Mundaka 2.2.1 Trans & Comms

mahatpadamatraitat samarpitam. ejatprāṇannimiṣacca yadetajjānatha sadasadvareṇyaṁ paraṁ vijñānādyadvariṣṭhaṁ prajānām. (2.2.1) 

āviḥ – self-shining; sannihitam – very near; guhācaram – manifests always in the buddhi; nāma – well known; mahatpadam – the most exalted; ejat – moves; prāṇat – is alive; ca – and; nimiṣat – that closes (and opens) the eyes; yad etat – all these; atra – here; samarpitam – are placed; sad-asat – with form and without form; variṣṭham – free from all limitations; vareṇyam – the most worshipful; yat – which; vijñānāt – from perception and inference; param – beyond; prajānām – of all beings; jānatha – may you know; etat – this

Brahman is self-shining, very near and always manifests in the buddhi. It is the most exalted goal. (Anything) which moves, is alive, that closes and opens eyes—all these here are placed in this Brahman. It is with and without form, free from any limitation and most worshipful. It is beyond the perception and inference of all beings. May you know this Brahman.

Śaṅkara gives here the analogy of spokes on the hub of a chariot’s wheel to point out how everything has its being in Brahman. Without the hub the spokes have no being. Similarly, everything is placed in this Brahman alone. The hub and the spokes enjoy the same order of reality. The example, therefore, has a limited scope and is meant only to show that the hub supports all the spokes. These factors have their being in the hub of Brahman. It is not a hub of activity; it is a hub of placement.

The first step in recognising the vastu is to know that one is not the upādhi. The next step is to see that one is not enclosed in the upādhi. The final step is to know oneself as the one in whom all the upādhis are placed.

Any knowledge is gained by the senses and mind through perception and inference, and whatever knowledge is gained by a person through these means is aparā-vidyā. The knowledge of Brahman, on the other hand, is parā-vidyā which is not available for perception and inference. Brahman does not require the mind and senses to reveal itself because it is self-evident and reveals everything else.

~Dayananda

Bright, existing very close, known as moving in the cavity of the heart; great and the support of all; in Him is all the universe centred round; what moves, breathes and winks. Know it, which is both with form and without form, the most adorable, the highest of beings, the One beyond the understanding of creatures.

Bright – Consciousness is considered to be bright in the sense it is the light that illumines for us our thoughts and ideas.

Moving in the cavity of the heart – In the love-heart is the cave of intellect in which intelligence resides; and according to the language of Vedānta, Ᾱtman or the Spirit is the central light in the intelligence. The Consciousness is to be realised in the intelligence when it is integrated completely through a harmonious process of balanced development of both the head and the heart.

~Chinmayananda

THE LUMINOUS BRAHMAN dwells in the cave of the heart and is known to move there. It is the great support of all; for in It is centred everything that moves, breathes, and blinks. O disciples, know that to be your Self-that which is both gross and subtle, which is adorable, supreme, and beyond the understanding of creatures.

Brahman is without any form. How, then, can It be known? The Upanishad describes the method of Its realization: All things perceived in the universe are effects and therefore limited. They are dependent upon something else, which is their cause. Brahman is the cause and support of everything, gross and subtle, and also of maya. That Brahman, again, is the inmost Self of all and the illuminer of their mental states.

~Nikhilananda

Buddhi's Cave

I Love I Know I Am

Consciousness-existence is ananda.

Some say awareness and some say being but satcitananda is nondual.

Consciousness is existence is ananda. I love I know I am.

Guhayam Nihitam

The world is made by the light of Brahman

Out of the dark material of Brahman

In the cave of the heart

Ides of March Eve

All roads lead to Brahman

like this mid-March love call birdsong

I am loving.

Useful Tools

The mind divides at the speed of light like a forever war.

The mind is a useful tool but a terrible doer.

Love is another name for effortless nondoing.

Let's Get Metaphysical

The black whole is nirguna brahman.

The sun is saguna brahman.

The moon is the home of the gods.

Earnest Moviegoing

Consciousness-existence is the movie screen.

Consciousness-existence is the projector.

Satcitananda is the name of the movie. 

~sr18

I Know I Am but Who Are You

Satcitananda Is Nondual

Consciousness-existence is ananda.

Some say awareness and some say being but satcitananda is nondual.

Consciousness is existence is ananda. I love I know I am.

Guhayam Nihitam
The world is made by the light of Brahman

From that dark material of Brahman

In the cave of the heart

Ides of March Eve
All roads lead to Brahman
like this mid-March love call of birdsong
I am loving.

One Mundaka of Selected Translations with Links to Trans & Comms (The TOC)

1.1

1. 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. -N

2. In the beginning, Atharvā taught to Aṅgir that very same brahma-vidyā given by Brahmaji to him. Aṅgir taught it to Satyavaha who was born in the family of Bharadvāja. Satyavaha handed down this knowledge, that passes from the higher to the lower, to Aṅgiras. -D

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? ~N

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. ~N

5. Among the two, the aparā-vidyā is Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharvaveda, phonetics, know-how of rituals, grammar, etymology of Vedic words, science of metres, astronomy and astrology. And parā-vidyā is the one by which that imperishable Brahman is known. ~D

6. That which is invisible, ungraspable, unoriginated and attributeless, that which has neither eyes not ears nor hands nor legs – that is Eternal, full of manifestations, all-pervading, subtlest of the subtle – that imperishable Being is what the wise perceive as the source of all creation. ~C

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. ~N

8. Brahman bulges by knowledge. From that Brahman the unmanifest is born. From the unmanifest, hiraṇyagarbha is born. Then the total mind, the five elements, the worlds and actions are born. And due to actions, results are born. ~D

9. From the Brahman (the supreme Reality) – who not only is aware of the total happenings in the world but has the knowledge of all the details of happenings every minute, whose very thought is of the nature of Knowledge – are all these produced: the creator, names and forms, and nourishment for all. ~C

2.1

1. This is the Truth: just as sparks come out of the blazing fire by the thousands, even so, many kinds of beings come forth from the Immutable Supreme and then they return to It. ~M

2. Self-resplendent, formless, unoriginated and pure, that all-pervading Being is both within and without. Anterior both to life and mind, He transcends even the transcendent, unmanifested, causal state of the universe. ~C

