muṇḍaka upaniṣad - prathama muṇḍaka, prathama kāṇḍaḥ

May we hear with our ears what is auspicious, O Devas. May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O worshipful ones. May we, endowed with steady limbs and bodies, attain the full span of life allotted by the Divine through our hymns of praise. May Indra, the ancient and widely renowned, grant us well-being. May Pusan, the knower of all things, grant us well-being. May Garuda, whose path is unopposed, grant us well-being. May Brihaspati grant us well-being. Peace, peace, peace. Salutations to Brahman. First Mundaka, First Khanda. Brahma arose as the first among the Devas, the creator of the universe and the protector of the world. He taught the knowledge of Brahman—the foundation of all knowledge—to his eldest son, Atharva.

The knowledge of Brahman, which Brahma taught to Atharva, Atharva in ancient times imparted to Angira. Angira then taught it to Satyavaha of the Bharadvaja lineage, and Satyavaha passed down this higher and lower knowledge to Angirasa.

Shaunaka, a great householder, having approached Angirasa in the prescribed manner, asked: "O Venerable One, what is that through which, when known, all this becomes known?"

To him, the teacher replied: "Two kinds of knowledge must be known, as those who know Brahman declare—the higher knowledge and the lower knowledge."

Of these, the lower knowledge consists of the Rig Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sama Veda, the Atharva Veda, phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, metrics, and astronomy. Now, the higher knowledge is that by which the Imperishable is realized.

That which is invisible, ungraspable, without lineage or color, without eyes or ears, without hands or feet; that which is eternal, pervading all, subtle beyond measure, and changeless—that, the wise perceive as the source of all beings.

As a spider spins forth and draws in its thread, as herbs grow upon the earth, and as hair grows from the body of a living person, so does the universe manifest here from the Imperishable.

Through intense meditation (tapas), Brahman expands, and from that, primal matter (annam) is born. From that matter arise the life-force (prana), the mind, the elements, the worlds, and the immortality inherent in actions.

From Him who is all-knowing and all-wise, whose austerity consists of knowledge, from Him are born this Brahman (Hiranyagarbha), as well as name, form, and substance.