Atharva Veda · Atharva Veda · 64 mantras
Mundaka Upanishad
Muṇḍakopaniṣad
Central theme: Para vidya and Apara vidya — higher vs. lower knowledge
Distinguishes apara vidya (the four Vedas, grammar, etymology, prosody, ritual, astronomy) from para vidya (knowledge of the imperishable Brahman). Sources the national motto "Satyameva jayate" (3.1.6). Famous two-bird allegory (3.1.1-2): two birds, friends, on the same tree — one eats the sweet fruit, the other watches without eating. The watcher is the Self. The Mundaka is widely quoted and considered one of the most poetic Upanishads.
Mundaka 3.1.6
सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः
Satyameva jayate nānṛtaṁ satyena panthā vitato devayānaḥ
Truth alone triumphs, not falsehood; by truth the divine path is spread out, by which the seers of fulfilled desire reach the supreme treasury of truth.
Lower knowledge ends in fatigue. Higher knowledge ends in freedom.