Nada Bindu Upanishad of Rigveda
This Upanishad describes the word AUM and the state of
meditations, indescribable by any one, described here, for the meditators,
alone to confirm, whether it is so. BINDU is that dot in which the focus of
meditation stays; Nada is the sound; Psychologists say that any oddity of
hearing the sound is psychic. However, the Upanishad states that what kinds
of sound is what it denotes in Meditation.
1The syllable A is considered to be its (the bird Om's) right wing, U, its
left: M, its tail; and the Ardhamatra (half-metre) is said to be its head.
2The (rajasic and tamasic) qualities, its feet upwards (to the loins);
sattva, its (main) body; dharma is considered to be its right eye, and
adharma, its left.
3The Bhūrloka is situated in its feet; the Bhuvarloka, in its knees; the
Suvarloka, in its loins; and the Maharloka, in its navel.
4In its heart is situating the Janoloka; the tapoloka in its throat, and
the Satyaloka in the centre of the forehead between the eyebrows.
5Then the mātrā (or mantra) beyond the Sahasrara (thousand-rayed) is
explained (viz.,) should be explained.
6An adept in yoga who bestrides the Haṃsa (bird) thus (viz., contemplates
on Om) is not affected by karmic influences or by tens of crores of sins.
The first mātrā has agni as its devata (presiding deity); the second, vayu
as its devata; the next mātrā is resplendent like the sphere of the sun and
the last, the Ardhamatra the wise know as belonging to Varuṇa (the
presiding deity of water) .
7Each of these matras has indeed three Kalas (parts). This is called
Omkara. Know it by means of the dhāraṇās, viz., concentration on each of
the twelve kalās, or the variations of the mātrās produced by the
difference of svaras or intonation). The first mātrā is called ghoṣiṇī; the
second, vidyunmāli (or vidyunmātrā); the third, pataṅginī; the fourth,
vāyuveginī; the fifth, nāmadheya; the sixth, aindrī; the seventh, vaiṣṇavī;
the eighth, śāṅkarī; the ninth, mahatī; the tenth, dhṛti (dhruva, Calcutta
ed.); the eleventh, nārī (mauni, Calcutta ed.); and the twelfth, Brāhmī.
8If a person happens to die in the first mātrā (while contemplating on it),
he is born again as. a great emperor in Bharatavarsha.
If in the second mātrā, he becomes an illustrious yakṣa; if in the third
mātrā, a vidyādhara; if in the fourth, a gandharva (these three being the
celestial hosts).
9If he happens to die in the fifth, viz., Ardhamatra, he lives in the world
of the moon, with the rank of a deva greatly glorified there.
10If in the sixth, he merges into Indra; if in the seventh, he reaches the
seat of Viṣṇu; if in the eighth, Rudra, the Lord of all creatures.
11If in the ninth, in Maharloka; if in the tenth, in Janoloka (Dhruvaloka,
Calcutta ed.); if in the eleventh, Tapoloka, and if in the twelfth, he
attains the eternal state of Brahma.
12That which is beyond these, (viz.,) Parabrahman which is beyond (the
above mātrās), the pure, the all-pervading, beyond kalās, the ever
resplendent and the source of all jyotis (light) should be known.
13When the mind goes beyond the organs and the guṇās and is absorbed,
having no separate existence and no mental action, then (the guru) should
instruct him (as to his further course of development).
14That person always engaged in its contemplation and always absorbed in it
should gradually leave off his body (or family) following the course of
yoga and avoiding all intercourse with society.
15Then he, being freed from the bonds of karma and the existence as a jīva
and being pure, enjoys the supreme bliss by his attaining of the state of
Brahmā.
16O intelligent man, spend your life always in the knowing of the supreme
bliss, enjoying the whole of your prārabdha (that portion of past karma now
being enjoyed) without making ally complaint (of it).
17Even after ātma jñāna (knowledge of Mind or Self) has awakened (in one),
prārabdha does not leave (him); but he does not feel prārabdha after the
dawning of tattva jnana (knowledge of tattva or truth) because the body and
other things are asat (unreal), like the things seen in a dream to one on
awaking from it.
18That (portion of the) karma which is done in former births, and called
prārabdha does not at all affect the person (tattvajñānī), as there is no
rebirth 'to him.
19As the body that exists in the dreaming state (Swapna) is untrue, so is
this body. Where then is rebirth to a thing that is illusory? How can a
thing have any existence, when there is no birth (to it)?
20As the clay is the material cause of the pot, so one learns from Vedanta
that agnana is the material cause of the universe: and when agnana ceases
to exist, where then is the cosmos?
21As a person through illusion mistakes a rope for a serpent, so the fool
not knowing Satya (the eternal truth) sees the world (to be true.)
22When he knows it to be a piece of rope, the illusory idea of a serpent
23vanishes.
24So, when he knows the eternal substratum of everything and all the
universe becomes (therefore) void (to him), where then is prārabdha to him,
the body being a part of the world? Therefore, the word prārabdha is
accepted to enlighten the ignorant (only).
25Then as prārabdha has, in course of time, worn out, he who is the sound
resulting from the union of Pranava with Brahman who is the absolute
effulgence itself, and who is the bestower of all good, shines himself like
the sun at the dispersion of the clouds.
