ABSTRACT
The Mundaka Upanisad is a verse text, traditionally ascribed to the Atharvaveda. This Upanisad does not form an integral part of an older Vedic text, but its association with Atharvaveda is nevertheless more than a purely formal one. Purusa is the inner atman of all beings, but he is also the creator of the universe: From him are born life breath and mind. And all sense organs, Sky, wind, fire, water. And that earth that carries everything. Purusa is even identified as the ultimate cause of brahman itself: When a sage sees that purusa, of golden hue, The creator, the Lord, the source of brahman, Then shaking off good and evil, free from stain, He obtains the highest identity. Overall, the idea of atman, the inner self of a person, is not as prominent in the Mundaka Upanisad as the concepts of purusa and brahman.
