satyaṁ vada dharmaṁ cara
satyaṁ vada dharmaṁ cara |
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11)
“Speak the truth and adhere to dharma.”
Upaniṣads
idaṁ bhagavatā pūrvaṁ brahmaṇe nābhi-paṅkaje
idaṁ bhagavatā pūrvaṁ brahmaṇe nābhi-paṅkaje |
sthitāya bhava-bhītāya kāruṇyāt samprakāśitam ||
ādi-madhyāvasāneṣu vairāgyākhyāna-saṁyutam |
hari-līlā-kathā-vrātāmṛtānandita-sat-suram ||
sarva-vedānta-sāraṁ yad brahmātmaikatva-lakṣaṇam |
vastv advitīyaṁ tan-niṣṭhaṁ kaivalyaika-prayojanam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.13.10–12)
“At the beginning, middle, and end replete with narrations productive of non-attachment (vairāgya); filled with the amṛta of discussion of Hari’s līlā by which the sādhu suras [i.e., Hari’s bhaktas, or, the self-satisfied (ātmārāmas)] become blissful; focused on that non-dual Reality (advitīya Vastu) which is the essence of the entire Vedānta [i.e., of the Upaniṣads] and has the characteristic of oneness of [i.e., the characteristic of non-excessive non-difference between] the ātmā with Brahman; and possessed of the singular aim of kaivalya [i.e., purity, meaning, pure bhakti, Bhagavat-prema, or, direct perception of Supreme Entity]—this [i.e., Śrīmad Bhāgavatam] was previously manifested in full [i.e., taught] out of compassion by Bhagavān [i.e., Śrī Kṛṣṇa] to Brahmā, who was situated on the navel-lotus [of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu] and frightened of material existence.”
saiṣā hy upaniṣad brāhmī pūrveṣāṁ pūrva-jair dhṛtā
saiṣā hy upaniṣad brāhmī pūrveṣāṁ pūrva-jair dhṛtā |
śraddhayā dhārayed yas tāṁ kṣemaṁ gacched akiñcanaḥ ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.87.3)
“One who can adhere with śraddhā to this renowned Upaniṣad [i.e., this esoteric knowledge], related to Brahman and adhered to by the predecessors of our ancestors [i.e., by those such as Sanaka who came before Nārada and others], can become detached [i.e, free from adjuncts beginning with the body, or, free from possessiveness, that is, one can become an unalloyed bhakta] and attain weal [i.e., the supreme abode, or, bhakti-yoga, or Bhagavān’s lotus feet].
adhītya caturo vedān sarva-śāstrāṇy anekaśaḥ
adhītya caturo vedān sarva-śāstrāṇy anekaśaḥ |
brahma-tattvaṁ na jānāti darvī pāka-rasaṁ yathā ||
(Muktikā Upaniṣad: 2.65)
“[Even] After repeatedly studying the four Vedas and all the śāstras, one does not understand the nature of Brahman, just as a spoon does not know the taste of cooked food [i.e., to realize Brahman one has to not only acquire knowledge of Brahman but also purify the mind of saṁsārika vāsanās].”
na sambhāṣet striyaṁ kāñcit pūrva-dṛṣṭāṁ ca na smaret
na sambhāṣet striyaṁ kāñcit pūrva-dṛṣṭāṁ ca na smaret |
kathāṁ ca varjayet tāsāṁ na paśyel likhitām api ||
etac catuṣṭayaṁ mohāt strīṇām ācarato yateḥ |
cittaṁ vikriyate’vaśyaṁ tad-vikārāt praṇaśyati ||
(Nārada Parivrājaka Upaniṣad: 4.3–4)
“One should not converse with a woman, and one should not remember one who was seen previously. One should not speak of them, and one should not even look at a picture of them. The mind of an ascetic who engages in [any of] these four [activities] is certainly disturbed as a result of bewilderment [i.e., the bewilderment that arises as a result of these activities], and as a result of that agitation, he is ruined.”
śreyaś ca preyaś ca manuṣyam etas
śreyaś ca preyaś ca manuṣyam etas
tau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ |
śreyo hi dhīro’bhipreyaso vṛṇīte
preyo mando yoga-kṣemān vṛṇīte ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.2)
“Śreyas and preyas present themselves to human beings, and the wise fully assess and discriminate between them. The wise choose śreyas exclusively over preyas, but the foolish choose preyas to gain [what they lack] and preserve [what they have, in the worldly sense].”
anyac chreyo’nyad utaiva preyas
anyac chreyo’nyad utaiva preyas
te ubhe nānārthe puruṣaṁ sinītaḥ |
tayoḥ śreya ādadānasya sādhu
bhavati hīyate’rthād ya u preyo vṛṇīte ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.1)
“Śreyas and preyas are distinct from one another, though with various goals, they both bind the living being. One who between them chooses śreyas reaches the true goal, and one who chooses preyas falls from it.”
yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ
yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ |
(Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: 3.8.10; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 62)
“[Yājñavalkya:] O Gārgī, one who departs this world without knowing the Absolute is indeed wretched [alt., pitiable, lowly].”
etad dhy evākṣaraṁ brahma etad dhy evākṣaraṁ param
etad dhy evākṣaraṁ brahma etad dhy evākṣaraṁ param |
etad dhy evākṣaraṁ jñātvā yo yad icchati tasya tat ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.16)
“This one syllable [i.e., Om] is indeed Brahman. This one syllable is indeed supreme. One who knows this one syllable attains that which he desires.”
mana eva manuṣyāṇaṁ kāraṇaṁ bandha-mokṣayoḥ
mana eva manuṣyāṇaṁ kāraṇaṁ bandha-mokṣayoḥ |
bandhāya viṣayāsaktaṁ muktyai nirviṣayaṁ smṛtam ||
(Maitrāyaṇīya Upaniṣad: 6.34.11)
“For human beings, the mind alone is the cause of bondage and mokṣa. A mind that is attached to sense objects is regarded as the cause of bondage, and a mind uninvolved with the sense objects is [regarded as] the cause of liberation.”