Om! Complete That, complete this¹. From the complete, the complete is taken.
Complete, the complete arrives, the complete only remains. OM! Peace! Peace! Peace!

1. Complete That, complete this – Ishavasya and other Upanishads belonging to the White Yajur Veda are preceded and concluded by Shanti Mantra (roughly translated as "Calming Mantra"), expressing the idea of the integrity and inseparability of all that exists. In the technical language of Vedanta, the words "That" and "this" have special meanings. "This" (idam) denotes the manifested world, "That" (adah) denotes the transcendental, unmanifested Brahman. In order to preserve the internal rhyme of the mantra, a slight rearrangement of its parts was made during translation, especially since in Sanskrit the order of words is basically free.

1. OM! Lords² the veil envelops³ everything⁴ this, happening in happening. So be content with renunciation⁵, do not seek any wealth⁶.

2. Lord – isha ("Seeking" in Sanskrit) is often left untranslated by Indian commentators, although, as a rule, they agree that this word has a more personified connotation than Atman or Brahman. We will take the liberty of assuming that the traces of this ancient Indo-Aryan word are the augmentative suffixes in the Russian language -иша, -исче; an honorary addition to the patronymic -ich, which was a mark of distinction for the upper classes of Russian society up until the mid-19th century (see here and here); the name Isha recorded in sources, as well as the word "ish!", which has degenerated into irony in common parlance, in constructions like "ish, what a cunning (brave, strong, etc.)!".

3. ...covered with a veil... – according to the following comments to Shankara, the word "veil" here denotes the world, qualitative changes of Nature as opposed to God. The word "covered" expresses the idea that the Lord is both beyond and has properties.

4. Everything – sarvam. In Indian philosophy it denotes the Universe.

5. ...be content with renunciation... – tradition claims that this verse refers to the duty of a sannyasin. Renunciation is a means of Self-existence, by which the bliss inherent in each one is achieved. A sannyasin is required to be content with renunciation itself, as opposed to worldly people who are content with the satisfaction of desires. It seems to me that this is a very important practical instruction, for many who have entered the path of perfection understand renunciation as breaking all ties and giving up all actions. But such a violent and painful break, not accompanied by the joy of renunciation, leads to a breakdown and the opposite result.

6. ...one should not seek any wealth - another language is powerless to convey the meanings of this part of the verse that “flicker” in the mind of one who knows Sanskrit. Due to the polysemy of Vedic words and the closeness of their sounds, the following concomitant chain of meanings is possible: “one should not greedily sweat-excitedly sparkle with goodness.”

...some... – translation by A.Ya. Syrkin "foreign" diverges from the traditional and, as it seems, reduces the highest philosophical idea to the level of an ethical prohibition "do not steal".

2. He who does deed only here⁷ (in this world) may live a hundred years⁸, but for you there is no other (world), (except for that where) deed does not stick to a person⁹.

7. He who does deeds only here... - According to Shankara, the first hemistich refers to those who are not capable of complete renunciation and immersion in the Self (Atman) and therefore must honor Him with correct labor, by which one can achieve purification of the mind and thereby - final knowledge.

Here is the usual designation of this world, in contrast to the other.

Deeds – according to Sharvananda, this refers, first of all, to the sacred duties of a householder, in particular agnihotra (maintaining the sacred fire), but also to all selfless labors.

8. One hundred years is the full term of human life, according to the Vedas.

9. According to some commentators, the second hemistich refers to the path of action without desire for the fruits, developed later by the Bhagavad-gita.

... does not stick – na... lipyate.

3. The violent¹⁰ are those destinies, blindly covered by darkness¹¹; There, after death, follow those suicidal people¹².

10. Violent – asuryaa (from the verb as – “to be”). In the Vedas, the asuras are not yet absolutely negative superbeings, but, according to the commentators, are distinguished by their attachment to sensual pleasures.

11. Blindly covered by darkness... (see also verses 9 and 12) – this refers to the darkness of ignorance as opposed to the light given by Self-realization, knowledge of Atman.

12. Suicides – the definition speaks not so much of those who killed the body, as of those who destroyed the Self – the essence of man, Atman. Such spiritual suicides after death, according to the commentators, receive a bad incarnation.

4. Motionless, alone, thoughts alive with wondrous¹³ unattainable, the first to slip away¹⁴, standing, it overtakes others running, Seasoned¹⁵ libation into it¹⁶ delivers .¹⁷

13. Divnye – devaa – Shankara interprets as “feelings”. This interpretation is followed by many later commentators.

14....eludes... – arshat. Another meaning of the word is “unfading ».

15. Hardened – maatarishvan. Epithet name of Fire or Wind, the etymologies of which vary greatly depending on the accepted base and division words: "(son) of a dog mother", probably with astral symbolism, or from the Indo-European hmataris - designation of a piece of wood or obtaining a sacrificial fire with the symbolism of intercourse. (This translation attempts to combine both meanings with the maximum approximation to the sound of the Vedic word.) Interpreters believe that this name here denotes cosmic energy – praana or suutraatman.

