Kaivalya Upanishad: Verse 1
ॐ अथाश्वलायनो भगवन्तं परमेष्ठिनमुपसमेत्योवाच । अधीहि भगवन् ब्रह्मविद्यां वरिष्ठां सदा सद्भिः सेव्यमानां निगूढाम् । यथाऽचिरात् सर्वपापं व्यपोह्य परात्परं पुरुषं याति विद्वान् ॥१॥
ॐ । अथ । आश्वलायनः । भगवन्तम् । परमेष्ठिनम् । उपसमेत्य । उवाच । अधीहि । भगवन् । ब्रह्म-विद्याम् । वरिष्ठाम् । सदा । सद्भिः । सेव्यमानाम् । निगूढाम् । यथा । अचिरात् । सर्व-पापम् । व्यपोह्य । परात्-परम् । पुरुषम् । याति । विद्वान् ॥१॥
oṃ athāśvalāyano bhagavantaṃ parameṣṭhinam upasametyovāca | adhīhi bhagavan brahmavidyāṃ variṣṭhāṃ sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānāṃ nigūḍhām | yathā'cirāt sarvapāpaṃ vyapohya parātparaṃ puruṣaṃ yāti vidvān ||1||
अश्वलायन ब्रह्मा के पास गए। उन्होंने कहा, भगवान, मुझे ब्रह्म की वो बात सिखाओ जो सबसे बड़ी है। साधु लोग इसको हमेशा प्रैक्टिस करते हैं और यह छुपा हुआ है। इससे पाप जल्दी साफ हो जाते हैं और इंसान उस परम पुरुष तक पहुंच जाता है जो सबसे भी आगे है।
Om. Then Āśvalāyana, approaching the Blessed Parameṣṭhin, said: “Teach, O Lord, the knowledge of Brahman—the highest—ever practiced by the good and kept secret—by which the knower, quickly removing all sin, attains the Person who is beyond the beyond.”
- athāśvalāyano → atha + āśvalāyanaḥ
- parameṣṭhinamupasametyovāca → parameṣṭhinam + upasamेत्य + uvāca
- yathā'cirāt → yathā + acirāt
- parātparaṃ → parāt + param (tatpuruṣa)
- sarvapāpaṃ → sarva-pāpam (karmadhāraya)
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Brahmavidyā leading to mokṣa (purification from pāpa and realization of the Parātpara Puruṣa/Brahman)
- The mahavakyas
- Preparatory to mahāvākya realization: frames the pursuit of Brahman-knowledge that culminates in identity-teachings such as “ahaṃ brahmāsmi” (Bṛhadāraṇyaka) and “tat tvam asi” (Chāndogya).
- Veda
- Atharva
- Shakha
- Atharva-veda (Kaivalya Upaniṣad; commonly transmitted in Atharva tradition; specific śākhā not firmly fixed in surviving recensions)
- Chandas
- Prose (mixed upaniṣadic prose with metrical cadence)
Yoga and practice
Establishes the adhikārin (qualified aspirant) attitude: approaching a guru, seeking brahmajñāna; implies śravaṇa–manana–nididhyāsana and inner purification as prerequisites for swift progress in meditation.
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