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The disciple asks who sends the mind out to its objects, who sets the first breath moving, who makes us speak, which deva yokes the eye and the ear. The teacher answers: it is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, the eye of the eye. The wise who know it rise above this world and become immortal. Eye, speech and mind do not reach it; it is other than the known and beyond the unknown. Five verses follow with one refrain: that which speech cannot utter but by which speech is uttered, which the mind cannot think but by which the mind thinks, know that alone as Brahman, and not this which people worship here.
ॐ आप्यायन्तु ममाङ्गानि वाक्प्राणश्चक्षुः
oṃ āpyāyantu mamāṅgāni vākprāṇaścakṣuḥ
श्रोत्रमथो बलमिन्द्रियाणि च सर्वाणि ।
सर्वं ब्रह्मौपनिषदं
माऽहं ब्रह्म निराकुर्यां मा मा ब्रह्म
निराकरोदनिराकरणमस्त्वनिराकरणं मेऽस्तु ।
तदात्मनि निरते य
उपनिषत्सु धर्मास्ते मयि सन्तु ते मयि सन्तु ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
śrotramatho balamindriyāṇi ca sarvāṇi |
sarvaṃ brahmaupaniṣadaṃ
mā'haṃ brahma nirākuryāṃ mā mā brahma
nirākarodanirākaraṇamastvanirākaraṇaṃ me'stu |
tadātmani nirate ya
upaniṣatsu dharmāste mayi santu te mayi santu |
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
ॐ केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः
केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः ।
केनेषितां वाचमिमां वदन्ति
चक्षुः श्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनक्ति
oṃ keneṣitaṃ patati preṣitaṃ manaḥ
kena prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ |
keneṣitāṃ vācamimāṃ vadanti
cakṣuḥ śrotraṃ ka u devo yunakti
By whom willed and sent does the mind fly to its object? Yoked by whom does the first breath, prana, go forth? By whose will do people speak this speech? What Deva directs the eye and the ear?
श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद्वाचो ह वाचं
स उ प्राणस्य प्राणः चक्षुषश्चक्षुः |
अतिमुच्य धीराः प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवन्ति
śrotrasya śrotraṃ manaso mano yadvāco ha vācaṃ
sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ cakṣuṣaścakṣuḥ |
atimucya dhīrāḥ pretyāsmāllokādamṛtā bhavanti
It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, the eye of the eye. Knowing this, the wise let go of the senses as the Self and, departing this world, become immortal.
न तत्र चक्षुर्गच्छति न वाग्गच्छति नो मनः ।
न विद्मो न विजानीमो यथैतदनुशिष्यात्
na tatra cakṣurgacchati na vāggacchati no manaḥ |
na vidmo na vijānīmo yathaitadanuśiṣyāt
There the eye does not go, nor speech, nor the mind. We do not know It, nor do we see how one could teach It.
अन्यदेव तद्विदितादथो अविदितादधि ।
इति शुश्रुम पूर्वेषां ये नस्तद्व्याचचक्षिरे
anyadeva tadviditādatho aviditādadhi |
iti śuśruma pūrveṣāṃ ye nastadvyācacakṣire
It is other than the known, and It is above the unknown as well. So we have heard from the ancients who explained It to us.
यद्वाचाऽनभ्युदितं येन वागभ्युद्यते ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते
yadvācā'nabhyuditaṃ yena vāgabhyudyate |
tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate
That which speech cannot express, but by which speech is expressed, know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people worship here as an object.
यन्मनसा न मनुते येनाहुर्मनो मतम् ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते
yanmanasā na manute yenāhurmano matam |
tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate
That which the mind cannot think, but by which, they say, the mind is thought, know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people worship here.
यच्चक्षुषा न पश्यति येन चक्षूँषि पश्यति ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते
yaccakṣuṣā na paśyati yena cakṣūm̐ṣi paśyati |
tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate
That which the eye cannot see, but by which the eyes see, know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people worship here.
यच्छ्रोत्रेण न शृणोति येन श्रोत्रमिदं श्रुतम् ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते
yacchrotreṇa na śṛṇoti yena śrotramidaṃ śrutam |
tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate
That which the ear cannot hear, but by which this ear hears, know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people worship here.
यत्प्राणेन न प्राणिति येन प्राणः प्रणीयते ।
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते
yatprāṇena na prāṇiti yena prāṇaḥ praṇīyate |
tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate
That which does not breathe by the breath, but by which the breath is led forth, know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people worship here.
1. The Pupil asks: 'At whose wish does the mind sent forth proceed on its errand? At whose command does the first breath go forth? At whose wish do we utter this speech? What god directs the eye, or the ear?'
2. The Teacher replies: It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, and the eye of the eye. When freed (from the senses) the wise, on departing from this world, become immortal.
3. 'The eye does not go thither, nor speech, nor mind. We do not know, we do not understand, how any one can teach it.
4. 'It is different from the known, it is also above the unknown, thus we have heard from those of old, who taught us this.
5. 'That which is not expressed by speech and by which speech is expressed, that alone know as Brahman, not that which people here adore.
6. 'That which does not think by mind, and by which, they say, mind is thought, that alone know as Brahman, not that which people here adore.
7. 'That which does not see by the eye, and by which one sees (the work of) the eyes, that alone know as Brahman, not that which people here adore.
8. 'That which does not hear by the ear, and by which the ear is heard, that alone know as Brahman, not that which people here adore.
9. 'That which does not breathe by breath, and by which breath is drawn, that alone know as Brahman, not that which people here adore.'
Public-domain translation by F. Max Müller (1879).
Text source: Wikisource · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription of a public-domain text)