16. Libation – apas (cf. ar< /i> – "water"). Often interpreted as karma, or people's deeds.

5. It moves, it does not move, it is far, it is close, it is inside this Universe, it is outside this Universe.¹⁸

18. The combination of opposite manifestations in the description of the Supreme Being is intended to destroy the insurmountable division of the manifested world and lead to the integrity of understanding. This verse once again indicates that Brahman is both with properties ( saguna) and without properties (nirguna).

6. But whoever sees all beings in Himself alone and Himself in all beings, does not turn away from here.

7. If He, who does not beget, produced all beings as if He Himself, what error is there in this? What is the grief of the one-seeing?¹⁹

19. In verses 6-7 it is said about the one who has reached the Self (Atman) and describes his psychological state, which is not affected by changes in the "body-consciousness" system.

8. He is everywhere spread out – incorporeal, clear, invulnerable, without veins, undefiled by evil, prophetic, thinking, omnipresent, self-existent, who has established things as they should be for ever.²⁰

20. Swami Satyananda regards this mantra as a description of the experience of the highest state of consciousness, or Atman, in samadhi, but, following Shankara, he emphasizes mainly the negative characteristics of the type "not this, not that" (neti, neti). Supporters of parinamavada – the theory of the real, and not imaginary, emergence of the world from Brahman – characterize the latter as a positive , endowed with qualities and all-encompassing (saprapancha) principle, the negative characteristics of which show the absence of imperfections, finitude and partiality in Brahman, and not the fullness of its manifestation, etc. An unbiased approach to the text allows us to see in this passage the inseparability of the positive and negative aspects of the Supreme Essence.

9. Those who worship the unknown fall into blind darkness; then – as²¹ into even greater darkness, who in the known²² enjoyed.

21. ...as if... – iva. In some commentaries following Shankara, this word is not highlighted.

22. Unknown, known – avidyaa, vidyaa. Some commentators believe that vidyaa here means theoretical knowledge of Brahman, obtained by study. Satyananda Kaulacharya believes that vidyaa here is devataajnaana, knowledge of deities and rituals, and avidya is karma, human deeds.

10. It is said thus: different (than) the known, different (than) the unknown – this is what has been heard from the wise²³, who have explained this to us.

23. ... the wise... – dhiraalnaam. Vedic dhira includes in its semantic field the concepts of "restrained", "constant".

11. Known and unknown – who knows both together, having overcome death with the unknown, attains immortality with the known.

24. Immortality – amr[i]ta. All commentators agree that immortality is knowledge or, what is the same, realization of Brahman.

12. Those who revere the unmanifest fall into blind darkness. Then, as if into even greater darkness, those who delighted in the manifest.²⁵

25. According to Shankara, the unmanifest (asambhuuti) is the prakr[i]ti or maayaa, the unconscious primeval cause of the Universe in the state of equilibrium before creation, sambhuuti and means the hiranyagarbha (golden egg or golden embryo), the first manifestation of Brahman. It is also known by other names: brahma, suutraatman, karyaabrahman etc. Maya, the play or magic of Brahman, causes His first manifestation (hiranyagarbha) at the beginning of the cycle, which sets the entire Universe in rotation.

13. It is said thus: different (than) the manifest, different (than) the unmanifest – this is what was heard from the wise, that they explained this to us.²⁶

26. Shankara says that the result of worshipping sambhuuti or sambhaava (hiranyagarbha) is the attainment of the eight yogic powers, and worshipping asambhuuti or asambhaava (identified with Nature) is dissolution in nature (which Vivekananda considered the greatest danger for a yogi) (i.e. moksha proper, as opposed to samarasa).

14. Appearance and disappearance – whoever knows both together, by disappearance, having conquered death, by appearance attains immortality.²⁷

27. Uvatacharya's interpretation of this verse is interesting. He believes that "appearance" (sambhuuti) here means Brahman, the cause of all creations, and "disappearance" (vinaasha) – the destructible body. In general, his understanding is this: the yogi who knows both Brahman and the body attains immortality by the knowledge of Brahman, having overcome death by the works performed by the body, which is itself a derivative of knowledge. (See Sharvananda, p. 19.)

15. The face of truth is covered with a golden cup²⁸, That is You³⁰, the Magnificent³¹, open it to him who holds to the truth to see!

28. ...with a golden cup... – hiranmaena paatrena. Translation by A.Ya. Syrkina's "golden disk" seems to somewhat flatten the striking volume and depth of this expression: in the Vedic worldview, the world is spherical rather than linear. In the word hiranmaena, the sound consonance hints at the word maayaa – "haze", "illusion", "magic".

29. In many Vedic Upanishads it is advised to reflect on Brahman in the sun, heart and eye, for these places are associated with a special manifestation of divine glory.

