Mundaka 1, Khanda 1

Om. Gods, may our ears hear what is good; worshipful ones, may our eyes see what is good.With steadfast limbs and bodies singing praise, may we live out the life the gods allot.May Indra, renowned of old, grant us well-being; may Pushan, who knows all, grant us well-being.May Tarkshya, whose wheel is unharmed, grant us well-being; may Brihaspati grant us well-being.

Om. Peace, peace, peace.

Om. Homage to Brahman.

1.1.1 Om. Brahma arose first among the gods, maker of the universe,guardian of the world.To Atharvan he imparted knowledge of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge,to his eldest son.

1.1.2 The knowledge of Brahman that Brahma declared to Atharvan,Atharvan long ago declared to Angir.Angir imparted it to Satyavaha Bharadvaja,and Bharadvaja to Angiras: knowledge of the higher and the lower.

1.1.3 Shaunaka, a great householder, duly approached Angiras and asked,“Revered one, what must be known for all this to become known?”

1.1.4 He answered him:“Two kinds of knowledge must be known, as thosewho know Brahman have always said: the higher and the lower.

1.1.5 The lower is the Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda,phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, meter and astronomy.The higher is that by which the imperishable is attained:

1.1.6 What cannot be seen or grasped, without lineage, without color,without eyes or ears, without hands or feet;eternal, all-pervading, present everywhere, most subtle,unchanging—the source of beings that the wise behold.

1.1.7 As a spider sends out its thread and draws it in,as plants spring from the earth,as hair on head and body grows from a living person,so from the imperishable this universe comes into being.

1.1.8 Through ardor Brahman swells; from it food is born.From food come life-breath, mind, truth, the worlds, and the enduring fruit of deeds.

1.1.9 From the one who knows all and understands everything, whose ardor is knowledge,are born this Brahman, name, form and food.”

Thus ends the first khanda of the first mundaka in the Mundaka Upanishad.

Om. Gods, may we hear what is good with our ears; gods worthy of worship, may we see what is good with our eyes.Praising you with steady limbs and bodies, may we live out the lifespan the gods have allotted us.May Indra, whose fame is great, bring us well-being; may Pushan, who knows everything, bring us well-being.May Tarkshya, whose wheel-rim is unharmed, bring us well-being; may Brihaspati bring us well-being.

Om. Peace, peace, peace.

Om. Homage to Brahman.

1.1.1 Om. Brahma came into being first among the gods, the maker of the universe,the guardian of the world.He taught the knowledge of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge, to Atharvan,his eldest son.

1.1.2 The knowledge of Brahman that Brahma taught Atharvan—Atharvan long ago taught it to Angir.He taught it to Satyavaha Bharadvaja,and Bharadvaja taught Angiras this knowledge of the higher and the lower.

1.1.3 Shaunaka, a man with a great household, approached Angiras in the proper way and asked,“Revered sir, what is it that, once known, makes all this known?”

1.1.4 He said to him,“There are two kinds of knowledge to be learned. This is whatthose who know Brahman say: the higher and the lower.

1.1.5 The lower is the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, the Atharva Veda,pronunciation, ritual procedure, grammar, word origins, meter, and the study of the stars.The higher is the knowledge by which the imperishable is understood.

1.1.6 It cannot be seen or grasped; it has no family or color,no eyes or ears, no hands or feet.It is eternal, all-pervading, present everywhere, extremely subtle,undecaying: the wise see it as the source of all beings.

1.1.7 As a spider sends out its web and draws it back,as plants grow on the earth,as hair grows on a living person's head and body,so the universe here comes from the imperishable.

1.1.8 Brahman grows through inner heat; from it food comes into being.From food come life-breath, mind, what is real, the worlds, and the undying result of actions.

1.1.9 From the one who knows everything, who knows each thing, whose inner heat consists of knowledge,come this Brahman, name, form, and food.”

Here ends the first khanda of the first mundaka in the Mundaka Upanishad.