Śvetāśvatara
Upaniṣad
ŚVETĀŚVATARA
UPANIṢAD
The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad
belongs to the Taittirīya school of the Yajur Veda. Its name is derived
from the sage who taught it, It is theistic in character and identifies the
Supreme Brahman with Rudra who is conceived as the material and the
efficient cause of the world, not only the author of the world but its
protector and guide. The elements associated with theism, Personal God and devotion to Him, which are to be met with
undoubtedly in the other Upaniṣads, become prominent in the
Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad. The emphasis is not on Brahman
the Absolute, whose complete perfection does not admit of any change or
evolution but on the personal Īśvara, omniscient
and omnipotent who is the manifested Brahman. Terms which were used by
the later Sāṁkhya philosophy occur in the Upaniṣad, but the
dualism of the Brahman, puruṣa and prakṛti,
is overcome. Nature or pradhāna is not an
independent entity but belongs to the self of the Divine,
devātma-śakti. God Is the māyin, the maker of the world
which is māyā
or made by him2
The Upaniṣad teaches the unity of the souls and the world in the one
Supreme Reality. The Upaniṣad is an attempt to reconcile the different
philosophical and religious views which prevailed at the time of its
composition.
CHAPTER
I
CONJECTURES
CONCERNING THE FIRST CAUSE
किं कारणं
ब्रह्म कुतः स्म
जाता, जीवामः केन क्व
च संप्रतिष्ट्हाः
अधिष्ट्हिताः
केन सुखेतरेष्उ
वर्तामहे ब्रह्मविदो
व्यवस्थाम् ŚU१.१
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kiṃ kāraṇaṃ
brahma kutaḥ sma jātā, jīvāmaḥ kena kva ca
saṃpratiṣṭhāḥ
adhiṣṭhitāḥ kena
sukhetareṣu vartāmahe brahmavido vyavasthām ŚU 1.1
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1.1. Those who discourse on Brahman say What is the cause? (Is it] Brahman?
Whence are we born? By what do we live? And on what are
we established? O ye who know Brahman, (tell us) presided
over by whom do we live our different conditions in pleasures and other
than pleasures (pains).
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कालः स्वभावो
नियतिर् यदृच्छा
भूतानि योनिः
पुरुष इति चिन्त्या
संयोग
एषम् न त्वात्मभावाद्
आत्माप्य् अनीशः
सुखदुःखहेतोः
ŚU1.2
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kālaḥ svabhāvo
niyatir yadṛcchā bhūtāni yoniḥ puruṣa iti
cintyā
saṃyoga eṣam na
tvātma-bhāvād ātmāpy anīśaḥ
sukha-duḥkha-hetoḥ
ŚU 1.2
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1.2. Time, inherent nature,
necessity, chance, the elements, the womb or the person (should they) be
considered as the cause? It cannot be a combination of these because of the
existence of the soul. Even the soul is powerless in respect of the cause
of pleasure and pain.
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Cintyā = Cintyam.
We are told that 'Time is a horse with seven reins ... him the knowing poets mount.'
In the same verse, it is said that 'all the worlds are his wheels.' The
creative and destructive functions of Kāla or time are brought out in the M.B.
It also asserts that there is a time-transcending
element which overcomes even time-the soul, the
living self, Jīva which is not an independent cause, but is subject to
the law of karma.
Ātmā = the soul, the living self, Jīva which is not an independent
cause, but is subject to the law of karma.
yoniḥ = the womb. prakṛti which is the mother of all possibilities in the world. The different views are
mentioned as they were suggested in the previous history of Indian thought.
The non-conscious cannot be the cause of the conscious. The conscious human being cannot be the ultimate cause for he is not the determiner of his own destiny.
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ते ध्यानयोगानुगता
अपश्यन् देवात्मशक्तिं
स्वगुणैर् निगूढाम्
यः कारणानि
निखिलानि तानि
कालात्मयुक्तान्य्
अधितिष्ठत्य्
एकः ŚU१.३
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te
dhyāna-yogānugatā apaśyan devātma-śaktiṃ
sva-guṇair nigūḍhām
yaḥ kāraṇāni nikhilāni tāni
kālātmayuktāny adhitiṣṭhaty ekaḥ ŚUp_1.3
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1.3.Those who followed
after (were devoted to) meditation and contemplation saw the self-power of
the Divine hidden in its own qualities. He is the one who rules over all
these causes from time to the soul.
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Tasyābhidhyānāt: It seems to foreshadow the praṇidhāna of the Yoga Satra I. 23. Bhakti or
devotion is a natural development
of dhyāna.VI.22
devātma-śakti: the self-power of the Divine. It is not like the prakṛti of the Sāṁkhya, independent of God.
The power,
śakti of the
Supreme,
is the
cause of the world. It is of the
nature of
the Supreme and not independent.
There is no reason, as Plotinus says, why
the spirit should remain stationary in itself. It is not impotent
as it is the source and potentiality
of all things. Enneads V. 6.
I. Nothing is lost by its creative activity.
In Plotinus,
the power of
Spirit penetrates the whole spiritual
world and the
world of souls.
sva-guṇair nigūḍhām: hidden
in its own qualities. I. The self-power of the Divine is hidden by
the qualities
of the Lord, devātmanā, Īśvara-rūpeṇa
avasthitām. S. The power of manifestation (māyā-śakti) is in the form of Īśvara, the Supreme Lord.
2. The self-power of
the Divine is hidden
by the three
qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas. It is the cause of the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the
world.
3. The qualities may
refer to the
modifications
of prakṛti, puruṣa, and Īśvara.
4. The power of the Lord to create, preserve and dissolve the world is looked upon as the
cause.
Brahman, the unconditioned Absolute, cannot be regarded as
the cause of the world. It can only be described
negatively.
So it is that the causation of the world is traced to māyā or prakṛti which is the power of Brahman conceived as Īśvara.
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THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL IN DISTRESS
तम् एकनेमिं
त्रिवृतं षोडशान्तं
शतार्धारं विंशतिप्रत्यराभिः
अष्टकैः
षड्भिर् विश्वरूपैकपाशं
त्रिमार्गभेदं
द्विनिमित्तैकमोहम् Ś.U 1.4
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tam
eka-nemiṁ trivṛtaṁ ṣoḍaśāntaṁ
śatārdhāraṁ viṁśatipratyarābhiḥ
aṣṭakaiḥ ṣaḍbhir
viśva-rūpaika-pāśaṁ tri-mārga-bhedaṁ dvini-mittaika-moham
Ś.U 1.4
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1.4. (We understand) Him (as a wheel) with one
felly, with three tires, sixteen ends, fifty spokes, twenty counter-spokes
and six sets of eights, whose one rope is manifold, which has three
different paths, whose one delusion (arises) from two causes.
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In this and the following verses, the world is compared
to a rotating
wheel or a flowing stream. Its
chief characteristic is movement and these images bring it
out.
eka-nemiṁ: with one felly. Īśvara is the one source of
the manifested world. The root cause of
the whole world described in different ways
has its locus in Īśvara.
Īśvara uses prakṛti for creation.
It is usual to describe the world as a wheel. ekam pādam nokṣipati Sanatsujātiya VI.
II.
trvrtam: with three tires, threefold. Reference is to the three guṇas sativa, rajas
and tamas.
ṣoḍaśāntaṁ: sixteen ends. Reference is
to the five
elements five
organs of
perception (Jńānedriya).
five organs of action (karmendriya) and the mind
(manas). Prakṛti and its twenty-three evolutes are
sometimes divided into two groups
of eight and sixteen. The group of eight is called prakṛti or mūla-prakṛti
and
consists of prakṛti. buddhi, aham-kāra and the five elements. The group of
sixteen called vikāra consists of
mind, the ten organs and
the five objects of the senses.
This view is accepted by Tattua-samāsa I and 2.
Sāṁkhya Kārikā divides the 24 into three groups: 1. prakrti; 2. 7 called
prakṛti-vikṛti; and 3. 16 called vikṛti. The last are called
Ṣodaśaka gaṇa (22).
This expression may refer to the sixteen Kalas mentioned in Prasna VI. I.
śatārdhāraṁ: fifty spokes. They represent the forces which
move the wheel. S mentions the five viparyayas, tamas, moha, mahā-mohas tāmisra and andhatāmisra (they may also refer to ignorance, self-love, love, hatred and fear.
