Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad

Discoursers on Brahma (brakma-vadzn) say: —

Time (kald), or inheient natuie (sva-lhava)^ or necessity (niyah\

Those who have followed after meditation (dhyana) and absti ac-

We understand him [as a wheel] with one felly, with a tuple3

The ten senses (tndriya) and their ten corresponding objects.

In this which vitalizes all things, which appears in all things,

This has been sung as the supreme Brahma.

That which is joined together as perishable and imperishable, As manifest and unmanifest — the Lord («0, Potentate) supports

There are two unborn ones: the knowing [Lord] and the

The world, the individual soul, and the cosmic Soul.

By knowing God (deva) there is a falling off of all fetters; With distresses destroyed, there is cessation of birth and death. By meditating upon Him there is a third stage at the dissolution

That Eternal should be known as present in the $dt(atma$a?h$tha). Tiuly there is nothing higher than that to be known. When one lecogmzes the enjoyer, the object of enjoyment, and

As the material form (niurti} of fire when latent in its source

By making one's own body the lower friction-stick And the syllable Om the upper friction-stick, By practising the friction of meditation (dhyana\ One may see the God (deva} who is hidden, as it weie.

As oil in sesame seeds, as butter in cream,

Savitri (the Inspirer), first controlling mind And thought for truth,

With mind controlled, we are

With mind having controlled the powers

The sages of the great wise sage

This stanza also =RV. TO. 13,1 ; VS. n. 5* Lines a, b, c with slight variants = AV. 1 8. 3. 39 b, c,d,

Where the fire is being kindled, Where the wind is applied theieto, Where the Soma overflows. There is inspiration (manas) born.

With Savitri as the inspirer

Holding his body steady with the three [upper paits2] erect, And causing the senses with the mind to enter into the heait, A wise man with the Brahma-boat should cross over

In a clean level spot, free from pebbles, fire, and gravel, By the sound of water and other propinquities Favorable to thought, not offensive to the eye,

Fog, smoke, sun, fire, wind, Fire-Mies, lightning, a crystal, a moon — These are the preliminary appearances,

When the fivefold quality of Yoga has been produced, Arising from earth, water, fire, air, and space,4

Lightness, healthiness, steadiness,6

Even as a mirror stained by dust

When \\ith the nature of the self, as \\ith a lamp,

This stanza «= VS 32. 4.

"With variants this stanza^RV. 10 81. 3; ¥8:17. 19; AV. 13. 2. 26; TS.

Having an eye on every side and a face on every side, Having an arm on every side and a foot on eveiy side, The One God forges1 together with hands, with wings, Creating the heaven and the earth 2

He who is the source and origin of the gods, The ruler of all, Rudra, the great seer,

The form of thine, 0 Rudra, which is kindly (hva), Unternfying, revealing no evil —

0 dweller among the mountains, the arrow Which thou holdest in thy hand to throw Make kindly (hva), O mountain-protector ! Injure not man or beast '

Higher than this5 is Brahma. The Supreme, the Great, Hidden in all things, body by body,

I know this mighty Person (Purusha)

Than whom there is naught else higher,

That which is beyond this world

Who is the face, the head, the neck of all, Who dwells in the heart of all things,

A mighty lord (prabhu] is the Person,

A Person of the measure of a thumb is the inner soul (antar-

The Pei son has a thousand heads, A thousand eyes, a thousand feet, He surrounds the eaith on all sides, And stands ten fingers' breadth beyond.5

The Person, in truth, this whole world is, Whatever has been and whatever will be ; Also ruler of immortality,

Seeming to possess the quality (guna) of all the senses, It is devoid of all the senses I l

Though in the nine-gated city2 embodied,

Without foot or hand, he is swift and a seizer ! He sees without eye; he hears without ear!

More minute than the minute, greater than the great,

I know this undecaying, primeval

The first two lines occnr as BhG. 13. 14 a, b.

That is, in the body, cf. Katha 5. i and BhG. 5. 13.

This stanza^TA. 10. 10. i (=Mahanar. io. i, or in the Atharva Recension . 3), and also, with slight variation, Katha 2. 20.

