Mundaka Upanishad 5.1Famous
beginner
द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते। तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति॥
dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānaṃ vṛkṣaṃ pariṣasvajāte | tayoranyaḥ pippalaṃ svādvattyanaśnannanyo abhicākaśīti ||
"Two birds, beautiful of wing, close companions, cling to the same tree. Of these two, one eats the sweet fruit; the other, not eating, looks on."
What This Means:
Two birds sit on the same tree. One eats the fruit (sweet and bitter); the other just watches, eating nothing. This is the soul and the witness Self.
Going Deeper:
The eating bird is the jiva (individual soul) experiencing karma. The watching bird is the Atman (witness consciousness) - uninvolved, just observing.
How To Apply This:
You are both birds - the experiencer and the witness. Learn to rest as the watching bird.
#two birds#experiencer and witness#same tree