Mandukya Upanishad

Mandukya Upanishad, seventh verse: Text नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिःप्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् | अदृश्यमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः || 7 || nāntaḥprajñaṃ na bahiḥprajñaṃ nobhayataḥprajñaṃ na prajñānaghanaṃ na prajñaṃ nāprajñam | adṛśyamavyavahāryamagrāhyamalakṣaṇamacintyamavyapadeśyamekātmapratyayasāraṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivamadvaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ || 7 || 7. Turīya is not that which is conscious of the internal (subjective) world, nor that which is conscious of the external (objective) world, nor that which is conscious of both, nor that which is a mass all sentiency, nor that which is simple consciousness, nor that which is insentient....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.11 Text कार्यकारणबद्धौ ताविष्येते विश्वतैजसौ । प्राज्ञः कारणबद्धस्तु द्वौ तौ तुर्ये न सिद्ध्य्तः ॥ ११ ॥ kāryakāraṇabaddhau tāviṣyete viśvataijasau | prājñaḥ kāraṇabaddhastu dvau tau turye na siddhytaḥ || 11 || 11. Viśva and Taijasa are conditioned by cause and effect. But Prājña is conditioned by cause alone. These two (cause and effect) do not exist in Turīya. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) The generic1 and specific2 characters of Viśva, etc....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.12 Text नाऽऽत्मानं न परंश्चैव न सत्यं नापि चानृतम् । प्राज्ञः किंचन संवेत्ति तुर्यं तत्सर्वदृक्सदा ॥ १२ ॥ nā''tmānaṃ na paraṃścaiva na satyaṃ nāpi cānṛtam | prājñaḥ kiṃcana saṃvetti turyaṃ tatsarvadṛksadā || 12 || 12. Prājña does not know anything of the self or the non-self nor truth nor untruth. But Turīya is ever existent and ever all-seeing. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) How is it that Prājña is conditioned by cause?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.13 Text द्वैतस्याग्रहणं तुल्यमुभयोः प्राज्ञतुर्ययोः । बीजनिद्रायुतः प्राज्ञः सा च तुर्ये न विद्यते ॥ १३ ॥ dvaitasyāgrahaṇaṃ tulyamubhayoḥ prājñaturyayoḥ | bījanidrāyutaḥ prājñaḥ sā ca turye na vidyate || 13 || 13. The non-cognition of duality is common to both Prājña and Turīya. (But) Prājña is associated with sleep in the form of cause and this (sleep) does not exist in Turīya. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) This śloka is meant to remove a doubt that has arisen incidentally....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.14 Text स्वप्ननिद्रायुतावाद्यौ प्राज्ञस्त्वस्वप्ननिद्रया । न निद्रां नैव च स्वप्नं तुर्ये पश्यन्ति निश्चिताः ॥ १४ ॥ svapnanidrāyutāvādyau prājñastvasvapnanidrayā | na nidrāṃ naiva ca svapnaṃ turye paśyanti niścitāḥ || 14 || 14. The first two (Viśva and Taijasa) are associated with the conditions of dream and sleeps Prājña is the condition of sleep without dream. Those who have known the truth see neither sleep nor dream in Turīya. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) Svapna or dream is the mis-apprehension1 of Reality like that of the snake in the rope....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.15 Text अन्यथा गृह्णतः स्वप्नो निद्रा तत्त्वमजानतः । विपर्यासे तयोः क्षीणे तुरीयं पदमश्नुते ॥ १५ ॥ anyathā gṛhṇataḥ svapno nidrā tattvamajānataḥ | viparyāse tayoḥ kṣīṇe turīyaṃ padamaśnute || 15 || 15. Svapna or dream is the wrong cognition of Reality. Nidrā or sleep is the state in which one does not know what Reality is. When the erroneous knowledge in these two disappears, Turīya is realized. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) When is one established in Turīya?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.16 Text अनादिमायया सुप्तो यदा जीवः प्रबुध्यते । अजमनिद्रमस्वप्नमद्वैतं बुध्यते तदा ॥ १६ ॥ anādimāyayā supto yadā jīvaḥ prabudhyate | ajamanidramasvapnamadvaitaṃ budhyate tadā || 16 || 16. When the Jīva or the individual soul sleeping (i.e., not knowing the Reality) under the influence of the beginningless Māyā, is awakened, it, then, realises (in itself) the non-duality, beginningless and dreamless. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) One who is called the Jīva1, the individual soul, (whose characteristic is to be) subject2 to the law of transmigration, sleeping3 under the influence of Māyā which is active from time without4 beginning and which has the double characteristics of non-apprehending (on account of its being of the nature of the cause) and mis-apprehending Reality, experiences such dreams as, “This is my father, this is my son, this is my grandson, this is my property and these are my animals, I am their master, I am happy, I am miserable, I have suffered loss on account of this, I have gained on this account”… When the Jīva remains asleep experiencing these dreams in the two states5 he is then thus, awakened6 by the gracious teacher who has himself realised the Reality, indicated by Vedānta: “Thou art not this, of the nature of cause and effect, but That thou art....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.17 Text प्रपञ्चो यदि विद्येत निवर्तेत न संशयः । मायामात्रमिदं द्वैतमद्वैतं परमार्थतः ॥ १७ ॥ prapañco yadi vidyeta nivarteta na saṃśayaḥ | māyāmātramidaṃ dvaitamadvaitaṃ paramārthataḥ || 17 || 17. If the perceived manifold were real then certainly it would disappear. This duality (that is cognized) is mere illusion (Māyā). Non-duality is (alone) the Supreme Reality. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) If1 the knowledge of non-duality (Turīya) be possible.after the disappearance of the perceived manifold, how could non-duality be said to exist (always) while the perceptual manifold remains?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.18 Text विकल्पो विनिवर्तेत कल्पितो यदि केनचित् । उपदेशादयं वादो ज्ञाते द्वैतं न विद्यते ॥ १८ ॥ vikalpo vinivarteta kalpito yadi kenacit | upadeśādayaṃ vādo jñāte dvaitaṃ na vidyate || 18 || 18. If anyone has ever imagined the manifold ideas (such for instance as the teacher, the taught, and the scripture), they might disappear. This explanation is for the purpose of teaching. Duality (implied in explanation) ceases to exist when the Highest Truth is known....