Yoga Sūtra I.8; II. 2. Sāṁkhya Sūtra
III. 37); twenty-eight aśaktis or disabilities.
Samkhya
Sūtra
III. 28; the nine inversions of the tuṣṭis, satisfactions, Ibid III. 39; the eight inversions of
the siddhis
or perfections (III. 40). The various subdivisions of viparyaya, aśakti, tuṣṭi and siddhi given in Sāṁkhya Kārikā. 46 ff. form a set of fifty. See E. H. Johnston: Some Sāṁkhya and Yoga Conceptions of the śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad. Journal, of the Royal Asiatic Society, October 1940, pp. 855 ff.
pratyarābhiḥ: counter-spokes. These are the ten organs of
perception and action and their objects. Praśna IV. 8. It
may also refer to the five elements with the
five objects
of the senses and the ten organs.
See M.B. XII. 112. 38-41.
aṣṭakaiḥ
ṣaḍbhiḥ: six sets of eights. The six are I. prakṛti: with its eight
causes of the five elements,
mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), and self-sense (aham-kāra), see B.G. VII. 4;
2. dhātu: with the eight constituents of the body; 3. aiśvarya: lordship with its eight forms;
4. bhāva: eight conditions; 5. deva: gods with their eight classes; and 6. ātma-guṇa.: virtues which are also eight.
viśva-rūpaika-pāśam: whose one rope is manifold.It is desire or Karma viśva-rūpa, nānā-rūpa eka~ kāmākhyaḥ pāśaḥ. S. Viśva-rūpa is often used for the soul which
is subject to
rebirth.
tri-mārga-bhedaṁ: which has three different
paths to salvation explained as dharma, religiousness, adharma
, irreligiousness,
and
jńāna or wisdom.
moha: delusion or ignorance of sell
which is produced
by two
causes. good or bad works. Both
of them commit us to the wheel of rebirth.
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पञ्च-स्रोतोऽम्बुं
पञ्च-योन्य्-उग्र-वक्रां
पञ्च-प्राणोर्मिं
पञ्च-बुद्ध्यादि-मूलां
पञ्चावर्तां
पञ्च-दुःखौघ-वेगां
पञ्च-शद्-भेदां
पञ्च-पर्वाम्-अधीमः
1.5
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pańca-sroto'mbuṁ
pańca-yony-ugra-vakrāṁ pańca-prāṇormiṁ
pańca-buddhyādi-mūlāṁ
pańcāvartāṁ pańca-duḥkhaugha-vegāṁ
pańca-śad-bhedāṁ pańca-parvām-adhīmaḥ Ś.Up_1.5
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1.5· We
meditate on him as a river of five streams, from five sources, fierce and crooked, whose waves are the
five vital Breaths, whose original source is the fivefold perception, with five whirlpools, an
impetuous flood of five pains, divided into fifty kinds (of suffering) with five branches.
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The reality of the world and its relation to the Supreme Īśvara are brought
out here.
pańcasroto'mbuṁ: having for its water
that which
has five streams. srotas also used for sense organ.
indriya: the stream of perceptions
which each sense organ receives from
the outer world. These streams flow from the senses to the mind which
is said to have five
streams. Nilakantha identifies it with mind or manas.
Yoga Sūtra mentions the five kleśas as avidyā asmitā aśakti, rāga, abhiniveśa.
Vācaspati Miśra on Sāṁkhya
Kārikā (47) explains pańca-viparyayabedhāḥ by a quotation
from Vārṣagaṇya
Pańca-parva-vidyā .
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सर्वाजीवे
सर्वसंस्थे ब्ढन्ते
तस्मिन् हंसो
भ्राम्यते ब्रह्मचक्रे
प्ड्थग्
आत्मानं प्रेरितारं
च मत्वा जुष्टस्
ततस् तेनाम्ड्तत्वम्
एति Ś.U १.६
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sarvājīve
sarvasaṁsthe bṛhante tasmin haṁso bhrāmyate
brahmacakre
pṛthag ātmānaṁ preritāraṁ ca matvā juṣṭas
tatas tenāmṛtatvam eti Ś.U 1.6
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1.5.In this vast brahma-wheel,
which enlivens
all things,
in which all rest, the soul flutters
about thinking that the self in him and
the Mover (the
Lord) are different. Then when blessed by him, he gains life eternal.
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Both Īśvara and the individual
soul belong to the manifested world.
brahma-cakram: Gaudapada gives Brahman as a synonym for prakṛti. The soul of man is a traveler wandering in this cycle of Brahma which is huge, a totality of lives, a totality
of states, thinking itself to be different from the Impeller of the journey. The soul
reaches its goal of
immortality when it is accepted by the Supreme.
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उद्गीतम्
एतत् परमं तु ब्रह्म
तस्मिंस् त्रयं
सुप्रतिष्ठाक्षरं
च
अत्रान्तरं
ब्रह्म-विदो’विदित्वा
लीना ब्रह्मणि
तत्-परा योनि-मुक्ताः
1.7
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udgītam etat paramaṁ tu
brahma tasmiṁs trayaṁ supratiṣṭhākṣaraṁ
ca
atrāntaraṁ brahma-vido’viditvā līnā brahmaṇi
tat-parā yoni-muktāḥ
S.U. 1.7
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1.7. This
has been sung as the supreme Brahman and in it is the
triad. It is the firm support, the imperishable. The knowers
of Brahman by knowing what is therein become merged in Brahman, intent thereon and freed from birth.
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supratiṣṭhā: v. sapratiṣṭhā, svapratiṣṭhā.
brahma-vido:v. veda·vido. knowers of the Vedas.
paramam: Supreme. Prapańca-dharma-rahitam.S.
trayam: the triad, the individual soul, the
world and the cosmic lord.
bhoktā, bhogyam, preritāram. S.
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संयुक्तम्
एतत् क्षरम् अक्षरं
च व्यक्ताव्यक्तम्
भरते विश्वम्
ईशः
अनीशश् चात्मा
बध्यते भोक्त्र्-भावात्
ज्ञात्वा देवम्
मुच्यते सर्व-पाशैः
1.8
saṁyuktam etat kṣaram akṣaraṁ
ca vyaktāvyaktam bharate viśvam īśaḥ
anīśaś cātmā
badhyate bhoktr-bhāvāt jńātvā devam mucyate
sarva-pāśaiḥ S.Up_1.8
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1.8. The Lord supports all this which is a
combination of the
mutable and the immutable,
the manifest and the
unmanifest. And the soul, not being the Lord, is bound because of his being an enjoyer. By
knowing God (the soul) is freed from all fetters.
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See B.G. XV. 16-17. The later doctrine of Śaiva-siddhānta with its distinctions of Paśu, Pati, pāśa, the
creature, the lord and the bond,
is here
suggested.
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ज्ञाज्ञौ
द्वाव् अजाव्
ईशनीशाव् अजा
ह्य् एका भोक्तृभोगार्थयुक्ता
अनन्तश्
चात्मा विश्वरूपो
ह्य् अकर्ता त्रयम्
यदा विन्दते ब्रह्मम्
एतत् स्वेतुप्_१.९
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jńājńau dvāv ajāv
īśanīśāv ajā hy ekā bhoktṛ-bhogyārtha-yuktā
anantaś cātmā
viśva-rūpo hy akartā trayam yadā vindate brahmam
etat Ś.Up_1.9
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1.9. There are two unborn ones,
the knowing and the unknowing, the one all-powerful, the other powerless.
Indeed there is (another) one who is unborn,
connected with the enjoyer and the objects of enjoyment. And there is the
infinite self, of universal form, non-active, When one finds out this triad
that is Brahman.
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The
individual soul, the personal god and prakṛti
or nature are all contained in Brahman: The doctrine of the triune unity elaborated later
by Rāmānuja is suggested here. For
Rāmānuja, God is the soul of nature as well as the soul of souls.
The
distinctions of enjoyer, enjoyment, and enjoyed are contained in Brahman: bhoktṛ,bhoga-bhogya-rūpam.
S.
akartṛ: non-active. kartṛtvādi-Sāṁsāra--dharma-rahitaḥ..S. In commenting
on this verse, S makes out that the manifested world is due to the power of māyā
which is not independent of Brahman and so
does not constitute a second to it. As it is responsible for the manifested world it is not a nonentity. Its nature is indescribable.
