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Upanishads · Muktikā 1.24
॥
Devanāgarī
गुरूपदिष्टमार्गेण ध्यायन्मद्गुणमव्ययम् । मत्सायुज्यं द्विजः सम्यग्भजेद्भ्रमरकीटवत्
Transliteration (IAST)
gurūpadiṣṭamārgeṇa dhyāyanmadguṇamavyayam | matsāyujyaṃ dvijaḥ samyagbhajedbhramarakīṭavat
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
गुरु-उपदिष्ट-मार्गेणguru-upadiṣṭa-mārgeṇaby the path shown by a teacher
ध्यायन् मत्-गुणम् अ-व्ययम्dhyāyan mat-guṇam a-vyayamcontemplating my unchanging quality
मत्-सायुज्यं द्विजः सम्यक्mat-sāyujyaṃ dvijaḥ samyakunion with me, a twice-born, fully
भजेत् भ्रमर-कीट-वत्bhajet bhramara-kīṭa-vatlet him attain, like the wasp and the worm
Translation
«By the path shown by a teacher, contemplating my unchanging quality, a twice-born fully attains union with me — like the wasp and the worm».
Version
b262a66df790 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here is the comparison bhramara-kīṭa, «the wasp and the worm», famous in Indian writing, and it is worth examining. The belief runs: the wasp catches a caterpillar, seals it in clay, and hums over it; and the caterpillar, thinking constantly of the wasp out of fear, itself becomes a wasp. The belief is of course false: the wasp lays an egg in the caterpillar, and what comes out is not a transformed caterpillar but a wasp larva that has consumed it.
But the comparison has become a commonplace and means: you become what you constantly think about. And this holds true, though the example is untrue; it was examined at Śāṭyāyani (3), where it said yac-cittas tan-mayo bhavati. Add what is especially worth noting here.
It says guru-upadiṣṭa-mārgeṇa, «by the path shown by a teacher»; that is, the highest of the four rungs requires a teacher, whereas the first (1.18) required nothing but the name. This construction is consistent: the closer, the more guidance is needed; for from afar one goes by guesswork, and near — by word. Add the phrase mad-guṇam avyayam, «my unchanging quality».
Worth noting that what is to be contemplated is called a quality, not an absence of qualities; and in a book leading toward sāyujya this matters: what merges is not with emptiness.