The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad
The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is the shortest of the Upaniṣads. It was spoken by Varuṇa, who assumed the form of a frog (maṇḍūka), explaining the four states of consciousness.
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The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad
Initially, I wrote a short translation of the verses of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad as part of a commentary for one of the verses of the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad, where the four states of consciousness are described. Later, however, due to the importance of the text, I decided to write a separate commentary, trying to unpack the deeper meaning of these twelve verses.
The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is the shortest of the Upaniṣads. It was spoken by Varuṇa, who assumed the form of a frog (maṇḍūka). Māyāvādīs give a monistic interpretation of these verses, with the individual soul being the cause of the different states of consciousness and the ultimate stage as merging into Brahman. This is, however, not what the verses speak about. The Lord is the source of the different stages of consciousness experienced by the soul, and ultimately, He is their supreme enjoyer. In fact, each of the four stages is a manifestation of the Lord. Turīya is thus simultaneously a state of consciousness and a form of the Lord, the same for Taijasa and so on, just like Vāsudeva is an expansion of the Lord, the source of consciousness, and also a state of consciousness. By describing these different states of consciousness, the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad calls our attention to the ultimate goal of reviving our original consciousness as an eternal servant of the Supreme Lord, beyond all material contamination.
Just like all other Upaniṣads, the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad describes the Lord's transcendental qualities, the soul's eternal relationship with Him, and the process of devotional service that creates the conditions for the revival of this eternal relationship. Only by covering the real meaning of the words and hiding the context of the verses can an impersonal interpretation be sustained.
In this book, we have a translation and commentary of the verses from the Vaishnava perspective, following the commentaries of Srila Madhvācārya and Srila Ranga Rāmānuja, based on the teachings of Srila Prabhupada. By the mercy of these three powerful ācāryas, we hope to reveal the text's real meaning.