3. From Him are born prana, mind, all the sense-organs, akasa, air, fire, water, and earth, which supports all. ~N

4. The indwelling Self of all is surely He of whom the heaven is the head, the moon and sun are the two eyes, the directions are the two ears, the revealed Vedas are the speech, air is the vital force, the whole Universe is the heart, and from whose two feet emerged the earth. ~G

5. From Him are produced the sky (which is the first fire) whose fuel is the sun; from the moon the rain clouds (the second fire); from the clouds the herbs that grow on the earth (the third fire); from these (eaten herbs) the man (the fourth fire), who sheds his semen into the woman (the fifth fire). Many living beings are (well) produced from the Puruṣa. ~C

6. From Him are born the Vaidika hymns, the sacred chants, the sacrificial formulae, preliminary rites, sacrifices, ceremonies, sacrificial gifts, the time of the sacrifice, the sacrificer and the worlds, purified by the sun and the moon. ~C

7. By Him are begotten the various devas, the sadhyas, men, cattle, birds, and also prana and apana, rice and corn, penance, faith, truth, continence, and law. ~N

8. From Him have sprung the seven pranas, the seven flames, the seven kinds of fuel, the seven oblations, and also the seven planes where move the pranas, lying in the cave, which are seven in each living being. ~N

9. From Him come all the oceans and the mountains; from Him flow rivers of every kind; from Him have come, as well, all plants and B.avours, by which the inner self subsists surrounded by the elements. ~N

10. The Purusha alone is verily the universe, which consists of work and austerity. O my good friend, he who knows this Brahman-the Supreme and the Immortal, hidden in the cave of the heart--cuts asunder even here the knot of ignorance. ~N

Translators

C: Chinmayananda

D: Dayananda

G: Gambhirananda

M: Sri M

N: Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.1 Trans & Comms

Brahmā devānāṁ prathamaḥ sambabhūva viśvasya kartā bhuvanasya goptā. Sa brahmavidyāṁ sarvavidyā-pratiṣṭhām atharvāya jyeṣṭhaputrāya prāha. (1.1.1)

devānām – among the gods; brahmā – Brahmaji; prathamaḥ – first; saṁbabhūva – came into being; viśvasya – of the entire universe; kartā – creator; bhuvanasya – of the universe; goptā – protector; saḥ – he (Brahmaji); brahmavidyām –knowledge of Brahman; sarvavidyā-pratiṣṭhām – the most exalted among all forms of knowledge; atharvāya – to Atharva; jyeṣṭhaputrāya – his first son; prāha – taught Among the gods,

1. Brahmaji came into being first; he is the creator of the entire universe and also its protector. He taught the knowledge of Brahman which is the most exalted among all forms of knowledge, to Atharva, his first son.

One Īśvara alone is viewed from different standpoints and is called by different names. Viewed from the creation standpoint he is Brahmaji. From the standpoint of sustenance he is Viṣṇu. From the standpoint of withdrawal he is Śiva or Rudra.

~Dayananda

1. Of the Gods, Brahmā – the Creator and the protector of the universe – was self-born, first gave out the knowledge of Reality (Brahmavidyā), the Knowledge of all knowledges, the foundation for all sciences, to his own eldest son Atharvā.

Brahmā is not a product of sperm and ovum, but he is self-born. He is the manifestation of the creative urge in the Reality. He, it is said, was the first to give out the great knowledge of Brahmavidyā to his own eldest son, Atharvā.

This knowledge of the supreme Reality is called Brahmavidyā, may be, because it was first given out by Brahmā or because it deals with Brahman, the term as used in the Upaniṣads for the eternal and omniscient pure Consciousness.

This Brahmavidyā has been glorified in the Upaniṣads as the ‘Science of all sciences’; as the ‘Knowledge of all knowledges’; as the ‘foundation of all other sciences’! The Self is the Life Principle in us and all other knowledge bits about the external world and the inner world are but modifications of the Self.

~Chinmayananda

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.

By praising Brahma and the Knowledge of Brahman, the Upanishad indirectly extols the Knowledge which it intends to impart. The purpose is to awaken the interest of the hearer. 

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.2 Trans & Comms

Atharvaṇe yāṁ pravadeta brahmā atharvā tāṁ purovācāṅgire brahmavidyām. Sa bhāradvājāya satya-vahāya prāha bhāradvājo‘ṅgirase parāvarām. (1.1.2)

purā – in the beginning; yām – which; brahmā – Brahmaji; atharvaṇe – to Atharvā; pravadeta – taught; tām – that; brahmavidyām – knowledge of Brahman; atharvā – Atharvā; aṅgire – to Aṅgir; uvāca – taught; saḥ – he (Aṅgir); satyavahāya – to Satyavaha; bhāradvājāya – one who was born in the family of Bharadvāja; prāha – taught; bhāradvājaḥ – Bhāradvāja; parāvarām – that which comes through a teacher and then a student; aṅgirase – (taught) Aṅgiras

In the beginning, Atharvā taught to Aṅgir that very same brahma-vidyā given by Brahmaji to him. Aṅgir taught it to Satyavaha who was born in the family of Bharadvāja. Satyavaha handed down this knowledge, that passes from the higher to the lower, to Aṅgiras.

~Dayananda

2. The very Knowledge which Brahmā taught to Atharvā, he taught it to Aṅgi in ancient days and he taught it to Ṛṣi Satyavaha – of the Bhāradvāja clan and Satyavaha taught it to Aṅgirā – the knowledge was so handed down from the greater (Teacher) to the lesser (disciple).

When the kindly Masters tried to guide their disciples, they did not claim this knowledge as their own but only quoted, in their turn, their own Masters. Thus, the purity of the scriptures had been kept up by this tradition of a ‘divine-copyright’.

We have, here, an entire line of Guru-śiṣya paramparā (Teacher-taught family tree) giving us the details of who taught whom. In this mantra the family tree of knowledge has been traced out to Aṅgirā and in the following mantras you will find how he is the Guru to whom a disciple approaches with a transcendental question. The answer given to the seeker by Maharṣi Aṅgirā is the contents of the Muṇḍakopaniṣad.

~Chinmayananda

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.

The Knowledge of Brahman was first revealed by the Lord to Brahm.ii, who transmitted it to His eldest son. Therefore this Knowledge is not of human origin and is free from human imperfections.

