Mandukya Upanishad
श्री माण्डूक्योपनिषद् • Atharvaveda
Mandukya Upanishad
The shortest Upanishad consisting of 12 verses, detailing the three states of consciousness and the fourth transcendent state (Turiya) mapped to OM.
ॐ भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवाः। भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः। स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिः। व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः॥ ॐ स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः। स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः। स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः। स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
Om bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devāḥ | bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ || sthirairaṅgaistuṣṭuvāṃsastanūbhiḥ | vyaśema devahitaṃ yadāyuḥ || svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ | svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ || svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ | svasti no bṛhaspatirdādhātu || Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Om! O gods, may we hear auspicious words with the ears; while engaged in sacrifices, may we see auspicious things with the eyes; while praising the gods with steady limbs, may we enjoy a life that is beneficial to the gods. May Indra of ancient fame be auspicious to us; may the supremely rich (or all-knowing) Pusa (god of the earth) be propitious to us; may Garuda, the destroyer of evil, be well disposed towards us; may Brihaspati ensure our welfare. Om Peace! Peace! Peace!
ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानं भूतं भवद् भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव। यच्चान्यत् त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव ॥ १ ॥
oṃ ityetadakṣaramidaṃ sarvaṃ tasyopavyākhyānaṃ bhūtaṃ bhavad bhaviṣyaditi sarvamoṅkāra eva| yaccānyat trikālātītaṃ tadapyoṅkāra eva || 1 ||
OM, the imperishable syllable, is all this. A clear exposition of it is: all that is past, present, and future is indeed OM. And whatever else there is beyond the three divisions of time, that also is indeed OM.
सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात् ॥ २ ॥
sarvaṃ hyetad brahmāyamātmā brahma so'yamātmā catuṣpāt || 2 ||
All this is, verily, Brahman. This Self is Brahman. This Self has four quarters.
जागरितस्थानो बहिष्प्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः स्थूलभुग्वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः ॥ ३ ॥
jāgaritasthāno bahiṣprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ sthūlabhugvaiśvānaraḥ prathamaḥ pādaḥ || 3 ||
The first quarter is Vaishvanara, whose sphere of action is the waking state, whose consciousness is outward-turned, who is endowed with seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and who experiences gross objects.
स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः प्रविविक्तभुक्तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः ॥ ४ ॥
svapnasthāno'ntaḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ praviviktabhuktaijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ || 4 ||
The second quarter is Taijasa, whose sphere of action is the dream state, whose consciousness is inward-turned, who is endowed with seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and who experiences subtle objects.
यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत् सुषुप्तम्। सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक् चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः ॥ ५ ॥
yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṃ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṃ paśyati tat suṣuptam| suṣuptasthāna ekībhūtaḥ prajñānaghana evānandamayo hyānandabhuk cetomukhaḥ prājñastṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ || 5 ||
That state is deep sleep (sushupti) wherein the sleeper does not desire any object and does not see any dream. The third quarter is Prajna, whose sphere is deep sleep, in whom all experiences become unified, who is a mass of consciousness, who is full of bliss, who experiences bliss, and who is the gateway to the experiences of waking and dreaming.
एष सर्वेश्वरः एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् ॥ ६ ॥
eṣa sarveśvaraḥ eṣa sarvajña eṣo'ntaryāmyeṣa yoniḥ sarvasya prabhavāpyayau hi bhūtānām || 6 ||
This is the Lord of all; this is the Knower of all; this is the Inner Controller; this is the Source of all; this is the beginning and the end of all beings.
नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम्। अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७ ॥
nāntaḥprajñaṃ na bahiṣprajñaṃ nobhayataḥprajñaṃ na prajñānaghanaṃ na prajñaṃ nāprajñam| adṛṣṭamavyavahāryamagrāhyamalakṣaṇamacintyamavyapadeśyamekātmapratyayasāraṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivamadvaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ || 7 ||
They consider the Fourth (Turiya) to be that which is not conscious of the internal world, nor conscious of the external world, nor conscious of both, nor a mass of consciousness, nor simple consciousness, nor unconsciousness; which is unseen, beyond empirical dealings, ungraspable, without distinctive marks, unthinkable, indescribable, the essence of the sole consciousness of Self, the cessation of all phenomena, peaceful, auspicious, and non-dual. That is the Self, and That is to be realized.
सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्कारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥ ८ ॥
so'yamātmādhyakṣaramoṅkāro'dhimātraṃ pādā mātrā mātrāśca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti || 8 ||
That very Self, considered from the standpoint of the syllable, is the syllable OM. Considered from the standpoint of letters, the quarters of the Self are the letters (matras) of OM, and the letters are the quarters—namely, A, U, and M.
जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्राऽऽप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद्वाऽऽप्नोति ह वै सर्वान् कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ९ ॥
jāgaritasthāno vaiśvānaro'kāraḥ prathamā mātrā''pterādimattvādvā''pnoti ha vai sarvān kāmānādiśca bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 9 ||
Vaishvanara, whose sphere is the waking state, is the first letter 'A', because of its all-pervasiveness or because of its being the first. He who knows this attains all desires and becomes the foremost among all.
स्वप्नस्थानस्तैजस उकारो द्वितीया मात्रोत्कर्षादुभयत्वाद्वोत्कर्षति ह वै ज्ञानसन्ततिं समानश्च भवति नास्याब्रह्मवित्कुले भवति य एवं वेद ॥ १० ॥
svapnasthānastaijasa ukāro dvitīyā mātrotkarṣādubhayatvādvotkarṣati ha vai jñānasantatiṃ samānaśca bhavati nāsyābrahmavitkule bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 10 ||
Taijasa, whose sphere is the dream state, is the second letter 'U', because of its superiority or because of its being in the middle. He who knows this increases the flow of knowledge, becomes equal to all, and has none in his family who is ignorant of Brahman.
सुषुप्तस्थानः प्राज्ञो मकारस्तृतीया मात्रा मितेरपीतेर्वा मिनोति ह वा इदं सर्वमपीतिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ११ ॥
suṣuptasthānaḥ prājño makārastṛtīyā mātrā miterapītervā minoti ha vā idaṃ sarvamapītiśca bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 11 ||
Prajna, whose sphere is deep sleep, is the third letter 'M', because of its being the measure or because of its being the locus of absorption. He who knows this measures all this and becomes the place of absorption for all.
अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैत एवमोङ्कार आत्मैव संविशत्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं य एवं वेद ॥ १२ ॥
amātraścaturtho'vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo'dvaita evamoṅkāra ātmaiva saṃviśatyātmanā''tmānaṃ ya evaṃ veda || 12 ||
The partless (soundless) OM is the Fourth (Turiya)—beyond all empirical dealings, the cessation of all phenomena, auspicious, and non-dual. Thus, OM is indeed the Self. He who knows this merges his self in the supreme Self.
ॐ भद्रं कर्णेभिः शृणुयाम देवाः। भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः। स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्टुवांसस्तनूभिः। व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः॥ ॐ स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः। स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः। स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः। स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
Om bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devāḥ | bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ || sthirairaṅgaistuṣṭuvāṃsastanūbhiḥ | vyaśema devahitaṃ yadāyuḥ || svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ | svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ || svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ | svasti no bṛhaspatirdādhātu || Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Om! O gods, may we hear auspicious words with the ears; while engaged in sacrifices, may we see auspicious things with the eyes; while praising the gods with steady limbs, may we enjoy a life that is beneficial to the gods. May Indra of ancient fame be auspicious to us; may the supremely rich (or all-knowing) Pusa (god of the earth) be propitious to us; may Garuda, the destroyer of evil, be well disposed towards us; may Brihaspati ensure our welfare. Om Peace! Peace! Peace!
Contemplation Completed
You have completed reading the key verses of the Mandukya Upanishad. May Vedic wisdom illuminate your intellect.