yaṁ yam antam abhikāmo bhavati yaṁ kāmaṁ kāmayate so’sya saṅkalpād eva samuttiṣṭhati tena sampanno mahīyate ||
(Chāndogya Upaniṣad: 8.2.10)
“Whatever final wish one has, and whatever object of desire one engenders desire for, that, just because of one’s resolve, manifests in full, and endowed with that, one becomes gladdened.”
yo ha vai kāmena kāmān kāmayate sa kāmī bhavati |
yo ha vai tv akāmena kāmān kāmayate so’kāmī bhavati ||
(Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad: 2.25–26)
“One who engenders desire for objects of desire with desire [to enjoy those objects of desire] is a desirer [of those objects], but one who engenders desire for objects of desire without desire [to enjoy those objects of desire] is a non-desirer [i.e., may appear like a desirer or enjoyer of those objects but actually is not].”
kāmān yaḥ kāmayate manyamānaḥ
sa kāmabhir jāyate tatra tatra |
paryāpta-kāmasya kṛtātmanas tu
ihaiva sarve pravilīyanti kāmāḥ ||
(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: 3.2.2)
“One who engenders desire for and dwells upon objects of desire is born there among them with [those] desires, but all the desires of one who is of satisfied desire and has realized the ātmā vanish even here [i.e., even while still in a material body within saṁsāra].”
mano hi dvi-vidhaṁ proktaṁ śuddhaṁ cāśuddham eva ca |
aśuddhaṁ kāma-samparkāt śuddhaṁ kāma-vivarjitam ||
(Maitrāyaṇīya Upaniṣad: 6.34.6)
“The mind is said to be of two types: pure and impure. It is impure because of association with kāma, and pure when completely purged of kāma.”
kāmamaya evāyaṁ puruṣa iti | sa yathā-kāmo bhavati tat-kratur bhavati | yat-kratur bhavati tat karma kurute | yat karma kurute tad abhisampadyate |
(Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad: 4.4.5)
“The living being is indeed made of desire. As is his desire, so is his intention. As is his intention, so is the action he performs, and as is the action he performs, so is that which he attains.”
oṁ athāśvalāyano bhagavantaṁ
parameṣṭhinam upasametyocāva |
adhīhi bhagavan brahma-vidyāṁ variṣṭhāṁ
sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānāṁ nigūḍhām |
yathācirāt sarva-pāpaṁ vyapohya
parātparaṁ puruṣaṁ yāti vidvān ||1||
tasmai sa hovāca pitāmahaś ca
śraddhā-bhakti-dhyāna-yogād avaihi ||2||
na karmaṇā na prajayā dhanena
tyāgenaike amṛtatvam ānaśuḥ |
pareṇa nākaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ
vibhrājate yad yatayo viśanti ||3||
vedānta-vijñāna-suniścitārthāḥ
sannyāsa-yogād yatayaḥ śuddha-sattvāḥ |
te brahmalokeṣu parānta-kāle
parāmṛtāḥ parimucyanti sarve ||4||
(Kaivalya Upaniṣad: 1–4; Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: 3.2.6)
“Om. Now, Āśvalāyana approached illustrious Brahmā and said, ‘O illustrious One, please teach me Brahmā-vidyā, which is most excellent [among all types of knowledge], ever-adhered to by the sādhus, and secret, and by which the wise soon become absolved of all sin and attain the Supreme Puruṣa,’ and to him [i.e., to Āśvalāyana], the Grandsire [i.e., Lord Brahmā] verily spoke, ‘You can realize [the Brahma-vidyā you wish to attain] through the practices of śraddhā, bhakti, and meditation. Neither by karma, nor by progeny or wealth, but only by renunciation can you attain immortality, which is beyond heaven and shines hidden in the cave [i.e., heart]. Ascetics [lit., those who strive (for it)] enter it. Completely determined upon the object of realization established by Vedānta and of purified nature by virtue of practice of sannyāsa, the ascetics in the planes of Brahmā [i.e., in the various planes through the material universe] at the time of the final end [i.e., at the time of the dissolution of the material universe] overcome death and become completely liberated [from entanglement in saṁsāra, i.e., they realize Brahman].”
sā ca bhaktiḥ śāstra-jñāna-pūrvikaivānuṣṭheyā tam eva dhīro vijñāya prajñāṁ kurvīta brāhmaṇaḥ iti śravaṇāt |
(Vedānta-syamantaka: 3.13)
“That bhakti [i.e., the bhakti learned from śrī-guru by which one attains the fulfillment of life (puruṣārtha)] is to be performed preceded by [i.e., after having properly acquired] knowledge of śāstra, since it is heard [in Bṛhadārayaṇka Upaniṣad: 4.4.21], ‘After verily understanding that [i.e., the Ātmā], a sagacious seeker of Brahman should engage in contemplation [of the Ātmā].”
oṁ saha nāv avatu |
saha nau bhunaktu |
saha vīryaṁ karavāvahai |
tejasvi nāv adhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai |
oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
(Taittirīya Upaniṣad: Brahmānanda-vallī, 1)
“Om. May we together be protected,
May we together be nourished.
May we work together with vigor.
May our study be illuminating.
May we not be inimical.
Om. Peace. Peace. Peace.”
śravaṇāyāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ
śṛṇvanto’pi bahavo yaṁ na vidyuḥ |
āścaryo’sya vaktā kuśalo’sya labdhā
āścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.7)
“He whom many are not even able to hear about and whom even many who hear about do not understand—rare is the qualified teacher of him, and rare is the qualified disciple who comes to know and realize him.”
tasmai sa vidvān upasannāya samyak
praśānta-cittāya śamānvitāya |
yenākṣaraṁ puruṣaṁ veda satyaṁ
provāca tāṁ tattvato brahma-vidyām ||
(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: 1.2.13)
“To him of tranquil mind endowed with repose who has approached properly, that knower [of Brahman, i.e., the guru] should teach exactly that knowledge of Brahman by which the true imperishable Puruṣa is known.”
