Muktika Upanishad

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Muktika Upanishad

Shuklayajurveda, a group of Upanishads - pure Vedanta

Om! That (Brahman) is infinite, and this (universe) is infinite.
The infinite comes from the infinite.
(Then) accepting the infinity of the infinite (universe),
She remains as the infinite (Brahman) one.
Om! Let there be Peace in me!
May there be Peace in my surroundings!
May there be Peace in the forces that act upon me!

Ii-1-6. In the beautiful city of Ayodhya, in the center of a pavilion decorated with precious stones, along with Sita, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna, sat Rama, glorified day and night by sages like Sanaka, Vasishtha and Suka and other devotees, the constant witness of thousands of modifications of the intellect, contemplating his own form with delight. At the end of this samadhi, Hanuman inquired with devotion, "O Rama, you are the supreme being, possessing the nature of Sat, Chid and Ananda. I desire to know your nature truly for liberation. Please tell me how I can free myself from bondage without straining myself.

Ii-7-14. Rama: That is a good question. I will tell you. I am well established in Vedanta.

Hanuman: What is Vedanta and where is it?

Rama: The Vedas in all their vast volume are my breath, the Vedanta is firmly rooted in them, like oil in sesame.

Hanuman: How many Vedas and how many branches do they have? Of these, which are the Upanishads?

Rama: The Vedas are four, the Rigveda, etc., many branches and Upanishads exist in them. The Rigveda has 21 branches and the Yajurveda has 109. The Samaveda has 1000 and the Atharvaveda has 50. Each branch has one Upanishad. Even by reading one verse of them with devotion, one attains the status of union with me, which is difficult to achieve even for the sages.

Ii-15-17. Hanuman: Rama, the sages speak differently: some say there is only one kind of liberation. Others say it can be obtained by worshiping your name and the taraka mantra at Kashi. Others speak of sankhya-yoga and bhakti-yoga, the study of vedanta-vakya, etc.

Ii-18-23. Rama: Liberation is of four kinds, salokya, etc. But the only real type is kaivalya. Anyone, even if he leads a wicked life, attains salokya, not other worlds, by worshipping my name. Dying in the sacred Brahmanala in Kashi, he will get the taraka mantra and also liberation, without rebirth. Dying elsewhere in Kashi, Maheshvara will utter the taraka mantra in his right ear. He gets sarupya with me, as his sins are washed away.

The same is called salokya and sarupya. Persevering in good conduct, with the mind fixed on Me, loving Me as the Self of all, the twice-born approaches Me – This is called the three forms of liberation. Salokya, sarupya and samipya.

Ii-24-25. By meditating on my eternal form as prescribed by the Master, one will certainly attain identity with me, just as the insects become transformed into the bee. This alone is the liberation of identity (sayujya), which brings the bliss of Brahman.

All these four types of mukti will be obtained by worshiping Me.

Ii-26-29. But how is the kind of moksha called kaivalya attained? It is enough to study the Mandukya Upanishad; if knowledge is not gained from that, then study the ten principal Upanishads. Having gained knowledge very soon, you will reach my abode. If confidence is not gained even then, study the 32 Upanishads and stop. If you desire moksha without the body, read the 108 Upanishads. Hear their instruction.

