Maitreya Upanishad 2: Verse 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अथ किमेतैर्मान्यानां शोषणं महार्णवानां शिखरिणां प्रपतनं ध्रुवस्य प्रचलनं स्थानं वा तरूणां निमज्जनं पृथिव्याः स्थानादपसरणं सुराणां सोऽहमित्येतद्विधेऽस्मिन्संसारे किं कामोपभोगैर्यैरेवाश्रितस्यासकृदुपावर्तनं दृश्यत इत्युद्धर्तुमर्हसीत्यन्धोदपानस्थो भेक इवाहमस्मिन्संसारे भगवंस्त्वं नो गतिरिति ॥२॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

अथ । किम् । एतैः । मान्यानाम् । शोषणम् । महा-अर्णवानाम् । शिखरिणाम् । प्रपतनम् । ध्रुवस्य । प्रचलनम् । स्थानम् । वा । तरूणाम् । निमज्जनम् । पृथिव्याः । स्थानात् । अपसरणम् । सुराणाम् । सः । अहम् । इति । एतत्-विधे । अस्मिन् । संसारे । किम् । काम-उपभोगैः । यैः । एव । आश्रितस्य । असकृत् । उपावर्तनम् । दृश्यते । इति । उद्धर्तुम् । अर्हसि । इति । अन्ध-उदपान-स्थः । भेकः । इव । अहम् । अस्मिन् । संसारे । भगवन् । त्वम् । नः । गतिः । इति ॥२॥

Recitation with translationMaitreya Upanishad 2

IAST Transliteration

atha kim etair mānyānāṃ śoṣaṇaṃ mahārṇavānāṃ śikhariṇāṃ prapatanaṃ dhruvasya pracalanaṃ sthānaṃ vā tarūṇāṃ nimajjanaṃ pṛthivyāḥ sthānād apasaraṇaṃ surāṇāṃ so 'ham ity etad-vidhe 'smin saṃsāre kiṃ kāmopabhogair yair evāśritasyāsakṛd upāvartanaṃ dṛśyata ity uddhartum arhasīti andhodapāna-stho bheka ivāham asmin saṃsāre bhagavaṃs tvaṃ no gatir iti ||2||

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ഇതൊക്കെയിൽ എന്ത് പ്രയോജനം? മാന്യരുടെ ക്ഷയം, മഹാസമുദ്രങ്ങളുടെ ശോഷണം, പർവ്വതങ്ങളുടെ പതനം, ധ്രുവതാരയുടെ ചലനം, വൃക്ഷങ്ങളുടെ മുങ്ങൽ, ഭൂമി തന്റെ സ്ഥാനത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മാറൽ, ദേവന്മാരുടേയും പതനം—ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള ഈ സംസാരത്തിൽ ‘ഞാനേ അവൻ’ എന്ന അഹങ്കാരാഭിമാനം വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുമ്പോൾ, കാമഭോഗങ്ങൾക്കു എന്ത് മൂല്യം? അവയെ ആശ്രയിച്ചതാൽ പുനഃപുനഃ ജന്മത്തിലേക്കുള്ള മടങ്ങിവരവ് കാണപ്പെടുന്നു. ദയവായി എന്നെ ഇതിൽ നിന്ന് ഉയർത്തി രക്ഷിക്കണമേ. അന്ധകിണറ്റിലെ തവളപോലെ ഞാൻ ഈ സംസാരത്തിൽ ആകുന്നു; ഭഗവൻ, നിങ്ങൾ തന്നെയാണ് ഞങ്ങളുടെ ശരണം.

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Academic Translation

Then what (use) is there in these (things)—the drying up of the honored (ones), the drying up of the great oceans, the falling of mountains, the shifting of the Pole Star, the submergence of trees, the earth’s departure from its place, (and) the (falling away) of the gods? In this world of such a kind, where ‘I am he’ (i.e., ego-identification) prevails, what (use) are enjoyments of desire, by reliance on which repeated return (to birth) is seen? You should lift (me) out (of it). Like a frog in a blind well am I in this saṃsāra; O Blessed one, you are our refuge.

Verse Context

• Saṃsāra-doṣa-darśana and mumukṣutva (seeing the defects of cyclic existence; longing for liberation)
• Mahavakya: Contrasts egoic ‘so’ham’ as mere identification in saṃsāra with the later Upaniṣadic realization of true identity (so’ham/aham brahmāsmi) when purified by knowledge.
• Yajur
• Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Maitrāyaṇīya śākhā) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose (rhetorical cadence; not a fixed Vedic meter)