Maitreya Upanishad 1: Verse 1

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ॐ बृहद्रथो वै नाम राजा राज्ये ज्येष्ठं पुत्रं निधापयित्वेदमशाश्वतं मन्यमानः शरीरं वैराग्यमुपेतोऽरण्यं निर्जगाम । स तत्र परमं तप आस्थायादित्यमीक्षमाण ऊर्ध्वबाहुः तिष्ठत्यन्ते सहस्रस्य मुनिरन्तिकमाजगामाग्निरिवाधूमकस्तेजसा निर्दहन्निवात्मविद्भगवाञ्शाकायन्यः । उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ वरं वृणीश्वेति राजानमब्रवीत् । स तस्मै नमस्कृत्योवाच—भगवन्, अहम् आत्मवित्त्वं तत्त्वविच्छृणुमो वयम्; स त्वं नो ब्रूहीति । एतद्वृत्तं पुरस्तादशक्यं मा पृच्छ; प्रश्नमैक्ष्वाकान्यान्कामान्वृणीश्वेति शाकायन्यस्य चरणावभिमृश्यमानो राजा इमां गाथां जगाद ॥१॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

ॐ । बृहद्रथः । वै । नाम । राजा । राज्ये । ज्येष्ठम् । पुत्रम् । निधापयित्वा । इदम् । अशाश्वतम् । मन्यमानः । शरीरम् । वैराग्यम् । उपेतः । अरण्यम् । निर्जगाम । सः । तत्र । परमम् । तपः । आस्थाय । आदित्यम् । ईक्षमाणः । ऊर्ध्व-बाहुः । तिष्ठति । अन्ते । सहस्रस्य । मुनिः । अन्तिकम् । आजगाम । अग्निः । इव । अधूमकः । तेजसा । निर्दहन् । इव । आत्म-विद् । भगवान् । शाकायन्यः । उत्तिष्ठ । उत्तिष्ठ । वरम् । वृणीष्व । इति । राजानम् । अब्रवीत् । सः । तस्मै । नमस्कृत्य । उवाच । भगवन् । अहम् । आत्म-वित्त्वम् । तत्त्व-वित् । शृणुमः । वयम् । सः । त्वम् । नः । ब्रूहि । इति । एतत् । वृत्तम् । पुरस्तात् । अशक्यम् । मा । पृच्छ । प्रश्नम् । ऐक्ष्वाकान् । अन्यान् । कामान् । वृणीष्व । इति । शाकायन्यस्य । चरणौ । अभिमृश्यमानः । राजा । इमाम् । गाथाम् । जगाद ॥१॥

Sanskrit recitationMaitreya Upanishad 1

IAST Transliteration

oṃ bṛhadratho vai nāma rājā rājye jyeṣṭhaṃ putraṃ nidhāpayitvedam aśāśvataṃ manyamānaḥ śarīraṃ vairāgyam upeto 'raṇyaṃ nirjagāma | sa tatra paramaṃ tapa āsthāyādityam īkṣamāṇa ūrdhva-bāhuḥ tiṣṭhaty ante sahasrasya munir antikam ājagāmāgnir ivādhūmakas tejasā nirdahann ivātma-vid bhagavāñ śākāyanyaḥ | uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha varaṃ vṛṇīṣveti rājānam abravīt | sa tasmai namaskṛtyovāca—bhagavan, aham ātma-vittvaṃ tattva-vic chṛṇumo vayam; sa tvaṃ no brūhīti | etad vṛttaṃ purastād aśakyaṃ mā pṛccha; praśnam aikṣvākān anyān kāmān vṛṇīṣveti śākāyanyasya caraṇāv abhimṛśyamāno rājā imāṃ gāthāṃ jagāda ||1||

Translation

ഓം. ബൃഹദ്രഥൻ എന്ന രാജാവ് രാജ്യത്തിൽ തന്റെ ജ്യേഷ്ഠപുത്രനെ സ്ഥാപിച്ച്, ഈ ശരീരം അശാശ്വതമെന്നു കരുതി, വൈരാഗ്യം പ്രാപിച്ച് വനത്തിലേക്കു പുറപ്പെട്ടു. അവിടെ പരമതപസ്സു ആശ്രയിച്ച്, ആദിത്യനെ നോക്കി, ഊർദ്ധ്വബാഹുവായി നില്ക്കുമ്പോൾ, ആയിരം ദിവസങ്ങളുടെ അവസാനം ആത്മവിദ് ഭഗവാൻ ശാകായന്യ മുനി സമീപിച്ചു—ധൂമരഹിത അഗ്നിപോലെ, തന്റെ തേജസ്സാൽ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നവനെന്നപോലെ. അദ്ദേഹം രാജാവിനോട് പറഞ്ഞു: “എഴുന്നേൽക്കുക, എഴുന്നേൽക്കുക; ഒരു വരം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക.” രാജാവ് നമസ്കരിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു: “ഭഗവൻ, ആത്മവിദ്യയും തത്ത്വവിദനും സംബന്ധിച്ച് ഞങ്ങൾ കേട്ടിട്ടുണ്ട്; അതു ഞങ്ങൾക്ക് ഉപദേശിക്കണമേ.” (മുനി പറഞ്ഞു:) “ഈ പുരാതന വൃത്താന്തം ചോദിക്കരുത്; ഇക്ഷ്വാകുവംശത്തിന്റെ മറ്റു ആഗ്രഹങ്ങളും ചോദ്യങ്ങളും വരമായി തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക.” അപ്പോൾ രാജാവ് ശാകായന്യരുടെ പാദങ്ങൾ സ്പർശിച്ച് ഈ ഗാഥ ചൊല്ലി.

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Academic Translation

Om. A king named Bṛhadratha, having installed his eldest son in the kingdom, and considering this body to be impermanent, having attained dispassion, went forth to the forest. There, undertaking the highest austerity, gazing at the sun, he stood with arms raised; at the end of a thousand (days), a sage came near—Śākāyanya, the blessed knower of the Self—like smokeless fire, as though burning with his radiance. He said to the king: “Rise, rise; choose a boon.” The king, having bowed to him, said: “Venerable sir, we have heard of Self-knowledge and of the knower of truth; you, then, tell us.” (The sage replied:) “Do not ask about this ancient account; choose other desires, questions of the Ikṣvāku line.” Then the king, touching Śākāyanya’s feet, recited this gāthā.

Verse Context

• Vairāgya and ātma-vidyā (renunciation as the gateway to Self-knowledge)
• Mahavakya: Preparatory context for mahāvākya-realization (adhikāritva through vairāgya and tapas); no direct citation of a mahāvākya in this verse.
• Yajur
• Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Maitrāyaṇīya śākhā) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose (with embedded gāthā-introduction)