30. That is you – tattvam. The followers of Vedanta, who revere this Upanishad as one of the most important, understand this word as tat+tvam, thereby expressing the idea of the identity of the Transcendental and the personal, the idea of the unity of the world, only imagined by the multiple. In the epic, the word tattvam means "That state", i.e. a constituent element of the universe by analogy with sattva (from sat – "being").

31. Lush – puushan (from puush – “to feed”, “to flourish”, “to grow”, “to swell”) – one of the synonymous names of the deity-producer, patron of herds and roads, who also carries solar functions. Eight hymns are addressed to Pushan in the Rigveda, mostly in the VI mandala. Dayananda Saraswati translates his name as “Nourishing”, B.L. Smirnov – as "The Breadwinner".

16. Magnificent, Single³², Twin, Sun, Son of the Transformer³³, spread³⁴ rays, increase the brilliance! This is your most beautiful appearance that (I) see, I am the first to do this³⁵.

32. Single – it is interesting to compare the Vedic word ekarshi with derivatives from the Greek "royal" (eka – one). Translation by A.Ya. Syrkin – "the only rishi". Traditional commentators understand this word as "the only (heavenly) horse" or his proper name. A connection with the plot is possible, according to which the White Yajurveda was told to Yajnavalkya by the sun, appearing in the form of a horse, which also, apparently, has astral symbolism.

33. ...The Sun, the son of the Transformer... – suurya praajapatya. Cf. in the "Tale of Bygone Years": "The Sun, the Caesar, the son of Svarog, who is Dazhdbog."

34. ...spread... – vyuuha. In later Vedanta, the theory of vyuha (spreads, emanations) began to be used to explain the creation of the manifested world by the transcendental Brahman.

35. ...The first one is me – purushah so'ham. From the vast semantic field of the Vedic purushah, for the Russian translation the meaning was chosen that combines the idea of primacy, headship (from pur – “to go ahead”, “to overtake”, “to lead”) with a partial etymological connection and consonance, as it seems, reflected in the Old Russian name of the deity Perun, as well as in the English and French title “peer”. It denotes the masculine principle, which in Sankhya and in the Patanjali yoga theory based on it became a definition of pure consciousness, close to the Christian concept of “spirit”. So'ham is one of the most famous mantras, the constant pronunciation and comprehension of which leads to the removal of the separation of object and subject.

17. The wind unstoppable, immortal now this flesh, which is finished by ashes,³⁶ OM! Performer, remember what was accomplished,³⁷ remember! Performer, remember what was accomplished, remember!

36. That is, after the burning of the body on the cremation pyre, it dissipates in space. Cf.: "Ashes will be our body, and the spirit will flow like soft air, and our life will pass like the feet of a cloud" ("Wisdom of Solomon", 2.3, from the manuscript Bible of Gennady, 1499).

37. Doer (krato), remember what has been done (kr[i]tam) – Satyananda Kaulacharya considers the entire second line to be sankalpa. Sankalpa (willful attitude, decision) is one of the technical methods of yoga, especially yoga nidra. The purpose of this sankalpa is the transfer of consciousness through the oblivion of death to a better embodiment, and ideally to the absence of such (cf. Bhagavad Gita8.6). Krata is understood by many commentators as "mind".

18. O Fire!³⁸ wondrous, knowing the milestones! Lead us by the good path to paradise³⁹, Turn away from us the swerving sin⁴⁰, we will render the greatest glory to you!

38. Fire – agne. This mantra exactly corresponds to the first verse of the Rigveda hymn addressed to Agni (1.189). By it the dying person (or those around him) addresses Fire as Devata, to whom sacrifices are made from birth and who delivers sacrifices to the Supreme Lord, Ishvara.

39. ...by good means... – supatha. This refers to devayaana, the path of the gods (or, otherwise, archimaarga, the path of light) in contrast to pitr[i]yaana, the path of the ancestors (or dhuumimaarga, the smoky path, the path of darkness).

Paradise – raaye. The ancient Russian word "Paradise" (if we do not associate it exclusively with the Christian worldview) is quite similar to the Vedic word in sound, meaning and context of the last verses of the Upanishad. Most often, raaya is translated as "wealth", but such a translation seems to contradict the content of the first mantra (however, ancient Indian wisdom successfully reconciles contradictions).

40. The sin of evasion is juhuraanaam eno. In the Monier-Williams dictionary, the word juhuraana is understood as a synonymous name for the moon (from the verb hvri – "to incline", "to bend"). This meaning seems more precise, fuller and deeper than the meaning of the common translation "seductive" or "deceptive", since the device dhvani hints at the idea of the Upanishads, that those leaving this world by the path of their ancestors go to the moon, which holds the ignorant and forces them to be born again (see, for example, Kaushitaki Up. 1.2).

OM! Complete That, complete this. From the complete the complete is taken, from the complete the complete arrives, the complete only remains.

OM! Peace! Peace! Peace!