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Upanishads · Muktikā 1.28
॥
Devanāgarī
तथापि दृढता न चेद्विद्ज्ञानस्याञ्जनासुत । द्वात्रिंशाख्योपनिषदं समभ्यस्य निवर्तय
Transliteration (IAST)
tathāpi dṛḍhatā na cedvidjñānasyāñjanāsuta | dvātriṃśākhyopaniṣadaṃ samabhyasya nivartaya
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तथा अपि दृढता न चेत्tathā api dṛḍhatā na cetif, however, there is no firmness
वित्-ज्ञानस्य अञ्जना-सुतvit-jñānasya añjanā-sutain the knowledge attained, son of Añjanā
द्वा-त्रिंशत्-आख्य-उपनिषदंdvā-triṃśat-ākhya-upaniṣadaṃthirty-two so-named upaniṣads
समभ्यस्य निवर्तयsamabhyasya nivartayahaving studied, turn back [the mind]
Translation
«If, however, there is no firmness in the knowledge attained, son of Añjanā — having studied the thirty-two so-named upaniṣads, turn back [the mind]».
Version
f513cc6cbc96 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third rung is named: thirty-two upaniṣads. This list is less known than the ten, but it exists: it is the list of those ascribed to the Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda, and the book itself will name their number in the third peace-invocation (1.s3). Worth noting the word by which the need is named: dṛḍhatā, «firmness».
That is, at the second rung knowledge already exists, but there is no firmness in it; and hence one must read further. This distinction, I think, is exact and familiar to anyone. There is knowledge that exists but does not hold: a person knows, and yet acts as before; and it was said at Varāha (4.4) that consideration which has not changed conduct has not taken place.
The remedy offered is not new, but the same in greater quantity: read more. Add what the Vaishnava side offers at this point and what marks its difference. Its remedy for unfirmness is not a quantity of reading but sādhu-saṅga, «the company of the good»; its rule was cited at Kṛṣṇa-upaniṣad (2.15).
The reasoning given is that firmness is a property not of thought but of character; and character is caught from people, not read out of books. Add the verb nivartaya, «turn back»: the goal of reading the thirty-two is named negatively — to turn the mind back from the rest.