इति मुण्डकोपनिषदि प्रथममुण्डके प्रथमः खण्डः
9 verses · 1 of 6
Brahma, first of the devas, maker of the universe, taught the knowledge of Brahman to his eldest son Atharvan; it passed to Angir, to Satyavaha Bharadvaja, and to Angiras. The great householder Shaunaka approaches Angiras in the proper way and asks: Bhagavan, what is that which, being known, all this becomes known? Angiras says two kinds of knowledge are to be known, the higher and the lower. The lower is the four Vedas with phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, metre and astronomy. The higher is that by which the Imperishable is grasped: unseen, without lineage or colour, eternal, all-pervading, the source of beings. As a spider sends out and draws in its thread, as plants grow from the earth, so the universe arises from the Imperishable.
ॐ भद्रं कर्णेभिः श्रुणुयाम देवा भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्राः ।
oṃ bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śruṇuyāma devā bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ |
स्थिरैरङ्गैस्तुष्टुवाँसस्तनूभिर्व्यशेम देवहितं यदायुः ।
स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः ।
स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु ।
sthirairaṅgaistuṣṭuvām̐sastanūbhirvyaśema devahitaṃ yadāyuḥ |
svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ |
svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ svasti no bṛhaspatirdadhātu |
ॐ ब्रह्मा देवानां प्रथमः संबभूव विश्वस्य कर्ता
भुवनस्य गोप्ता ।
स ब्रह्मविद्यां सर्वविद्याप्रतिष्ठामथर्वाय
ज्येष्ठपुत्राय प्राह
oṃ brahmā devānāṃ prathamaḥ saṃbabhūva viśvasya kartā
bhuvanasya goptā |
sa brahmavidyāṃ sarvavidyāpratiṣṭhāmatharvāya
jyeṣṭhaputrāya prāha
Om. Brahma arose first among the devas, maker of the universe and protector of the world. He taught the knowledge of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge, to Atharva, his eldest son.
अथर्वणे यां प्रवदेत ब्रह्माऽथर्वा तं
पुरोवाचाङ्गिरे ब्रह्मविद्याम् ।
स भारद्वाजाय सत्यवाहाय प्राह
भारद्वाजोऽङ्गिरसे परावराम्
atharvaṇe yāṃ pravadeta brahmā'tharvā taṃ
purovācāṅgire brahmavidyām |
sa bhāradvājāya satyavāhāya prāha
bhāradvājo'ṅgirase parāvarām
That knowledge of Brahman which Brahma taught Atharva, Atharva in ancient times passed to Angir. Angir taught it to Satyavaha of the Bharadvaja line, and he taught Angiras this knowledge, handed down from the greater to the lesser.
शौनको ह वै महाशालोऽङ्गिरसं विधिवदुपसन्नः पप्रच्छ ।
कस्मिन्नु भगवो विज्ञाते सर्वमिदं विज्ञातं भवतीति
śaunako ha vai mahāśālo'ṅgirasaṃ vidhivadupasannaḥ papraccha |
kasminnu bhagavo vijñāte sarvamidaṃ vijñātaṃ bhavatīti
Shaunaka, the great householder, came to Angiras in the proper manner and asked: "Revered sir, what is that which, being known, makes all this known?"
तस्मै स होवाच ।
द्वे विद्ये वेदितव्ये इति ह स्म
यद्ब्रह्मविदो वदन्ति परा चैवापरा च
tasmai sa hovāca |
dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma
yadbrahmavido vadanti parā caivāparā ca
He said to him: "Two kinds of knowledge are to be known, as the knowers of Brahman declare: the higher and the lower."
तत्रापरा ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽथर्ववेदः
शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दो ज्योतिषमिति ।
अथ परा यया तदक्षरमधिगम्यते
tatrāparā ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo'tharvavedaḥ
śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṃ niruktaṃ chando jyotiṣamiti |
atha parā yayā tadakṣaramadhigamyate
Of these the lower is the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda, with phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, metre and astronomy. The higher is that by which the Imperishable is reached.
