Upanishads

Mudgala Upanishad

Rigveda
group of Upanishads – pure Vedanta

We will explain the Purusha Sukta: In the expression "thousand-headed," thousand implies innumerable; the phrase "ten fingers" signifies infinite distance; the first stanza expresses the expansion of Vishnu in space, the second, the expansion in time; the third states that He grants liberation. The glory of Vishnu is given in "Etavan" (so great is His glory). The same stanza states His four-dimensional nature. "Tripad," etc., speaks of the glory of Aniruddha. In "from Him Virat was born," the origin of Prakriti and Purusha from the fourth portion of Hari is shown. "Yat Purushena" speaks of sacrifice and also of Moksha. In "Tasmad" the creation of the world is announced. The Vedaham speaks of the glory of Hari. The Yajnena speaks of the end of creation and liberation. He who knows this becomes liberated.

The Mudgala Upanishad elaborately discusses the greatness of the Purusha Sukta. Vasudeva taught the knowledge of Bhagavan to Indra; again imparted this great secret of the Purusha Sukta in two parts to the humble Indra. It is as follows: The Purusha described above created an object beyond names and forms, difficult for worldly men to understand, and assumed a form consisting of a thousand parts and capable of bestowing Moksha by a glance, in order to relieve the suffering of the (demi)gods and other (beings). In this form, filling the world with himself, he was yet outside it at an infinite distance. This Narayana is the past, the present and the future. He is the giver of Moksha to all. He is greater than the greatest – there is no greater than He.

He expanded himself into four parts and with three of them he exists in the heavens. By the grace of the fourth, Aniruddha Narayana, all the worlds came into existence. This (part) of Narayana created Prakriti (matter) to create the worlds (Prakriti symbolizes the four-headed Brahma). In his full form the latter (Brahma) did not know how to create, but Aniruddha-Narayana taught him this:

“Brahman! Meditate on the parts of your body as a sacrifice, on the sheath of the gross body as a sacrifice, on Me as Agni, on the time of spring as ghee, on the time of summer as firewood, on autumn as the six tastes of food – make this sacrifice in Agni and touch the body – this will make the body (hard as) Vajra (diamond). From it will appear results in the form of animals. From it will appear the world of the moving and the immobile. It should be understood that the way of liberation is based on the combination of Jiva and Paramatman.”

He who knows this Creation and Liberation will live a full life.

The Adhvaryu priests worship Him as Agni. He as Yajus unites everything. The Samavedins worship Him as Saman. Everything is established in Him. The serpents meditate on Him as poison. The serpents know Him as the serpent, the gods as strength, men as wealth, the demons as magic, Manu as sustenance, the supermen as the superman, the Gandharvas as beauty, the Apsaras as incense. He becomes all that in the form of which He is worshipped; therefore one should think "I am the Supreme Being," and it will be fulfilled (for him who knows it).

Beyond the threefold suffering, without layers, devoid of the six waves, distinct from the five sheaths, unaffected by the six changes – that is Brahman. The three sufferings are Adhyatmika (bodily suffering), Adhibhautika (robbers, wild animals, etc.), and Adhidaivika (rains, etc.). They relate to the doer, the action, and the effect; to the knower, the knowledge, and the known; to the knower, the experience, and the known. The six layers are skin, flesh, blood, bones, sinews, and marrow. The six enemies are lust, etc. The five sheaths are food, vital air, mind, knowledge, and bliss. The six changes are existence, birth, growth, change, decay, and destruction. Six waves – hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, old age and death. Six delusions – of family, lineage, class, caste, position (Ashrama) and form. By contact with the supreme spirit, Jiva becomes one, without the other.

He who studies this will be purified by fire, wind and sun; have health and wealth, many children and grandchildren, learned, purified from great sin, drunkenness, from ill-treatment of mother, daughter or daughter-in-law, from stealing gold, forgetting Vedic knowledge, bad service to elders, bad sacrifice, bad food, bad gifts, contact with another's wife, insensible lust, will become the original Brahman in this birth. Therefore one should not share this knowledge of the Purusha-sukta, which is a secret, with the uninitiated, or with one who does not know the Vedas, does not perform sacrifices, is not a Vaishnava, is not a Yogi, is talkative, is discontented, is a scold, or has memorized for more than a year.

The guru should impart this (knowledge) in a pure place, under a sacred star, after equilibrating the vital air of humble disciples, into their right ear. This should not be done too often, lest one become bored, but as often as required, into the ear.

In this way both the teacher and the disciple will become Purusha in this birth.

This is the Upanishad.

Thus ends the Mudgala Upanishad contained in the Rig Veda.