Ii-30-39. 1. Isha

2. Kena

3. Katha

4. Prashna

5. Munda

6. Mandukya

7. Taittiriya

8. Aitareya

9. Chandogya

10. Brihadaranyaka

11. Brahma

12. Kaivalya

13. Jabala

14. Shvetashvatara

15. Hamsa

16. Aruni

17. Garbha

18. Narayana

19. Paramahamsa

20. Amritabindu

21. Amritana

22. Atahrvashira

23. Atharvashikha

24. Maitrayani

25. Kaushitaki Brahmana

26. Brihajabala

27. Nrisimhatapini

28. Kalagnirudra

29. Maitreya

30. Subala

31. Kshurika

32. Mantrika

33. Sarvasara

34. Niralamba

35. Sukarahasya

36. Vajrasuchika

37. Tejobindu

38. Nadabindu

39. Dhyanabindu

40. Brahmavidya

41. Yogatattva

42. Atmabodha

43. Naradaparivrajaka

44. Trishikhibrahmana

45. Sita

46. Yogachudamani

47. Nirvana

48. Mandalabrahmana

49. Dakshinamurti

50. Sharabha

51. Skanda

52. Tripadvibhutimahanarayana

53. Advayataraka

54. Ramarahasya

55. Ramatapani

56. Vasudeva

57. Mudgala

58. Shandilya

59. Paingala

60. Bhikshu

61. Mahat

62. Shariraka

63. Yogashikha

64. Turiyatita

65. Sannyasa

66. Paramahamsaparivrajaka

67. Akshamalika

68. Avyakta

69. Ekakshara

70. Annapurna

71. Surya

72. Akshi

73. Adhyatma

74. Kundika

75. Savitri

76. Atma

77. Pashupata

78. Parabrahma

79. Avadhutaka

80. Tripuratapini

81. Devi

82. Tripura

83. Katharudra

84. Bhavana

85. Rudrahridaya

86. Yoga kundali.

87. Bhasmajabala

88. Rudraksha

89. Ganapati

90. Darshan

91. Tarasara

92. Mahavakya

93. Panchabrahma

94. Pranagnihotra

95. Gopalatapini

96. Krishna

97. Yajnavalkya

98. Varaha

99. Shatyayaniya

100. Hayagriva

101. Dattatreya

102. Garuda

103. Kalisantarana

104. Jabali

105. Saubhagyalakshmi

106. Sarasvatirahasya

107. Bakhvricha

108. Muktika

Ii-40-43. They destroy the three kinds of bhavana (regarding) the body, senses and mind respectively, as identified with the Atman. The best of the Brahmins will become Jivanmuktas if they study, before the destruction of Prarabdha, these 108 Upanishads from the Guru along with the Shanti-Pada. Then, in due course, they will certainly obtain Vedeha-mukti.

Ii-44-52. These 108 are the essence of all the Upanishads and can cut off all sins simply by hearing them once. They cause liberation whether they are recited with knowledge or without it. One can give away one's kingdom, wealth, etc. to one who asks, but not these 108 to just anyone - to the unbeliever (nastika), to the ungrateful, to the ill-behaved, to one who is opposed to devotion to me, to one misled by wrong scripture, or to one who is not devoted to the Guru.

But they should be taught to one who is devoted to service, devoted, of good conduct, of birth and wisdom. He should be well tested. The Rik verse is about this: The goddess of knowledge came to the Brahmin and said, "Protect me, I am your treasure, do not teach me to one who is jealous, dishonest and deceitful - then I will be powerful, but impart it to one who is learned, cautious, wise and chaste, after he has learned it."

I-ii-1. Then Maruti requested Sri Ramachandra thus: Please tell me separately the shanti-mantras of the different Vedas – Rigveda, etc.

Then Sri Rama said, "My speech rests on my mind.." [Vanme-manasi...]. This is the shanti-mantra of the following ten Upanishads, which form part of the Rigveda:

1. Aitareya

2. Kaushitakibrahmana

3. Nadabindu

4. Atmabodha

5. Nirvana

6. Mudgala

7. Akshamalika

8. Tripura

9. Saubhagyalakshmi

10. Bahvricha

Om. May my mind be based on speech.
O Radiant One, reveal Thyself to me.
May both of them (mind and speech) bring to me the knowledge of the Vedas.
May all that I have learned never leave me.
I will join (that is, destroy the difference between) day and night with these activities.
I will speak what is verbally true;
I will say what is mentally true.
May That (Brahman) protect me;
May To protect the speaker (that is, the teacher),
May To protect me;
May To protect the speaker - may To protect the speaker.
Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!

ITRANS ("Indian languages TRANSliteration"):

auṃ vaaN^me manasi pratishhThitaa .
mano me vaachi pratishhThitam.h .
aaviraaviirma edhi .
vedasya maa aaNiisthaH .
shrutaM me maa prahaasiiH .
anenaadhiitenaahoraatraansandadhaami .
R^ita.n vadishhyaami .
satya.n vadishhyaami .
tanmaamavatu .
tadvaktaaramavatu .
avatu maamavatu vaktaaram.h .
auṃ shaantiH shaantiH shaantiH ..

IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration):

auṃ vāṅme manasi pratiṣṭhitā ।
mano me vāci pratiṣṭhitam ।
āvirāvīrma edhi ।
vedasya mā āṇīsthaḥ ।
śrutaṁ me mā prahāsīḥ ।
anenādhītenāhorātrānsandadhāmi ।
r̥taṁ vadiṣyāmi।
satyaṁ vadiṣyāmi।
tanmāmavatu ।
tadvaktāramavatu ।
avatu māmavatu vaktāram ।
auṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

I-ii-2. "That (which lies beyond) is complete" [Purnamada…] – and so on: This is the shanti-mantra of the following nineteen Upanishads, which form part of the Shuklayajurveda:

1. Ishavasya

2. Brihadaranyaka

3. Jabala

4. Hamsa

5. Paramahamsa

6. Subala

7. Mantrika

8. Niralamba

9. Trishikhibrahmana

10. Mandalabrahmana

11. Advayataraka

12. Paingala

13. Bhikshu

14. Turiyatita

15. Adhyatma

16. Tarasara

17. Yajnavalkya

18. Shatyayaniya

19. Muktika

Om. That is infinity (fullness), and this is infinity. Infinity comes from infinity,
Having acquired the infinity of the infinite, it remains only infinity. Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!

auṃ puurNamadaH puurNamidaM puurNaat.h puurNamudachyate .
puurNasya puurNamaadaaya puurNamevaavashishhyate ..
auṃ shaa.ntiH shaa.ntiH shaa.ntiH ..

auṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate ।
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate ॥
auṃ śāṁtiḥ śāṁtiḥ śāṁtiḥ ॥

I-ii-3. "May (the Brahman of the Upanishad) protect us both" [Sahanavatu..] – and so on: This is the shanti-mantra of the following thirty-two Upanishads, which form part of the Krishnayajurveda:

1. Katha

2. Taittiriya

3. Brahma

4. Kaivalya

5. Shvetashvatara.

5. Garbha

6. Narayana

7. Amritabindu

8. Amritana

9. Kalagnirudra

10. Kshurika

11. Sarvasara

12. Shukarahasya

13. Tejobindu

14. Dhyanabindu

15. Brahmavidya

16. Yogatattva

17. Dakshinamurti

18. Skanda

19. Shariraka

20. Yogashikha

21. Ekakshara

22. Akshi

23. Avadhuta

24. Katharudra

25. Rudrahridaya

26. Yogakundalini.

27. Panchabrahma

28. Pranagnihotra

29. Varaha

30. Kalisantarana

31. Sarasvatirahasya

May He protect us both (the teacher and the student), together, (by revealing knowledge).
He will protect us both (by bestowing the fruits of knowledge).
May we achieve strength together. May what we learn be inspiring.
Let us not look for faults in each other.
Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!

auṃ saha naavavatu .
saha nau bhunaktu .
saha viirya.n karavaavahai .
tejasvi naavadhiitamastu .
maa vidvishavahai ..
auṃ shaantiH shaantiH shaantiH ..

auṃ saha nāvavatu ।
saha nau bhunaktu ।
saha vīryaṁ karavāvahai ।
tejasvi nāvadhītamastu ।
mā vidviṣāvahai ॥
auṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

I-ii-4. "Let the invisible powers nourish" [Apyayanta...] – and so on: This is the shanti-mantra of the following sixteen Upanishads, which form part of the Samaveda:

1. Kena

2. Chandogya

3. Aruni

4. Maitrayani

5. Maitreya

6. Vajrasuchika

7. Yogachudamani

8. Vasudeva

9. Makha

10. Sannyasa

11. Avyakta

12. Kundika

13. Savitri

14. Rudrakshajabala

15. Darshan

16. Jabali

May the limbs, speech, vitality, eyes, ears, as well as strength and all organs be well developed in my body.
Everything is Brahman, revealed in the Upanishads.
Let me not reject Brahman; let Brahman not reject me. Let there be no rejection (of me by Brahman); let there be no rejection (of Brahman) by me.
Let all the virtues (discussed) in the Upanishads be in me, engaged in the search for my self; let them be in me.
Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!

