Principal Upanishads

Minor Upanishads

Narada-Parivrajaka Upanishad - Part 6

    VI-1. Then Narada asked of the grandfather (Brahma): ‘Lord, (the sage attains liberation) by that practice, according to the maxim of the wasp and the worm. How is that practice (accomplished) ?’ The god Brahma said to him: ‘True in speech he shall lead the life, with his body remaining distinctive by the (power of) wisdom and dispassion.’

   VI-2. Wisdom is the (wise man’s) body; know that dispassion is his life; tranquillity and self restraint his eyes; the mind his face; intelligence his digit (kala) (consisting of sixteen parts beginning with Prana and ending with naman); the twenty-five elements his limbs, the (aggregate of the) states (of waking, etc.,) his five primary elements (of earth, water, etc.,); action, devotion, wisdom and dispassion are the branches (i.e. hands in the form of his) waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the fourth state (turiya); the fourteen organs are of the form of (unstable) pillars (fixed) in slime. None the less, as a pilot guides a boat even from a muddy place (to safety), as a mahout an (intractable) elephant, the man of dispassion shall bring them (organs) under his control by his discernment; and considering everything other than the ‘I’ (i.e. the Self) to be false and transitory, he shall always speak of himself as Brahman. There is nothing else for him to know other than his Self. Being thus ‘liberated while living’ (jivanmukta) he lives as one who has fulfilled himself. He shall never say, ‘I am not Brahman’, but (feel) incessantly ‘Brahman I am’ in the states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep; (then) reaching the turiya state he shall be merged in the state of turiyatita (of disembodied final beatitude).

   VI-3. (In the fourth state of turiya) the day is the waking state, the night is the dreaming state and mid-night is the state of deep sleep. In one state there are the four states. Among the fourteen organs, each of which has a single function under its control, the functions of the eye, etc., (will now be described). By the eye there is the comprehension of form, by the ears that of sound, by the tongue that of taste, by the nose that of smell, by speech that of articulate expression, by the hand that of seizure, by the feet that of movement, by the anus that of evacuation, by the genitals that of (sexual) pleasure and by the skin that of touch. Intelligence which comprehends objects is dependent on these (described above). (It) comprehends by intelligence.

It becomes conscious by the mind (chitta). It becomes conceited by the ego. Having specially created these the individual Self (Jiva) becomes as such due to the conscious possession of the body. The Jiva pervades the body as a householder moves in his house conscious of its possession. Having understood (the nature) of the face (of consciousness) (in the lotus of the heart) namely, that it experiences goodness in the eastern petal, sleep and sloth in the south-eastern, cruelty in the southern, sinfulness in the south-western, sportiveness in the western, inclination to move about in the north-western, tranquillity in the northern, wisdom in the north-eastern, dispassion in the pericarp, and thought of the Self in the filaments (the sage is left with the consciousness of the turiyatita Brahman alone simultaneously with the dawn of that wisdom).

VI-4. There is in the state (of the awareness) of life, the first of the waking state, the second of dreaming, the third of deep sleep, the fourth of the turiya state; and the ‘state beyond the fourth’ (turiyatita) when the four states are absent. The Self is one only (spoken of as) having the different states of vishva, taijasa, prajna and tatastha (the passive state). There is (only) one luminous Being, the witness, the one free of all attributes; the sage shall speak (i.e. feel) that he is Brahman (alone). Otherwise there are the four states of waking, etc., in the waking state, the four states of dreaming, etc., in the dreaming state, the four states of deep sleep, etc., in the state of deep sleep and the four states of turiya, etc., in the turiya state. Not so in the state of turiyatita which is devoid of attributes. As vishva, taijasa, prajna and Ishvara in the states of the gross, subtle and causal bodies, the witness remains as one alone in all the states.

Is the passive one (tatastha) the witness ? The tatastha is the not the witness. Due to being a witness, he is not the witness alone. The Jiva is affected by his states of doing, enjoying and egotism, etc. The one other than the Jiva is unaffected (by the various states). If argued that the Jiva too is unaffected, it is not so. There is the conscious feeling of the body due to the consciousness of being the Jiva and of being a Jiva due to the possession of the body. There is an intervention in the state of the Jiva as between the ether in the pot and the all pervading ether. It is due to this intervention alone that the Jiva, pretending inhalation and exhalation investigates (into the supreme witness) by the mantra, ‘The Hamsa (Brahman), that I am”. Thus realizing (that there is really no difference between the Jiva and the supreme witness) one shall abandon conscious feeling of the body; thus one becomes free of the consciousness of the body. Such a one alone is said to be Brahman.

   VI-5. Giving up attachment, conquering anger, taking a very moderate diet, subduing the senses and blocking the gates (of the body) by his intelligence, (the ascetic) shall direct his mind towards deep meditation.

   VI-6. In solitary places alone, in caves and forests, the Yogin, ever in harmony, shall always begin well his meditation (on the Self).

   VI-7. In receptions, ceremonies performed in honour of the manes (Sraddhas) and sacrifices, in religious processions and festivities and in the assemblies of people the knower of Yoga desiring final emancipation shall never be present.

   VI-8. The Yogin absorbed in meditation shall so move about that the people disregard and insult him; but he shall never swerve from the path of the good.

   VI-9. The three disciplines are restraint in speech, restraint in action and perfect control of the mind; he who practises these three restraints is ‘the observer of the three disciplines’ (tridandin) and is a great sage.

   VI-10. That ascetic is considered as the foremost of all, who goes to receive alms from different houses of very learned Brahmanas, as a bee does for honey, when the ritual fire emits no smoke and has burnt itself out.

