36. Those whose faults (all) have been mitigated, realize in their own bodies the Witness of all, whose essence is self-luminous Being; not those others who are overwhelmed by Maya.

IV-37. Knowing Him alone, let the intelligent Brahman increase wisdom; let him not dwell on the multitude of words, which only create verbal fatigue.

IV-38. Having mastered the knowledge of Brahman, let him live only in the likeness of a child. Having mastered both the knowledge of Brahman and the likeness of a child, the sage possesses the Self.

IV-39. Know the elemental body as the seed of the creeper of samsara (transient life) with its huge shoots, good and evil, having their potencies hidden (in the body).

IV-40. The seed of this body is the mind, subject to desires; it is the sheath of active and calm moods, the casket that holds the jewel of pain.

IV-41. The tree of the mind has two seeds: one is the vibration of the vital breath; the other is the stubborn imagination.

IV-42. When the vital breath, excited by the nerve contacts, vibrates, the mind is at once transformed into a mass of sensations.

IV-43. This all-pervading awareness is excited by the vibration of the vital breath. It is better to suppress awareness (of objects); the vibration of the vital breath is less harmful, etc.

IV-44. For mental peace, yogis suppress the vital breath through breath control, meditation, and practices dictated by reasoning.

IV-45. Know the supreme cause that yields the fruit of mental peace: (namely) the joyful Self-abidingness of knowledge, which is known as breath control.

IV-46. The latent impression is said to consist in the grasping of an object (by the force of) the rooted imagination, in spite of all considerations of cause and effect.

IV-47. Rejecting everything and imagining nothing to choose or reject, the mind remains (in itself); now the mind is unborn.

IV-48. Being constantly free from latent impressions, when the mind ceases to think, thoughtlessness arises, which gives supreme tranquility.

IV-49. When no aspect of objects in the world is imagined, how can the mind be born in the empty sky of the heart?

IV-50. The concept of the absence of a thing is based on its non-existence; thoughtlessness is postulated in relation to the object-as-such.

IV-51. The mind that abides quietly in itself, after internally renouncing (all objects), though in modifications, is (still) considered to have the form of non-existence.

IV-52. Those are considered truly liberated in life whose latent, unused impressions are like roasted seeds, no longer capable of sprouting.

IV-53. Their minds have acquired the form of sattva; they have gone beyond the far shore of knowledge; they are called thoughtless. With the fall of their bodies they become like the sky.

IV-54. Due to the rejection of objects and the vibration of the vital breath, latent impressions quickly perish like a tree whose root is cut off.

IV-55. In this state of knowledge, everything that seems either previously experienced or entirely new must be carefully destroyed by everyone whose knowledge is established.

IV-56. The extensive transmigratory life (is conditioned) by the inability to destroy them; on the contrary, liberation is considered to be simply their destruction.

IV-57. Be immaterial (spiritual), rejecting all pleasures and knowledge.

IV-58. Knowledge depends on the states of objects; he who has no knowledge has no cognition, though he performs a hundred actions; he is said to be non-inert.

IV-59. He is said to be liberated in life, whose clear sphere of emotions is not at all affected by objects; his knowledge is spiritual.

IV-60. Due to the absence of latent impressions in the mind, when nothing is imagined, he remains stable with cognitions like those of children and the dumb.

IV-61. Now the sage is no longer affected; for he resorts to vast intelligent ignorance (in the objective mode).

IV-62. Through concentration of formlessness, rejecting all latent impressions, he becomes one with it; in the Infinite even this is dissolved.

IV-63. Although standing, walking, touching, smelling, the intelligent sage, devoid of all clinging, is freed from (fluctuating) pleasures and knowledge (particulars); he abides in peace.

IV-64. The boundless ocean of perfections, he crosses the sea of suffering, because he resorts to this vision even in the midst of annoying actions.

IV-65. Devoid of all particulars, the immaculate, pure Being is one vast essence – Which is considered the abode of (unchanging) existence.

IV-66. Rejecting distinctions such as the being of time, the being of moments, the being of essences, be exclusively devoted to pure Being.

