Nirvana Upanishad: Verse 17

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ऊर्ध्वाम्नायः। निरालम्बपीठः। संयोगदीक्षा। वियोगोपदेशः। दीक्षासन्तोषपानं च। द्वादशादित्यावलोकनम्। विवेकरक्षा। करुणैव केलिः। आनन्दमाला। एकान्तगुहायां मुक्तासनसुखगोष्ठी। अकल्पितभिक्षाशी। हंसाचारः। सर्वभूतान्तर्वर्ती हंस इति प्रतिपादनम्॥१२–२४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

ऊर्ध्व-आम्नायः । निरालम्ब-पीठः । संयोग-दीक्षा । वियोग-उपदेशः । दीक्षा-सन्तोष-पानम् च । द्वादश-आदित्य-अवलोकनम् । विवेक-रक्षा । करुणा एव केलिः । आनन्द-माला । एकान्त-गुहायाम् मुक्त-आसन-सुख-गोष्ठी । अ-कल्पित-भिक्षा-आशी । हंस-आचारः । सर्व-भूत-अन्तर्वर्ती हंसः इति प्रतिपादनम् ।

Recitation with translationNirvana Upanishad 17

IAST Transliteration

ūrdhvāmnāyaḥ | nirālambapīṭhaḥ | saṃyogadīkṣā | viyogopadeśaḥ | dīkṣāsantoṣapānaṃ ca | dvādaśādityāvalokanam | vivekarakṣā | karuṇaiva keliḥ | ānandamālā | ekāntaguhāyāṃ muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī | akalpitabhikṣāśī | haṃsācāraḥ | sarvabhūtāntarvartī haṃsa iti pratipādanam ||12–24||

Translation

[Er ist gekennzeichnet durch:] die aufwärts gerichtete Tradition; den stützlosen Sitz; die Einweihung in die Vereinigung; die Unterweisung im Loslassen; das Trinken der Zufriedenheit, die Einweihung ist; die Betrachtung der zwölf Ādityas; den Schutz der Unterscheidungskraft; Mitgefühl allein als Spiel; eine Girlande der Seligkeit; in der einsamen Höhle die Versammlung der Freude des befreiten Sitzes; einer, der unvorbedachte Almosen speist; der Wandel des Haṃsa; und die Aussage, dass der Haṃsa in allen Wesen wohnt.

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Academic Translation

[He is characterized by:] the upward transmission; the supportless seat; initiation into union; instruction in detachment; the drinking of contentment that is initiation; contemplation of the twelve Ādityas; protection of discrimination; compassion alone as play; a garland of bliss; in the solitary cave, an assembly of the happiness of the liberated seat; one who eats unpremeditated alms; the conduct of the Haṃsa; and the establishing that the Haṃsa dwells within all beings.

Word by Word

• ūrdhva-āmnāyaḥ: the higher (upward) tradition/lineage
• Type: Noun
• Root: ūrdhva (प्रातिपदिक) + āmnāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• nirālamba-pīṭhaḥ: the supportless seat/base
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirālamba (प्रातिपदिक) + pīṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• saṃyoga-dīkṣā: initiation into union (yoking)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃyoga (प्रातिपदिक) + dīkṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• viyoga-upadeśaḥ: instruction in disjunction (detachment)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viyoga (प्रातिपदिक) + upadeśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• dīkṣā-santoṣa-pānam: the drinking/imbibing of the contentment of initiation
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīkṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + santoṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + pāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• ca: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम्

• dvādaśa-āditya-avalokanam: contemplation/observation of the twelve Ādityas
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक) + avalokana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• viveka-rakṣā: the safeguarding of discernment
• Type: Noun
• Root: viveka (प्रातिपदिक) + rakṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• karuṇā: compassion
• Type: Noun
• Root: karuṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• eva: indeed/alone
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्ययम्

• keliḥ: play/sport
• Type: Noun
• Root: keli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• ānanda-mālā: a garland/series of bliss
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda (प्रातिपदिक) + mālā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• ekānta-guhāyām: in the solitary cave (inner recess)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekānta (प्रातिपदिक) + guhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-एकवचनम्

• mukta-āsana-sukha-goṣṭhī: a pleasant gathering in the liberated posture/seat
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukta (प्रातिपदिक) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + goṣṭhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• akalpita-bhikṣā-āśī: one who eats unpremeditated (unsought) alms
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kalpita (प्रातिपदिक) + bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + āśin/āśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsa-ācāraḥ: the conduct of the Haṃsa (paramahaṃsa way)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• sarva-bhūta-antar-vartī: dwelling within all beings
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + antar (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + vartin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsaḥ: the Haṃsa (supreme self/paramahaṃsa)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• iti: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इत्यादि-परामर्शार्थक-अव्ययम्

• pratipādanam: the exposition/establishment
• Type: Noun
• Root: prati√pad (धातु) + lyuṭ प्रत्यय → pratipādana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

Sandhi Notes

• Resolved compounds and sandhi: ūrdhvāmnāyaḥ → ūrdhva-āmnāyaḥ
• nirālambapīṭhaḥ → nirālamba-pīṭhaḥ
• saṃyogadīkṣā → saṃyoga-dīkṣā
• viyogopadeśaḥ → viyoga-upadeśaḥ
• dīkṣāsantoṣapānam → dīkṣā-santoṣa-pānam
• dvādaśādityāvalokanam → dvādaśa-āditya-avalokanam
• vivekarakṣā → viveka-rakṣā
• karuṇaiva → karuṇā eva
• ānandamālā → ānanda-mālā
• ekāntaguhāyāṃ → ekānta-guhāyām
• muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī → mukta-āsana-sukha-goṣṭhī
• akalpitabhikṣāśī → a-kalpita-bhikṣā-āśī
• haṃsācāraḥ → haṃsa-ācāraḥ
• sarvabhūtāntarvartī → sarva-bhūta-antar-vartī

About this Verse

Central concept

Ātman as sarvabhūtāntarvartin (indweller) and the marks of the liberated ascetic

The mahavakyas

Supports the purport of ‘प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म’ (Prajñānam brahma) by identifying the inner ‘Haṃsa’ with pervasive consciousness; indirect, not a quotation.

Veda

Rig Veda

Chandas

Prose (gadya)

Yoga and practice

Ajapā-japa (so’ham/haṃsa) contemplation; cultivating santoṣa and viveka; solitary retreat (ekānta) and inner absorption without external ālambana; compassionate action as spontaneous expression of nonduality.