Verse 1
ॐ ब्रह्मा देवानां प्रथमः सम्बभूव विश्वस्य कर्ता भुवनस्य गोप्ता । स ब्रह्मविद्यां सर्वविद्याप्रतिष्ठामथर्वाय ज्येष्ठपुत्राय प्राह ॥ १॥
oṃ brahmā devānāṃ prathamaḥ sambabhūva viśvasya kartā bhuvanasya goptā . sa brahmavidyāṃ sarvavidyāpratiṣṭhāmatharvāya jyeṣṭhaputrāya prāha .. 1..
1 Om. Brahma, the Maker of the universe and the Preserver of the world, was the first among the devas. He told His eldest son Atharva about the Knowledge of Brahman, the foundation of all knowledge.
Verse 2
अथर्वणे यां प्रवदेत ब्रह्माऽथर्वा तं पुरोवाचाङ्गिरे ब्रह्मविद्याम् । स भारद्वाजाय सत्यवाहाय प्राह भारद्वाजोऽङ्गिरसे परावराम् ॥ २॥
atharvaṇe yāṃ pravadeta brahmā’tharvā taṃ purovācāṅgire brahmavidyām . sa bhāradvājāya satyavāhāya prāha bhāradvājo’ṅgirase parāvarām .. 2..
2 The Knowledge of Brahman about which Brahma told Atharva, Atharva, in olden times, told Angir. Angir taught it to Satyavaha, belonging to the clan of Bharadvaja and the latter taught it, in succession, to Angiras
Verse 3
शौनको ह वै महाशालोऽङ्गिरसं विधिवदुपसन्नः पप्रच्छ । कस्मिन्नु भगवो विज्ञाते सर्वमिदं विज्ञातं भवतीति ॥ ३॥
śaunako ha vai mahāśālo’ṅgirasaṃ vidhivadupasannaḥ papraccha . kasminnu bhagavo vijñāte sarvamidaṃ vijñātaṃ bhavatīti .. 3..
3 Saunaka, the great householder, approached Angiras in the proper manner and said: Revered sir, what is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known?
Verse 4
तस्मै स होवाच । द्वे विद्ये वेदितव्ये इति ह स्म यद्ब्रह्मविदो वदन्ति परा चैवापरा च ॥ ४॥
tasmai sa hovāca . dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma yadbrahmavido vadanti parā caivāparā ca .. 4..
4 To him he said: Two kinds of knowledge must be known-that is what the knowers of Brahman tell us. They are the Higher Knowledge and the lower knowledge.
Verse 5
तत्रापरा ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽथर्ववेदः शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दो ज्योतिषमिति । अथ परा यया तदक्षरमधिगम्यते ॥ ५॥
tatrāparā ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo’tharvavedaḥ śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṃ niruktaṃ chando jyotiṣamiti . atha parā yayā tadakṣaramadhigamyate .. 5..
5 Of these two, the lower knowledge is the Rig-Veda, the Yagur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharva-Veda, siksha (phonetics), kalpa (rituals), vyakaranam (grammar), nirukta (etymology), chhandas (metre) and jyotis (astronomy); and the Higher Knowledge is that by which the Imperishable Brahman is attained.
Verse 6
यत्तदद्रेश्यमग्राह्यमगोत्रमवर्ण- मचक्षुःश्रोत्रं तदपाणिपादम् । नित्यं विभुं सर्वगतं सुसूक्ष्मं तदव्ययं यद्भूतयोनिं परिपश्यन्ति धीराः ॥ ६॥
yattadadreśyamagrāhyamagotramavarṇa- macakṣuḥśrotraṃ tadapāṇipādam . nityaṃ vibhuṃ sarvagataṃ susūkṣmaṃ tadavyayaṃ yadbhūtayoniṃ paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ .. 6..
6 By means of the Higher Knowledge the wise behold everywhere Brahman, which otherwise cannot be seen or seized, which has no root or attributes, no eyes or ears, no hands or feet; which is eternal and omnipresent, all-pervading and extremely subtle; which is imperishable and the source of all beings.
Verse 7
यथोर्णनाभिः सृजते गृह्णते च यथा पृथिव्यामोषधयः सम्भवन्ति । यथा सतः पुरुषात् केशलोमानि तथाऽक्षरात् सम्भवतीह विश्वम् ॥ ७॥
yathorṇanābhiḥ sṛjate gṛhṇate ca yathā pṛthivyāmoṣadhayaḥ sambhavanti . yathā sataḥ puruṣāt keśalomāni tathā’kṣarāt sambhavatīha viśvam .. 7..
7 As the spider sends forth and draws in its thread, as plants grow on the earth, as hair grows on the head and the body of a living man-so does everything in the universe arise from the Imperishable.
Verse 8
तपसा चीयते ब्रह्म ततोऽन्नमभिजायते । अन्नात् प्राणो मनः सत्यं लोकाः कर्मसु चामृतम् ॥ ८॥
tapasā cīyate brahma tato’nnamabhijāyate . annāt prāṇo manaḥ satyaṃ lokāḥ karmasu cāmṛtam .. 8..
8 Brahman expands by means of austerity and from It primal matter is produced; from matter, Prana; from Prana, mind; from mind, the elements; from the elements, the worlds; thence works and from the works, their immortal fruits.
Verse 9
यः सर्वज्ञः सर्वविद्यस्य ज्ञानमयं तापः । तस्मादेतद्ब्रह्म नाम रूपमन्नं च जायाते ॥ ९॥ ॥ इति मुण्डकोपनिषदि प्रथममुण्डके प्रथमः खण्डः ॥
yaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvavidyasya jñānamayaṃ tāpaḥ . tasmādetadbrahma nāma rūpamannaṃ ca jāyāte .. 9.. .. iti muṇḍakopaniṣadi prathamamuṇḍake prathamaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ..
9 For him who knows all and understands everything, whose austerity consists of knowledge-from Him, the Imperishable Brahman, are born Brahma, name, form and food.