IV-67. Contemplating only one unconditioned universal Being, be omnipresent, complete, supremely blissful, filling all space.

IV-68. The primordial inconceivable State, without beginning or end, which remains on the edge of universal Being, is causeless.

IV-69. Cognitions dissolve there. It remains beyond the possibility of doubt. The man who attains It returns no more to suffering.

IV-70. It is the cause of all beings; itself has no cause. It is the quintessence of all entities; there is nothing more quintessential than It.

IV-71. In this vast mirror of the Mind, all these perceptions of objects are reflected, as the trees on the shore are reflected in a lake.

IV-72. This is the pure unclouded Truth of the Self; when this is known, the mind becomes tranquil. Having conquered, through knowledge, His essence, you become truly free from the fear of samsara.

IV-73. By applying the means I have mentioned for the causes of suffering, this (supreme) status is attained.

IV-74-75. O knower of the Truth! If by courageous effort you resolutely avoid the hidden impressions and establish yourself, in all solitude, in that indestructible status, even for a moment, at the very pinnacle of universal being, well, at this very moment you attain it, all right;

IV-76. Or, if you diligently develop the status of universal being, that status you will attain with somewhat greater effort.

IV-77. Nidagha, if you remain meditating on the principle of knowledge, through (still) greater effort you will attain that exalted status.

IV-78. Or, sir, if you strive to cast off the latent impressions (know) that unless the mind is dissolved, the latent impressions also will not subside.

IV-79. Unless the latent impressions subside, the mind is not tranquilized; unless the knowledge of truth is won, whence can mental tranquility come?

IV-80. Until the mind is calm, Truth cannot be known; until knowledge of Truth is won, whence can mental calmness come?

IV-81-82. Knowledge of Truth, destruction of the mind, weakening of latent impressions – (they) mutually evoke each other; they are indeed difficult to attain. Therefore, casting far from you the desire for enjoyment, develop this triad.

IV-83. High-minded! The long-sought weakening of latent impressions, knowledge (of Truth), and destruction of the mind are considered effective.

IV-84. By these three, properly developed, the strong knots of the heart are broken without remainder, like their threads when the stems of the lotus are broken.

IV-85. Those who know the Truth know that control of the breath corresponds to the avoidance of latent impressions; therefore also practice this last by controlling the breath.

IV-86. By avoiding latent impressions, the mind ceases to exist; also by obstructing the vibrations of the vital breath (it does so); do (either or) as you choose.

IV-87. By constant practice of breath control, by the exercise of reasoning taught by the teacher, by the practice of yogic postures and by regulation of diet, the vibration of the breath is blocked.

IV-88. By conduct without attachment, by avoiding the contemplation of birth (and empirical life) and the perception of the decline of the body, latent impressions cease to operate.

IV-89. The vibration of the vital breath is indeed the same as the vibration of the mind. The intelligent man should strive hard to subdue the vibrations of the vital breath.

IV-90. Without sound reasoning it is impossible to subdue the mind. Taking refuge in pure knowledge and rejecting attachment, be steadfast.

IV-91. O great-souled one! Dwell solely in the heart, contemplating without concepts the primeval, single, peerless and undoubted state of knowledge without objects; but perform action, having attained the state of inaction in the radiance of calm glory.

IV-92. The man who, through reasoning, has killed his mind, even to a small degree, has attained the goal of his life.

V-1. He is said to be dead whose mind is not given to examination, when he walks or stands; when he is awake or asleep.

V-2. Know that the Spirit-in-itself is of the nature of the light of right knowledge. It is fearless; neither subdued nor suppressed.

V-3. The knower digests (whatever) food he eats – (whether) impure, unwholesome, contaminated by contact with poison, well cooked or stale – as if it were “sweet” (i.e., hearty food).

V-4. (The wise) know that liberation is the abandonment of (all) attachments: from this follows non-birth. Abandon attachment to objects; be liberated in life, O sinless one!

V-5. Attachment is considered to be impure impressions, causing reactions such as joy and indignation when the sought-after objects are present or absent.