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क्षरं प्रधानम्
अमृताक्षरं हरः
क्षरात्मानाव्
ईशते देव एकः /
तस्याभिध्यानाद्
योजनात् तत्त्वभावाद्
भूयश् चान्ते
विश्वमायानिवृत्तिः
// १.१० //
kṣaram pradhānam amṛtākṣaraṁ
haraḥ kṣarātmānāv īśate deva ekaḥ
tasyābhidhyānād
yojanāt tattvabhāvād bhūyaś cānte
viśvamāyānivṛttiḥ Ś.Up1.10
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1.10. What is perishable is the pradhāna (primary matter). What is immortal and imperishable
is Hara (the Lord). Over both the perishable and the soul the one God rules. By
meditating on Him, by uniting with Him, by
reflecting on His being more and more, there is complete cessation from the illusion of the world.
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What is
perishable is the pradhāna (primary matter). What is immortal and imperishable is Hara (the Lord). Over both the perishable and the soul the one God rules. By
meditating on Him, by uniting with
Him, by reflecting on His being more and more, there is
complete cessation from the illusion of the world.
hara: one of the names of Siva; S explains hara as one who removes ignorance. avidyāder
haraṇāt.
Salutations to Bhava or Brahma. in whom rajas preponderates for the creation of the universe, salutation to Hara
or Siva in whom tamas preponderates
for the destruction (of the universe). Salutation to Mṛḍa or Viṣṇu in whom sattva preponderates for giving
happiness
to people.
Salutation to Siva who is effulgent and beyond the three attributes.
by
meditating on him: The way by which the soul is awakened to the
divine core of his being is abhidhyāna, an intense
contemplation
of the Savior
God. It leads to contemplative union with the object and
identification with his essential reality. This
contemplation is
introspection, an
intimate worship, intuition of one's own inner being. The
embodied Jīva becomes one with God.
Viśva-māyā. illusion of the world.
When we reach Kaivalya, there IS a total cessation of the world. The contemplator rises above the cosmlc structure and attains Brahma-nirvāṇa.
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ज्ञात्वा
देवं सर्वपाशापहानिः
क्षीनैः क्लेशैर्
जन्ममृत्युप्रहाणिः
/
तस्याभिध्यानात्
तृतीयं देहभेदे
विश्वैश्वर्यं
केवल आप्तकामः
// १.११ //
jńātvā devaṁ
sarvapāśāpahāniḥ kṣīnaiḥ
kleśair janmamṛtyuprahāṇiḥ
tasyābhidhyānāt tṛtīyaṁ
dehabhede viśvaiśvaryaṁ kevala āptakāmaḥ Ś.Up 1.11
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1.11. By knowing God there is a falling off of all
fetters; when the sufferings are destroyed, there is cessation
of birth and death. By meditating
on Him, there is the
third state; on the dissolution of the body,
universal lordship; being alone,
his desire is fulfilled.
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This verse describes the
different sides and stages of liberation. Negatively it is freedom from birth and
death: positively it is oneness with Īśvara, so long as there is the manifested world and oneness with Brahman when the manifested world ceases to exist. A
distinction is made here between dhyāna or
meditation
which leads
to lordship and jńāna or wisdom which leads
to liberation.
The former, which is the contemplation of
the heart,
the rapture
of devotion, is a stage to the latter, which is the contemplation of Intelligence, the blaze of discernment. So long as the cosmic process continues the Personal Lord presides over it and the freed individual becomes a co-worker with Him. When the cosmic process terminates,
the Personal
Lord lapses into the Absolute and so does the freed individual. He knows as does the Lord that he is the manifestation the Absolute, even when he is functioning in the world.
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एतद्
ज्ञेयं नित्यम्
एवात्मसंस्थं
नातः परं वेदितव्यं
हि किञ्चित्
भोक्ता
भोग्यम् प्रेरितारं
च मत्वा सर्वम्
प्रोक्तं त्रिविधम्
ब्रह्मम् एतत् 1.12
etad
jńeyaṁ nityam evātmasaṁsthaṁ nātaḥ paraṁ
veditavyaṁ hi kińcit
bhoktā bhogyam preritāraṁ ca
matvā sarvam proktaṁ trividham brahmam etat Ś.Up. 1.12
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1.12. That Eternal which rests in the self should be
known. Truly there is nothing
beyond this to
be known. By knowing the
enjoyer, the object of enjoyment and
the mover
(of all),
everything has been said. This is the threefold
Brahman.
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The individual soul, the object
of enjoyment,
prakṛti and the Supreme Lord Īśvara are all
forms of Brahman.
ātma-saṁstham: which rests in the self.
Śiva-dharmottara says: The
Yogins see the Lord in the self and not in images.
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वह्नेर्
यथा योनिगतस्य
मूर्तिः न दृश्यते
नैव च लिङ्गनाशः
स
भूय एवेन्धनयोनिगृह्यस्
तद्वोभयं वै प्रणवेन
देहे 1.13
vahner yathā yonigatasya
mūrtiḥ
na dṛśyate naiva ca liṅganāśaḥ
sa bhūya evendhanayonigṛhyas
tadvobhayaṁ vai praṇavena dehe
Ś.Up.
1.13
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1.13· As
the form of fire when latent in its
source is not seen and yet its
seed is not destroyed, but may be seized
again and again in its source by means of
the drill, so it is in both cases, The self has to be seized in the body by means of the syllable aum.
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Fire though not seen at
first is there
all the time; it becomes visible
by friction; even
so the Self is there all the time though unperceived by those in a state of ignorance. It is perceived when by meditation
on the syllable
aum, we subdue the lower self. The vision of the Self is achieved by means
of the praṇava,
aum.
indhana: the stick used for
drilling.
yoni: the underwood in which
the stick is
drilled.
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स्व-देहम्
अरणिं कृत्वा
प्रणवं चोऽत्तरारणिम्
ध्यान-निर्मथनाभ्यासात्
देवम् पश्येन्
निगूढवत् 1.14
sva-deham araṇiṁ kṛtvā
praṇavaṁ co'ttarāraṇim
dhyāna-nirmathanābhyāsāt
devam paśyen nigūḍhavat
Ś.Up.
1.14
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1.14. By making one's body
the lower friction stick and the syllable
aum the upper friction stick, by practicing the drill (or friction) of meditation one may see the God, hidden as it were.
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In overcoming the
obstacles which prevent the realization of Brahman on the
part of the individual, suffering
is involved. We are asked to meditate on
Godhead and bring
Him out of the recesses of our heart.
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तिलेषु
तैलं दधनीव सर्पिर्
आपः स्रोतस्सु
अरणीषु चाग्निः
एवम्
आत्मा आत्मनि
गृह्यते ऽसौ सत्येनैनं
तपसा यो ऽनुपश्यति
tileṣu
tailaṁ dadhanīva sarpir āpaḥ srotassu araṇīṣu
cāgniḥ
evam ātmā ātmani gṛhyate
'sau satyenainaṁ tapasā yo 'nupaśyati Ś.Up.1.15
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1.15. As oil in
sesamum seeds, as butter in cream, as water
in riverbeds as fire in friction sticks, so is the Self seized in one's own
soul if one looks for Him with
truthfulness and austerity.
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srotas: river-bed. Usually a stream,
here the dry bed of a stream which, if dug into will yield water. .
tapasā: by austerity. The
divine in us becomes manifest only when we subject ourselves to discipline.
The divine operates in us but it requires effort
to make It shine forth. A later Upaniṣad
says that the Divine dwelling in us as ghee in milk but even as ghee is obtained after the process of churning.
the churning of the
mind 1s
necessary to reveal the inner splendor.
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सर्वव्यापिनम्
आत्मानम् क्षीरे
सर्पिर् इवार्पितम्
आत्म-विद्या-तपो-मूलं
तद् ब्रह्मोपनिषत्
परम्, तद्
ब्रह्मोपनिषत्
परम् 1.16
sarvavyāpinam
ātmānam kṣīre sarpir ivārpitam
ātma-vidyā-tapo-mūlaṁ tad
brahmopaniṣat param, tad brahmopaniṣat param Ś.Up.
1.16
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1.16. The Self which
pervades all things as butter is contained in milk which is the root of self-knowledge
and austerity. That
is the Brahman, the highest mystic doctrine.
That is the highest mystic doctrine.
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brahmopaniṣat: the mystic doctrine of Brahman.
Like butter hidden
in
milk does the eternal
wisdom dwell in each and every object;
let there be constant churning
by the churning
stick of the mind.
Brahma-bindu U.
