Nirvana Upanishad: Verse 19

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

ऊर्ध्वाम्नायः। निरालम्बपीठः। संयोगदीक्षा। वियोगोपदेशः। दीक्षासन्तोषपानं च। द्वादशावदित्यावलोकनम्। 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-आवत्-आदित्य-अवलोकनम् । विवेक-रक्षा । करुणा-एव केलिः । आनन्द-माला । एकान्त-गुहायाम् मुक्त-आसन-सुख-गोष्ठी । अकल्पित-भिक्षा-आशी । हंस-आचारः । सर्व-भूत-अन्तः-वर्ती हंसः इति प्रतिपादनम् ॥१२–२४॥

Recitation with translationNirvana Upanishad 19

IAST Transliteration

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

Translation

ഊർധ്വാമ്നായമെന്നത് ഇതാണ്: ആശ്രയരഹിതമായ പീഠം; സംയോഗദീക്ഷ; വിയോഗം (വൈരാഗ്യം) ഉപദേശിക്കൽ; ദീക്ഷാജന്യമായ സന്തോഷം പാനം ചെയ്യൽ; ദ്വാദശരൂപ ആദിത്യദർശനം; വിവേകരക്ഷ; കരുണ തന്നെയാണ് ലീല; ആനന്ദമാല; ഏകാന്തഗുഹയിൽ മുക്താസനസുഖത്തിന്റെ സത്സംഗഗോഷ്ഠി; അകല്പിത ഭിക്ഷ ആഹരിക്കുന്നവൻ; ഹംസാചാരം; സർവ്വഭൂതാന്തർവർത്തിയായ ഹംസൻ വസിക്കുന്നു എന്ന പ്രതിപാദനം.

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Academic Translation

The higher transmission (ūrdhvāmnāya) [is this]: the seat (pīṭha) that is without support; initiation into union; instruction in disunion (detachment); and the drinking of the contentment of initiation; the viewing of the sun as twelvefold; the guarding of discrimination; compassion alone as play; a garland of bliss; in the solitary cave, an assembly of the happiness of the liberated posture/seat; one who eats alms that are uncontrived; the conduct of the Haṃsa; and the establishing (doctrine) that the Haṃsa dwells within all beings.

Word by Word

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

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

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

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

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

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

• dvādaśāvatityāvalokanam: the observation through twelve cycles
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa- (प्रातिपदिक) + āvarti- (प्रातिपदिक) + āvalokana- (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• vivekarakṣā: the safeguarding of discrimination
• 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

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

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

• muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī: the pleasant gathering in the liberated posture
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukta- (कृदन्त, √muc) + āsana- (प्रातिपदिक) + sukha- (प्रातिपदिक) + goṣṭhī- (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• akalpitabhikṣāśī: one who eats unplanned alms
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kalpita- (कृदन्त, √kḷp) + bhikṣā- (प्रातिपदिक) + śin- (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक from √aś ‘to eat’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsācāraḥ: Haṃsa-conduct
• Type: Noun
• Root: haṃsa- (प्रातिपदिक) + ācāra- (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्

• sarvabhūtāntarvartī: dwelling within all beings
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva- (प्रातिपदिक) + bhūta- (कृदन्त, √bhū) + antar- (अव्यय/उपसर्ग-प्रातिपदिक) + vartin- (कृदन्त, √vṛt)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम् (विशेषणम्)

• haṃsaḥ: the Haṃsa
• 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) + -ana (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-एकवचनम्; भाववाचकं कृदन्तम्

Sandhi Notes

• Resolved: karuṇaiva → karuṇā + eva
• viyogopadeśaḥ → viyoga + upadeśaḥ
• dīkṣāsantoṣapānam → dīkṣā + santoṣa + pānam
• dvādaśāvadityāvalokanam parsed as dvādaśa + āvarti + āvalokanam (orthography suggests āvarti-)
• ekāntaguhāyāṃ → ekānta + guhāyām
• muktāsanasukhagoṣṭhī segmented as mukta + āsana + sukha + goṣṭhī
• sarvabhūtāntarvartī → sarva + bhūta + antar + vartī

About this Verse

Central concept

Moksha (jīvanmukti) through viveka-vairāgya and recognition of the inner Haṃsa (Ātman) in all beings

The mahavakyas

Implicitly supports Atharva-veda mahāvākya ‘ayam ātmā brahma’ by asserting the indwelling Self (haṃsa/ātman) in all beings; also aligns with ‘tat tvam asi’ in its universal interiority.

Veda

Rig Veda

Chandas

Prose (gadyātmaka, aphoristic/nominal style)

Yoga and practice

Nirālamba-dhyāna (supportless meditation); viveka as continuous mindfulness; cultivation of karuṇā (compassion) as sādhana; solitary retreat (‘guhā’) and stable, effortless āsana; non-contrivance in livelihood (akalpita-bhikṣā) supporting aparigraha and equanimity; contemplation of solar symbolism as inner light (jyotis) practice.