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.3 Trans & Comms

śaunako ha vai mahāśālaḥ aṅgirasaṁ vidhivad upasannaḥ papraccha. kasminnu bhagavo vijñāte sarvamidaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavatīti. (1.1.3) 

śaunakaḥ – Śaunaka; ha vai – indeed; mahāśālaḥ – the famous householder; aṅgirasam – to Aṅgiras; vidhivat – as per the stipulations; upasannaḥ – approached; papraccha – (and) asked; iti – thus; bhagavaḥ – O Revered Sir!; kasmin nu vijñāte – by knowing which one thing alone; idam – this; sarvam – all; vijñātam – known; bhavati – becomes 

Śaunaka, the famous householder, approached Aṅgiras as per the stipulations and asked thus: ‘O Revered Sir! By knowing which one thing alone, does everything become known?

~Dayananda

The great householder Śaunaka duly approaching Aṅgirā in the prescribed manner asked, “What is That, my Lord, having known which all these become known”?

Śaunaka wants to know what is that Knowledge which is the very substance of all knowledges. In short, he wants to know the light principle in our intelligence by which knowledge of things are illumined for us during our existence.

~Chinmayananda

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? 

According to Non-dualistic Vedanta an effect has no real existence apart from its cause. Therefore when a man knows the cause, he also should know that the effect has no reality independent of it. Brahman is the ultimate cause of the universe. When one knows Brahman, one also knows that the universe has no reality independent of Brahman. 

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.4 Trans & Comms

Tasmai sa hovāca dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma. Yad brahmavido vadanti parā caivāparā ca. (1.1.4)

tasmai – to him (Śaunaka); saḥ – he (Aṅgiras); uvāca – said; brahmavidaḥ – those who know Veda; vadanti – declare; iti – that; dve vidye – there are two types of knowledge; ha sma – indeed; veditavye – to be gained; yad – which (are known as); parā ca eva – higher; aparā ca – lower

Aṅgiras said to Śaunaka: ‘Those who know the Veda say that there are indeed two types of knowledge to be gained, which are (known as) higher and lower.

Instead of directly answering the question and unfolding parā-vidyā, the teacher starts with the statement that you also have to know aparā-vidyā. It is because of an important rule that Śaṅkara cites[34] here: a teacher has to first present all prevalent erroneous notions and negate them.

~Dayananda

4. To him (Śaunaka) Aṅgirā said, “There are two kinds of knowledge to be acquired, namely, aparā and parā – lower and higher. So say those (the great seers of the Upaniṣads) who know Brahman.”

According to Śaṅkara, the implication of the very question directly demands such an answer. The question concealed in its words not only indicates a thirst to know what that supreme Knowledge is, but also expresses at once a doubt in the mind of the student as to whether there can be such a ‘Knowledge’. The import of the question is: ‘O Teacher! Is there a Knowledge, knowing which all other knowledges become known, and if there be such a Knowledge, in what way is it different from the ordinary knowledges known to us and and how can I attain it?’

~Chinmayananda

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.

The lower knowledge is the knowledge of the phenomenal world. In reality it is ignorance, for it does not lead to the Highest Good. The seer of the Upanishad asks the aspirant to acquire both the knowledge of the relative world and the Knowledge of Ultimate Reality. \Vhen by the pursuit of the former he fails to attain true freedom and immortality, he cultivates the latter.

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.5 Trans & Comms

tatrāparā ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo‘tharvavedaḥ śikṣā kalpo vyākaraṇaṁ niruktaṁ chando jyotiṣamiti. atha parā yayā tadakṣaram adhigamyate. (1.1.5) 

tatra – among the two; aparā – aparā; iti – is; ṛgvedaḥ – Ṛgveda; yajurvedaḥ – Yajurveda; sāmavedaḥ – Sāmaveda; atharvavedaḥ – Atharvaveda; śikṣā – phonetics; kalpaḥ – know-how of the rituals; vyākaraṇam – grammar; niruktam – etymology of Vedic words; chandaḥ – prosody; jyotiṣam – astronomy; atha – and; parā – parā; yayā – by which; tad – that; akṣaram – akṣaraṁ brahma; adhigamyate – is known

Among the two, the aparā-vidyā is Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharvaveda, phonetics, know-how of rituals, grammar, etymology of Vedic words, science of metres, astronomy and astrology. And parā-vidyā is the one by which that imperishable Brahman is known.

To get parā-vidyā you have to acquire two types of qualifications. First is cognitive skill or the capacity to think properly, because the whole problem is due to aviveka, absence of ability to distinctly understand the real and the unreal. Therefore, the cognitive skill has to be honed. The second is, your life experiences should make you a complete person, in the sense of emotional maturity. Parā-vidyā is meant for a complete person, a compassionate person. The compassionate person alone is a mature person. Compassion towards yourself and the world implies maturity. Since aparā-vidyā gives viveka and maturity, it is presented first.

~Dayananda

There, the ‘lower knowledge’ is constituted of (the four Vedas) the Ṛg, the Sāma, the Yajur and the Atharva, and the (six Vedāṅgas) Śikṣā (phonetics), Kalpa (code of rituals), Vyākaraṇa (grammar), Nirukta (etymology), Chandas (metrics) and Jyotiṣa (astrology). Now the ‘Higher Knowledge’ is that which leads to immortality or that which goes beyond the word-meaning in languages.

This must have been a staggering revelation to the student who was then as much a victim of his generation as we are now of our own times. The great Śaunaka faithfully believed the declarations of Vedas and lived an entire life following strictly the ritualistic part of our immortal religion and at the end of his lifetime, when he reached the feet of a Master seeking the Supreme, he was told that he had squandered away the best part of his life in wooing but the ‘lower knowledge’.

~Chinmayananda

Of these two, the lower knowledge is the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-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. 

The Vedas generally-and especially in this context-signify the mere assemblage of words (sabdarasi) constituting their texts. In order to attain the Higher Knowledge, a student who has mastered the words of the scriptures must go to a qualified preceptor and cultivate such spiritual disciplines as discrimination and renunciation. Otherwise he cannot realize the Imperishable Brahman. 