Cp. Bhāgavata:
'When
men realize me
as present in all beings, as
latent fire is in wood, from that moment they discard confusion.
As fragrance is in the
flower, as butter in milk, as oil in sesamum seeds, as gold in the reef
of gold
(so God dwells in all objects).
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CHAPTER II.
INVOCATION TO SAVITṚ
युञ्जानः
प्रथमम् मनस्
तत्वाय सविता
धियः
अग्नेर्
ज्योतिर् निचाय्य
पृथिव्या अध्याभरत्
2.1
yuńjānaḥ
prathamam manas tatvāya savitā dhiyaḥ
agner jyotir nicāyya pṛthivyā
adhyābharat 2.1
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2.1. Savitṛ (the inspirer)
first controlling mind and thought for truth discerned
the light of Agni (Fire) and brought it out of the earth.
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The five introductory verses are taken from Taittirīya Saṁhitā
IV. I.
I. I—5.
The Upanisads claim to continue
the tradition of the Vedas. It is an
established convention
in Indian thought to make out that
the greatest
innovations
are only the developments of the old. Even the Buddha said that his teaching was
only a restatement of the
four ancient truths, Catvāri
ārya-satyāni. See Dhammapada, Introduction.
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युक्तेन
मनसा वयं देवस्य
सवितुः सवे
सुवर्गेयाय
शक्त्या 2.2
yuktena manasā vayaṁ
devasya savituḥ save
suvargeyāya śaktyā 2.2.
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2.2. With mind controlled we are under the
command of the divine Savitṛ that we
may have strength for (obtaining) heaven.
|
Suvargeyāya:
for (obtaining) heaven.
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युक्त्वाय
मनसा देवान् सुवर्यतो
धिया दिवम्
बृहज् ज्योतिः
करिष्यतस् सविता
प्रसुवाति तान्
2.3
yuktvāya manasā
devān suvaryato dhiyā divam
bṛhaj jyotiḥ kariṣyatas
savitā prasuvāti tān 2.3.
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2.3. May Savitṛ,
having controlled through thought the gods that rise up to the bright heaven, inspire them
to make a
great light to shine.
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युञ्जते
मन उत युञ्जते
धियो विप्रा विप्रस्य
बृहतो विपश्चितः
वि होत्रा
दधे वयुनाविद्
एक इन् मही देवस्य
सवितुः परिष्टुतिः 2.4
yuńjate mana uta yuńjate dhiyo viprā viprasya bṛhato
vipaścitaḥ
vi hotrā dadhe vayunāvid eka in
mahī devasya savituḥ pariṣṭutiḥ 2.4
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2.4. The sages of the great all-knowing control their mind and control their thoughts. The one who knows the law has ordered the ceremonial
functions. Great is
the praise of the
divine Savitṛ.
|
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ŚVETᾹŚVATARA
UPANIṢAD
Translation
and Comment By Dr. Radhakrishnan
Sanskrit Text
and Transliteration by Veeraswamy Krishnaraj
युजे वाम्
ब्रह्म पूर्व्यम्
नमोभिर् वि श्लोक
एतु पथ्य् एव सूरेः
शृण्वन्तु
विश्वे अमृतस्य
पुत्रा आ ये धामानि
दिवियानि तस्थुः 2.5
yuje vām brahma pūrvyam namobhir vi śloka
etu pathy eva sūreḥ
śṛṇvantu viśve amṛtasya
putrā ā ye dhāmāni diviyāni tasthuḥ 2.5
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2.5. I join your ancient prayer with adoration. Let my verse
go forth like the path of the sun.
May all the sons of the Immortal
listen,
even those who have
reached
their heavenly abodes.
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amṛtasya
putrāḥ: sons of the immortal.
Cp, 'Ye are all children of light and the
children of the
day.'
I Thessalonians V. 5; Hebrews III. 6.
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अग्निर्
यत्राभिमथ्यते
वायुर् यत्राधिरुध्यते
सोमो यत्रातिरिच्यते
तत्र संजायते
मनः 2.6
agnir yatrābhimathyate vāyur
yatrādhirudhyate
somo yatrātiricyate tatra saṁjāyate
manaḥ 2.6
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2.6. Where the fire is kindled, where
the wind
is directed,
where the
soma flows over, there the mind is born.
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Mind is born where the routine or automatism is broken.
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सवित्रा
प्रसवेन जुषेत
ब्रह्म पूर्व्यम्
तत्र योनिं
कृणवसे न हि ते
पूर्तम् अक्षिपत्.
2.7
savitrā prasavena juṣeta brahma pūrvyam
tatra yoniṁ kṛṇavase
na hi te pūrtam akṣipat 2.7
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2.7. With Savitṛ as the inspirer, one should delight m the ancient prayer. Make your
source (dwelling)
there. Your work will not affect you.
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THE PRACTICE
OF YOGA
त्रिरुन्नतं
स्थाप्य समं शरीरं
हृदीन्द्रियाणि
मनसा संनिवेश्य
ब्रह्मोडुपेन
प्रतरेत विद्वान्
स्रोतांसि सर्वाणि
भयावहानि 2.8
trirunnataṁ sthāpya samaṁ
śarīraṁ hṛdīndriyāṇi manasā saṁniveśya
brahmoḍupena pratareta
vidvān srotāṁsi sarvāṇi bhayāvahāni
2.8
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2.8. Holding the body steady with
the three
(upper
parts, chest,
neck and head) erect, causing the senses and the mind to enter into the heart, the
wise man should cross
by the boat
of Brahman all the streams
which cause fear.
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See B.G. VI. 13.
saṁniveśya
v. saṁnirudhya. .
trīṇi: three, urogrīvaśirāṁsi,
chest, neck and head. S. At the time
of meditation we
must hold the trunk, the head and
the neck in a
straight line. The
theory of āsanas or postures is a development of this view. The control of the senses by means of mind answers to
the later pratyāhāra.
Body, mind and spirit form one
whole and
here what IS known as bodily prayer is mentioned.
Brahma: the syllable aum.
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प्राणान्
प्रपीड्येह संयुक्त-चेष्टः
क्षीने प्राणे
नासिकयोऽच्छ्वसीत
दुष्टाश्व-युक्तम्
इव वाहम् एनं विद्वान्
मनो धारयेता प्रमत्तः
2.9
prāṇān prapīḍyeha saṁyukta-ceṣṭaḥ
kṣīne prāṇe nāsikayo' cchvasīta
duṣṭāśva-yuktam
iva vāham enaṁ vidvān mano dhārayetā pramattaḥ
2.9
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2.9. Repressing
his breathings
here (in
the body). let him who
has controlled all movements, breathe through
his nostrils, with
diminished breath; let the wise
man restrain his mind vigilantly as (he
would) a chariot
yoked with vicious horses.
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See B.G. V. 27. The verse refers to prāṇāyāma or breath-control.
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समे शुचौ
शर्करा-वह्नि-वालुका-विवर्जिते
शब्द-जलाश्रया-दिभिः
मनोऽनुकूले
न तु चक्षु-पीडने
गुहा-निवाताश्रयणे
प्रयोजयेत् 2.10
same śucau
śarkarā-vahni-vālukā-vivarjite
śabda-jalāśrayā-dibhiḥ
mano'nukūle na tu cakṣu-pīḍane
guhā-nivātāśrayaṇe prayojayet 2.10
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2.10. In a level clean place, free
from pebbles, fire and gravel, favorable to thought by
the sound of water and other features, not offensive to the eye, in
a hidden retreat
protected
from the wind, Jet
him perform his exercises (let
him practice
Yoga).
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See B.G. VI. II; Maitrī VI. 30.
The importance of physical surroundings is brought out here.
Kūma Purana mentions jantuvyāpta
and saśabda. as unfitting a place for meditation. 11. II; M.B. says -nirjane vane, XIV.
567; also nadípulinaśāyī, nadītīraratiś ca. XIII. 6473. The place
for meditation should be noiseless and not
noisy. śabda
is said to
be a mistake
for sadā,
a place green with young
grass.
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नीहार धूमार्कानिलानलानां
खद्योत-विद्युत्-स्फटिक-शशीनाम्
एतानि रूपाणि
पुरस्सराणि ब्रह्मण्य्
अभिव्यक्तिकराणि
योगे 2.11
nīhāra
dhūmārkānilānalānāṁ
khadyota-vidyut-sphaṭika-śaśīnām
etāni rūpāṇi
purassarāṇi brahmaṇy abhivyaktikarāṇi yoge
–2.11
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2.11. Fog, smoke,
sun, wind,
fire, fireflies,
lightning, crystal
moon, these are the preliminary forms
which produce
the manifestation of Brahman in Yoga.