V-6. Pure is the impression latent in the bodies of the liberated in life, which does not lead to rebirth and is not tainted by rapture or depression.

V-7. O Nidagha! Pain does not depress you; joy does not exalt you; having abandoned the bondage of desires, be unattached.

V-8. "Undefined by space and time, beyond the sphere of 'is' and 'not,' there is only Brahman, the pure indestructible Spirit, motionless and one; there is nothing else."

V-9. Thus thinking, with the body simultaneously present and absent, be (liberated), a silent man, homogeneous, with a motionless mind, enjoying the Self.

V-10. There is no mind substance, no mind; no ignorance, no jiva. Brahman alone is manifested as the sea, without beginning or end.

V-11. Illusory perceptions of the mind, etc., continue as long as the sense of 'I' is associated with the body, objects are mistaken for 'I', and the sense of possessiveness expressed as 'this is mine' persists.

V-12. Sage! Illusory perceptions of the mind, etc. disappear for him who, through introversion, internally burns in the fire of the Spirit the dry grass which is this triple world.

V-13. I am the I who am Spirit; I am indivisible. I have neither cause nor effect. Remember your vast (infinite) form; through memory, be not limited.

V-14. By the mantra (spell) of spiritual science, contemplated within, the deadly disease of thirst dissipates like mist in autumn.

V-15. (The sages) hold that the best (form of) renunciation, namely, of hidden impressions, through knowledge, is the state of Solitude, since it is pure universal Being.

V-16. Where latent impressions remain in solution, there is "deep sleep"; it does not contribute to perfection. Where impressions are seedless, there is the "Fourth" who brings perfection.

V-17. Even a very small residue of latent impressions, fire, duty, disease and enemies, attachment, enmity and poison, affects a person adversely.

V-18. When the seeds of latent impressions are consumed and conform to the universal Being, with or without body, a person no longer participates in suffering.

V-19. The decision "This is not Brahman" is the sum of ignorance, whose extinction consists in the (opposite) decision "This is Brahman."

V-20. Brahman is Spirit, Brahman is the world. Brahman is the assembly of beings, Brahman is the self, Brahman is the adversary of the Spirit, Brahman is the allies and friends of the Spirit.

V-21. As soon as it is realized that Brahman is everything, one is Brahman verily! One experiences the omnipresent Spirit, which is peace.

V-22. When the mind, the vehicle of the unregenerate senses, ceases to act in relation to the alien, the immaculate, all-pervading awareness (which remains), the Brahman-Intellect, is the Self.

V-23. Have recourse to that intelligent Self, giving up all speculation, all curiosity, all ardor of the senses.

V-24. Thus intelligent beings, with full knowledge, unperturbed, with minds free from all attachment, neither welcome nor blame either life or death.

V-25-26. O Brahmana, the vital breath has an incessant power of vibration; it is ever moving. In this body with its entrances and exits, this ascending vital breath is situated above; the descending breath is also similar; only it is situated below.

V-27. That best breath control which operates in the expert, whether he is awake or asleep, listen (to the story) of it for the best of being.

V-28. Puraka is the contact of the body with the ascending breath which moves forward (from the nostrils) through the space of twelve fingers.

V-29. Apana (descending breath) is the moon that maintains the body in well-being, O disciplined sage! The ascending breath is the sun or fire that warms the body internally.

V-30. Have recourse to the spiritual identity of the descending and ascending breaths, which abides near the point where the ascending breath slackens and the descending breath rises.

V-31. Have recourse to this spiritual, inseparable Principle when the descending breath has set and the ascending breath has not yet arisen for a moment.

V-32. Have recourse to this spiritual, inseparable Principle at the tip of the nose, where the breaths revolve, before the descending breath sets, while the ascending breath has already done so.

V-33. These three worlds are only appearances, neither existent nor non-existent; (the subsequent) renunciation of all concern for another, as the sages declare, is right knowledge.

V-34. Noble Brahmin! Even this appearance is distorted by the mirror of the mind. Therefore, having abandoned this, get rid of all appearances.

V-35. Having rooted out this terrible demon of the mind, fatal to the essence of steadiness, remain what you are; be steadfast.

