Niralamba Upanishad: Verse 35
तप इति च ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्येत्यपरोक्षज्ञानाग्निना ब्रह्माद्यैश्वर्याशासिद्धसङ्कल्पबीजसन्तापं तपः ॥३५॥
तपः इति च । ब्रह्म सत्यम् जगत् मिथ्या इति । अपरोक्ष-ज्ञान-अग्निना । ब्रह्म-आदि-ऐश्वर्य-आशा-सिद्ध-सङ्कल्प-बीज-सन्तापम् । तपः ॥३५॥
tapa iti ca brahma satyaṃ jagan mithyety aparokṣajñānāgninā brahmādyaiśvaryāśāsiddhasaṅkalpabījasantāpaṃ tapaḥ ॥35॥
सच्चा तप यह है कि ब्रह्मन सच है और दुनिया झूठी, यह ज्ञान आग की तरह काम करे। वोह आग उस बीज को जला दे जो कहता है मैं ब्रह्मा जैसा बड़ा बनूँगा। यही सच्चा तप है।
“Austerity,” indeed, is the burning up—by the fire of immediate (direct) knowledge, ‘Brahman is real; the world is false’—of the seed of (egoic) volition that has been perfected by the hope for lordship such as that of Brahmā and the rest.
- jagan mithyety → jagat + mithyā + iti
- aparokṣajñānāgninā → aparokṣa-jñāna-agninā
- brahmādyaiśvaryāśāsiddhasaṅkalpabījasantāpaṃ → brahma-ādi-aiśvarya-āśā-siddha-saṅkalpa-bīja-santāpam
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Aparokṣa-jñāna (direct knowledge), brahma-satya/jagat-mithyā, destruction of saṅkalpa-bīja (seed of volition)
- The mahavakyas
- Supports Mahāvākya realization (especially “Aham Brahmāsmi” / “Tat Tvam Asi”) by defining tapas as knowledge that dissolves saṅkalpa and desire.
- Veda
- Atharva
- Chandas
- Prose
Yoga and practice
Jñāna-yoga as highest tapas: śravaṇa–manana–nididhyāsana; meditation on brahma-satya/jagat-mithyā to weaken vāsanā and saṅkalpa; cultivate vairāgya from aiśvarya/siddhi.
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