1ṛtaṃ pibantau sukṛtasya loke guhāṃ praviṣṭau parame parārdhe | chāyātapau brahmavido vadanti pañcāgnayo ye ca triṇāciketāḥ ||
2yaḥ setur ījānānām akṣaraṃ brahma yat param | abhayaṃ titīrṣatāṃ pāraṃ nāciketaṃ śakemahi ||
3ātmānaṃ rathinaṃ viddhi śarīraṃ ratham eva tu | buddhiṃ tu sārathiṃ viddhi manaḥ pragraham eva ca ||
4indriyāṇi hayān āhur viṣayāṃs teṣu gocarān | ātmendriyamanoyuktaṃ bhoktety āhur manīṣiṇaḥ ||
5yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty ayuktena manasā sadā | tasyendriyāṇy avaśyāni duṣṭāśvā iva sāratheḥ ||
6yas tu vijñānavān bhavati yuktena manasā sadā | tasyendriyāṇi vaśyāni sadaśvā iva sāratheḥ ||
7yas tv avijñānavān bhavaty amanaskaḥ sadāśuciḥ | na sa tat padam āpnoti saṃsāraṃ cādhigacchati ||
8yas tu vijñānavān bhavati samanaskaḥ sadā śuciḥ | sa tu tat padam āpnoti yasmād bhūyo na jāyate ||
9vijñānasārathir yas tu manaḥpragrahavān naraḥ | so 'dhvanaḥ pāram āpnoti tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam ||
10indriyebhyaḥ parā hy arthā arthebhyaś ca paraṃ manaḥ | manasaś ca parā buddhir buddher ātmā mahān paraḥ ||
11mahataḥ param avyaktam avyaktāt puruṣaḥ paraḥ | puruṣān na paraṃ kiñ cit sā kāṣṭhā sā parā gatiḥ ||
12eṣa sarveṣu bhūteṣu gūḍho 'tmā na prakāśate | dṛśyate tv agryayā buddhyā sūkṣmayā sūkṣmadarśibhiḥ ||
13yacched vāṅ manasī prājñas tad yacchej jñāna ātmani | jñānam ātmani mahati niyacchet tad yacchec chānta ātmani ||
14uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata | kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgaṃ pathas tat kavayo vadanti ||
15aśabdam asparśam arūpam avyayaṃ tathārasaṃ nityam agandhavac ca yat | anādy anantaṃ mahataḥ paraṃ dhruvaṃ nicāyya tan mṛtyumukhāt pramucyate ||
16nāciketam upākhyānaṃ mṛtyuproktaṃ sanātanam | uktvā śrutvā ca medhāvī brahmaloke mahīyate ||
17ya imaṃ paramaṃ guhyaṃ śrāvayed brahmasaṃsadi | prayataḥ śrāddhakāle vā tad ānantyāya kalpate tad ānantyāya kalpata iti ||
Chapter source notes
Independent normalized IAST transcription from Röer 1850, printed pp. 109–121. See Edition source for the Devanagari print and commentary.
III.12: The printed short-a elision spelling gūḍho 'tmā is retained.
III.13: Print has manasī with long ī; retained.