V-36. The spirit, which is beyond cause and effect and is like the (boundless) sky, is incapable of resisting any (real) object; it remains at the end of all mental processes.

V-37. The satisfaction (felt) at the moment of desire is caused by that very desire. This contentment lasts only so long as discontent does not arise; therefore reject desire.

V-38. Reduce desire to desirelessness; let concepts cease; let the mind grow into mindlessness in the process of your life without attachment.

V-39. Acting through the sense organs, free from (the power of) latent impulses, like the sky, you will not change even if there are a thousand hindrances.

V-40. Through the activity and inactivity of the mind, empirical life begins and subsides. Through the suppression of latent impulses and the vital breath the mind is reduced to inactivity.

V-41. By the activity and inactivity of the vital breath the empirical life begins and dies. By training and application the mind is reduced to inactivity.

V-42. By the active and passive phases of ignorance activity begins and ceases. Dissolve it (ignorance) by force by winning the teacher and the instructions of the shastras.

V-43. By the mere trembling of non-objective knowledge or by suppression of the vital breath the mind is reduced to thoughtlessness; this is the highest status.

V-44. By the perception of Brahman, unerringly directed towards it (bliss), behold that real bliss caused by the vision of the knowable (as Brahman).

V-45. That is the real genuine bliss which the mind does not attain; it is free from decline and increase; it neither rises nor sets.

V-46. The mind of the knower is not called the mind; the mind is in fact the Truth of the Spirit. Therefore in the Fourth state he transcends that state.

V-47. Having abandoned all mental constructions, equanimous and with a peaceful mind, be a sage devoted to the Yoga of renunciation, possessed of both knowledge and freedom.

V-48. The Supreme Brahman is that which does not correspond to any act of thinking. (That which remains) when mental activity is entirely extinguished and all masses of latent impulses are eliminated.

V-49. By securing right knowledge and by untiring concentration, those who become enlightened in the wisdom of the Upanishads are the Sankhyas, and the others are the Yogins.

V-50. These are the Yogins learned in Yoga, who after stilling the breaths by ascetic practices attain the state beyond suffering, beginningless and endless.

V-51. What is required to be attained by all is the causeless and motionless state; contemplation of the one unchanging Real, control of the breaths, extinction of the mind.

V-52. When one of these is perfected, it helps to perfect the others (also). The vital breaths and the mind of living beings all accompany.

V-53. Like the container and the contents, they perish when only one is present. Through self-annihilation they produce this best of products, namely, liberation.

V-54. If, remaining steady, you reject all this by understanding, then, with the cessation of the sense of "I", you yourself are the supreme State.

V-55. There is only one great Spirit, which is called the Being; it is faultless, equal, pure, free from the sense of "I".

V-56. It shines only once, pure, ever-exalted, the same. It is described by many names, as Brahman, the supreme Self, etc.

V-57. O Nidagha, knowing for creation "I am That," having done what had to be achieved, I never think of the past or the future.

V-58. I cling wholly to the vision that is present here (and now). "This have I won today; this excellent" (thing) I shall attain.

V-59. I do not praise; and I do not condemn. Nothing but "I" is anywhere. The attainment of good does not please me; the evil that besets me does not grieve me.

V-60. Sage, the fluctuations of my mind have completely subsided; it is the rod of all sorrow. It is cured of all desires. It is calm. Therefore I am healthy and free.

V-61. "This is the friend; that is the foe; this is the mind; then a stranger" – such knowledge does not occur to me, O Brahman; no attachment touches me.

V-62. Freed from all latent impressions, the mind is freed from old age and death. The mind with the latent impressions inherent in it is knowledge. That which is to be known is the mind free from all latent impressions.

V-63. When the mind is abandoned, this duality dissolves on all sides; but remains the calm supreme One, pure and free.

V-64. Infinite, unborn, unmanifest, ageless, calm, unfading, non-dual, beginningless and endless, which (nevertheless) is the first Realization.

V-65. One, without beginning or end, entirely spirit, pure, all-pervading, subtler than the sky; thou art that Brahman, certainly.