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.6 Trans & Comms

 yattadadreśyam agrāhyam agotram avarṇam acakṣuḥ-śrotraṁ tadapāṇipādam. nityaṁ vibhuṁ sarvagataṁ susūkṣmam tadavyayaṁ yadbhūtayoniṁ paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ. (1.1.6) 

tat – that; yat – which; adreśyam – is not the object of sense perception; agrāhyam – not an object of organs of action; agotram – unborn; avarṇam – without any attributes; acakṣuśśrotram – not eyes or ears (not a sense organ); tad – that; apāṇipādam – which has no hands or legs (not an organ of action); nityam – eternal; vibhum – which becomes many; sarvagatam – all-pervasive; susūkṣmam – the most subtle; tat – that; avyayam – free from decline and disappearance; yat – which; bhūtayonim – cause of all beings; dhīrāḥ – those who are qualified; paripaśyanti – see very clearly

Brahman is that which is not the object of sense perception or organs of action, which is unborn, which does not have any attributes, which does not have eyes and ears nor hands and legs, which is eternal, which becomes many (manifold creation), which is all-pervasive, the most subtle, that which is free from decline and disappearance, which is the cause of all beings and which the qualified people see very clearly.

~Dayananda

That which is invisible, ungraspable, unoriginated and attributeless, that which has neither eyes not ears nor hands nor legs – that is Eternal, full of manifestations, all-pervading, subtlest of the subtle – that imperishable Being is what the wise perceive as the source of all creation.

Sanskrit has reached its fulfilment in this stanza! There is no śāstra in our Hindu literature wherein this mantra has not been more than once referred to and quoted. Śaṅkara’s pen cannot move down sometimes even a page without scribbling at least a part of this mantra. No paṇḍita can open his mouth without expressing the ideas contained in this! In short, this mantra is the summary of the Highest said in all the bibles of the world.

~Chinmayananda

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.

The wise pursue the Higher Knowledge to realize Brahman, the Imperishable Absolute. The first half of the verse describes Brahman by the negation of attributes. The second half indicates Brahman by certain positive epithets. Brahman is the attributeless and unchanging Reality in all objects, but is unrelated to them.

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.7 Trans & Comms

yathorṇanābhiḥ sṛjate gṛhṇate ca yathā pṛthivyām oṣadhayaḥ sambhavanti. yathāsataḥ puruṣāt keśalomāni tathākṣarāt sambhavatīha viśvam. (1.1.7) 

yathā – just as; ūrṇanābhiḥ – the spider; sṛjate – creates; ca – and; gṛhṇate – withdraws; yathā – just as; pṛthivyām – from the earth; oṣadhayaḥ – plants and trees; sambhavanti – come into being; yathā – just as; sataḥ puruṣāt – from a living person; keśalomāni – hair on the head and body (grow); tathā – in the same manner; akṣarāt – from the Brahman which is akṣara; iha – here; viśvam – the creation; sambhavati – comes into being

Just as a spider creates and withdraws its web, just as the plants and trees come into being from the earth, just as hair on the head and body grow from a living person, in the same manner, here, the creation (world) comes into being from the imperishable Brahman.

The example of a spider is given here because in creating the thread, the spider is both the maker and the material.

Similarly, Īśvara as the creator does not need help from somebody. Just as a spider creates the thread and withdraws it, Brahman is able to project the jagat and also withdraw it. In fact, Brahman is manifest as jagat. It can take back the jagat into itself, which is why at all levels it is Brahman.

Brahman does not stand separate from the jagat like the spider from the web. Brahman is non-separate from the jagat, like the earth is not separate from the trees and plants that have come out of it.

~Dayananda

As the spider projects and withdraws (unto itself) the web, as the herbs and plants sprout out from the earth, as hairs grow on the head and body of a man, so from the Imperishable comes out the universe here.

Thus, on the whole, the three pictures distinctly give us three sets of ideas which we must comprehend fully in order to grasp the entire process of creation. They are – 

Out of Him the world has come without the intervention of any other cause other than Himself and in the end the projected world is absorbed back again into the Divine, as spider creates the web.

The Supreme has neither the effort nor the purpose with which the earth produces or nourishes the herbs and plants. Creation is an effortless, purposeless, projection – a divine līlā. 

The Supreme is not a dead inert matter like the earth, but is a conscious living, vital personality – a positive entity – an all-pervading Essence, absolute Existence- Knowledge-Bliss (Sat-Cit-Ᾱnanda).

~Chinmayananda

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.

The creation is not the becoming or transformation of Brahman. Brahman, through Its own inscrutable power, appears as the universe of name and form without Itself undergoing any change whatsoever. This is called maya.

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 1.1.8 Trans & Comms

tapasā cīyate brahma tato‘nnamabhijāyate. annāt prāṇo manaḥ satyaṁ lokāḥ karmasu cāmṛtam. (1.1.8) 

tapasā – by knowledge; brahma – Brahman; cīyate – bulges; tataḥ – from that; annam – the unmanifest (jagat); abhijāyate – is born; annāt – from the unmanifest; prāṇaḥ – hiraṇyagarbha; manaḥ – total mind; satyam – five elements; lokāḥ – worlds; karmasu ca – and due to actions; amṛtam - the results (are born) 

Brahman bulges by knowledge. From that Brahman the unmanifest is born. From the unmanifest, hiraṇyagarbha is born. Then the total mind, the five elements, the worlds and actions are born. And due to actions, results are born.

Brahman itself does not undergo any change. Brahman therefore gets seemingly ‘connected’ to māyā. From the unmanifest, which is māyā, the jagat is going to manifest now, just as the sprout, which exists in the seed in a potential but unmanifest form, emerges from the seed.

~Dayananda

In brooding meditation or continuous thought (tapas), the total creative urge (Brahmā) swells (with the very joy of creation). From Him food is produced, from food the prāṇa, the mind, the bhūtas, the worlds and in the karmas their fruits (are produced).

The creative urge in Reality, in its own potency, swells in an impatience of self-expression, and then from that the whole world of objects constituting the plane of matter emerges out. From matter, life as known to us manifests. Prāṇa, here means life; prāṇa is the centre of all activities.

~Chinmayananda

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.

