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Maitri Upanishad

First Prapathaka: King Brihadratha's Renunciation • Verse 1.1

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Curated Selection (30 of 73 verses)

A curated selection of key philosophical passages. The complete Maitri Upanishad contains additional sections on meditation techniques and sacred practices.

Verse 1.1
beginner
ब्रह्मयज्ञो वै पूर्वमासीत्। तत्र ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मविद्यां प्रावोचत्।

brahmayajño vai pūrvamāsīt | tatra brahmā brahmavidyāṃ prāvocat |

"In ancient times, there was a knowledge-sacrifice. There, Brahma proclaimed the knowledge of Brahman."

What This Means:

Long ago, the creator Brahma taught the science of the ultimate reality to seekers.

Going Deeper:

This frames the teaching as having ancient, divine origins - knowledge passed down through a sacred lineage.

How To Apply This:

The wisdom you seek has been sought by countless seekers before you - you join a timeless stream.

#lineage#knowledge#tradition

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The 30 verses in this selection

First Prapathaka: King Brihadratha's Renunciation

  1. 1.1In ancient times, there was a knowledge-sacrifice. There, Brahma proclaimed the knowledge of Brahman.
  2. 1.2There was a king named Brihadratha. Having handed over his kingdom to his son, he retired to the forest.
  3. 1.2Practicing the highest austerity, he stood with upraised arms, gazing at the sun.
  4. 1.2Then the blessed Shakayanya said to him: "Rise! Rise! Choose a boon!"
  5. 1.2He replied: "Blessed one, you who know the Self - tell me the truth about the Self!"
  6. 1.2The sage said: "It has been said of old - this question about the truth of the Self is hard to understand."
  7. 1.3In this body of little moisture, what satisfaction can there be in sense objects through the action of desire?
  8. 1.4In this worldly existence, what use are the enjoyments of desire? By their pursuit, one wanders again and...
  9. 1.4When it is known that Time is the dryer-up of all this world, what use are the enjoyments of desire?

Second Prapathaka: The Self Within

  1. 2.6There are three qualities: sattva, rajas, and tamas. By these, the Self becomes bound.

Third Prapathaka: The Embodied Self

  1. 3.1Now, this Self becomes a transmigrator, creation after creation.
  2. 3.2This self of the elements, overcome by the elements, enters the womb.
  3. 3.2Just as one overpowered by karma enters the womb, so one overpowered by knowledge is liberated.
  4. 3.2Know that the gunas arise from prakriti (nature). The Self itself is without qualities, beyond qualities.

Sixth Prapathaka: Brahman, OM, and the Mind

  1. 6.3Brahman has two forms - the formed and the formless.
  2. 6.3The formed is earth and so on. The formless is that which is beyond.
  3. 6.3That which is formless is truth, is Brahman, is light.
  4. 6.3One should unite the Self with OM. This divinity is made of light.
  5. 6.3That which is Brahman, the Supreme Self - It is grasped through this syllable OM.
  6. 6.4This is to be known by the mind and uttered by speech as the Udgitha (sacred chant).
  7. 6.17This Self is indeed inconceivable. The wise one attains It through OM.
  8. 6.22There are two Brahmans to be meditated upon - the sound-Brahman and the soundless Brahman.
  9. 6.22By sound alone is the soundless revealed - that is, by OM.
  10. 6.23Therefore, one should meditate on the supreme Brahman through this syllable OM alone.
  11. 6.23Through this sound OM, one approaches Brahman with qualities. Then, the soundless - Brahman without qualities.
  12. 6.24Through OM, one sees the Self in the fourth state (turiya).
  13. 6.34The mind is said to be of two kinds - pure and impure.
  14. 6.34The impure is accompanied by desire; the pure is free from desire.
  15. 6.34The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation for human beings.
  16. 6.34Attached to sense objects, it leads to bondage; free from sense objects, to liberation.
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