Mandukya Upanishad
माण्डूक्योपनिषद्
The shortest Upanishad — only 12 verses — yet considered by Adi Shankaracharya to be sufficient alone for liberation. Explores the sacred syllable OM and the four states of consciousness: Jagrat (waking), Svapna (dreaming), Sushupti (deep sleep), and Turiya (the fourth — pure witnessing awareness beyond all states). The foundation of Advaita Vedanta. Gaudapada's Karika (commentary) is the earliest surviving Advaita treatise.
Read Overview →Shlokas (12)
+ Add ShlokaOM — The Imperishable Syllable
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 1
ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानम् । भूतं भवद्भविष्यदिति सर्वमोंकार एव । यच्चान्यत् त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योंकार एव ॥ १ ॥
oṃ ityetad akṣaram idaṃ sarvaṃ tasyopavyākhyānam | bhūtaṃ bhavad bhaviṣyad iti sarvam oṃkāra eva | yac cānyat trikālātītaṃ tad apy oṃkāra eva || 1 ||
OM — this syllable is all this. What has been, what is, and what shall be — all this is only OM. And whatever else there is beyond the three times, that too is only OM.
All is Brahman — The Atman Has Four Quarters
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 2
सर्वं ह्येतद्ब्रह्म अयमात्मा ब्रह्म । सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात् ॥ २ ॥
sarvaṃ hy etad brahma ayam ātmā brahma | so’yam ātmā catuṣpāt || 2 ||
All this is indeed Brahman. This Atman is Brahman. This very Atman has four quarters.
Vaishvanara — The Waking State
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 3
जागरितस्थानो बहिष्प्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः । स्थूलभुग्वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः ॥ ३ ॥
jāgaritasthāno bahiṣprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ | sthūlabhug vaiśvānaraḥ prathamaḥ pādaḥ || 3 ||
The first quarter is Vaishvanara, whose realm is the waking state, who is conscious of the outer world, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and who experiences gross objects.
Taijasa — The Dreaming State
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 4
स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः । प्रविविक्तभुक्तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः ॥ ४ ॥
svapnasthāno’ntaḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ | praviviktabhuk taijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ || 4 ||
The second quarter is Taijasa, whose realm is the dream state, who is conscious of the inner world, who has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and who experiences subtle objects.
Prajna — The Deep Sleep State
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 5
यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत्सुषुप्तम् । सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक् । चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः ॥ ५ ॥
yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṃ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṃ paśyati tat suṣuptam | suṣuptasthāna ekībhūtaḥ prajñānaghana evānandamayo hy ānandabhuk | cetomukhaḥ prājñas tṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ || 5 ||
Where one asleep neither desires any object of desire nor sees any dream — that is deep sleep. The third quarter is Prajna, who dwells in deep sleep, who has become unified, who is a mass of pure consciousness, who is full of bliss, who enjoys bliss, and whose face is consciousness.
Prajna as the Lord and Source of All
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 6
एष सर्वेश्वर एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य । प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम् ॥ ६ ॥
eṣa sarveśvara eṣa sarvajña eṣo’ntaryāmy eṣa yoniḥ sarvasya | prabhavāpyayau hi bhūtānām || 6 ||
This (Prajna) is the Lord of all. This is the knower of all. This is the inner controller. This is the source of all — for it is the origin and the dissolution of all beings.
Turiya — The Fourth State Beyond All
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 7
नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् । अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यम् । एकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते । स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः ॥ ७ ॥
nāntaḥprajñaṃ na bahiṣprajñaṃ nobhayataḥprajñaṃ na prajñānaghanaṃ na prajñaṃ nāprajñam | adṛṣṭam avyavahāryam agrāhyam alakṣaṇam acintyam avyapadeśyam | ekātmapratyayasāraṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivam advaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante | sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ || 7 ||
Not conscious of the inner world, not conscious of the outer world, not conscious of both, not a mass of consciousness, not conscious, not unconscious — unseen, beyond transaction, beyond grasp, without distinctive marks, unthinkable, unnameable, the essence of the one-Self experience, the cessation of the phenomenal world — peaceful, benign, non-dual. That is what they call the Fourth. That is the Atman. That is to be known.
AUM and the Four Quarters
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 8
सोऽयमात्माऽध्यक्षरमोंकारोऽधिमात्रम् । पादा मात्रा च पाद अकार उकारो मकार इति ॥ ८ ॥
so’yam ātmā’dhyakṣaram oṃkāro’dhimātram | pādā mātrā ca pāda akāra ukāro makāra iti || 8 ||
This very Atman, described in terms of quarters, is — when described in terms of syllables — OM. The quarters correspond to the syllables, and the syllables correspond to the quarters: A, U, and M.
A-kara — Vaishvanara as the First Syllable
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 9
जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्राऽऽप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद्वा । आप्नोति ह वै सर्वान्कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ९ ॥
jāgaritasthāno vaiśvānaro’kāraḥ prathamā mātrā|āpter ādimattvād vā | āpnoti ha vai sarvān kāmān ādiś ca bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 9 ||
The waking state, Vaishvanara, is the first syllable A — because it pervades all and is the beginning. Whoever knows this attains all desires and becomes first among all.
U-kara — Taijasa as the Second Syllable
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 10
स्वप्नस्थानस्तैजस उकारो द्वितीया मात्रोत्कर्षादुभयत्वाद्वा । उत्कर्षति ह वै ज्ञानसन्ततिं समानश्च भवति नास्याब्रह्मवित्कुले भवति य एवं वेद ॥ १० ॥
svapnasthānas taijasa ukāro dvitīyā mātrā utkarṣād ubhayatvād vā | utkarṣati ha vai jñānasantatiṃ samānaś ca bhavati nāsyābrahma-vit kule bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 10 ||
The dream state, Taijasa, is the second syllable U — because it is superior to both and stands between them. Whoever knows this elevates the stream of knowledge and becomes equal to all. In his lineage there will be no one ignorant of Brahman.
M-kara — Prajna as the Third Syllable
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 11
सुषुप्तस्थानः प्राज्ञो मकारस्तृतीया मात्रा मितेरपीतेर्वा । मिनोति ह वा इदं सर्वमपीतिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ११ ॥
suṣuptasthānaḥ prājño makāras tṛtīyā mātrā miter apīter vā | minoti ha vā idaṃ sarvam apītiś ca bhavati ya evaṃ veda || 11 ||
The deep sleep state, Prajna, is the third syllable M — because it is the measure and the dissolution. Whoever knows this measures (comprehends) all this world and becomes the dissolution (the point to which all returns).
Amatra — The Syllable-less Fourth
Mandukya Upanishad · Chapter 1 · Verse 12
अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैतः । एवमोंकार आत्मैव संविशत्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं य एवं वेद ॥ १२ ॥
amātras caturtho’vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo’dvaitaḥ | evam oṃkāra ātmaiva saṃviśaty ātmanātmānaṃ ya evaṃ veda || 12 ||
The Fourth is without syllable — beyond all transaction, the cessation of the phenomenal world, benign, and non-dual. Thus OM is indeed the Atman. Whoever knows this merges the individual self into the Supreme Self.