Nirvana Upanishad: Verse 18

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ऊर्ध्वाम्नायः। निरालम्बपीठः। संयोगदीक्षा। वियोगोपदेशः। दीक्षासन्तोषपानं च। द्वादशादित्यावलोकनम्। 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-आदित्य-अवलोकनम् । विवेक-रक्षा । करुणा एव केलिः । आनन्द-माला । एकान्त-गुहायाम् मुक्त-आसन-सुख-गोष्ठी । अ-कल्पित-भिक्षा-आशी । हंस-आचारः । सर्व-भूत-अन्तर्वर्ती हंसः इति प्रतिपादनम् ।

Recitation with translationNirvana Upanishad 18

IAST Transliteration

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

Translation

ഊർധ്വപരമ്പര; നിരാലംബ ആസനം; സംയോഗ-ദീക്ഷ; വൈരാഗ്യോപദേശം; ദീക്ഷാരൂപ സന്തോഷപാനം; ദ്വാദശ ആദിത്യാവലോകനം; വിവേകരക്ഷ; കരുണയേ ക്രീഡ; ആനന്ദമാല; ഏകാന്തഗുഹയിൽ മുക്താസനാനന്ദഗോഷ്ഠി; അകൃതക ഭിക്ഷയിൽ നിർവഹണം; ഹംസാചാരം; സർവ്വഭൂതാന്തർവർത്തിയായ ഹംസനെന്ന നിശ്ചയം.

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Academic Translation

The upward tradition; the supportless seat; initiation into union; teaching of detachment; and the drinking of contentment as initiation; contemplation of the twelve Ādityas; safeguarding discrimination; compassion alone as play; a garland of bliss; in the solitary cave, the conviviality/assembly of the joy of the liberated seat; one who subsists on uncontrived alms; the conduct of the Haṃsa; the assertion that the Haṃsa dwells within all beings.

Word by Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

• dvādaśa-āditya-avalokanam: contemplation/observation of the twelve Ādityas
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (प्रातिपदिक) + āditya (प्रातिपदिक) + avalokana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• viveka-rakṣā: the safeguarding of discernment
• 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

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

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

• mukta-āsana-sukha-goṣṭhī: a pleasant gathering in the liberated posture/seat
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukta (प्रातिपदिक) + āsana (प्रातिपदिक) + sukha (प्रातिपदिक) + goṣṭhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• akalpita-bhikṣā-āśī: one who eats unpremeditated (unsought) alms
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kalpita (प्रातिपदिक) + bhikṣā (प्रातिपदिक) + āśin/āśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsa-ācāraḥ: the conduct of the Haṃsa (paramahaṃsa way)
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• sarva-bhūta-antar-vartī: dwelling within all beings
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta (प्रातिपदिक) + antar (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + vartin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsaḥ: the Haṃsa (supreme self/paramahaṃsa)
• 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) + lyuṭ प्रत्यय → pratipādana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

Sandhi Notes

• Resolved compounds and sandhi: ūrdhvāmnāyaḥ → ūrdhva-āmnāyaḥ
• nirālambapīṭhaḥ → nirālamba-pīṭhaḥ
• saṃyogadīkṣā → saṃyoga-dīkṣā
• viyogopadeśaḥ → viyoga-upadeśaḥ
• dīkṣāsantoṣapānam → dīkṣā-santoṣa-pānam
• dvādaśādityāvalokanam → dvādaśa-āditya-avalokanam
• vivekarakṣā → viveka-rakṣā
• karuṇaiva → karuṇā eva
• ānandamālā → ānanda-mālā
• ekāntaguhāyāṃ → ekānta-guhāyām
• muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī → mukta-āsana-sukha-goṣṭhī
• akalpitabhikṣāśī → a-kalpita-bhikṣā-āśī
• haṃsācāraḥ → haṃsa-ācāraḥ
• sarvabhūtāntarvartī → sarva-bhūta-antar-vartī

About this Verse

Central concept

Nondual indwelling Self (Ātman/Brahman) and the discipline of renunciation

The mahavakyas

Closest in spirit to ‘अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म’ (Ayam ātmā brahma): the inner Haṃsa/Ātman within all beings is Brahman; implicit, not explicit.

Veda

Rig Veda

Chandas

Prose (gadya)

Yoga and practice

Non-support meditation (nirālamba dhyāna); contemplation of inner light (āditya-bhāvanā); ethical maturation into compassion; simplicity and non-contrivance as supports for samādhi; so’ham/haṃsa contemplation as a subtle mantra-bhāvanā.