The word tapas in the text means, literally, austerity. It also denotes intense thinking, which precedes any creative act. Here the word means knowledge regarding the future creation. Brahman, or Pure Intelligence, alone exists; It is one and without a second. Under the influence of Its own maya there arises in Brahman the desire for creation, or projection, and forthwith It becomes endowed with omniscience, that is to say, with the knowledge and capacity of creating, preserving, and destroying the universe. Thus Brahman appears to increase in size, like a seed before it splits and the sprout comes out. In this stage Brahman, or the attributeless Absolute, becomes known as Saguna Brahman, or Brahman associated with the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, and so on. The whole creation is the illusory superimposition of name and form on Brahman, owing to maya. Maya has no existence independent of Brahman.

~Nikhilananda

A. Nikhilananda Spotlight on Mundaka 1.1.8: Creation

Nikhilananda:

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. 

EXPANDS ETC: The word tapas in the text means, literally, austerity. It also denotes intense thinking, which precedes any creative act. Here the word means knowledge regarding the future creation. Brahman, or Pure Intelligence, alone exists; It is one and without a second. Under the influence of Its own maya there arises in Brahman the desire for creation, or projection, and forthwith It becomes endowed with omniscience, that is to say, with the knowledge and capacity of creating, preserving, and destroying the universe. Thus Brahman appears to increase in size, like a seed before it splits and the sprout comes out; or like a father dilating with joy before begetting a son. In this stage Brahman, or the attributeless Absolute, becomes known as Saguna Brahman, or Brahman associated with the attributes of omniscience, omnipotence, and so on. The whole creation is the illusory superimposition of name and form on Brahman, owing to maya. Maya has no existence independent of Brahman.

FROM IT ETC: Prakriti, or primal matter in a state of non-differentiation, being a beginningless entity, cannot be said to be created. What is meant is that it becomes ready for manifestation. The word for primal matter in the text is annam, food; all created beings derive enjoyment from material objects, as a man does from food. Brahman desirous of creation appears as the undifferentiated prakriti, or matter. From the standpoint of prakriti, Brahman is the material cause of the universe, whereas, from the standpoint of Pure Intelligence, It is the efficient cause. FaoM 

MATTER, PRANA: The first tangible and specific manifestation is Prana (Life), known also as Brahma, Hiranyagarbha (the Golden Egg), Prajiipati (the Creator)," and Sutriitma (the Atman which, like a thread, holds together the whole universe). He is the World Soul, the Cosmic Person in whom become manifest the knowledge and power of Brahman with regard to creation. He is the sprout, the first shoot of the creation, and contains in seed form the desires and actions of the created beings yet to be evolved. The Personal Gods of the different religions represent different aspects of Brahma. In the Puranas He is described as a special Person endowed with a form and dwelling in a special world called Brahmaloka, which may be roughly compared to the heaven of the Dualistic religions. 

MIND: That is to say, the Cosmic Mind. The individual minds are not yet evolved. Mind is characterized by volition, deliberation, doubt, and determination.

ELEMENTS:· The five elements: akasa, air, £.re, water, and earth. When first evolved they are uncompounded, subtle, and incapable of creating. Then they combine and become gross elements. Each gross element contains one half portion of its subtle counterpart and one eighth of each of the four other subtle elements. W oRLDS: The fourteen worlds which constitute the relative universe. W oRKs: Performed by living beings according to their caste and order of life.

IMMORTAL FRUITS: Work (karma) creates desire, and the desire again impels one to action. Thus in the relative universe the stream of work never comes to an end even in a million aeons. The Knowledge of Brahman alone puts a stop to desire and work. Like work, its fruit is also without an end. Hence it is called immortal. 

From the relative point of view, creation is without beginning. The human mind cannot think of the beginning of time or space. If a limit is arbitrarily set, one can conceive of time or space beyond that as well. Likewise, there is no such thing as absolute destruction. Vedanta speaks of the manifestation and the non-manifestation of the universe. In the former state things are seen in their tangible form, and in the latter they remain as seeds. These two states are called the "day of Brahma" and the "night of Brahma." The period of manifestation is called a kalpa, or cycle. Whenever the creation of the world is spoken of, what is really meant is the beginning of a cycle. A new cycle begins by the will of Isvara (Saguna Brahman), and its character is determined by the accumulated actions of the living beings of the previous cycle. Mere matter, without the help of consciousness or intelligence, cannot precipitate creation. Whether the created beings in a particular cycle will be happy or unhappy, wise or ignorant, is determined by the law of karma. In discussing creation, or evolution, it should be remembered that according to Vedanta it is the illusory superimposition upon Brahman of names and forms. That is to say, owing to maya Pure Intelligence, or Brahman, appears as Brahman with attributes. Then Brahman, which appeared as Brahman with attributes, further appears through maya as the undifferentiated prakriti. This process of illusory superimposition is to be applied to all stages of evolution.

Mundaka 1.1.9 Trans & Comms

yaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvavid yasya jñānamayaṁ tapaḥ. tasmādetad brahma nāma rūpamannaṁ ca jāyate. (1.1.9) 

yaḥ – that; sarvajñaḥ – who is all-knowledge in general; sarvavit – who is all-knowledge in terms of the details; yasya – whose; tapaḥ – tapas; jñānamayam – is of knowledge alone; tasmāt – from that; etat – this; brahma – hiraṇyagarbha; nāma rūpam – names and forms; ca – and; annam – food; jāyate – is born 

That Brahman is all-knowledge in general and all-knowledge in terms of details of everything that is to manifest. His tapas is nothing but knowledge alone. From that Brahman, hiraṇyagarbha, all names and forms, and the food are born.

Brahman and Īśvara are therefore one and the same. Brahman with reference to the creation is called Īśvara. Īśvara knows sarva, everything. The understanding of sarva is two-fold. One is in general and the other in particular. One who knows everything in general is called sarvajña,[75] and one who knows everything in particular is called sarvavit.[76] Both words have the same meaning of ‘knower of everything.’

There must be an entity that has all this knowledge. He is called Īśvara. Both Īśvara and the individual are akṣaraṁ brahma. If I know this fact, I am also sarvajña. But I cannot call myself Īśvara for I do not have all-knowledge ‘in detail’ which is required for the creation of this jagat. Īśvara has this knowledge due to māyā-upādhi. The upādhi makes the difference.

~Dayananda

From the Brahman (the supreme Reality) – who not only is aware of the total happenings in the world but has the knowledge of all the details of happenings every minute, whose very thought is of the nature of Knowledge – are all these produced: the creator, names and forms, and nourishment for all.