Mandukya Upanishad, verse 8 Text सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्कारोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥ ८ ॥ so'yamātmādhyakṣaramoṅkāro'dhimātraṃ pādā mātrā mātrāśca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti || 8 || 8. The same Ātman (which has been described above as having four quarters) is, again, Aum, from the point of view of the syllables (akṣaram). The Aum with parts is viewed from the standpoint of sounds (letters, mātrāḥ). The quarters are the letters (parts) and the letters are the quarters....

Mandukya Upanishad, verse 9 Text जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्राऽऽप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद्वाप्नोति ह वै सर्वान्कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ९ ॥ jāgaritasthāno vaiśvānaro'kāraḥ prathamā mātrā''pterādimattvādvāpnoti ha vai sarvāṅkāmānādiśca bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 9 || 9. He who is Vaiśvānara, having for its sphere of activity the waking state, is A, the first letter (of Aum) on account of its all-pervasiveness or on account of being the first (these being the common features of both)....

Mandukya Upanishad, verse 10 Text 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 || 10. Taijasa, whose sphere of activity is the dream state, is U (उ), the second letter (of Aum) on account of superiority or on account of being in between the two. He who knows this attains to a superior knowledge, is treated equally by all alike and finds no one in his line who is not a knower of Brahman....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.19 Text विश्वस्यात्वविवक्षायामादिसामान्यमुत्कटम् । मात्रासंप्रतिपत्तौ स्यादाप्तिसामान्यमेव च ॥ १९ ॥ viśvasyātvavivakṣāyāmādisāmānyamutkaṭam | mātrāsaṃpratipattau syādāptisāmānyameva ca || 19 || 19. When the identity of Viśva and the sound (letter) A is intended to be described, the conspicuous ground is the circumstance of each being the first (in their respective position); another reason for this identity is also the fact of the all-pervasiveness of each. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) When the Śruti intends to describe Viśva as of the same nature as A (अ), then the most prominent ground is seen to be the fact of each being the first, as described in the Upaniṣad discussed above....

Mandukya Upanishad, verse 11 Text 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 || 11. Prājña whose sphere is deep sleep is M (म) the third part (letter) of Aum, because it is both the measure and that wherein all become one. One who knows this (identity of Prājña and M) is able to measure all (realise the real nature of the world) and also comprehends all within himself....

Mandukya Karika, verse 1.20 Text तैजसस्योत्वविज्ञान उत्कर्षो दृश्यते स्फुटम् । मात्रासंप्रतिपत्तौ स्यादुभयत्वं तथाविधम् ॥ २० ॥ taijasasyotvavijñāna utkarṣo dṛśyate sphuṭam | mātrāsaṃpratipattau syādubhayatvaṃ tathāvidham || 20 || 20. The clear ground of realising Taijasa as of the same nature as U is the common feature of “Superiority Similarly another plain reason of such identity is being in “the middle”. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) When Taijasa is intended to be described as ‘U’, the reason of their being ‘Superior’ (in respective cases) is seen to be quite clear....