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Šramana Tradition
which are highly illuminating-yatharṇavagata nadyo vyaktīr jahati náma ca nadaś ca tāni yacchanti tādṛśaḥ sattvasamkṣayaḥ || evam sati kutaḥ sam jñā pretyabhāve punar bhavet | jive ca pratisamyukte grhyamāṇe ca sarvataḥ ' These verses from the Mbh not only interpret the famous Bṛahadaranyaka passage quoted earlier but also state in philosophical language what is implied in the description of emancipation in the Upanisadic and Buddhist passages.
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At the end, the Mundaka states that this Brahmavidya should be taught only to those who have systematically followed the capital vow' (Sirovratam vidhivad yastu cīrṇam). Śankara explains 'sirovratam as' sirasy agnidhāraṇam yathā ātharvaṇānām vedavratam prasidhham.' It is not clear what is meant by tending the fire on the head. Could it mean shaving the head and being a mundaka ?
The Isopaniṣad like the Gita is seized of the contradiction between the traditional Vedic philosophy of action, ritual and moral, and the Śramanic doctrine of the renunciation of action. It asserts that if action is done from the spirit of dedication and a sense of the presence of God, action does not bind. Indeed action must not be abandoned. kurvann eveha karmāņi, jijivişec chatam samaḥ ''One must seek to live for a hundred years, all the time engaged in work.' In this way action does not stick to the soul-'na karma lipyate nare / Those who abandon action and even proceed to the extent of laying down their life must be guilty of suicide and are liable to be born in the sunless world of endless darkness. 'asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasavṛtāh/ tāms te pretyābhigacchanti ye ke catmahano janaḥ ||' Śankara interprets ātmahano janäḥ as präkṛtā avidvāmso janah. However, the earlier reference to the need of living for a hundred years suggests that atmahanah may be taken literally. In that case one may, following the late Pandit K. Chattopadhyaya, hazard the guess that the reference here may be to the Jaina practice of laying down one's life voluntarily as an extreme form of Tapas.
If we keep in mind the fact that these Upanisadic references are only occasional islands in the general stream of Upanisadic thought, we would be able to assess their significance properly. It is true that some Upanisads like Katha and Mundaka are generally aware of the doctrines of transmigration, Karman and renunciation and they contain
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