Avyakta Upanishad

The text opens with the poetic prayer,

May the Man-Lion Vishnu, who is knowledge of one's Self,
devouring the prince of the demons, who is ignorance of one's Self,
deliver me from my enemy and make me Brahmamatra,
Om! may my limbs, my powers grow strong, Peace! Hari ! Om !

— Avyakta Upanishad, Prologue[13][16]

The prologue, states Dumont, is most probably an adaptation of a fragment from Kena Upanishad manuscripts that include an introductory prayer.[16] The benediction for make me Brahmamatra refers to "make me entirely of Brahman".[16]

According to this Upanishad there are three stages of evolution of the universe, corresponding to three major hymns in the Rigveda. These are: Avyakta (non-manifest or invisible) stage found in the Nasadiya Sukta or the Hymn of Creation; Mahattatwa (determined indeterminate or manifest imprecisely) found in the Hiranyagarbha Sukta, and "Ahamkara (determinate)" or manifest state, explained in the Purusha Sukta dedicated to the Cosmic Being.[17]

Chapter 1 opens by declaring that "formerly there was nothing here", consisting only of knowledge and bliss, and the universe started from this.[10][18] That one being, states verse 1.2, then split into two, one yellow and one red.[10] The yellow became the changing reality (matter, Maya), while the red became the unchanging reality (spirit, Purusha).[10] The Purusha and Maya united, procreated, thus producing a golden egg, which with heat became Prajapati.[18] When Prajapati became self-aware, he pondered, "what is my origin, what is my purpose and objective?[18][19] Vac (sound) answered, "you are born of the Avyakta (unmanifested), your purpose is to create".[18][19] Prajapati replied, "Who are you? Declare yourself!" The voice said, "To know me, do Tapas (deep meditation, austerity, asceticism)". So, Prajapati meditated as a Brahmachari for a thousand years, states verse 1.3 of the Upanishad.[18][19]

Prajapati saw the Anustubh meter, begins chapter 2 of the text, he realized its power, a stanza in which all gods and Brahman are firmly established, one without which the Vedas are futile.[19] Reciting the stanza and Om, Prajapati searched for the meaning of the red One (Purusha), then one day saw the light, the Spirit, Vishnu embraced by Sri, sitting on Garuda, with his head covered by the hood of Shesa, with eyes of Moon, Sun and Agni.[20][21] Prajapati realized the absolute in and the powers of Vishnu, states the text in verse 2.3.[22]

In chapter 3, Prajapati asks Vishnu, "Tell me the means to create the world".[23] Vishnu answers as follows,

O Prajapati, know the supreme means to create.
Knowing it, thou wilt know everything,
do everything, accomplish everything.
One should meditate upon one's self,
as upon an oblation poured into the fire,
while reciting the Anustubh stanza.
That is the sacrifice by meditation.

— Avyakta Upanishad, 3.2[23][24]

This is secret of the gods, asserts verse 3.3, the knowledge of this Upanishad. The one who knows this secret, fulfills whatever he seeks, wins all worlds, and never comes back to this world.[23][24]

Prajapati created Shiva, in the image of half man and half woman, thus creating gender states chapter 6 of the text.[25]

Prajapati did what Vishnu suggested, states chapter 4, meditated on his self, offering the sacrifice in his thought.[26][27] The powers of creation came unto him, and he created the three worlds, states chapter 5.[26][17] Thus came the earth, the atmosphere and the sky, from thirty of the thirty two syllables.[26] With the remaining two syllables, he connected the three worlds. With the same thirty two syllables, he created thirty two gods, and then with syllables together he created Indra making him greater than the other gods, states chapter 5.[28][29]

After syllables, Prajapati used words to create more. He used eleven words to create eleven Rudras, then eleven Adityas.[28] With all eleven words together was born the twelfth Aditya, Vishnu.[29] Combining four syllables, Prajapati created the eight Vasus, states the text.[28][29] Then, Prajapati created the men, the learned Brahmanam with twelve syllables, ten and ten of others, and Shudram without the syllable.[29] With two half stanzas of Anustubh, Prajapati created the day and night, then there was daylight, state verses 5.4 to 5.5.[30]

From first Pada of the Anustubh stanza, he created the Rigveda, out of second the Yajurveda, from third the Samaveda, and the fourth yielded Atharvaveda.[29][30] From the stanza came Gayatri, Tristubh, Jagati meters. Anustubh consists of all thirty two syllables, that is all the Vedic meters, states verse 5.5.[29]

Prajapati, after creating the gods and Vishnu, created Ardhanarishvara (a composite of Shiva-male and Parvati-female).[25][31] This he then divided, states chapter 6 of the text, to produce women and men.[31] In the world of gods, Prajapati has Indra's immortality which made him the first among gods. Indra, states the text, won the earth out of water using a tortoise as the foundation.[31][32]

Chapter 7 of the text asserts the benefits of reciting and realizing the knowledge contained in the text, as equal to reciting all the Vedas, doing all sacrifices, bathing in all sacred bathing places, getting release from all great and secondary sins.[33][34]

• Deussen, Paul; Bedekar, V.M.; Palsule, G.B. (1997). Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
• Dumont, PE (Translator) (1940). "The Avyakta Upaniṣad". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 60 (3). doi:10.2307/594420. JSTOR 594420.
• Gajendragadkar, K. V. (1959). Neo-upanishadic Philosophy. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
• Hattangadi, Sunder (2010). "अव्यक्तोपनिषत् (Avyakta Upanishad)" (PDF) (in Sanskrit). Retrieved 12 January 2016.
• Larson, Gerald James (2011). Classical Sāṃkhya: An Interpretation of Its History and Meaning. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-8120805033.
• Nair, Shantha N. (2008). Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 978-81-223-1020-7.
• Prasoon, Prof.S.K. (2008). Indian Scriptures. Pustak Mahal. ISBN 978-81-223-1007-8.