ॐ अथाश्वलायनो भगवन्तं परमेष्ठिनमुपसमेत्योवाच ।
अधीहि भगवन्ब्रह्मविद्यां वरिष्ठां सदा सद्भिः सेव्यमानां निगूढाम् ।
ययाऽचिरात्सर्वपापं व्यपोह्य परात्परं पुरुषं याति विद्वान् ॥ १॥
अधीहि भगवन्ब्रह्मविद्यां वरिष्ठां सदा सद्भिः सेव्यमानां निगूढाम् ।
ययाऽचिरात्सर्वपापं व्यपोह्य परात्परं पुरुषं याति विद्वान् ॥ १॥
oṃ athāśvalāyano bhagavantaṃ parameṣṭhinamupasametyovāca .
adhīhi bhagavanbrahmavidyāṃ variṣṭhāṃ sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānāṃ nigūḍhām .
yayā’cirātsarvapāpaṃ vyapohya parātparaṃ puruṣaṃ yāti vidvān .. 1..
adhīhi bhagavanbrahmavidyāṃ variṣṭhāṃ sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānāṃ nigūḍhām .
yayā’cirātsarvapāpaṃ vyapohya parātparaṃ puruṣaṃ yāti vidvān .. 1..
1. Thereafter the sage Aśvalāyana approached Brahmäji, the revered grandsire and said,
“O Bhagavan! Teach me the highest science of Reality, cultivated always by the good people, which is ever a hidden secret for man, a Knowledge by which a wise man, discarding all sins, can reach the highest Puruṣa.”
“O Bhagavan! Teach me the highest science of Reality, cultivated always by the good people, which is ever a hidden secret for man, a Knowledge by which a wise man, discarding all sins, can reach the highest Puruṣa.”
Word Meaning
ॐ – Om; अथ – thereafter; आश्वलायनः – Aśvalāyana; भगवन्तम् – revered; परमेष्ठिनम् – Brahmāji, the grandsire उपसमेत्य – having approached, said
अधीहि – teach; भगवन् – O Lord!; ब्रह्मविद्यां – metaphysics; वरिष्ठां – highest; सदा – always; सद्भिः – by the good people; सेव्यमानाम् – being resorted to; निगूढाम् – secret; यया – by which; अचिरात् – soon; सर्वपापं – all sins; व्यपोह्य – discarding; परात्-परं – the highest; पुरुषं – the Self; याति – goes; विद्वान् – wise.
अधीहि – teach; भगवन् – O Lord!; ब्रह्मविद्यां – metaphysics; वरिष्ठां – highest; सदा – always; सद्भिः – by the good people; सेव्यमानाम् – being resorted to; निगूढाम् – secret; यया – by which; अचिरात् – soon; सर्वपापं – all sins; व्यपोह्य – discarding; परात्-परं – the highest; पुरुषं – the Self; याति – goes; विद्वान् – wise.
Kaivalya Upanishad Introduction
Kaivalya Upanishad Invocation
Kaivalya-1
Kaivalya-2
Kaivalya-3
Kaivalya-4
Kaivalya-5
Kaivalya-6
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Kaivalya-8
Kaivalya-9
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Kaivalya-17
Kaivalya-18
Kaivalya-19
Kaivalya-20
Kaivalya-21
Kaivalya-22
Kaivalya-23-and-24
Kaivalya-PS1
Kaivalya-PS2
Kaivalya Upanishad – Verse 1 – Kaivalya Upanishad 1 – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning, Audio and Commentary – Kaivalya-1
When Ashvalayana is moved to sound his desire for knowledge and union with the Absolute it is that seed of Divinity that is maturing. Kaivalya itself is the fruition of purpose and realisation of life’s journey.
“always cultivated by the good”.
The knowledge of the Absolute which Ashvalayana desires is that same knowledge that all the good and wise cultivate or nurture from within their being. The good are the ones that can discriminate between transient material truth and eternal truth. The intuition that this higher truth exists is the beginning of wisdom.
“secret”
That described as secret means that understanding that is subtle and can only come from within ones own self, arising from ones own intuition, albeit helped and guided by the Guru in revealing the subtle meaning within the words of the scriptures.
“by which a wise man drives away instantly all the sins”
When the word sin is used, especially within the Upanishads its meaning is understood by us to be any action or practice that might cause forgetting of the Absolute Self or delay ones inevitable attainment of that truth. There would be no big sin or little sin. A sin is just an action or way that is, for the moment, in ignorance of the Absolute. Needless to say “sins” fall away with the wisdom that comes with truth. Further, abiding in the truth the wise person naturally “drives away instantly” all further untruth with its sins.
“and reaches the Absolute higher than the high”
Truth is seen or discriminated through the cleansed Buddhi or intellect. This highest Truth of Non-Duality contains the understanding that the duality of high and low does not exist in reality, this is indeed the light that leads to the Realisation of “The Absolute higher than the high”.
This is a plea for freedom made by one who is world weary because he has realised that this experience of life does not reflect the highest truth. It is for our benefit here that Ashvalayana seeks and receives the Truth that sets you free and as an example he is willing to suffer any trial to attain that truth.