V-66. Undefined by space, time, etc.; supremely pure, ever-arisen, omnipresent, that one End is all-in-all; be that pure Spirit.

V-67. "All is that calm, without beginning, middle, or end. All is unborn, both Being and non-being"—thus thinking, be happy.

V-68. I am neither bound nor liberated. I am indeed the unimpeded Brahman. I am free from duality. I am Being, Intelligence, Bliss.

V-69. Keeping away all the multitudes of objects, be ever devoted to the Self, your mind is completely cooled.

V-70. "This is excellent; this is not! -- such (feeling) is the seed of your long sorrow. When it is burnt in the fire of impartiality, where is the cause for sorrow?

V-71. First increase wisdom by study of the shastras and by seeking the company of saints.

V-72. The true, real, and supreme Brahman, supremely pure, eternal, without beginning or end, is the remedy for all forms of transient life.

V-73. Also He is neither gross nor divided; neither tangible nor visible; He is tasteless and odorless; unknowable and incomparable.

V-74. Well-disciplined (sage)! For the attainment of liberation one should meditate on the incorporeal Self, which is Brahman – Being, consciousness and Bliss without end – as “I am (That)”.

V-75. Concentration is the arising of knowledge regarding the unity of the Supreme and the jiva. The Self, verily, is eternal, omnipresent, changeless and faultless.

V-76. Being (but) one, through maya it is divided; not in its essence. Therefore only the non-dual exists; there is no plurality, no empirical life (no).

V-77. Just as space is called the "pot-space" (and) the "great space," so also, due to delusion, the self is called jiva and Ishvara in two ways.

V-78. When the all-pervading spirit always shines without interruption in the mind of the yogi, then one becomes one's Self.

V-79. Verily, when one contemplates all beings in one's own Self and one's Self in all beings, one becomes Brahman.

V-80. In the state of concentration, redeemed by the Supreme, one does not contemplate any beings; then one is One.

V-81. The first plane, which gives rise to the desire for liberation, is marked by practice (of discipline) and detachment due to intimacy with the shastras and the company of saints.

V-82. The second is marked by investigation; the third by contemplation with (all) its paraphernalia; the fourth is a solvent, since it consists of the dissolution of latent impressions.

V-83. The fifth is ecstatic; it is purely cognitive. It is the state of the Liberated-while-living, who is, so to speak, half awake and half asleep.

V-84. The sixth plane is non-cognitive. It is a state similar to deep sleep, having the nature of pure and immense bliss.

V-85. The seventh plane (is marked) by equanimity, absolute purity, tenderness; This is truly unconditional liberation, the motionless Fourth State.

V-86. The transcendental state beyond the fourth, nirvana in essence, is the transcendental and developed seventh plane; it does not enter the range of mortal vision.

V-87. The first three constitute only waking life; the fourth is called sleep (state), where the world is unfortunately like a dream.

V-88. The fifth, corresponding to great bliss, is called deep sleep. In contrast to this, the sixth, which is non-cognitive, is called the fourth state.

V-89. The most excellent seventh plane is the state beyond the fourth, beyond the range of mind and words, and is identified with the self-luminous Being.

V-90. If, due to the withdrawal (of the cognitive organs) into (oneself), no object is perceived, (one) is liberated, verily, undoubtedly, by this powerful sameness (of vision).

V-91. "I do not die; nor do I live; being predominantly non-existent, I also do not exist. "I am nothing (only) Spirit," thus thinking, the intelligent jivanmukta does not grieve.

V-92. "I am unstained; ageless and unattached, with latent impressions completely subdued. I am the unhappiness-free, (true) Spirit-sky," thus thinking, he does not grieve.

V-93. "Freed from the sense of "I", pure, awakened, ageless, deathless, peaceful (I), all phenomena have subsided for me", thinking thus, he does not grieve.

V-94. "I am one with Him who dwells in the tips of the grass, in the sky, in the Sun, in man, in the mountain and in the gods", thinking thus, he does not grieve.

