Upaniṣads

nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām 

nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām
eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān |
taṁ pīṭhagaṁ ye’nubhajanti dhīrās
teṣāṁ sukhaṁ śāśvataṁ netareṣām ||
(Gopāla Tāpanī Upaniṣad: 1.20; cited in Kṛṣṇa Sandarbha 106)

“The Eternal among eternals, the Conscious Being among conscious beings, although one, fulfills the desires of the multitudes. The joy [i.e., siddhi, attainment] of the resolute who worship him situated at the [yoga-] pītha is ever-lasting; that of others is not.”

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yadā vai sukhaṁ labhate’tha karoti

yadā vai sukhaṁ labhate’tha karoti, nāsukhaṁ labdhvā karoti, sukham eva labdhvā karoti |
sukhaṁ tv eva vijijñāsitavyam iti sukhaṁ bhagavo vijijñāsa iti ||
(Chāndogya Upaniṣad: 7.22.1)

[Sanat Kumāra:] “Certainly when one attains happiness, then one acts. Upon attaining unhappiness, one does not act. Only upon attaining happiness does one act. Indeed happiness is to be desired to be known in depth.”
[Nārada:] “O venerable one, I desire to know happiness in depth.”

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yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā guruḥ

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā guruḥ |
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ ||
(Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad: 6.23; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 4.346; Bhagavat Sandarbha: 98; Bhakti Sandarbha: 5, 21, 209; Govinda-bhāṣya: 3.3.44, 45, 3.4.50)

“These discussed subjects [i.e., the teachings a guru gives to a disciple regarding Brahma-vidyā] are revealed to the great soul who has pure bhakti to Deva, and as to Deva, so also to guru.”

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uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata

uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata |
kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā
durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.3.14)

“Arise! Awake! Find the exalted ones and learn. The wise say the path is sharp as a razor’s edge, difficult to traverse, and arduous.”

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āhāra-śuddhau sattva-śuddhau

āhāra-śuddhau sattva-śuddhiḥ, sattva-śuddhau dhruvā smṛtiḥ, smṛti-lambhe sarva-granthīnāṁ vipramokṣaḥ |
(Chāndogya Upaniṣad: 7.26.2)

“When there is purity of food, there is purity of mind. When there is purity of mind, there is steadfast remembrance. When there is retention of remembrance, there is definitive and complete release from all entanglements.”

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yaṁ yam antam abhikāmo

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.”

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yo ha vai kāmena kāmān

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].”

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kāmān yaḥ kāmayate manyamānaḥ

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].”

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mano hi dvi-vidhaṁ proktaṁ

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.”

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kāmamaya evāyaṁ puruṣa iti

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.”

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