With this stanza, the first section of the first chapter of the Muṇḍakopaniṣad is completed. Naturally, Śruti is trying to summarise the entire chapter in a pregnant statement, at once brief and beautiful.

The supreme Reality, the light of the intelligence, is nothing but pure Wisdom and as such it is generally aware of all the happenings in the entire cosmos, and It being the Light that illumines every mental wave in the plant, animal and human life, and It being the Existence Principle in everything, that is, there cannot happen anything which is not directly under the supreme Light nor can anything exist but in the lap of pure Existence.

Thus Mother Śruti says, “Pure Consciousness, being by nature absolute Existence- Knowledge, knows everything and it knows every detail of all that it knows”. The pregnant import of those two expressions, ‘sarvajña’ and ‘sarvavid’ is not easy for a gross intellect even to conceive readily and all of a sudden.

~Chinmayananda

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. 

It is well known that any creative work is preceded by deep thinking. The object is at first conceived in the mind of the creator; then it is given a tangible form. The universe is the outcome of the thought of the Creator. In describing the act of creation the Upanishad says: "He thought." The difference, however, between a human creation and the divine creation is that the former is the result of much effort and labor whereas the latter is the spontaneous manifestation of Brahman. Devasya esha svabhavah-"All this is the very nature of Brahman." The Upanishad gives a spiritual interpretation of the creation as opposed to a mechanistic. 

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 2.1.1 Trans & Comms

(Note: Chapter 1.2 was on the lower truth (and not transcribed in this effort) 2.1 returns to the highest truth.)

tadetat satyam. yathā sudīptāt pāvakād visphuliṅgāḥ sahasraśa prabhavante sarūpāḥ. tathākṣarād vividhāḥ somya bhāvāḥ prajāyante tatra caivāpi yanti. (2.1.1)

tad – that; etat – this; satyam – is the truth; somya – Oh pleasing one; yathā – just as; sudīptāt – well-lighted; pāvakāt – from the fire; sahasraśaḥ – in thousands; visphuliṅgāḥ – sparks; prabhavante – come out; sarūpāḥ – of the same nature (as of the fire); tathā – so too; akṣarāt – from the Brahman; vividhāḥ – varieties of; bhāvāḥ – beings; prajāyante – are born; ca – and; tatraiva – into that alone; apiyanti – they go back

This is the truth, oh pleasing one! From a well-lighted fire how innumerable sparks of the same nature as fire come out, so too, varieties of beings are born from the Brahman that is akṣara, and they go back into that alone.

The spark example is excellent if one understands it properly. Otherwise, it can create all kinds of problems. Here, the example is not meant to show that the sparks come from the fire and go back into the fire, but it is to point out that one fire alone is in the form of many sparks due to many upādhis. The spark has some kind of upādhi-viśeṣa, attributes of a limited form. It is fire with a dimension of its own. With this conditioning, the fire is called a spark. Therefore, we use two different words, ‘spark’ and ‘fire’. The sparks are many, but all of them are one fire. That is the extent of the example here.

~Dayananda

This is the truth, as from the flaming fire thousands of sparks similar to its form (nature) issue forth; so from the Immortal (Brahman) O My beloved youth! Diverse (manifold) beings (jīvas) originate and they find their way back into it.

In this second chapter, the attempt is to paint for us an idea of a supreme Knowledge with its contents, functions and qualities. The Supreme, being Infinite, will not, and cannot come within the expressiveness of language which is but an expression of the finite. The Infinite cannot be expressed in terms of the finite and yet, no other scripture in the world, we can most assuredly say, has succeeded in pointing out to us the Infinite so successfully as the Upaniṣads have done. Some wondrous expressions pointing to the Infinite and some perfect techniques of explanation are employed in this chapter. In short, we may say that without this chapter Muṇḍakopaniṣad could not have been considered as a scripture at all.

~Chinmayananda

THIS IS THE TRUTH: As, from a blazing fire, sparks essentially akin to it By forth by the thousand, so also, my good friend, do various beings come forth from the imperishable Brahman and unto Him again return.

TRUTH: The truth here referred to is the ultimate Truth, in contrast to the truth mentioned in I. ii. I. The latter is only a relative truth, being the object of the lower knowledge and also heing associated with work and its results. The truth stated here is the goal of the Higher Knowledge.

As, FROM ETC: Brahman, the goal of the Higher Knowledge, is realized only in immediate and direct awareness. It cannot be objectified like a physical thing or a mental idea. For that reason Brahman is here described to the disciple indirectly, by means of an illustration, to make it as clear as an object of direct perception.

~Nikhilananda

This is the Truth: just as sparks come out of the blazing fire by the thousands, even so, many kinds of beings come forth from the Immutable Supreme and then they return to It.

~Sri M

Mundaka 2.1.2 Trans & Comms

divyo hyamūrtaḥ puruṣaḥ sabāhyābhyantaro hyajaḥ. aprāṇo hyamanāḥ śubhraḥ hyakṣarāt parataḥ paraḥ. (2.1.2)

hi – indeed; puruṣaḥ – that Brahman; divyaḥ – self-shining; amūrtaḥ – formless; sabāhyābhyantaraḥ – all-pervasive (that which is external and internal); hi – indeed; ajaḥ – unborn; aprāṇaḥ – free from prāṇa; hi – indeed; amanāḥ – free from mind; śubhraḥ – pure; hi – indeed; akṣarāt – than māyā; parataḥ – which is great; paraḥ – beyond

That Brahman is self-shining, formless, all-pervasive, unborn, free from the prāṇa, free from the mind, pure and which is the truth of māyā.

All the words of this mantra reveal the meaning of mahā-vākya. It is not that there are only four mahā-vākyas. Every upaniṣad has mahā-vākyas. Four mahā-vākyas have been chosen from the four upaniṣads belonging to four Vedas to prove that all the Vedas talk about the same thing.

~Dayananda

Self-resplendent, formless, unoriginated and pure, that all-pervading Being is both within and without. Anterior both to life and mind, He transcends even the transcendent, unmanifested, causal state of the universe.