V-95. Having abandoned all mental constructions about objects, rising above them, abide in the thought "I, free, am the supreme Brahman that remains".

V-96. Beyond the sphere of words, freed from the inconvenient craving for objects, unperturbed even by the fragrance of climatic bliss, he enjoys the Self itself.

V-97. Abandoning all actions, always contented, independent, untainted by virtue, sin, or anything else.

V-98. Just as a mirror is untainted by reflections, so is the knowing Brahmana is internally untainted by the fruits of action.

V-99. Moving freely among the masses, he knows neither pain nor pleasure when his body is subjected to torture or honors, as if they were directed at (his) reflections.

V-100. Beyond praise and change, recognizing neither worship nor its object, simultaneously subservient to and indifferent to all codes of etiquette,

V-101. Let him leave his body either in a holy place or in the hut of a dog-eater: Once knowledge is acquired, one becomes a jnanin (knower) of Brahman, free from all latent impressions of karma.

V-102. The cause of bondage is mental concocting; give it up. Liberation comes through the absence of mental concocting; practice it intelligently.

V-103. In the context of objects, sense organs and their contact, carefully, constantly and steadfastly avoiding states of mental concocting.

V-104. Do not yield to objects; and do not identify (yourself) with the sense organs. Having given up all concocting, identify with what remains.

V-105. If anything pleases you, then in a state of bondage you are in the empirical life; if nothing pleases you, then (indeed) you are liberated here.

V-106. In the multitude of objects, moving and unmoving, ranging from grass, etc.; even to living bodies, let there be nothing that pleases you.

V-107. In the absence of the sense of "I" and its negation, simultaneously existing and non-existent, that which remains unattached, self-identical, supremely pure and stable, is called the Fourth.

V-108. This supremely pure identity, the motionless state of liberation-in-life, the state of the observer, is in empirical usage called the fourth state (turiya).

V-109. It is neither waking nor sleeping, for there is no room for mental constructions. It is also not a state of deep sleep; for there is no inertia in it.

V-110. This world as it is dissolves, and then it is the fourth state for those who are tranquil and rightly awakened; for the unawakened it remains unchanged (as in the multiplicity).

V-111. When the aspect of the sense of "I" is abandoned, and equanimity predominates, and the mind disintegrates, there comes the fourth state (turiya).

V-112. The abandonment of objective diversity is the teaching of the shastras, expounding the Spirit. There is neither avidya nor maya here; it is the calm Brahman, untiring.

V-113. Man inevitably rests in the clear sky of the Spirit, known as Brahman, whose essence is silence and equanimity, and who shines with all powers.

V-114. Having abandoned everything, betroth yourself to immeasurable silence, O sinless one! Having sunk into Nirvana, having risen above reasoning, with a weakened mind and a calmed intellect.

V-115. With a calmed mind, abide in the Self as dumb, blind, and deaf; ever inwardly turned, supremely pure, with inner wisdom overflowing.

V-116. O twice-born, perform actions while in deep sleep in the waking state itself. Having internally renounced everything, act externally whenever the opportunity arises.

V-117. The mind's solitude is suffering; the abandonment of the mind in solitude is joy. Therefore through ignorance (of objects) weaken the mind in the sky of the Spirit.

V-118. Seeing that the beautiful or the ugly always remains, like a stone, ineradicable – thus, by one's own effort, empirical existence is conquered.

V-119. That which is hidden in the Vedanta taught in past ages should not be offered to one who is not established in the world; nor to one who is not a son or a disciple.

V-120. He who studies the Annapurnopanishad with the blessings of (his) teacher becomes a jivanmukta, and is himself completely Brahman.

Such is the Upanishad.

Om! O Devas, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious;
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship!
May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas,
Praising them with our body and limbs steady!
May the glorious Indra bless us!
May the all-knowing Sun bless us!
May Garuda, the thunderer of evil, bless us!
May Brihaspati grant us well-being!
Om! May there be Peace in me!
May there be Peace in my surroundings!
May there be Peace in the forces that act upon me!

Thus ends the Annapurna Upanishad, which belongs to the Atharva Veda.