auṃ aapyaayantu mamaa~Ngaani vaakpraaNashchakshuH shrotramatho balamindriyaaNi cha ..
sarvaaNi sarvaM brahmopanishadaM maahaM ..
brahma niraakuryaaM maa maa brahma niraakarodaniraakaraNamastvaniraakaraNaM mestu tadaatmani nirate ya upanishhatsu dharmaaste ..
mayi santu te mayi santu ..
auṃ shaantiH shaantiH shaantiH ..

auṃ āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇaścakśuḥ śrotramatho balamindriyāṇi ca ॥
sarvāṇi sarvaṁ brahmopaniṣadaṁ māhaṁ ॥
brahma nirākuryāṁ mā mā brahma nirākarodanirākaraṇamastvanirākaraṇaṁ place tadātmani nirate ya upaniṣatsu dharmāste ॥
mayi santu te mayi santu ॥
auṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

I-ii-5. "Let us hear with our ears the auspicious truths of the Vedanta" [Bhadram-karnebhih..] – and so on: This is the shanti-mantra of the following thirty-one Upanishads of the Atharvaveda:

1. Prashna

2. Mundaka

3. Mandukya

4. Atharvasira

5. Atharvashikha

6. Brihajabala

7. Nrisimhatapini (Purvottara)

8. Naradaparivrajaka

9. Sita

10. Sharabha

11. Tripadvibhutimahanarayana.

12. Ramarahasya

13. Ramatapini (Purvottara)

14. Shandilya

15. Paramahamsaparivrajaka

16. Annapurna

17. Surya

18. Atma

19. Pashupatabrahmana

20. Parabrahma

21. Tripuratapini

22. Devi

23. Bhavana

24. Bhasmajabala

25. Ganapati

26. Mahavakya

27. Gopalatapini (Purvottara)

28. Krishna

29. Hayagriva

30. Dattatreya

31. Garuda

Om! Let our ears listen to what is auspicious, O gods.
May our eyes see what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship!
May we enjoy the life span allotted by the gods,
Praising them unwaveringly with our bodies and limbs!
May the glorious Indra bless us!
May the omniscient Sun bless us!
May Tarkshya, the thunderstorm of the wicked and vicious, bless us!
May Brihaspati grant us prosperity and good fortune!
Om! Peace! Peace! Peace!

auṃ bhadra.n karNebhiH shR^iNuyaama devaaH .
bhadraM pashyemaakshabhiryajatraaH .
sthiraira~NgaistushhTuvaamsastanuubhirvyashema devahita.n yadaayuH .
svasti na indro vR^iddhashravaaH .
svasti naH puushhaa vishvavedaaH .
svasti nastaarkshyo arishhTanemiH .
svasti no bR^ihaspatirdadhaatu ..
auṃ shaantiH shaantiH shaantiH ..

auṃ bhadraṁ karṇebhiḥ śr̥ṇuyāma devāḥ ।
bhadraṁ paśyemākśabhiryajatrāḥ ।
sthirairaṅgaistuṣṭuvāmsastanūbhirvyaśema devahitaṁ yadāyuḥ ।
svasti na indro vr̥ddhaśravāḥ ।
svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ ।
svasti nastārkśyo ariṣṭanemiḥ ।
svasti no br̥haspatirdadhātu ॥
auṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ॥

I-ii-6. Persons who are seeking Liberation and are well equipped with the four necessary means! Approach properly, with gifts in hand, a good teacher who is devoted, belongs to a good family, is well versed in the Vedas, is interested in the scriptures, is of good character, is straightforward, is interested in the welfare of all beings, is compassionate and study the one hundred and eight Upanishads in the prescribed manner; study them by hearing, thinking and deep absorption without ceasing; the accumulated karmas will be dissolved, the three kinds of bodies (gross, subtle and causal) will be given up and, like the ether of a pot when it is freed from its upadhi, will rise to the stage of fullness called videha-mukti. This is indeed Absolute Liberation (kaivalya-mukti). That is why even those who are in Brahma-loka attain identity with Brahman by hearing the Upanishads from his lips. And for everyone, Absolute Liberation is established (attainable) only through knowledge; not through the rituals of karma, not through sankhya-yoga or worship. Such are the Upanishads.