If all names and forms are nothing but sparks of that Spirit riding over specks of matter seemingly consuming it, then what is the exact nature of the pure Spirit? This would certainly be the question that will arise in the mind of every consistent seeker. An attempt at Its definition, descriptive enough to give a direct clue to any sensitive aspirant, is being made here in this mantra.

~Chinmayananda

He is the self-luminous and formless Purusha, uncreated and existing both within and without. He is devoid of prana, devoid of mind, pure, and higher than the supreme Imperishable.

SUPREME IMPERISHABLE: The word Imperishable (Akshara) here means Saguna Brahman, in which the upadhis of the names and forms of the manifested universe exist in a seed state. It is the seed of all causes and effects seen in the relative world. Saguna Brahman is called supreme because It is higher than all the diverse entities in the manifested universe, which are Its modifications. The attributeless Brahman, or Pure Consciousness, is superior to Saguna Brahman, or the seed state, because It is beyond maya and all differentiation, manifest or unmanifest. It permeates Saguna Brahman and the multiplicity of the universe, as cloth permeates its warp and woof. It is the transcendental and unrelated Ground of all relativity. Prana, mind, and senses are later stages in the evolution of prakriti; therefore they are absent in Pure Consciousness 

~Nikhilananda

The Purusa is transcendental, since He is formless. And since He is coextensive with all that is external and internal and since He is birthless, therefore He is without vital force and without mind; He is pure and superior to the (other) superior imperishable (Maya).

~Gambhirananda

Note on Sanskrit:

divyo: self-shining, resplendent (by virtue of self-effulgence or residence in His own resplendent Self ~Shankara)

hyamūrtaḥ: formless

puruṣaḥ: (The all-pervading Brahman, who dwells in all bodies as Consciousness. ~Nikhilanana) "Sankhya system: It is pure consciousness, unattached and unrelated to anything. It is non-active, unchanging, eternal, and pure. According to Advaita, it is fundamentally one. It is the eternal witness, the modificationless, the one who knows the body. Really speaking, the paramatman is the one and only purusa." ~from A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy

sa bāhyābhyantaro: both within and without

hyajaḥ: unborn

aprāṇo: free from prana (vital air; life breath; vitality) "There are two meanings for the word ‘aprāṇaḥ’—There was prāṇa once and now it is not, that is, the person is dead or there was no prāṇa in the first place. Here, ‘aprāṇaḥ’ has the second meaning. Puruṣa has no birth." ~Dayananda

hyamanāḥ: free from mind

śubhro: pure

hyakṣarāt: "The word ‘akṣara’ is used in two different senses—one in the sense of the vastu, the other in the sense of māyā, the unmanifest cause. In ‘akṣarāt parataḥ’ the word ‘akṣara’ means māyā only. Māyā is called akṣara because when everything is dissolved, māyā continues to remain in its causal form, and it is called parā because everything goes back into it.' ~Dayananda

parataḥ paraḥ: transcending the transcendent

Mundaka 2.1.3 Trans & Comms

etasmājjāyate prāṇaḥ manaḥ sarvendriyāṇi ca. khaṁ vāyurjyotirāpaḥ pṛthivī viśvasya dhāriṇī. (2.1.3) 

etasmāt – from this (Brahman); jāyate – are born; prāṇaḥ – the prāṇa; manaḥ – mind; sarvendriyāṇi – all senses and organs of action; kham – space; vāyuḥ – air; jyotiḥ – fire; āpaḥ – water; ca – and; pṛthivī – the earth; viśvasya – of the entire world of life; dhāriṇī – that which is the sustainer

From this Brahman are born prāṇa, the mind, all senses and organs of action, space, air, fire, water and the earth that sustains the entire world of life.

There is a particular order here in the enumeration of the five elements. If one analyses it, one can observe the order to be from the subtlest to the grossest.

~Dayananda

From Him are born the prāṇa, the mind, all the organs, the sky (ākāśa), the wind; (vāyu), the fire (jyoti), the water (āpaḥ) and the earth (pṛthivī) which supports all.

From the supreme Reality explained in the previous mantra, was created the entire world, knowable and knowing objects. Thus here, we have enumeration explaining that the five elements, the ten senses, the prāṇa and the mind came out of Brahman. In case, the pure Existence – the Reality – is removed from the created world, we shall find the observed world of plurality dwindling itself into nothingness or non-existence.

The pure Consciousness, the eternal pure Wisdom is that knowledge, ‘knowing which every other knowledge becomes known.’ Out of this Knowledge Absolute has all the world of names and forms emerged out, and in it they exist and into it they merge back. It is, in order to make us understand this single idea in all its pregnant imports, that Mother Śruti has started this section with so many mantras, each in a different way, expressing this one and the same idea.

~Chinmayananda

From Him are born prana, mind, all the sense-organs, akasa, air, fire, water, and earth, which supports all.

ARE BORN: The creation is illusory. From the standpoint of Pure Consciousness the created objects do not exist. It is through maya, or nescience, alone that Brahman appears as the universe and all created objects. 

As before creation, so also afterwards, Brahman is free from prana, mind, and sense-organs. These are modifications of Saguna Brahman and therefore have no independent existence. According to Vedanta all modifications are unreal; they are mere words. A tray, a tumbler, and a cup, made from clay, have no existence independent of the clay, which is their only real substance. They are mere names used for convenience in man's practical life. Being in themselves unreal, prana, mind, and sense-organs do not exist, as such, in Brahman before or after creation. A childless man cannot be called a father simply because of his dreaming about a son. The creation is like a dream. Just as the dream is real to the dreamer, so the world is real to the unillumined person and continues to be so till he wakens to the light of Truth. 

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 2.1.4 Trans & Comms

agnirmūrdhā cakṣuṣī candrasūryau diśaḥ śrotre vāgvivṛtāśca vedāḥ. vāyuḥ prāṇo hṛdayaṁ viśvamasya padbhyāṁ pṛthivī hyeṣa sarvabhūtāntarātmā. (2.1.4) 

eṣaḥ – this (virāṭ); sarvabhūtāntarātmā – self of all beings; hi – indeed; etasmāt – of this (Brahman); jāyate – is born; asya – his; mūrdhā – head; agniḥ – heaven; cakṣuṣī – eyes; candrasūryau – are the moon and the sun; śrotre – ears; diśaḥ – quarters; vāk – his speech; vivṛtāḥ – well known; vedāḥ – Vedas; prāṇaḥ – prāṇa; vāyuḥ – the air; hṛdayam – mind; viśvaḥ – the world; ca – and; padbhyām – his feet are; pṛthivī – earth 

This virāṭ who is the self of all beings, is indeed born of Brahman. His head is heaven; his eyes are the sun and the moon; his ears are the quarters; his organ of speech is the well-known Vedas; his prāṇa is air; his mind is the world and his feet are the earth.

