The Mukhya Upaniṣads

Maitrī · Prapāṭhaka 6 · Maitrī 6.1

Passage 30

ॐ शुचौ देशे शुचिः सत्त्वस्थः सदधीयानः सद्वादी सद्ध्यायी सद्याजी स्यादिति ।अतः सद्ब्रह्मणि सत्यभिलाषिणि निर्वृत्त्योऽनस्तत्फलच्छिन्नपाशो निराशः परेष्वात्मवद्विगतभयो निष्कामोऽक्षय्यमपरिमितं सुखमाक्रम्य तिष्ठति ।परमं वै शेवधेरिव परस्योद्धरणं यन्निष्कामत्वम् ।स हि सर्वकाममयः पुरुषोऽध्यवसायसङ्कल्पाभिमानलिङ्गो बद्दः ।अतस्तद्विपरीतो मुक्तः ।अत्रैक आहुर्गुणः प्रकृतिभेदवशासध्यवसायात्मबन्धमुपागतो ।अध्यवसायस्य दोषक्षयाद्धि मोक्षः मनसा ह्येव पश्यति मनसा शृणोति कामः सङ्कल्पो विचिकित्सा श्रद्धाऽश्रद्धा धृतिरधृतिर्ह्रीर्धीर्भीरित्येतत्सर्वं मन एव गुणौघैरुह्यमानः कलुषीकृतश्चास्थिरश्चलो लुप्यमानः सस्पृहो व्यग्रश्चाभिमानित्वं प्रयात इति अहं सो ममेदमित्येवं मन्यमानो निबध्नात्यात्मनात्मानं जालेनेव खेचरः ।अतः पुरुषोऽध्यावसायसङ्कल्पाबिमानलिङ्गो बद्दः अतस्तद्विपरीतो मुक्तः तस्मान्निरध्यवसायो निःसङ्कल्पो निरभिमानस्तिष्ठेत् एतन्मोक्षलक्षणम् एषात्र ब्रह्मपदवी एषोऽत्र द्वारविवरोऽनेनास्य तमसः पारं गमिष्यति ।अत्र हि सर्वे कामाः समाहिता इत्यत्रोदाहरन्ति यदा पञ्चावतिष्ठन्ते ज्ञानानि मनसा सह ।बुद्धिश न विचेष्टते तामाहुः परमां गतिम् ॥एतदुक्त्वान्तर्हृदयः शाकायन्यस्तस्मै नमस्कृत्वा यथावदुपचारी कृतकृत्यो मरुदुत्तरायणं गतो न ह्यत्रोद्वर्त्मना गतिः एषोऽत्र ब्रह्मपथः सौरं स्द्वारं भित्त्वोर्द्ध्वेन विनिर्गता इत्यत्रोदाहरन्ति अनन्ता रश्मयस्तस्य दीपवद्यः स्थितो हृदि ।सितासिताः कद्रुनीलाः कपिला मृदुलोहिताः ॥ऊर्ध्वमेकः स्थितस्तेषां यो भिभित्वा सूर्यमण्डलम् ।ब्रह्मलोकमतिक्रम्य तेन यान्ति परां गतिम् ॥यदस्यान्यद्रश्मिशतमूर्ध्वमेव व्यवस्थितम् ।तेन देवनिकायानां स्वधामानि प्रपद्यते ॥ये नैकरूपाश्चाधस्ताद्रश्मयोऽस्य मृदुप्रभाः ।इह कर्मोपभोगाय तैः संसरति सोऽवषः ।तस्मात्सर्गस्वर्गापवर्गहेतुर्भगवानसावादित्य इति ॥ ॥६.३० ॥

In plain words

Om. In a clean place, himself clean, established in goodness, let a man study what is real, speak what is real, meditate on what is real and sacrifice to what is real. Thereupon, in the real Brahman, longing for the real, he comes to rest; and with the noose cut that binds him to the fruit of works, without hope, looking on others as on himself, freed from fear, without desire, he takes possession of unfading, unmeasured joy and abides. Freedom from desire is indeed the highest, like the drawing up of a treasure from a hoard. For the person who is made of all desires and is marked by resolve, will and self-conceit is bound; and therefore the opposite of that is free. Here some say: it is a strand, and by the working of the differing of nature a man comes to a bondage of the self through resolve; release comes by the dwindling of the fault of resolve. For it is with the mind that a man sees, and with the mind that he hears; desire, will, doubt, faith and unfaith, steadfastness and unsteadfastness, shame, understanding and fear — all this is mind alone. Carried along by the flood of the strands, made turbid, unsteady, wavering, robbed, full of longing and distracted, he falls into self-conceit; thinking "I am he" and "this is mine," he binds himself with himself as a bird with a net. Therefore the person marked by resolve, will and self-conceit is bound; and the opposite of that is free. Therefore let him stand free of resolve, free of will, free of self-conceit. This is the mark of release; this here is the path of Brahman; this here is the opening of the door, and by it he shall go to the far shore of this darkness, for here all desires are gathered together. On this they quote: "When the five knowings together with the mind stand still, and the intellect does not stir, that they call the highest way." Having said this within his heart, Śākāyanya bowed to him; and the king, having done all that was fitting and accomplished what was to be done, went by the northern course of Marut — for there is no going here by the upward road. This here is the path of Brahman: piercing the door of the sun, they go out upward. On this they quote: "Endless are his rays who stands in the heart like a lamp — white and black, dark brown and blue, tawny and pale red. One of them stands upward; piercing the orb of the sun and passing beyond the world of Brahman, by it men go to the highest way. And the other hundred rays of his that are set upward — by them one comes to the several dwellings of the hosts of gods. And those rays of his below, of many forms and of soft light — by them a man wanders here helplessly for the enjoying of his works." Therefore that blessed sun is the ground of creation, of heaven and of release.