Kaivalya Upanishad: Verse 7
हृत्पुण्डरीकं विरजं विशुद्धं विचिन्त्य मध्ये विशदं विशोकम् ।
अचिन्त्यमव्यक्तमनन्तरूपं शिवं प्रशान्तममृतं ब्रह्मयोनिम् ॥
तमादिमध्यान्तविहीनमेकं विभुं चिदानन्दमरूपमद्भुतम् ।
उमासहायं परमेश्वरं प्रभुं त्रिलोचनं नीलकण्ठं प्रशान्तम् ।
ध्यात्वा मुनिर्गच्छति भूतयोनिं समस्तसाक्षिं तमसः परस्तात् ॥
हृत्-पुण्डरीकम् । विरजम् । विशुद्धम् । विचिन्त्य । मध्ये । विशदम् । विशोकम् ।
अचिन्त्यम् । अव्यक्तम् । अनन्त-रूपम् । शिवम् । प्रशान्तम् । अमृतम् । ब्रह्म-योनिम् ।
तम् । आदि-मध्य-अन्त-विहीनम् । एकम् । विभुम् । चित्-आनन्दम् । अरूपम् । अद्भुतम् ।
उमा-सहायम् । परम-ईश्वरम् । प्रभुम् । त्रि-लोचनम् । नील-कण्ठम् । प्रशान्तम् ।
ध्यात्वा । मुनिः । गच्छति । भूत-योनिम् । समस्त-साक्षिम् । तमसः । परस्तात् ।
hṛtpuṇḍarīkaṃ virajaṃ viśuddhaṃ vicintya madhye viśadaṃ viśokam |
acintyamavyaktamanantarūpaṃ śivaṃ praśāntamamṛtaṃ brahmayonim ||
tamādimadhyāntavihīnamekaṃ vibhuṃ cidānandamarūpamadbhu tam |
umāsahāyaṃ parameśvaraṃ prabhuṃ trilocanaṃ nīlakaṇṭhaṃ praśāntam |
dhyātvā munirgacchati bhūtayoniṃ samastasākṣiṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ||
Renungkan teratai di hati—tanpa noda, amat suci; di tengahnya Realiti yang jernih, tanpa dukacita. (Renungkan) Yang tidak terfikirkan, tidak termanifest, berwujud tanpa batas; Śiva yang membawa keberkatan, sepenuhnya hening, abadi, rahim/sumber Brahman. Dia—tanpa awal, pertengahan, atau akhir; Esa; meliputi segalanya; Kesedaran dan Kebahagiaan; tanpa rupa, menakjubkan; Tuhan Yang Maha Tinggi, Parameśvara, Penguasa, bermata tiga, berleher biru, tenteram. Dengan bermeditasi kepada-Nya, sang muni mencapai asal segala makhluk, Saksi bagi semuanya, melampaui kegelapan.
Having contemplated the lotus of the heart—stainless, completely pure—(and) in its midst the clear, sorrowless (Reality), (one contemplates) the unthinkable, the unmanifest, of infinite forms; auspicious (Śiva), utterly tranquil, immortal, the source/womb of Brahman. That One—without beginning, middle, or end; one alone; all-pervading; consciousness-and-bliss; formless, wondrous; the Lord of all, the supreme Īśvara, the mighty one, the three-eyed, blue-throated, tranquil—having meditated on Him, the sage reaches the source of beings, the witness of all, beyond darkness.
- hṛt+puṇḍarīkam → hṛtpuṇḍarīkam
- acintyam+avyaktam+anantarūpam → acintyamavyaktamanantarūpam
- tam+ādi+madhya+anta+vihīnam → tamādimadhyāntavihīnam
- cit+ānandam → cidānandam
- arūpam+adbhutam → arūpamadbhu(t)am (t/d sandhi)
- umā+sahāyam → umāsahāyam
- muniḥ+gacchati → munirgacchati (visarga→r before g)
- tamasaḥ+parastāt → tamasaḥ parastāt (no further change)
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Brahman/Īśvara-dhyāna leading to mokṣa; Brahman as sākṣin (witness) and as the source of all
- The mahavakyas
- Supports the import of «अहं ब्रह्मास्मि» (Bṛhadāraṇyaka) and «प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म» (Aitareya) by identifying the innermost luminous witness in the heart with Brahman; also aligns with «तत् त्वम् असि» through the implied identity of the meditator’s inner Self with the supreme.
- Veda
- Atharva
- Shakha
- Atharva-veda (Kaivalya Upaniṣad; commonly transmitted in Atharva tradition; specific śākhā not firmly fixed in extant recensions)
- Chandas
- Mixed/Upaniṣadic verse (not strictly fixed; largely anuṣṭubh-like pāda cadence with expansions)
Yoga and practice
Hṛdaya-puṇḍarīka (heart-lotus) dhyāna; ekāgratā on the sākṣin beyond tamas; use of īśvara-upāsanā (saguṇa) as a support leading toward nirguṇa realization; contemplative negation of beginning/middle/end and form to stabilize nondual insight.
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