II-i-1. Then Hanuman asked Ramachandra: What is jivanmukti, videha-mukti? What is the authority, the means of success and the goal? Rama said: For man there is bondage from work, enjoyment, pleasure, pain, etc. - their prevention is liberation in the body. Videha-mukti (liberation without the body) comes from the destruction of prarabdha (operative) karma, like the space in a pot freed from the conditioning (enclosing) pot. For both the authority is the 108 Upanishads. The goal is eternal happiness through the cessation of the doer's suffering, etc. This can be achieved by human effort, just as a son is achieved by putra-kama sacrifice, wealth by trade, etc., and heaven by jyotishthoma.

II-ii-1-9. There are these verses: Human effort is said to be of two kinds: for and against the shastras - the former brings misfortune, the latter the supreme reality. True knowledge does not come to man from latent impressions through the world, the shastras and the body. Such impressions are of two kinds: good and bad; if you are prompted by the good, you will reach me gradually but quickly; the bad, connected with them, lead to trouble and must be overcome with effort. The river of impressions flowing along good and bad paths must be turned to the good path by human effort - the child-mind should be caressed by human effort. When good impressions arise through practice, then the practice has been fruitful. Even when in doubt, practice only good tendencies - there will be no error.

II-ii-10-15. The destruction of impressions, the development of knowledge, and the destruction of the mind, when practiced together for a long time, will bear fruit. If not practiced together, there will be no success even after hundreds of years, like mantras that are scattered. When these three are practiced for a long time, the knots of the heart are certainly torn apart, like the fiber of the lotus and the stem. The false impression of worldly life is acquired in a hundred lives and cannot be destroyed without long practice. Therefore, avoid the desire for enjoyment as distance with effort and practice the three.

II-ii-16. The wise know that the mind is bound by impressions, it is liberated when it is well liberated from them. Therefore, O Hanuman, practice the destruction of mental impressions, quickly.

II-ii-17-18. When impressions fade away, the mind goes out like a lamp. He who gives up impressions and concentrates on Me without straining becomes Bliss.

II-ii-19-23. Whether he concentrates on actions or not, when he avoids all desires of the heart, he is certainly liberated. He gains nothing by action or inaction. If his mind is not freed from impressions, even samadhi and japa cannot yield fruit. The highest place cannot be reached without stillness free from impressions. The sense organs, such as the eye, are directed towards external objects without voluntary impression, but because of latent impression, just as the eye falls voluntarily, without attachment to external objects, so the man of wisdom acts in work.

II-ii-24-31. The wise know that vasana embraces all objects created by the creative faculty of the mind in their attainment or avoidance. That same unsteady mind which is the cause of birth, old age and death is created by the desire for objects in excess. Under the influence of vasana there occurs a pulsation of prana, from which vasana arises (again) as a seed and a sprout. For the tree of the human mind, pulsation and vasana are two seeds - when one dies, both die. Latent impressions cease to operate through detached conduct, avoidance of worldly thoughts and the realization that the body is mortal.

The mind becomes no-mind by giving up the vasanas. When the mind does not think, then there arises thoughtlessness, which gives great peace; until your mind is fully developed, not knowing the ultimate reality, do what has been laid down by the teacher, the shastra and other sources. Then, when the impurity has matured (and is destroyed) and the Truth is understood, you should give up even good impressions.

II-ii-32-37. In Jivanmukta the destruction of the mind is with form - in vidahamukta it is formless - when you achieve this, the mind with qualities like friendliness will certainly attain peace. The mind of a jivanmukta has no rebirths.