26The yogin being in the siddhāsana (posture) and practising the
vaiṣṇavīmudrā, should always hear the internal sound through the right ear.
27The sound which he thus practises make him deaf to all external sounds.
Having overcome all obstacles, he enters the turiya state within fifteen
days.
28In the beginning of his practice, he hears many loud sounds. They
gradually increase in pitch and are heard more and more subtly.
29At first, the sounds are like those proceeding from- the ocean, clouds,
kettle-drum, and cataracts: in the middle (stage) those proceeding from
mardala (a musical instrument), bell, and horn.
30At the last stage, those proceeding from tinkling bells, flute, vīṇā (a
musical instrument), and bees. Thus, he hears many such sounds more and
more subtle.
31When he comes to that stage when the sound of the great kettle-drum is
being heard, he should try to distinguish only sounds more and more subtle.
32He may change his concentration from the gross sound to the subtle, or
from the subtle to the gross, but he should not allow his mind to be
diverted from them towards others.
33The mind having at first concentrated itself on any one sound fixes
firmly to that and is absorbed in it.
34It (the mind) becoming insensible to the external impressions, i becomes
one with the sound as milk with water, and then becomes rapidly absorbed in
cidākāś (the akāś where Chit prevails).
35Being indifferent towards all objects, the yogin having controlled his
passions, should by continual practice concentrate his attention upon the
sound which destroys the mind.
36Having abandoned all thoughts and being freed from all actions, he should
always concentrate his attention on the sound, and (then) his citta becomes
absorbed in it.
37Just as the bee drinking the honey (alone) does not care for the odour,
so the citta which is always absorbed in sound, does not long for sensual
objects, as it is bound by the sweet smell of nāda and has abandoned its
flitting nature.
38The serpent citta through listening to the nāda is entirely absorbed in
it, and becoming unconscious of everything concentrates itself on the sound.
39The sound serves the purpose of a sharp goad to control the maddened
elephant—citta which roves in the pleasure-garden of the sensual objects.
40It serves the purpose of a snare for binding the deer—citta. It also
serves the purpose of a shore to the ocean waves of citta.
41The sound proceeding from Pranava which is Brahman is of the nature of
effulgence; the mind becomes absorbed in it; that is the supreme seat of
Viṣṇu.
42The sound exists till there is the ākāśic conception (ākāśasaṅkalpa).
Beyond this, is the (aśabda) soundless Parabrahman which is Paramātmā.
43The mind exists so long as there is sound, but with its (sound's)
cessation, there is the state called *unmanī of manas (viz., the state of
being above the mind).*
44This sound is absorbed in the Akṣara (indestructible) and the soundless
state is the supreme seat.
45The mind which along with Prāṇa (Vāyu) has (its) karmic affinities
destroyed by the constant concentration upon nāda is absorbed in the
unstained One. There is no doubt of it.
46Many myriads of nādas and many more of bindus—(all) become absorbed in
the Brahma-Praṇava sound.
47Being freed from all states and all thoughts whatever, the yogin remains
like one dead. He is a mukta. There is no doubt about this.
48After that, he does not at any time hear the sounds of conch or dundubhi
(large kettle-drum).
49The body in the state of unmanī is certainly like a log and does not feel
heat or cold, joy or sorrow.
50The yogin's citta having given up fame or disgrace is in samādhi above
the three states.
51Being freed from the waking and the sleeping states, he attains to his
true state.
52When the (spiritual) sight becomes fixed without any object to be seen,
when the Vāyu (prana) becomes still without any effort, and when the citta
becomes firm without any support, he becomes of the form of the internal
sound of Brahma-Praṇava.
XX Such is the Upanisads.
1 The commentator says that M is the last letter and hence tail and
Ardhamatra is the head, as it enables one to attain to higher worlds.
[2]: Another reading is: The qualities are its feet, etc., and Tattva is
its body.
3 The meaning seems to be—the letters A and U are the two wings of the
Hamm (Om) of the form of Vishnu which goes to svarga, the abode of Sūrya,
the thousand-rayed God; that syllable, 'Om' bearing in its heart all the
devas (of sattva Guna). He goes up to Sahasranama seeing the worlds
personally: Sahasrānha being the seat of the spiritual sun.
[4]: Comm.: The four mātrās are subdivided into twelve by their having each
three svaras, Udātta, Anudātta, and Svarīta. Here the author goes on to
give the names of the twelve kalās and shows the method of practising
Dhāraṇā on each. Ghoshiṇī is that which gives Prajña: Vidyunmālī is that
which secures entrance into the loka of Vidyunmālī, the king of the
yakshas: Pataṅginī is that which confers the power of movement through air
like the bird Patanginī; Vāyuvegiṅī is that which gives the power of moving
very rapidly: Nāmadheya means that which confers existence in Pitṛloka:
Aindrī in Indraloka: Vaishṇavī and Sāṅkarī in Vishnu and Siva-lokas
respectively: Mauni to the loka of Munis or Janoloka and Brāhmī to
Brahmaloka.
[5]: Tattvajñāna is the discrimination of the tattvas of this universe and
man. Ātmajñāna—the discrimination of Ātma or the Self in man.
K Rajaram IRS 21624 22624
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