   VI-11. He is a despicable ascetic who goes for alms continuously (without any restraint), remains in that order (of ascetics) without an inward urge and has no dispassion.

   VI-12. He is considered an ascetic and no other, who, knowing that alms are specially attainable in a particular house, does not go there again.

   VI-13-14. That ascetic is considered as one beyond the castes and orders (ativarnashramin) who realizes the supreme truth which is free of the body, senses, etc., which is the all-witness, the spiritual wisdom, the self of bliss and the self-radiant. Castes and orders, etc., pertaining to the body are invented by the bamboozling illusion.

   VI-15. They (the castes and orders) are never part of my Self which is of the form of pure consciousness. He who realizes thus by the (teachings of the) Upanishads shall be deemed as one beyond the castes and orders.

   VI-16. He whose conduct conforming to castes and orders has dropped out on visualising his Self, goes beyond all (restrictions of) castes and orders and remains in the (bliss of his) Self.

   VI-17. The knowers of the truth of all the Vedas declare that man to be beyond the castes and orders who is established in his Self, having reached the stage beyond his order (ashrama) an his caste (varna).

   VI-18. Therefore, Oh Narada, even the castes and the orders of other people have all been superimposed on the Self by delusion (of the ordinary people); this is not done by the knower of the Self.

   VI-19. There is no (Vedic) injunction, no prohibition, no rule of exclusion or inclusion to those who have realized Brahman; nor is there anything else (restricting their conduct), Oh Narada.

   VI-20-21. Unattached to all beings and even to the (attainment of the) position of the god Brahma and uprooting tenderness towards everything, even to his children, wealth, etc., (the novice), full of faith in the path leading to liberation and desiring to acquire the wisdom of the Upanishads, should approach a Guru who has realized Brahman, with a present in his hand.

   VI-22. Pleasing him by rendering personal service attentively for a long time, he shall always listen with great attention to (his exposition of) the truths of the Upanishads.

   VI-23. Free from ‘mine-ness’ and egotism, bereft of all attachment and always possessing tranquillity, etc., he visualises the Atman in his Self.

   VI-24. Dispassion always dawns (on one) only when one sees the defects of worldly life. To one discontented with the life in the world renunciation will come. There is no doubt about it.

   VI-25. One (truly) desiring liberation is called a Paramahamsa. (Before reaching this state) the ascetic shall practise (in his life) the wisdom of the scripture which is evidently the one means of liberation, by listening to the exposition of the Upanishads, etc.

   VI-26. In order to attain the wisdom of the scripture (that results in self-realization) the sage called the Paramahamsa should be equipped with all the means such as tranquillity, self-restraint, etc.

   VI-27-29. Deeply intent on the practice of the (wisdom of the) Upanishads, tranquil, self restrained, conquering the senses, fearless, free always from ‘mine-ness’, unaffected by the pairs (of opposites), without dependants or other belongings (the ascetic) shall be clad in a tattered loincloth and be with shaven head; or he may be unclad. Wise, proficient in the Vedanta, practising yoga, free from ‘mine-ness’ and egotism, equanimous towards friends, etc., friendly to all beings, alone, the man of wisdom and the self-controlled – (such an ascetic) crosses (the ocean of worldly misery) and not any other.

   VI-30. (As novice) he shall be devoted to the welfare of his elders and reside a year there (in the abode of the Guru). He shall always be vigilant in the observance of the lesser vows (niyamas) as well as the great moral duties (yamas).

   VI-31. Then at the end (of the year) having attained the excellent Yoga of wisdom he shall move about the country in conformity with (lit. without antagonizing) right conduct.

   VI-32. Thereafter at the end of another year he shall give up (even) the excellent wisdom of the Yajnavalkya and the triad of orders (of Kutichaka, etc.,) and reach the state of the Paramahamsa.

   VI-33. And bidding farewell to the Gurus (elders and preceptors) he shall indeed move about the country, giving up all attachment, subduing anger, being very moderate in diet, and conquering the senses.

   VI-34. These two (people) do not fare well due to incompatibility in their action; the householder not engaging himself in productive work and the mendicant monk busying himself with work.

   VI-35. On seeing a young handsome woman (he) becomes inflamed with passion, and drinking liquor he becomes intoxicated. Therefore he shall avoid from afar a woman who is poison to the eye.

   VI-36. Conversing with women, as well as chatting with and sending them on errands, their dance, music and laughter and scandals about them – these (the ascetic) shall avoid.

   VI-37. Neither (ceremonial) ablution nor muttering prayers, nor worship (of the gods), nor offering oblation to gods, nor means of accomplishing anything, nor fire-ritual, etc., is to be practised by him here, Oh Narada.

   VI-38. He has not (to do) the worshipping (of gods), offering oblation to the manes, going on pilgrimage and the observing of vows; he has neither righteous conduct (dharma) nor unrighteous conduct (adharma); nor has he any rule (of conduct) nor worldly action.

   VI-39-41. The Yogin shall give up all (worldly) duties and those conforming to popular practices in every way. The wise ascetic, the Yogin, his mind dwelling on the highest truth, shall not destroy insects, worms, moths, as well as trees. With your attention always turned inward, pure, composed in mind, your mind filled with the Self, discarding inward contact (with outward objects), may you, Oh Narada, move freely in the world. Journeying alone the ascetic shall not move about in an anarchical country.

   VI-42. Praising none, bowing to no one, not uttering Svadha (as he worships no manes), residing in unstable (deserted houses) and hills the ascetic shall move about without any restraint. Thus (ends the sixth chapter of) the Upanishad.

Narada-Parivrajaka Upanishad - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8