Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad

The Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad (Sanskrit: , IAST: Turyattvadhta Upaniad)

is a medieval era Sanskrit text and is one of the minor
Upanishads of Hinduism.[5] The text is attached to the
Shukla Yajurveda,[3] and is one of the 20 Sannyasa (renunciation) Upanishads.[2]

he draws into himself:

There is no one else dierent from me.
He does not fear pain.
He does not rejoice at pleasure.
He longs not for love.
Turiyatita Avadhuta Upanishad (Tr: Olivelle)[14][18]

The Upanishad is notable for its description of the nature and life of a self-realized monk called TuriyatitaAvadhuta, literally a totally liberated man, also called a
Avadhuta or Jivanmukta.[4][6][7] Such a person, asserts
the text, is rare.[8] The self-realized individual does not
perform any rituals or rites, nor chant mantras, discriminate against or for others, and is beyond the Turiya state
of consciousness.[4][9] In the Paramahamsa state, he is
devoted to non-dualism, is always soul-driven, is Brahman and syllable Om.[8] The exact distinction between
Paramahamsa, Avadhuta and Turiyatita-Avadhuta states
is obscure, states Patrick Olivelle, but these concepts
represent an attempt in the Hindu traditions to comprehend, rene and describe the inner and outer state of selfrealization and the highest monastic life.[10]

The text is structured as a discourse from Narayana

(Vishnu) to Brahma, about the monastic life and state of
Avadhutas (highest liberated Hindu monks).[4] Such liberated persons are rare, states the text.[19] They, asserts
the Upanishad, are an incarnation of knowledge, of detachment, of inner purity.[19][20] He alone is the man of
the Vedas, translates Olivelle.[19]

The monastic life of the Avadhuta starts as Kutichaka

monk, who then becomes Bahudaka monk, thereafter
reaching the Hamsa state of monastic life.[19] Beyond
that, he becomes Paramahamsa monk, wherein he has
deeply contemplated on his own nature and thus has discovered the entire universe, states the text.[19] Thereafter,
he becomes Avadhuta where he abandons everything, he
This text is a part of the collection of ancient and me- gives up shaving, vertical line symbols on his forehead
dieval Sannyasa Upanishads, most of which are premised and outer symbolism of any sort.[21]
entirely on the Advaita Vedanta philosophy.[11][12][13]
However, unlike other Sannyasa Upanishads, the He never blames anyone, states the Upanishad, neither
Turiyatita text uses some Vaishnavism terminology, praises nor criticizes anyone, he is free of deceit and arbut not to the same extent as the Sannyasa-related rogance, he has no hate or love for anyone, he neither
Shatyayaniya Upanishad.[12][4] This text also emphasizes gets angry nor excited by anything, he just eats if he
nds something and goes hungry if he does not, asserts
nondualism.[4][14]
the Upanishad.[21][22] There is no superior or inferior for
such a liberated man, states the text, he sees everything
as nondual, he understands and lives by the divine secret
1 History
and ancient value that there is no one else dierent from
me.[18] He fears no one, he fears no pain, he fears no
The date or author of Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad is un- pleasure, he has no longing for love, he is at rest in his
clear, but given its literary style and the texts it references, innermost core, states the Upanishad.[18][23]
it is likely a medieval era text.[15] Olivelle and Sprockho
The Avadhuta wanders, alone. He appears like a fool to
date it around 14th- to 15th-century.[1][16]
others, asserts the text, but he doesn't care. He mediManuscripts of this text are also found alternatively tates on his own nature to nd the ultimate truth Brahman,
titled as Turiyatita Upanishad,[14] and Turiyatitavad- states the text; he is lost in the Brahman, his own self is all
hutopanisad.[7] The text is listed at number 64 in the he is, he is one with Om.[24] Such is the Avadhuta, states
Telugu language anthology of 108 Upanishads of the the Upanishad, he has done all there is to do.[24][23] Thus
Muktika canon, narrated by Rama to Hanuman.[17]
ends the Upanishad.[23]

Contents

3 See also

Liberation
Jabala Upanishad

This divine secret and ancient treasure,

1

4
Nirvana Upanishad
Paramahamsa Upanishad
Yogatattva Upanishad

References

[1] Olivelle 1992, pp. 89.

[2] Olivelle 1992, pp. xxi, 5.
[3] Tinoco 1996, p. 89.
[4] Olivelle 1992, pp. 238240.
[5] Tinoco 1996, pp. 8689.

REFERENCES

4.1 Bibliography
Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical
Guide. Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
Deussen, Paul (1997). Sixty Upanishads of the
Veda. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-2081467-7.
Deussen, Paul (2010). The Philosophy of the Upanishads. Oxford University Press (Reprinted by
Cosimo). ISBN 978-1-61640-239-6.
Hattangadi, Sunder (2000). "
(Turiyatita Avadhuta Upanisad)" (PDF) (in Sanskrit). Retrieved 4 March 2016.
Mahadevan, T. M. P. (2006). Los Upanishad Esenciales (in French). LD Books. ISBN 970-732-1849.

[6] Rigopoulos 1998, p. 66-67.

Olivelle, Patrick (1992). The Samnyasa Upanisads.

Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195070453.

[7] Vedic Literature, Volume 1, A Descriptive Catalogue of

the Sanskrit Manuscripts, p. PA386, at Google Books,
Government of Tamil Nadu, Madras, India, page 386-387

Olivelle, Patrick (1993). The Asrama System. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195083279.

[8] Mahadevan 2006, p. 177.

[9] Dalal 2010, p. 50.
[10] Olivelle 1993, pp. 171, 228230.
[11] Olivelle 1992, pp. 1718.
[12] Rigopoulos 1998, p. 63-67, 81 note 27.
[13] Stephen H Phillips (1995), Classical Indian Metaphysics,
Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0812692983, page
332 with note 68
[14] Hattangadi 2000.
[15] Olivelle 1992, pp. 5, 78.
[16] Sprockho 1976.
[17] Deussen 1997, pp. 556557.
[18] Olivelle 1992, p. 239.
[19] Olivelle 1992, p. 238.
[20] Hattangadi 2000, p. 1.
[21] Olivelle 1992, pp. 238239.
[22] Hattangadi 2000, pp. 12.
[23] Hattangadi 2000, p. 2.
[24] Olivelle 1992, p. 240.

Rigopoulos, Antonio (1998). Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara: A Study of the
Transformative and Inclusive Character of a Multifaceted Hindu Deity. State University of New York
Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-3696-7.
Sprockho, Joachim F (1976). Samnyasa: Quellenstudien zur Askese im Hinduismus (in German).
Wiesbaden: Kommissionsverlag Franz Steiner.
ISBN 978-3515019057.
Tinoco, Carlos Alberto (1996).
Upanishads.
IBRASA. ISBN 978-85-348-0040-2.

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