[Translated originally from the Sanskrit Sarvāstivāda Madhyamāgama to Classical Chinese by a team led by Sarvāstivāda scholar Gautama Saṃghadeva of Kāśmīra in 398CE.
Translated from the Chinese Taisho Tripiṭaka back to Sanskrit by Ramakrishnan Suryanarayanan in 2024-26.]
madhyamāgame samudayasaṃyuktavarge nirvāṇasūtraṃ caturdaśamam.
evaṃ mayā śrutam. ekasminsamaye bhagavāñchrāvastyāṃ viharati sma jetavane'nāthapiṇḍadasyārāme.
tasminsamaye bhagavānbhikṣūnāmantrayata—nirvāṇaṃ, bhikṣavaḥ, sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca nirvāṇasyopaniṣat? vimuktiriti vaktavyam. vimuktirapi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca vimukterupaniṣat? virāga iti vaktavyam. virāgo'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca virāgasyopaniṣat? nirveda iti vaktavyam. nirvedo'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca nirvedasyopaniṣat? yathābhūtajñānadarśanamiti vaktavyam. yathābhūtajñānadarśanamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca yathābhūtajñānadarśanasyopaniṣat? samādhiriti vaktavyam. samādhirapi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca samādherupaniṣat? sukhamiti vaktavyam. sukhamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca sukhasyopaniṣat? praśrabdhiriti vaktavyam. praśrabdhirapi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca praśrabdherupaniṣat? prītiriti vaktavyam. prītirapi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca prīterupaniṣat? prāmodyamiti vaktavyam. prāmodyamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca prāmodyasyopaniṣat? avipratisāra iti vaktavyam. avipratisāro'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā cāvipratisārasyopaniṣat? śīlasaṃvara iti vaktavyam. śīlasaṃvaro'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca śīlasaṃvarasyopaniṣat? indriyasaṃvara iti vaktavyam. indriyasaṃvaro'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā cendriyasaṃvarasyopaniṣat? smṛtisamprajanyamiti vaktavyam. smṛtisamprajanyamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca smṛtisamprajanyasyopaniṣat? yoniśomanasikāra iti vaktavyam. yoniśomanasikāro'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca yoniśomanasikārasyopaniṣat? śraddheti vaktavyam. śraddhāpi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca śraddhāyā upaniṣat? duḥkhamiti vaktavyam. duḥkhamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca duḥkhasyopaniṣat? jarāmaraṇamiti vaktavyam. jarāmaraṇamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca jarāmaraṇasyopaniṣat? jātiriti vaktavyam. jātirapi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca jāterupaniṣat? bhava iti vaktavyam. bhavo'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca bhavasyopaniṣat? upādānamiti vaktavyam. upādānamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā copādānasyopaniṣat? tṛṣṇeti vaktavyam. tṛṣṇāpi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca tṛṣṇāyā upaniṣat? vedaneti vaktavyam. vedanāpi sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkā. kā ca vedanāyā upaniṣat? sparśa iti vaktavyam. sparśo'pi sopaniṣatko nānupaniṣatkaḥ. kā ca sparśasyopaniṣat? ṣaḍāyatanamiti vaktavyam. ṣaḍāyatanamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca ṣaḍāyatanasyopaniṣat? nāmarūpamiti vaktavyam. nāmarūpamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca nāmarūpasyopaniṣat? vijñānamiti vaktavyam. vijñānamapi sopaniṣatkaṃ nānupaniṣatkam. kā ca vijñānasyopaniṣat? saṃskārā iti vaktavyam. saṃskārā api sopaniṣatkā nānupaniṣatkāḥ. kā ca saṃskārāṇāmupaniṣat? avidyeti vaktavyam.
iti hyavidyāpratyayāḥ saṃskārāḥ, saṃskārapratyayaṃ vijñānaṃ, vijñānapratyayaṃ nāmarūpaṃ, nāmarūpapratyayaṃ ṣaḍāyatanaṃ, ṣaḍāyatanapratyayaḥ sparśaḥ, sparśapratyayā vedanā, vedanāpratyayā tṛṣṇā, tṛṣṇāpratyayamupādānam, upādānapratyayo bhavo, bhavapratyayā jātir, jātipratyayaṃ jarāmaraṇaṃ, jarāmaraṇapratyayaṃ duḥkham. duḥkhamupaniśritya śraddhā bhavati. śraddhāmupaniśritya yoniśomanasikāro bhavati. yoniśomanasikāramupaniśritya smṛtisamprajanyaṃ bhavati. smṛtisamprajanyamupaniśrityendriyasaṃvaraḥ śīlasaṃvaro'vipratisāraḥ prāmodyaṃ prītiḥ praśrabdhiḥ sukhaṃ samādhiryathābhūtajñānadarśanaṃ nirvedo virāgo vimuktiśca bhavanti. vimuktimupaniśritya nirvāṇamadhigacchati.
idamavocadbhagavān. āttamanasaste bhikṣavo bhagavato bhāṣitamabhyanandan.
nirvāṇasūtraṃ caturdaśamaṃ samāptam.