The mind is the root of the tree of samsara, which has thousands of shoots, branches, fruits, etc. I believe that the mind is nothing but a construction; dry it in such a way that the tree also dries up.

II-ii-38-47. There is only one means for subduing the mind. The explosion of the mind is its destruction, its destruction is good fortune. The mind of the learned is destroyed, it is a chain for the ignorant. Until the mind is conquered by firm practice, impressions jump about in the heart like ghosts in the night.

The impressions of enjoyment die like the lotus in winter for him whose mental pride is diminished and the senses - the enemies - are conquered. The mind should first be conquered by clasping hands in hands, teeth in teeth and subduing the limbs. The mind cannot be conquered without faultless reasoning (methods), simply sitting like an elephant in the race without a goad. The causes (methods) well nourished in the conquest of the mind are knowledge of Vedanta, association with good people, giving up impressions and stopping the pulsation of Prana. Those who ignore this and control the mind by force, throw away the lamp and search in the darkness with soot, also (try) to bind an elephant in the race with lotus fiber.

II-ii-48-50. The tree of the mind, bearing the weight of the creepers of thought, has two seeds: the pulsation of prana and the strong impressions. The all-pervading consciousness is shaken by the pulsation of prana - on the contrary, through concentration knowledge arises. Dhyana, its vehicle, is now transmitted. Dissolving thought completely in the reverse order, think only of the pure consciousness that remains.

II-ii-51-56. After the apana sits down and before the prana arises in the heart, there is the state of kumbhaka (motionlessness), experienced by yogis. Kumbhaka in external form is the fullness of prana after the inhalation disappears and the exhalation arises. By repeatedly practicing the meditation of Brahman without ego, samprajnata samadhi will be attained. Asamprajnata samadhi, beloved by yogis, comes (from) the mind giving great bliss after (all) mental modifications (thoughts) have ceased. The sages value it as the spirit devoid of light (ego), mind (dream) and intellect (in deep sleep). This concentration is distinguished from that which is not Brahman. Full above, below and in the middle of the essence of goodness, this state prescribed by the Upanishads is the highest reality.

II-ii-57-60. The latent impression is the unexamined grasping of objects by the persistent imagination. What a man calls into existence, through the intense dispassion of his ego, is realized quickly, devoid of contrary impressions. Under the influence of impressions, a man looks upon these things as real by the peculiarity of the impressions, an ignorant man sees the spirit wrongly, although he does not lose his own nature.

II-ii-61-68. The impure impression binds, the pure destroys birth. The impure is the fixed ignorance and ego, causes rebirth. The state of rest is like a roasted seed, giving up (the sprout of) rebirth. Is it possible to seek the inner light by uselessly chewing the cud of many shastras? He who remains alone, giving up perception as well as non-perception, is himself Brahman. One cannot know Brahman merely by studying the four Vedas and shastras, just as a ladle cannot taste food.

If one does not get detachment from the bad smell of one's own body, what other reason for detachment can be taught? The body is very impure - the soul is pure. When one knows the difference, what purification should be prescribed? Bondage is impressions, moksha is their destruction - you give up them, and also the desire for moksha.

II-ii-69-71. Abandon mental impressions of objects and develop pure impressions such as friendship; then, having abandoned even these, acting in accordance with them, having suppressed all desires, have only the impression of consciousness. Abandon these also along with the mind and intellect; concentrate on me alone.

II-ii-72-77. Contemplate me as devoid of sound, touch, form, taste and smell, eternal, indestructible, without name and family, destroyer of all suffering, of the nature of vision like the sky, monosyllabic OM, unsmearable though omnipresent, unique, without bondage, forward, across, above, below, I fill all places.

Unborn, ageless, self-effulgent, neither cause nor effect, ever contented, when the body dies, renouncing the state of jivanmukta, one enters the stage of videhamukti.

Thus says Rick (metrical hymns of praise of the Vedas, contained in the Rigveda): This supreme place of Vishnu is always seen by the wise - as an eye stretched out to heaven. Wise and awakened people, free from emotion, keep it ablaze.

Om is an Upanishad.

Thus ends the Muktikopanishad belonging to the Shuklayajurveda.