Thou art the dark-blue bird and the green [parrot] with red eyes. Thou hast the lightning as thy child. Thou art the seasons and

With the one unborn female, red, white, and black/ Who produces many creatures like herself, There lies the one unboin male4 taking his delight. Another unborn male5 leaves her with whom he has had his delight.

Two birds, fast bound companions, Clasp close the self-same tree.

On the self-same tree a person, sunken, Grieves for his impotence, deluded;

That syllable of the sacred hymn (re, Rig- Veda) whereon, in

This stanza = Mund. 3. i. 2.

Now, one should know that Nature (Prakriti) is illusion

He who is the source and origin of the gods,

Who is the oveilord of the gods,

More minute than the minute, in the midst of confusion The Creator of all, of manifold forms, The One embracer of the universe — 5 By knowing Him as kmdh (hva) one attains peace forever,

He indeed is the protector of the world in time. The overlord of all, hidden m all things,

By knowing as kindly (siva) Him who is hidden in all things, Exceedingly fine, like the cream that is finer than butter, The One embracer of the universe —

That God, the All-woiker, the Great Soul (mahatman), Ever seated in the heart of creatures,

Not above, not across,

His form is not to be beheld.

With the thought 'He is eternal!' A certain one in fear approaches. O Rudra, that face of thine which is propitious — With that do thou protect me ever!

Injure us not in child or grandchild, noi in life' Injure us not in cattle! Injure us not in horses! Slay not our strong men in anger, 0 Rudra1 With oblations ever we call upon thee.1

In the imperishable, infinite, supreme Brahma are two things; For therein are knowledge and ignorance placed hidden. Now, ignorance is a thing perishable, but knowledge is a

[Even] the One who rules over every single source, All forms and all sources;

That God spreads out each single net [of illusion] manifoldly^ And draws it together here in the world.3

As the illumining sun shines upon All regions, above, below, and acioss, So that One God, glorious, adorable, Rules over whatever creatures are born from a womb.

The source of all, who develops his own natme, Who brings to maturity whatever can be ripened. And who distributes all qualities (guna) —

That which is hidden in the secret of the Vedas, even the

Whoever has qualities (guna, distinctions) is the doer of deeds

He is of the measure of a thumb, of sun-like appearance, When coupled with conception (samkalpa) and egoism (ahamkard). But with only the qualities of intellect and of self, The lowei [self] appeais of the size of the point of an a\\l

This living [self] is to be known as a part Of the hundiedth part of the point of a hair Subdivided a hundredfold;

Not female, nor yet male is it; Nor yet is this neuter. Whatever body he takes to himself, With that he becomes connected.

Coarse and fine, many in number,

Him who is without beginning and without end, in the midst

Him who is to be apprehended in existence, who is called

As the First Cause— as in i. 2. See Introduction, p. 8.

He by whom this whole world is constantly enveloped

Reading cetta instead of the tautologous ceta, ' observer.1

He begins with works which are connected with qualities (guna\ And distributes all existences (bhdva)? In the absence of these (qualities) there is a disappearance of

He creates this woik, and rests again.

Compare the similar line 5. 5 c.

Him who is the supreme Mighty Loid (mahesvara) of lords,

The same list of five cosmic elements as in 2. 12 b.

Of Him there is no ruler in the \\orld,

The one God, hidden in all things, All-pervading, the Inner Soul of all things,

The one controller of the inactive many, Who makes the one seed manifold —

Him who is the constant among the inconstant, the intelligent

The sun shines not there, nor the moon and stars; These lightnings shine not, much less this [earthly] fire! After Him, as He shines, doth eveiy thing shine.

The one soul (hamsa) in the midst of this woild —

Consisting of That, immortal, existing as the Lord, Intelligent, omnipresent, the guardian of this world, Is He who constantly rules this world.

To Him who is without parts, without activity, tranquil

When men shall roll up space As it were a piece of leather,1 Then will theie be an end of evil Apart from knowing God !

The supreme mysteiy in the Veda's End (Vedanta), Which has been declared in former time,

To him who has the highest devotion (bhakti) for God, And for his spiritual teacher (guru) even as foi God, To him these matters which have been declared Become manifest [if he be] a gieat soul (maMfman) —