Upanishads · Muṇḍaka 1.2.1
॥
Devanāgarī
तत् एतत् सत्यं मन्त्रेषु कर्माणि कवयः यानि अपश्यन् तानि त्रेतायां बहुधा संततानि ।
तानि आचरथ नियतं सत्यकामाः एष वः पन्थाः सुकृतस्य लोके ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tat etat satyaṃ mantreṣu karmāṇi kavayaḥ yāni apaśyan tāni tretāyāṃ bahudhā saṃtatāni |
tāni ācaratha niyataṃ satyakāmāḥ eṣa vaḥ panthāḥ sukṛtasya loke ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत् एतत्tat etatthat this; precisely this
सत्यम्satyamtruth; the genuine
मन्त्रेषुmantreṣuin the mantras; among the sacred formulas
कर्माणिkarmāṇiactions; ritual works
कवयःkavayaḥthe seers (kavi); the sage-poets; the inspired
यानिyānithose who; those that
अपश्यन्apaśyanbeheld (imperfect of √paś); saw; perceived
तानिtāniof them; these
त्रेतायाम्tretāyāmin the three [Vedas] (tretā); in the threefold [Veda]; in the triple [collection]
बहुधाbahudhāin manifold ways; by many means
संततानिsaṃtatāniare spread out (sam-√tan — 'to stretch forth'); are extended; are outspread
तानिtāniof them; these
आचरथācarathaperform; carry out
नियतम्niyatamconstantly; with due observance
सत्यकामाःsatyakāmāḥO lovers of truth (satya-kāma); O you who thirst for truth; O seekers of the true
एषःeṣaḥthis; such
वःvaḥfor you; your
पन्थाःpanthāḥgoing; the road
सुकृतस्यsukṛtasyaof good deeds (su-kṛta); of merit; of the good that has been done
लोकेlokein the world; in the sphere
Translation
"This is the truth: the rites which the seers beheld in the mantras are spread out in manifold ways in the three [Vedas]. Perform them constantly, O lovers of truth: this is your path to the world of good deeds."
Version
7920d01a60cc · published Jul 26, 2026, 8:10:40 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second section of the first muṇḍaka begins with a full acknowledgement of the ritual path. tad etat satyam — "this is the truth": the word satya is applied to the karma-kāṇḍa without irony: the rites are true — kavayo yāni apaśyan — "the seers beheld them" (they did not invent them: apaśyan — they saw!) in the mantras; tretāyāṁ bahudhā santatāni — "spread out in manifold ways in the three [Vedas]". tāni ācaratha niyatam — "perform them constantly", satyakāmāḥ — "O lovers of truth": even the address is respectful.
eṣa vaḥ panthāḥ sukṛtasya loke — "this is your path to the world of good deeds": the boundary is marked within the blessing itself: the path leads to the world of merit: sukṛta — "what has been done well", a world made by deeds. Where the road leads is stated honestly; that this world, like everything made, is finite will be said a little later (verse 16).
The order of the Muṇḍaka's exposition is a model of a teacher's tact: before showing the limit of a path it renders it full honour. Criticism that cannot first honour destroys; criticism that has honoured leads higher. So too with the people on the path of ritual: the Upaniṣad does not take away their ladder — it will show that a ladder has a top, and that standing on a rung is not the same as having climbed.