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l We read in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra: 'In his exercise, the
Yogin sees (imaginatively) the
form of the
sun
or the moon
or something looking
like a lotus,
or the underworld or various forms such as
skyfire and
the like. When all these are put aside and there is a state of imagelessness, then a condition in conformity with suchness (bhūta-tathatā) presents itself and the
Buddhas will come together from all their countries and
with their shining
bands will touch the head of the
benefactor.'
At first
appears a sign like that of a star, then gradually appear a diamond mirror, thereafter a full lunar circle, thereafter a circle of the lustre of the nine germs, thereafter the midday sun, thereafter a circle of flame, then a crystal, a black circle, a dot,
sound, digit, star, sun, lamp, eye, the lustre of gold and nine gems are seen.
l Mystics speak of visions and auditions. Truth is seen through the mirror of human reflection. The
mind of
man is limited by
the nature of its
possessor, by
the kind of
man he is.
What
thinks is the man, not the mind. Our senses make definite what is in its nature indefinite. We reduce the
invisible to our level. As we cannot for long dwell on the heights without suffering from vertigo,
we descend
to the sense world and use images belonging to it. Though God transcends all forms,
He may still use them and convey His
presence
through them. These images are sent to comfort and instruct us.
l This verse makes out that the images are not the subjective activities of the human self. Besides, many of these visions have a symbolic character. The words and
phrases we use to describe impressions which external things make upon us are employed to describe the events of our
spiritual life. It is a process of spiritual materialization. Truths of the spiritual
life cannot be adequately represented except through symbols. Saint Hildegrand
(1098-1180) had
visions and she repeatedly assures us: 'These visions which
I saw
I beheld
neither in sleep nor in dream, nor in madness nor with my carnal eyes, nor with the ears of the flesh,
nor
in hidden places; but wakeful, alert, with the
eyes
of the spirit and with the inward ears I perceived them in open view and
according
to the will of God.
And
how
this was compassed is hard indeed for human flesh to search out: Quoted in Studies in The History
and
Method
of
Science,
edited
by Charles Singer (1917), p. 53. Suso, Theresa, Muhammad and many others had these
visions.
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पृथ्व्यप्तेजोऽनिलखे
समुत्थिते पञ्चात्मके
योग-गुणे प्रवृत्ते
न तस्य रोगो
न जरा न मृत्युः
प्राप्तस्य योगाग्नि-मयं
शरीरम् 2.12
pṛthvyaptejo'nilakhe samutthite pańcātmake
yoga-guṇe pravṛtte
na tasya rogo na jarā na mṛtyuḥ
prāptasya yogāgni-mayaṁ śarīram --2.12
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2.12. When the fivefold quality
of Yoga is
produced, as earth, water, fire, air and ether arise, then there is no longer sickness
no old age, no death to
him who has obtained a body made of the fire of Yoga.
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This verse and the next emphasize the
physical aspects of Yoga. Through Yoga
we try to build up
a healthy and clean body. We attempt to make
the very substance
of our body incorruptible. Four stages
of yoga, ārambha, ghaṭa, paricaya and
niṣpatti are
described m verses
13, 14, 15 and 16
respectively. In securing bodily health we
have the commencement of the yoga, yoga-pravṛtti. In attaining freedom from sorrow we reach
the second stage.
In the third stage traces of duality disappear, mahā-sūnyaṁ tato bhāti
sarva-samāśrayam. In the fourth stage there
is the identity of
the individual with the Supreme
Self. The Yogin does not
become disembodied. The elements
composing his body are
elevated to the level of their subtleness,
sukṣmatva. He leaves his gross body and attains an indefectible
one. It is a
consciousness-body akin to that of the Supreme with whom the contemplator has Identified himself through meditation.
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लघुत्वम्
आरोग्यम् अलोलुपत्वम्
वर्ण-प्रसादं
स्वर-सौष्ठवं
च
गन्धस्
शुभो मूत्रपुरीषम्
अल्पं योग-प्रवृत्तिम्
प्रथमां वदन्ति
2.13
laghutvam
ārogyam alolupatvam varṇa-prasādaṁ svara-sauṣṭhavaṁ
ca
gandhas śubho mūtrapurīṣam
alpaṁ yoga-pravṛttim prathamāṁ vadanti --2.13
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2.13· Lightness, healthiness, steadiness clearness of complexion, pleasantness
of voice, sweetness of odor, and slight excretions, these, they say, are the
first results of the progress of yoga.
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THE VISION OF GOD
यथैव
बिम्बं मृदयोऽ
पलिप्तं तेजोमयम्
भ्राजते तत् सुधान्तम्
तद्
वात्मतत्त्वम्
प्रसमीक्ष्य
देही एकः कृतार्थो
भवते वीत-शोकः
2.14
yathaiva bimbaṁ mṛdayo' paliptaṁ
tejomayam bhrājate tat sudhāntam
tad vātmatattvam prasamīkṣya
dehī ekaḥ kṛtārtho bhavate vīta-śokaḥ
--2.14
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2.14· Even as
a mirror stained by dust shines brightly when
it has been cleaned, so the embodied
one when he has seen the (real) nature of the Self becomes integrated, of fulfilled purpose and freed
from sorrow.
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यदात्म-तत्त्वेन
तु ब्रह्म-तत्त्वं
दीपोपमेनेऽह
युक्तः प्रपश्येत्
अजं
ध्रुवं सर्व-तत्त्वैर्
विशुद्धं ज्ञात्वा
देवम् मुच्यते
सर्व-पाशैः 2.15
yadātma-tattvena
tu brahma-tattvaṁ dīpopamene'ha yuktaḥ prapaśyet
ajaṁ dhruvaṁ sarva-tattvair
viśuddhaṁ jńātvā devam mucyate sarva-pāśaiḥ
--2.15
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2.15· When by means of the (real) nature
of his self he sees as by a lamp here the
(real)
nature of Brahman. by knowing
God who is unborn, steadfast, free from all natures; he is released from
all fetters.
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THE IMMANENCE OF GOD
एष ह देवः
प्रदिशो ऽनु सर्वाः
पूर्वो ह जातः
स उ गर्भे अन्तः
स एव जातः
स जनिष्यमाणः
प्रत्यङ् जनांस्
तिष्ठति सर्वतो-मुखः 2.16
eṣa ha devaḥ pradiśo
'nu sarvāḥ pūrvo ha jātaḥ sa u garbhe antaḥ
sa eva jātaḥ sa janiṣyamāṇaḥ
pratyaṅ janāṁs tiṣṭhati sarvato-mukhaḥ
--2.16
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2.16. He, indeed, is the God
who pervades all regions, He is the first-born
and he is within the womb. He has been born and
he will be
born. He stands opposite
all persons, having his face in all directions.
|
See Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā, 32. 4· .
pūrvo hi jātaḥ: is the first born as Hiraṇya-garbha.
|
yo devo agnau yo apsu yo viśvam bhuvanam
āviveśa
ya oṣadhīṣu yo
vanaspatīṣu tasmai devāya namo namaḥ --2.17
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2.17. The God who is in fire, who is in water, who has
entered into
the whole world (the God), who is in
plants, who
is in trees, to that God
be adoration, yea, be
adoration.
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CHAPTER III
THE HIGHEST REALITY
य एको जालवान्
ईशत ईशनीभिः सर्वान्
लोकान् ईशत ईशनीभिः
य एवैक उद्भवे
संभवे च य एतद्
विदुर् अमृतास्
ते भवन्ति 3.1
ya eko jālavān īśata
īśanībhiḥ sarvān lokān īśata
īśanībhiḥ
ya evaika udbhave saṁbhave ca ya
etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanti—3.1
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3.I. The one who spreads
the net, who rules with his ruling powers,
who rules
all the worlds with his ruling powers, who remains one
(identical), while (things or works) arise and continue
to exist, they
who know that
become immortal.
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jālavān: who spreads the net. Ś identifies jāla or net with māyā.