That virāṭ alone is sarva-bhūtāntarātmā, the self in all beings. Not only is he the whole creation, he is the caitanya behind the whole creation. He is, indeed, in all beings as seer, hearer, thinker and knower, and he is the basis of all beings. There is nothing outside this puruṣa. Therefore, any upādhi is non-separate from the puruṣa. The puruṣa is satya and the upādhi is mithyā. We have to separately state this all the time.

~Dayananda

Heaven as fire is His head; sun and moon are His eyes; four quarters or directions are His ears; the Vedas that are expressed are is His speech; the air is His breath; the universe is His mind (heart); the earth has come from His feet. He is indeed the inner Self of all beings.

Technically the Supreme, identifying with an individual physical structure, as we always do in our waking state of consciousness, is called Viśva. And, the Reality or the Self, identifying with the entire world of gross forms is, in Vedānta, called Virāṭ. In this mantra is the description of Virāṭ as the formless Reality.

~Chinmayananda

The heavens are His head; the sun and moon, His eyes; the quarters, His ears; the revealed Vedas, His speech; the wind is His breath; the universe, His heart. From His feet is produced the earth. He is, indeed, the inner Self of all beings.

In this verse Brahman is conceived of as Virat, the first embodied manifestation of the Lord as the totality of the bodies in the universe, and also as the inmost Self of all beings. Virat is present in all beings as the seer, hearer, and knower. He is also the infinite, all-pervading Spirit (Vishnu).

~Nikhilananda

The indwelling Self of all is surely He of whom the heaven is the head, the moon and sun are the two eyes, the directions are the two ears, the revealed Vedas are the speech, air is the vital force, the whole Universe is the heart, and (It is He) from whose two feet emerged the earth.

~Gambhirananda

Mundaka 2.1.5 Trans & Comms

tasmādagniḥ samidho yasya sūryaḥ somāt parjanya oṣadhayaḥ pṛthivyām. pumān retaḥ siñcati yoṣitāyām bahvīḥ prajāḥ puruṣāt samprasūtāḥ. (2.1.5)

tasmāt – from that Brahman; agniḥ – the heavens; yasya – whose; samidhaḥ – light; sūryaḥ – the sun; somāt – from the moon; parjanyaḥ – clouds (are born); oṣadhayaḥ – from the vegetation; pṛthivyām – on the earth (are born); pumān – the male; siñcati – places; retaḥ – the seed; yoṣitāyām – into the female; bahvīḥ – (thus) varieties of; prajāḥ – beings; samprasūtāḥ – are born; puruṣāt – out of Brahman

From that Brahman is born the heaven whose light is the sun (which is lighted by the sun). From the moon, which is born of the heaven, clouds are born. The male born of food places the seed into the female. Thus varieties of beings are born out of Brahman.

Īśvara is looked upon as five fires. These fires have come from Īśvara, so they are non-separate from him. Whatever one superimposes on these fires are also from Īśvara. This is the sarvātma-bhāva that goes all the way. Īśvara alone in the form of clouds, rain, food and seed in male and female becomes finally this body. That is being told here.

~Dayananda

From Him are produced the sky (which is the first fire) whose fuel is the sun; from the moon the rain clouds (the second fire); from the clouds the herbs that grow on the earth (the third fire); from these (eaten herbs) the man (the fourth fire), who sheds his semen into the woman (the fifth fire). Many living beings are (well) produced from the Puruṣa.

In order to understand the stanza, we must know that in the Chāndogya-upaniṣad, a method called ‘the Meditation of the five Fires’ has been advised.

~Chinmayananda

From Him comes the Fire whose fuel is the sun; from the moon comes rain; from rain, the herbs that grow on the earth; from the herbs the seminal fluid which a man pours into a woman. Thus many living beings are born of the Purusha.

The heavens, rain, earth, man, and woman are described as five kinds of sacrificial fire, and the soul's journey through them is compared to the offering of an oblation. The Purusha, or Brahman, is the final cause of all beings. The Upanishad explains man's origin and journey as a spiritual act.

~Nikhilananda

Mundaka 2.1.6 Trans & Comms

yajñāśca sarve kratavo dakṣiṇāśca. saṁvatsaraśca yajamānaśca lokāḥ somo yatra pavate yatra sūryaḥ. (2.1.6) 

tasmāt – from that Brahman; ṛcaḥ – ṛk mantras; sāmaḥ – sāma mantras; yajūm̐ṣi – yajur mantras; dīkṣā – a vow made ceremonially; sarve – all; yajñāḥ – rituals (without the sacrificial pole); ca – and; kratavaḥ – rituals (with sacrificial pole); dakṣiṇāḥ – the knowledge of all types of dakṣiṇā; ca – and; saṁvatsaraḥ – the year; ca – and; yajamānaḥ – the knowledge about performer of ritual; ca – and; lokāḥ – worlds; yatra – where; somaḥ – the moon; pavate – moves; yatra – where; sūryaḥ – the sun (moves)

From that Brahman are born the ṛk mantras, the sāma mantras, the yajur mantras, ceremonial vows, all rituals without sacrificial pole and with sacrificial pole, knowledge of all types of dakṣiṇā, the year, the knowledge about yajamāna, and the worlds which the moon and the sun bless (where the light of the moon or sun reaches).

This mantra talks about the creation of things connected to the Veda.

~Dayananda

From Him are born the Vaidika hymns, the sacred chants, the sacrificial formulae, preliminary rites, sacrifices, ceremonies, sacrificial gifts, the time of the sacrifice, the sacrificer and the worlds, purified by the sun and the moon.

~Chinmayananda

From Him have come the Rik, the Saman, the Yajus, the Diksha, all sacrifices, the Kratus, gifts, the year, the sacrificer, and the worlds which the moon sanctities and the sun illumines. 

The scriptures and the religious rites prescribed by them all have a spiritual origin. 

~Nikhilananda