यत्तदद्रेश्यमग्राह्यमगोत्रमवर्ण-
मचक्षुःश्रोत्रं तदपाणिपादम् ।
नित्यं विभुं सर्वगतं सुसूक्ष्मं
तदव्ययं यद्भूतयोनिं परिपश्यन्ति धीराः
yattadadreśyamagrāhyamagotramavarṇa-
macakṣuḥśrotraṃ tadapāṇipādam |
nityaṃ vibhuṃ sarvagataṃ susūkṣmaṃ
tadavyayaṃ yadbhūtayoniṃ paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ
That which cannot be seen or grasped, which has no lineage and no colour, no eyes or ears, no hands or feet; eternal, all-pervading, present everywhere, most subtle, unchanging, the source of all beings: the wise behold it everywhere.
यथोर्णनाभिः सृजते गृह्णते च
यथा पृथिव्यामोषधयः संभवन्ति ।
यथा सतः पुरुषात् केशलोमानि
तथाऽक्षरात् संभवतीह विश्वम्
yathorṇanābhiḥ sṛjate gṛhṇate ca
yathā pṛthivyāmoṣadhayaḥ saṃbhavanti |
yathā sataḥ puruṣāt keśalomāni
tathā'kṣarāt saṃbhavatīha viśvam
As a spider puts out its thread and draws it back, as plants spring up on the earth, as hair grows on a living man, so from the Imperishable arises the universe here.
तपसा चीयते ब्रह्म ततोऽन्नमभिजायते ।
अन्नात् प्राणो मनः सत्यं लोकाः कर्मसु चामृतम्
tapasā cīyate brahma tato'nnamabhijāyate |
annāt prāṇo manaḥ satyaṃ lokāḥ karmasu cāmṛtam
By tapas Brahman swells forth; from it food is born. From food come prana, mind, the true, the worlds, and in works, the deathless fruit.
यः सर्वज्ञः सर्वविद्यस्य ज्ञानमयं तपः ।
तस्मादेतद्ब्रह्म नाम रूपमन्नं च जायते
yaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvavidyasya jñānamayaṃ tapaḥ |
tasmādetadbrahma nāma rūpamannaṃ ca jāyate
He who knows all and understands all, whose tapas is made of knowledge alone: from him are born this Brahma, name and form, and food.
1. Brahmâ was the first of the Devas, the maker of the universe, the preserver of the world. He told the knowlede of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge, to his eldest son Atharva.
2. Whatever Brahmâ told Atharvan, that knowledge of Brahman Atharvan formerly told to Angir; he told it to Satyavâha Bhâradvâga, and Bhâradvâga told it in succession to Angiras.
3. Saunaka, the great householder, approached Angiras respectfully and asked: "Sir, what is that through which, if it is known, everything else becomes known?"
4. He said to him: "Two kinds of knowledge must be known, this is what all who know Brahman tell us, the higher and the lower knowledge."
5. "The lower knowledge is the Rig-veda, Yagur-veda, Sâma-veda, Atharva-veda, Sikshâ (phonetics), Kalpa (ceremonial), Vyâkarana (grammar), Nirukta (etymology), Khandas (metre), Gyotisha (astronomy); but the higher knowledge is that by which the Indestructible (Brahman) is apprehended."
6. That which cannot be seen, nor seized, which has no family and no caste, no eyes nor ears, no hands nor feet, the eternal, the omnipresent (all-pervading), infinitesimal, that which is imperishable, that it is which the wise regard as the source of all beings."
7. As the spider sends forth and draws in its thread, as plants grow on the earth, as from every man hairs spring forth on the head and the body, thus does everything arise here from the Indestructible.
8. The Brahman swells by means of brooding (penance); hence is produced matter (food); from matter breath, mind, the true, the worlds (seven), and from the works (performed by men in the worlds), the immortal (the eternal effects, rewards, and punishments of works).
9. From him who perceives all and who knows all, whose brooding (penance) consists of knowledge, from him (the highest Brahman) is born that Brahman, name, form, and matter (food)."
Public-domain translation by F. Max Müller (1884).
Text source: Wikisource · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription of a public-domain text)