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एको हि रुद्रो
न द्वितीयाय तस्थुर्
य इमान् लोकान्
ईशत ईशनीभिः
प्रत्यङ्
जनान् तिष्ठति
संचुकोचान्त-काले
संसृज्य विश्वा
भुवनानि गोपाः 3.2
eko hi rudro na dvitīyāya tasthur ya imān
lokān īśata īśanībhiḥ
pratyaṅ janān tiṣṭhati
saṁcukocānta-kāle saṁsṛjya viśvā
bhuvanāni gopāḥ --3.2
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3.2. Truly Rudra is one, there is no place
for a second, who rules all these worlds
with his ruling powers. He
stands opposite creatures. He, the protector, after creating all worlds, withdraws them
at the end of time.
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l The Highest Reality is identified with Rudra who is assigned the three
functions of creation, protection or maintenance and dissolution.
l In RV. Rudra is the personification of the destructive powers
of nature, exemplified in storms and lightning. In the later portions of the Veda he is described as Śiva, the auspicious, as Mahādeva, the great god. Even in the R.V. it is said that
he dwells in mountains, that he has braided
hair, that he wears a hide.
l pratyan: opposite. He lives as pratyag-ātman.
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विश्वतश्
चक्षुर् उत विश्वतो
मुखो विश्वतो
बाहुर् उत विश्वतस्-पात्
/
सम् बाहुभ्यां
धमति सम्पतत्रैर्
द्यावा-भूमी जनयन्
देव एकः 3.3
viśvataś cakṣur uta viśvato mukho
viśvato bāhur uta viśvatas-pāt /
sam bāhubhyāṁ dhamati
sampatatrair dyāvā-bhūmī janayan deva ekaḥ-- 3.3
|
3.3. That one God who has an eye
on every side, a face on every side, an arm on
every side, a foot on every side, creating heaven and earth forges them
together by his arms and his wings.
|
Ś means by it samyojayati, he joins men with arms and birds with wings.
bāhubhyām: with arms. As it is in the dual number,
Saṁkarānanda takes it
for dharma and adharma.
patatraiḥ: with wings. Saṁkarānanda
means by it the five chief elements.
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यो देवानां
प्रभवश् चोद्भवश्
च विश्वाधिपो
रुद्रो महर्षिः
हिरण्य-गर्भं
जनयामास पूर्वं
स नो बुद्ध्या
शुभया सम्युनक्तु
3.4
yo devānāṁ prabhavaś codbhavaś
ca viśvādhipo rudro maharṣiḥ
hiraṇya-garbhaṁ
janayāmāsa pūrvaṁ sa no buddhyā śubhayā
samyunaktu –3.4
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3.4 He who is the source and
origin of the gods, the
ruler of all, Rudra, the great seer, who of
old gave birth to the golden
germ (Hiraṇya-garbha), may He endow us with clear understanding.
|
See IV. 12
Hiraṇya-garbha is the person
endowed with clear Ideas.
In verse 3. the stress is on the cosmic
form Virāt Svarūpa; here on the cosmic spirit, the
world-soul,
Hiraṇya-garbha.
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PRAYERS TO RUDRA
या ते रुद्र
शिवा तनूर् अघोरापापकाशिनी
तया नस्
तनुवा शन्तमया
गिरिशन्ताभिचाकशीहि 3.5
yā te rudra śivā tanūr
aghorāpāpakāśinī
tayā nas tanuvā
śantamayā giriśantābhicākaśīhi –3.5
|
3.5. Rudra, your body which is auspicious,
unterrifying, showing no evil―with
that most benign body, O dweller in the mountains, look upon (manifest yourself to) us.
|
For this and the
following verse, see Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā XVI.2-3.
auspicious body: this is not identical with his
absolute reality. It IS analogous to
the Buddhist dhamakāya.
|
याम् इशुं
गिरिशन्त हस्ते
बिभर्ष्य् अस्तवे
शिवां
गिरित्र तां कुरु
मा हिंसीः पुरुषं
जगत् 3.6
yām iśuṁ
giriśanta haste bibharṣy astave
śivāṁ giritra tāṁ
kuru mā hiṁsīḥ puruṣaṁ jagat—3.6
|
3.6. O
Dweller among the mountains, make auspicious the arrow
which thou holdest in thy hand to throw. O Protector of the
mountain, injure
not man or beast.
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puruṣam asmadīyam jagad api kṛtsnam. S. the human and the other than human.
|
KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUPREME AS THE WAY TO ETERNAL LIFE
ततः परम्
ब्रह्म परम् बृहन्तम्
यथा-निकायं सर्व-भूतेषु
गूढम्
विश्वस्य्
ऐकं परिवेष्टितारम्
ईशं तं ज्ञात्वामृता
भवन्ति 3.7
tataḥ param brahma param bṛhantam
yathā-nikāyaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu gūḍham
viśvasy aikaṁ pariveṣṭitāram
īśaṁ taṁ jńātvāmṛtā bhavanti—3.7
|
3.7.
Higher than this is Brahman, the supreme, the
great hidden in
all creatures according to their bodies,
the one who envelopes the universe, knowing Him, the Lord, (men) become immortal.
|
tataḥ
param: higher than this. This may refer to the Vedic God Rudra or the manifested
world. The reference
here is to Īśvara who is higher than Hiraṇya-garbha and Virāṭ-rūpa to the
indwelling Lord,
antaryāmin, to the Supreme Personal
God, Parameśvara.
|
वेदाहम्
एतम् पुरुशम्
महान्तम् आदित्य-वर्णं
तमसः परस्तात्
तम् एव विदित्वा
अतिमृत्युम्
एति नान्यः पन्था
विद्यतेऽ यनाय 3.8
vedāham etam puruśam mahāntam āditya-varṇaṁ
tamasaḥ parastāt
tam eva viditvā atimṛtyum eti
nānyaḥ panthā vidyate' yanāya—3.8
|
3.8. I know the
Supreme Person of sunlike color (luster) beyond the darkness. Only
by knowing Him does one pass over death. There is no other path for going there.
|
See VI. 15; B.G. VIII.
9. nānyaḥ
panthā: no other path. Panthā, the way, the path; panthikṛt
= the road-maker.
ayanāya: for going (to salvation).
The sage Śvetāśvatara
says that he has seen the Supreme who dwells beyond all darkness, that he has crossed the world of samsara.
|
यस्मात्
परं नापरम् अस्ति
किञ्चिद् यस्मान्
नाणीयो न ज्यायोऽस्ति
किञ्चित् /
वृक्ष
इव स्तब्धो दिवि
तिष्ठत्य् एकस्
तेनेऽदम् पूर्णं
पुरुषेण सर्वम् 3.9
yasmāt
paraṁ nāparam asti kińcid yasmān nāṇīyo na
jyāyo 'sti kińcit /
vṛkṣa iva stabdho divi tiṣṭhaty
ekas tene'dam pūrṇaṁ puruṣeṇa sarvam--3.9
|
3.9.
Than whom there is naught else higher, than whom there is naught smaller, naught greater, (the) one stands like a
tree established in heaven, by Him, the Person, is this whole universe
filled.
|
See Kaṭḥa
VI.1.
divi: in heaven, dyotanātmani sve mahimni, S; established in his own
greatness.
|
ततो यद्
उत्तरतरं यद्
अरूपम् अनामयम्
य एतद् विदुर्
अमृतास् ते भवन्ति,
अथेतरे दुःखम्
एवापियन्ति 3.10
tato yad uttarataraṁ yad arūpam anāmayam
ya etad vidur amṛtās te
bhavanti, athetare duḥkham evāpiyanti—3.10
|
3.10. That which is beyond this world is without form and without suffering. Those who know that
become immortal, but others go
only to
sorrow.
|
THE COSMIC PERSON
सर्वानन-शिरो-ग्रीवः
सर्व-भूत-गुहाशयः
सर्व-व्यापी
स भगवान् तस्मात्
सर्व-गतस् शिवः 3.11
sarvānana-śiro-grīvaḥ
sarva-bhūta-guhāśayaḥ
sarva-vyāpī sa bhagavān
tasmāt sarva-gatas śivaḥ--3.11
|
3.11. .He who is in the faces,
heads and necks
of all, who dwells in the cave (of the heart) of all beings, who is all-pervading, He
is the Lord and therefore the
omnipresent
Śiva.
|
See R.V. X. 81. 3: X. 90. I.
