Turiyatitavadhuta Upanishad
The text describes the Hindu monastic life
Devanagari	तुरीयातीतावधूत
IAST	Turīyatītāvadhūta
Title means	Liberated person beyond Turiya
Date	14th or 15th century[1]
Type	Sannyasa[2]
LinkedVeda	Shukla Yajurveda[3]
Chapters	1[4]
Philosophy	Vedanta

TheTuriyatitavadhuta Upanishad (Sanskrit:तुरीयातीत अवधूत उपनिषद्,IAST: Turīyatītāvadhūta Upaniṣad) is a medieval era Sanskrit text and is one of the minorUpanishads ofHinduism.^[5] The text is attached to theShukla Yajurveda,^[3] and is one of the 20Sannyasa (renunciation) Upanishads.^[2]

The Upanishad is notable for its description of the nature and life of a self-realized monk calledTuriyatita-Avadhuta, literally a totally liberated man, also called aAvadhuta orJivanmukta.^[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 theTuriya state of consciousness.^[4][9] In theParamahamsa 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, statesPatrick Olivelle, but these concepts represent an attempt in the Hindu traditions to comprehend, refine and describe the inner and outer state of self-realization and the highest monastic life.^[10]

This text is a part of the collection of ancient and medieval Sannyasa Upanishads, most of which are premised entirely on theAdvaita Vedanta philosophy.^[11][12][13] However, unlike other Sannyasa Upanishads, the Turiyatita text uses someVaishnavism terminology, but not to the same extent as the Sannyasa-relatedShatyayaniya Upanishad.^[12][4] This text also emphasizesnondualism.^[4][14]

The date or author ofTuriyatitavadhuta Upanishad is unclear, but given its literary style and the texts it references, it is likely a medieval era text.^[15] Olivelle and Sprockhoff date it around 14th- to 15th-century.^[1][16]

Manuscripts of this text are also found alternatively titled asTuriyatita Upanishad,^[14] andTuriyatitavadhutopanisad.^[7] The text is listed at number 64 in the Telugu languageanthology of 108 Upanishads of theMuktika canon, narrated byRama toHanuman.^[17]

The text is structured as a discourse fromNarayana (Vishnu) toBrahma, 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 theAvadhuta starts asKutichaka monk, who then becomesBahudaka monk, thereafter reaching theHamsa state of monastic life.^[19] Beyond that, he becomesParamahamsa monk, wherein he has deeply contemplated on his own nature and thus has discovered the entire universe, states the text.^[19] Thereafter, he becomesAvadhuta where he abandons everything, he gives up shaving,vertical line symbols on his forehead and outer symbolism of any sort.^[21]

He never blames anyone, states the Upanishad, neither praises nor criticizes anyone, he is free of deceit and arrogance, he has no hate or love for anyone, he neither gets angry nor excited by anything, he just eats if he finds something and goes hungry if he does not, asserts 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 and ancient value that "there is no one else different from me".^[18] He fears no one, he fears no pain, he fears no pleasure, he has no longing for love, he is at rest in his innermost core, states the Upanishad.^[18][23]

The Avadhuta wanders, alone. He appears like a fool to others, asserts the text, but he doesn't care. He meditates on his own nature to find the ultimate truthBrahman, states the text; he is lost in the Brahman, his own self is all he is, he is one withOm.^[24] Such is theAvadhuta, states the Upanishad, he has done all there is to do.^[24][23] Thus ends the Upanishad.^[23]

• Jabala Upanishad
• Nirvana Upanishad
• Paramahamsa Upanishad
• Yogatattva Upanishad

• 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.ISBN 978-81-208-1467-7.
• Deussen, Paul (2010).The Philosophy of the Upanishads. Oxford University Press (Reprinted by Cosimo).ISBN 978-1-61640-239-6.
• Hattangadi, Sunder (2000)."तुरीयातीतोपनिषत् (Turiyatita Avadhuta Upanisad)"(PDF) (in Sanskrit). Retrieved4 March 2016.
• Mahadevan, T. M. P. (2006).Los Upanishad Esenciales (in French). LD Books.ISBN 970-732-184-9.
• Olivelle, Patrick (1992).The Samnyasa Upanisads. Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195070453.
• Olivelle, Patrick (1993).The Asrama System. Oxford University Press.ISBN 978-0195083279.
• Rigopoulos, Antonio (1998).Dattatreya: The Immortal Guru, Yogin, and Avatara: A Study of the Transformative and Inclusive Character of a Multi-faceted Hindu Deity. State University of New York Press.ISBN 978-0-7914-3696-7.
• Sprockhoff, Joachim F (1976).Samnyasa: Quellenstudien zur Askese im Hinduismus (in German). Wiesbaden: Kommissionsverlag Franz Steiner.ISBN 978-3515019057.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
• Tinoco, Carlos Alberto (1996).Upanishads. IBRASA.ISBN 978-85-348-0040-2.

• Upanishads

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