This Upaniṣad is a meditation on the sacred word ‘Om’ and its significance in relation to one’s own Self. How do we discover within ourselves the higher Self? This is what this brief but very important Upaniṣad clarifies.
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॥
सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात् ॥ २॥
sarvaṃ hyetad brahmāyamātmā brahma so’yamātmā catuṣpāt ॥ 2॥
जागरितस्थानो बहिष्प्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः
स्थूलभुग्वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः ॥ ३॥
jāgaritasthāno bahiṣprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ
sthūlabhugvaiśvānaraḥ prathamaḥ pādaḥ ॥ 3॥
स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः
प्रविविक्तभुक्तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः ॥ ४॥
svapnasthāno’ntaḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ
praviviktabhuktaijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ ॥ 4॥
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॥
एष सर्वेश्वरः एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य
प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् ॥ ६॥
eṣa sarveśvaraḥ eṣa sarvajña eṣo’ntaryāmyeṣa yoniḥ sarvasya
prabhavāpyayau hi bhūtānām ॥ 6॥
नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं
न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् । अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणं
अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं
शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७॥
nāntaḥprajñaṃ na bahiṣprajñaṃ nobhayataḥprajñaṃ na prajñānaghanaṃ
na prajñaṃ nāprajñam । adṛṣṭamavyavahāryamagrāhyamalakṣaṇaṃ
acintyamavyapadeśyamekātmapratyayasāraṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ
śāntaṃ śivamadvaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ ॥ 7॥
- ‘Om’. This syllable represents the universe.
A further explanation of this is:
‘Whatever has come about, whatever is now coming about, whatever will come about’, all this is the syllable ‘Om’.
Everything else that transcends these three manifestations of time, also is the syllable ‘Om’.
- [This is so] because this whole universe is Brahman [the Divine ground of the universe].
One’s own Self (ātman) here is [also] Brahman.
This Self has four [equal] parts.
- Located in the waking state, with its power of discernment directed to the outside world, with seven limbs, having nineteen mouths, enjoying matter, what all humans have in common: this is the first part.
4. Located in the dream state, with its power of discernment directed within, with seven limbs, having nineteen mouths, enjoying the subtle [ie the world of conceptualisations], consisting of light: this is the second part.
5. When, while asleep, there is no feeling of desire and one doesn’t see dreams, then that state is the state of deep sleep.
Located in deep sleep, having become one, being nothing but discernment [without object before it], consisting in joy because experiencing joy, with consciousness as its mouth, latently conscious: this is the third part.
6. This is the Lord of the universe,This is the Omniscient, This is the Inner Controller, This is the womb of everything here, because out of Him all living beings came about and in Him they will disappear.
7. [Brahman is that which] does not direct its power of discernment within; does not direct its power of discernment to the outside world; does not direct its power of discernment to both [i.e. the inside and outside world]; is nothing but discernment [without objects before it]; is neither discerning; nor not discerning.
Unseen; in relation to which one cannot perform any actions; not obtainable; without characteristics; inconceivable; inexpressible in language; in essence the cognition which is the one Self; the cessation of the outer world; peaceful; benevolent; non-dual; thus the [wise] conceptualise the fourth [part of the Self] to be. This is the [true part of the] Self that one should wish to get to know well.
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