S explains Bhagavat
by citing the verse in translation:
He who has the six qualities of complete lordship, righteousness,
fame, prosperity, wisdom and renunciation
is Bhagavān.
|
महान् प्रभुर्
वै पुरुषः सत्त्वस्यैष
प्रवर्तकः
सुनिर्मलाम्
इमाम् प्राप्तिम्
ईशानो ज्योतिर्
अव्ययः 3.12
mahān prabhur vai puruṣaḥ sattvasyaiṣa
pravartakaḥ
sunirmalām imām prāptim
īśāno jyotir avyayaḥ--3.12
|
3.12. That person indeed
is the great Lord, the impeller of the highest being. (He has the power of) reaching the purest
attainment,
the
ruler, the imperishable light.
|
sattva: highest being. For S the internal organ, antaḥ-karaṇa.
|
अङ्गुष्ठ-मात्रः
पुरुषोऽन्तरात्मा
सदा जनानां हृदये
सन्निविष्टः
हृदा
मन्वीशो मनसाभिकॢप्तो
य एतद् विदुर्
अमृतास् ते भवन्ति 3.13
aṅguṣṭha-mātraḥ puruṣo'ntarātmā
sadā janānāṁ hṛdaye sanniviṣṭaḥ
hṛdā manvīśo
manasābhikḷpto ya etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanti—3.13
|
3.13. A person of the measure of a thumb is the inner self, ever dwelling in the heart of men. He is the lord of the knowledge
framed by
the heart and the mind. They who know that become immortal.
|
manvīso: the lord of knowledge. jńāneśaḥ. S. v. manīṣā,,
by thought.
This reading hṛdāmanīṣā manasābhikḷpto is adopted by Saṁkarānanda,
Nārāyaṇa and Vijńāna-bhikṣu.
|
सहस्र-शीर्षा
पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः
सहस्र-पात्
स भूमिं
विश्वतो वृत्वा
अत्य् अतिष्ठद्
दशाङ्गुलम् 3.14
sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ
sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt
sa bhūmiṁ viśvato vṛtvā
aty atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam—3.14
|
3.14. The person has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. He surrounds the earth on all sides and stands ten fingers' breadth beyond.
|
See R.V. X. 90. I.
daśāṅgulam: ten fingers' breadth. anantam, apāram. S. endless
shoreless. Though the Supreme manifests Himself in the cosmos He
also transcends It.
|
पुरुष एवेदं
सर्वम् यद् भूतं
यच् च भव्यम्
उतामृतत्वस्येशानो
यद् अन्नेनातिरोहति 3.15
puruṣa evedaṁ sarvam yad bhūtaṁ
yac ca bhavyam
utāmṛtatvasyeśāno
yad annenātirohati—3.15
|
3.15· The person
is truly his whole world,
whatever has
been and whatever will be. He is also the lord of immortality
and whatever grows up by food.
|
See R.V. X. 90. 2.
Śayaṇa explains
that
he is the lord of all the
immortals, i.e. the gods, because
they grew to their high estate by means of food.
|
सर्वतः पाणि-पादं
तत् सर्वतोऽक्षि-शिरो-मुखम्
सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्
लोके सर्वम् आवृत्य
तिष्ठति 3.16
sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato'kṣi-śiro-mukham
sarvataḥ śrutimal loke
sarvam āvṛtya tiṣṭhati—3.16
|
3.16. On every side it has a hand and
a foot, on every side an eye, a head and a face. It has an ear everywhere. It stands
encompassing all in the world.
|
See B.G. XIII. I3.
|
सर्वेन्द्रिय-गुणाभासं
सर्वेन्द्रिय-विवर्जितम्
सर्वस्य
प्रभुम् ईशानं
सर्वस्य शरणं
बृहत् 3.17
sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ
sarvendriya-vivarjitam
sarvasya prabhum īśānaṁ
sarvasya śaraṇaṁ bṛhat.—3.17
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3.17· Reflecting the qualities of all the senses and yet devoid of all the senses, It is the lord and ruler, it is the great refuge of all. Refer to B.G.VIII.14.
|
नव-द्वारे
पुरे देही हंसो
लीलायते बहिः
वशी सर्वस्य
लोकस्य स्थावरस्य
चरस्य च. 3.18
nava-dvāre pure dehī haṁso
līlāyate bahiḥ
vaśī sarvasya lokasya
sthāvarasya carasya ca.—3.18
|
3.18. The embodied soul
in the city
of nine gates sports [moving to and
fro) in the outside (world), the controller of the whole world, of the stationary and the moving.
|
See Katha, V. I; B.G. V. I3.
haṁsa; soul. It is the Universal Spirit.
|
अ-पाणि-पादोजवनो
ग्रहीता पश्यत्य्
अचक्षुः स शृणोत्य्
अकर्णः
स वेत्ति
वेद्यं न च तस्यास्ति
वेत्ता, तम्
आहुर् अग्र्यं
पुरुषम् महान्तम्. 3.19
a-pāṇi-pādojavano
grahītā paśyaty acakṣuḥ sa śṛṇoty
akarṇaḥ
sa vetti vedyaṁ na ca
tasyāsti vettā, tam āhur agryaṁ puruṣam
mahāntam.—3.19
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3.19. Without foot
or hand, (yet) swift and grasping,
he sees without eye, he hears without
ear.
He knows whatever is to be
known; of him there is none who knows. They call him the Primeval, the Supreme Person.
|
अणोर् अणीयान्
महतो महीयान्
आत्मा गुहायां
निहितोऽस्य जन्तोः
तम् अक्रतुम्
पश्यति वीत-शोको
धातुः प्रसादान्
महिमानम् ईशम्. 3.20
aṇor aṇīyān mahato
mahīyān ātmā guhāyāṁ nihito'sya jantoḥ
tam akratum paśyati vīta-śoko
dhātuḥ
prasādān mahimānam īśam.—3.20
|
3.20. Subtler than the subtle, greater than the great is
the
Self that is set in the cave of the (heart) of the creature. One beholds Him as being
actionless
and becomes
freed from sorrow, when through the
grace of the
Creator he
sees the Lord
and His majesty.
|
See Taittirīya Āraṇyaka X.
10.1.
akratum: being actionless. viṣaya-bhoga-saṁkalpa-rahitam.S.
dhātuḥ
prasādāt: through the grace of the Creator.
dhātu
prasādāt: through the clarity
born of sense-control. Sense organs are said
to be dhātu.
|
वेदाहम्
एतम् अजरम् पुराणं
सर्वात्मानं
सर्व-गतं विभुत्वात्
जन्म-निरोधम्
प्रवदन्त्य्
यस्य ब्रह्मवादिनोऽभिव
दन्ति नित्यम्. 3.21
vedāham etam ajaram purāṇaṁ
sarvātmānaṁ sarva-gataṁ vibhutvāt
janma-nirodham pravadanty yasya
brahmavādino'bhiva
danti nityam.—3.21
|
3.21. I know this undecaying,
ancient (primeval) Self of all, present in everything on account of infinity. Of whom they declare, there is stoppage of
birth. The expounders of Brahman proclaim
Him to be eternal.
|
janma-nirodham: stoppage of birth.
.
For whom the
foolish think
there
are birth and death.
Nārāyaṇa
Dīpikā
suggests a reading,janma-nirodham na vadanti
yasya. For whom birth and
death are not spoken.
.
Sometimes it is used for the creation and destruction of the world.
This chapter
makes out that the Impersonal that the Personal Brahman and Īśvara are not two different entities but the same in two aspects.
|
CHAPTER IV
THE ONE GOD OF THE MANIFOLD WORLD
य
एकोऽवर्णो बहुधा
शक्ति-योगाद्
वर्णान् अनेकान्
निहितार्थो दधाति
विचैति
चाऽन्ते विश्वम्
आदौ स देवः स नो
बुद्ध्या शुभया
सम्युनक्तु 4.1
ya
eko'varṇo bahudhā śakti-yogād varṇān
anekān nihitārtho dadhāti
vicaiti cā'nte viśvam ādau sa
devaḥ sa no buddhyā śubhayā samyunaktu—4.1
|
4.1. He who is one, without
any color, by the manifold exercise of his power distributes many colors in his hidden purpose and into whom in the beginning and
at the end the universe is gathered, may He endow us with a clear under standing.
|
avaraṇaḥ: devoid of determinations, nirviśeṣaḥ .S.
nihitārthaḥ:
in his hidden purpose. Without any motive
or personal interest.
ante: in the end. V. śānte. The world was inactive, unmanifest before creation.
|
तद् एवाऽग्निस्
तद् आदित्यस्
तद् वायुस् तद्
उ चन्द्रमाः
तद् एव शुक्रं
तद् ब्रह्म तद्
आपस् तत् प्रजापतिः 4.2
tad evā'gnis
tad ādityas tad vāyus tad u candramāḥ
tad eva śukraṁ tad brahma tad
āpas tat prajāpatiḥ--4.2
|
4.2. That indeed is Agni (fire),
that is Ᾱditya
(the sun), that is Vāyu (the wind) and that is the moon. That, indeed, is the pure. That is Brahmā. That is the
waters. That is Prajā-pati (the lord of creation).
|
See Vājasaneyi Saṁhitā, XXXII. I.
