The Tejobindu Upanishad

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The Tejobindu Upanishad (Sanskrit: तेजोबिन्दु उपनिषद्) is a minor Upanishad in the body of Upanishadic texts. It is one of the five Bindu Upanishads, all attached to the Atharvaveda, and one of twenty Yoga Upanishads in the four Vedas. The Tejobindu is listed at number 37 in the serial order of the Muktika enumerated by Rama to Hanuman in the modern era anthology of 108 Upanishad. This text is part of the five Bindu Upanishads collection, the longest among the five, the other four being the Nadabindu Upanishad, the Brahmabindu Upanishad, the Amritabindu Upanishad and the Dhyanabindu Upanishad, all forming part of the Atharvaveda. All five of Bindu Upanishads emphasize the practice of Yoga and Dhyana (meditation) with AUM, to apprehend Atman …show more content…

This Atman and its identity with Brahman, the nature of Tat Tvam Asi, is the subject of text's chapter 3, one to be meditated upon, and realised in essence, for the absolute freedom of the soul. The text attributes Shiva explaining the non-dual (Advaita) nature of Atman and Brahman.

The chapter 4 of the Upanishad, in a discourse from Shiva to his son Kumara, describes who is Jivanmukta and Videhamukta, and the difference between Videha mukti and Jivanmukti.
The fifth chapter of the text presents the theory of Atman and of Anatman, as a discourse between Muni Nidagha and the Vedic sage Ribhu.
The last chapter continues the discourse attributed to Muni Nidagha and the Vedic age Ribhu. Everything is of sat-cit-ananda, existence-consciousness-bliss asserts Ribhu, it is the imperishable essence.
The fifteen-limbed yoga
The Tejobindu Upanishad begins its discussion of Yoga, with a list of fifteen Angas (limbs), as follows:
1. Yamas (self-control),
2. Niyama (right observances),
3. Tyaga (renunciation),
4. Mauna (silence, inner quietness),
5. Desa (right place, …show more content…

Atma-dhyana (meditation on soul), and
15. Samadhi (union of soul with Brahman).

यमोहिनियमस्त्यागोमौनंदेशश्चकालतः।
आसनंमूलबन्धश्चदेहसाम्यंचदृक्स्थितिः॥१५॥
“Yama (forbearance), Niyama (religious observance), Tyaga (renunciation), Mouna
(silence) according to time and place, Asana (posture), Mulabandha, seeing all bodies as equal, the position of the eye;”

यस्माद्वाचोनिवर्तन्तेअप्राप्यमनसासह।
यन्मौनंयोगिभिर्गम्यंतद्भजेत्सर्वदाबुधः॥२०॥
“Mouna (the silence), in which, without reaching ‘That’, speech returns along with mind, is fit to be attained by the Yogins and should be ever worshipped by the ignorant (even)”.

इतिवातद्भवेन्मौनंसर्वंसहजसंज्ञितम्।
गिरांमौनंतुबालानामयुक्तंब्रह्मवादिनाम्॥२2
“It is ‘That’ which is (really) called silence and which is naturally understood (as such). There is silence in children, but with words (latent); whereas the knowers of Brahman have it (silence) but without words”.
When speech returns foiled along with the mind, that quiescence, which is worthy of being attained by yoginis, will always be attained by the inanimate (organs of sound, etc.). When speech returns foiled, by whom will it be possible to express that? If the world is to be told of it, even that world is devoid of suitable articulate sounds

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