Nirvana Upanishad: Verse 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ऊर्ध्वाम्नायः। निरालम्बपीठः। संयोगदीक्षा। वियोगोपदेशः। दीक्षासन्तोषपानं च। द्वादशावदित्यावलोकनम्। 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-आवत्-आदित्य-अवलोकनम् । विवेक-रक्षा । करुणा-एव केलिः । आनन्द-माला । एकान्त-गुहायाम् मुक्त-आसन-सुख-गोष्ठी । अकल्पित-भिक्षा-आशी । हंस-आचारः । सर्व-भूत-अन्तः-वर्ती हंसः इति प्रतिपादनम् ॥१२–२४॥

Recitation with translationNirvana Upanishad 21

IAST Transliteration

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

Translation

Hinglish

Upar ki taraf jaane wali seekh hai yeh. Bina kisi sahare ka asan bethne ka. Milan ki diksha lena. Alag hone ka seekhna. Diksha mein jo santosh hai usko andar lena. Barah sooraj ko dekhna. Sahi aur galat mein farak ko bacha ke rakhna. Sirf daya hi khel hai. Khushi ki maala. Akeli gufa mein, mukt logon ki khushi ki baithak. Bina soche-samjhe jo mil jaaye woh khana. Hans jaisa rehna. Yeh sikhana hai ki Hans sab jeevon ke andar basta hai.

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Academic Translation

The higher transmission (ūrdhvāmnāya) [is this]: the seat (pīṭha) that is without support; initiation into union; instruction in disunion (detachment); and the drinking of the contentment of initiation; the viewing of the sun as twelvefold; the guarding of discrimination; compassion alone as play; a garland of bliss; in the solitary cave, an assembly of the happiness of the liberated posture/seat; one who eats alms that are uncontrived; the conduct of the Haṃsa; and the establishing (doctrine) that the Haṃsa dwells within all beings.

Word by Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

• dvādaśāvatityāvalokanam: the observation through twelve cycles
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa- (प्रातिपदिक) + āvarti- (प्रातिपदिक) + āvalokana- (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• vivekarakṣā: the safeguarding of discrimination
• 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

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

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

• muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī: the pleasant gathering in the liberated posture
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukta- (कृदन्त, √muc) + āsana- (प्रातिपदिक) + sukha- (प्रातिपदिक) + goṣṭhī- (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• akalpitabhikṣāśī: one who eats unplanned alms
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kalpita- (कृदन्त, √kḷp) + bhikṣā- (प्रातिपदिक) + śin- (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक from √aś ‘to eat’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsācāraḥ: Haṃsa-conduct
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa- (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra- (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• sarvabhūtāntarvartī: dwelling within all beings
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva- (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta- (कृदन्त, √bhū) + antar- (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-प्रातिपदिक) + vartin- (कृदन्त, √vṛt)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsaḥ: the Haṃsa
• 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) + -ana (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; भाववाचकं कृदन्तम्

Sandhi Notes

• Resolved: karuṇaiva → karuṇā + eva
• viyogopadeśaḥ → viyoga + upadeśaḥ
• dīkṣāsantoṣapānam → dīkṣā + santoṣa + pānam
• dvādaśāvadityāvalokanam parsed as dvādaśa + āvarti + āvalokanam (orthography suggests āvarti-)
• ekāntaguhāyāṃ → ekānta + guhāyām
• muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī segmented as mukta + āsana + sukha + goṣṭhī
• sarvabhūtāntarvartī → sarva + bhūta + antar + vartī

About this Verse

Central concept

Sarvātmabhāva (the Self as all) culminating in moksha/jīvanmukti; paramahaṃsa ideal

The mahavakyas

Closest in spirit to ‘ayam ātmā brahma’ (Atharva) and ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ (identity realized as nirālamba); expressed via ‘sarvabhūtāntarvartī haṃsa’ (the Self within all).

Veda

Rig Veda

Chandas

Prose (gadyātmaka, enumerative)

Yoga and practice

Abidance in the heart-cave (hṛdaya-guhā) as meditation locus; effortless seated stability (muktāsana) as a symbol of inner freedom; breath-awareness resonance with haṃsa; ethical yoga via compassion and non-possessiveness; contemplative unity-in-multiplicity through solar visualization.