This verse occurs in Mahānārāyaṇa U.
This
verse indicates that the different
Vedic gods are not
independent but are forms of the One Supreme.
tad: that,
self-nature. ātma-tattvam. S.
śukram: pure,
alternatively the starry firmament.
S makes Brahma, Hiraṇya-garbhātmā and Prajā-pati
virād-ātmā.
Vijńānabhikṣu
makes out that the Supreme through the power of māyā created the manifestations
and entered into them and is called by their names.
|
त्वं स्त्री
त्वम् पुमान्
असि त्वं कुमार
उत वा कुमारी
त्वं जीर्णो
दण्डेन वञ्चसि
त्वं जातो भवसि
विश्वतोमुखः 4.3
tvaṁ strī tvam pumān asi tvaṁ
kumāra uta vā kumārī
tvaṁ jīrṇo daṇḍena
vańcasi tvaṁ jāto bhavasi viśvatomukhaḥ--4.3
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4.3. You are woman. You are man. You are the
youth and the maiden too. You, as an old man,
totter along
with a staff.
Being born you become
facing in every direction.
Atharva
Veda, X.8.27
|
नीलः पतङ्गो
हरितो लोहिताक्षस्
तडिद्-गर्भ ऋतवः
समुद्राः /
अनादिमत्
त्वं विभुत्वेन
वर्तसे यतो जातानि
भुवनानि विश्वा.—4.4
nīlaḥ pataṅgo harito lohitākṣas
taḍid-garbha ṛtavaḥ samudrāḥ /
anādimat tvaṁ vibhutvena vartase
yato jātāni bhuvanāni viśvā.—4.4
|
4.4. You are the dark-blue bird; you are the green (parrot) with red eyes. You are (the cloud) with
the lightning in
its womb. You are the seasons and the seas. Having no
beginning you
abide through omnipresence. (You) from whom all worlds are born.
Patańgaḥ = bird. Brahmaraḥ
= bee. Ś
|
THE UNIVERSAL SELF AND THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL
अजाम् एकां
लोहित-शुक्ल-कृष्णां
बह्वीः प्रजाः
सृजमानां सरूपाः
/
अजो ह्य्
एको जुषमाणोऽनुशेते
जहात्य् एनां
भुक्त-भोगाम्
अजोऽन्यः 4.5
ajām ekāṁ lohita-śukla-kṛṣṇāṁ
bahvīḥ prajāḥ sṛjamānāṁ
sarūpāḥ /
ajo hy eko juṣamāṇo'nuśete
jahāty enāṁ bhukta-bhogām ajo'nyaḥ--4.5
|
4.5. The One unborn,
red, white
and black,
who produces manifold offspring
similar in form (to herself),
there lies the
one unborn (male) delighting. Another unborn gives her up, having had his enjoyment.
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Red, white and black =
Reference
is either to fire (tajas),
water (ap), and earth (anna), or the
three guṇas, rajas, sattva, and tamas
of prakṛti. Rajas = passion. Sattva = virtue. Tamas =
darkness.
The one she-goat, red, white and black in time produces many young
like herself.
For the red, white, and black colors: where
everything in the universe is said to
be connected with the three elements, the
red of fire, the white of water, the black of food or of earth. It is the order of creation when
the Absolute
first produced heat, then water,
then earth in the shape of food. The
first unborn is he who is ignorant and therefore subject
to the influence of prakṛti. The second unborn is he who has overcome his ignorance and is therefore
free from bondage to prakṛti.
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द्वा सुपर्णा
सयुजा सखाया समानं
वृक्षम् परिषस्वजाते
तयोर् अन्यः
पिप्पलं स्वाद्व्
अत्त्य् अनश्नन्न्
अन्योऽभिचाकशीति 4.6
dvā suparṇā sayujā
sakhāyā samānaṁ vṛkṣam pariṣasvajāte
tayor anyaḥ pippalaṁ svādv
atty anaśnann anyo'bhicākaśīti
4.6
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4.6. Two birds companions (who are) always
united, cling to the self-same tree. Of these two the one eats the sweet fruit, and the other looks on without eating.
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Our being in time is an encounter of empirical existence and
transcendent reality.
The eternal in itself and the eternal in the empirical flux
are companions. The world is the meeting-point of that which is eternal
and that which
is manifested in time. Man as an object of necessity, a content of scientific
knowledge, is different from man
as freedom.
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समाने वृक्षे
पुरुषो निमग्नोऽनीशया
शोचति मुह्यमानः
जुष्टम्
यदा पश्यत्य्
अन्यम् ईशम् अस्य
महिमानम् इति
वीत-शोकः 4.7
samāne vṛkṣe puruṣo nimagno'nīśayā
śocati muhyamānaḥ
juṣṭam yadā paśyaty
anyam īśam asya mahimānam iti vīta-śokaḥ--4.7
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4.7. On the sell-same tree, a person immersed (in the
sorrows of the world) is deluded and grieves on account of his helplessness. When he sees
the
Other, the Lord who is worshipped and His greatness, he becomes freed from sorrow.
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M.U. III. I. 2. In verse 6, the cause of sorrow is traced to the sense of helplessness induced
in us when we are lost in the objective universe: in verse 7
freedom from sorrow is traced
to our getting
beyond object-thinking into
contact with
real being.
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ऋचोऽक्षरे
परमे व्योमन्
यस्मिन् देवा
अधि विश्वे निषेधुः
यस्
तं न वेद किं ऋचा
करिष्यति य इत्
तद् विदुस् त इमे
समासते 4.8
ṛco'kṣare
parame vyoman yasmin devā adhi viśve niṣedhuḥ
yas taṁ na veda kiṁ ṛcā
kariṣyati ya it tad vidus ta ime samāsate—4.8
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4.8. For him
who does not know that indestructible being of the Ṛg Veda,
whereon in the highest heaven all the gods
reside, of what avail is the
Ṛg Veda to him? They, indeed, who know that rest fulfilled.
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R.V. I. I64· 39; Taittirīya Āraṇyaka II. II. 6. The Vedas
are intended to lead to the realization
of the Supreme. For those who study them without
undergoing the inward
discipline, they are not of much use.
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छन्दांसि
यज्ञाः क्रतवो
व्रतानि,
भूतम् भव्यम्
यच् च वेदा वदन्ति
अस्मान्
मायी सृजते विश्वम्
एतत् तस्मिंस्
चान्यो मायया
संनिरुद्धः 4.9
chandāṁsi
yajńāḥ kratavo vratāni, bhūtam bhavyam yac ca
vedā vadanti
asmān māyī sṛjate
viśvam etat tasmiṁs cānyo māyayā saṁniruddhaḥ--4.9
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4.9. The Vedas, the sacrifices, the rituals, the observances,
the past, the future and
what the Vedas declare, all this the maker
sends forth out
of this, in this the other is confined by
māyā.
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the other: the individual soul. The whole world proceeds from
the imperishable Brahman. The actual creator
is Īśvara, the Personal God, who
is acting through his power of māyā,
devātma-śakti.
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मायां तु
प्रकृतिं विधि,
मायिनं तु
महेश्वरम्
तस्यावयव-भूतैस्
तु व्याप्तं सर्वम्
इदं जगत् 4.10
māyāṁ tu prakṛtiṁ vidhi,
māyinaṁ tu maheśvaram
tasyāvayava-bhūtais tu vyāptaṁ
sarvam idaṁ jagat—4.10
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4.10. Know then that prakṛti is māyā and the wielder of māyā is the Great Lord. This whole world is pervaded by beings that are parts of Him.
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The Sāṁkhya
prakṛti
is
identified with the māyā of the Vedānta. The Upaniṣad attempts to reconcile the views of the Sāṁkhya and the Vedānta.
Īśvara and Śakti are regarded as the parents of the universe. Cp. the following verses:-
'Only when united with Śakti has Siva power to manifest; but without her, the God cannot even stir.'
Again, 'O Father-Mother, this world of ours was created by | |