This page contains verses from the fourth chapter of Gaudapada's Karika, specifically the Alatashanti-prakarana. The text includes devotional invocations to Kumara, described as the unborn, ocean of profound wisdom, teacher of the world, and one without ego. The verses express reverence for the Awakened One as the knower and divider, bowing according to one's strength. The chapter concludes with a formal closing statement marking the end of the fourth prakarana.

Sanskrit

Alātaśāntākhyaprakaraṇa

This manuscript presents a Sanskrit philosophical text, likely belonging to the Vedānta or Yoga-śāstra tradition, containing verses and prose discussions on metaphysical topics including causality (kāraṇa-kārya), the nature of the self (ātman), and epistemological concerns regarding perception and cognition. The text features significant interlinear or marginal commentary in Bengali script, indicating a regional transmission history in Bengal. Notable elements include the invocation of Maṅgala verses, technical discussions of hetu-phala (cause-effect) relationships, and references to dream-state (svapna) cognition as a philosophical analogy. The manuscript concludes with a colophon marking the completion of the fourth prakaraṇa of the Alātaśānti section of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad commentary tradition, specifically associated with the Māṇḍūkya school.

Opening of the Ālātaśāntiprakaraṇa on non-dual consciousness

UpanishadFebruary 22, 2026

The Quenched Firebrand: Gauḍapāda on Causation

The Ālātaśāntiprakaraṇa, fourth chapter of Gauḍapāda's Kārikā, argues that cause and effect are unborn — and that the mind is the only cause of bondage and liberation.

From: Alātaśāntākhyaprakaraṇa Read moreeast