Upanishads

Shvetashvatara Upanishad

Krishnayajurveda
group of Upanishads – pure Vedanta

Part One

1. Those who discuss Brahman tell:

What is the cause? [Is it] Brahman? Where are we born? What do we live by? And where are we founded?

Knowers of Brahman, [tell] – by whom, guided by us, do we exist in the change of happiness and other [circumstances]?

2. Time, self-nature, necessity, chance [the primary] elements, purusha – should they be considered the source?

But their combination is not [this source] because of the nature of Atman – after all, Atman is powerless before the cause of happiness and unhappiness.

3. Those who followed meditation and yoga saw the power of the divine essence, hidden [by its] own properties,

That alone rules all these causes connected with time and the Atman.

4. Her [we worship as a wheel] with one rim of three parts, sixteen ends, fifty spokes, twenty opposite spokes.

With six eights, with one manifold bonds, dividing into three paths, with one error from two causes.

5. We worship her as a river with five arms, five sources, powerful, winding, whose waves are the five breaths, whose origin is the five senses.

With five whirlpools, with five rushing streams of misery, divided into fifty [kinds] and five parts.

6. In this great wheel of Brahman, all-vivifying, all-embracing, the "swan" wanders.

Thinking of the Atman and the Mover of the various; beloved of them, he goes to immortality.

7. This is sung as the supreme Brahman, in it is the triad, [it is] firmly founded and imperishable.

The knowers of Brahman, having learned what [is] contained in it, merge in Brahman; devout to it, [they] are liberated from birth.

8. The Lord supports all this combination of the perishable and the imperishable, the manifested and the unmanifested.

Not being the Lord, the [individual] Atman is bound, for by nature [it is] perceiving. Having known the deity, he is freed from all bonds.

9. [There are] two unborn – the knowers and the ignorants, the lord and the non-lord, for one, the unborn, is connected with the perceiving and the perceived object.

And [there is also] the infinite Atman, which accepts all forms, inactive. When [a person] finds the triad, it is Brahman.

10. The perishable is pradhana, the immortal and imperishable are Hara. The perishable and the Atman are ruled by one god.

By thinking about him, by union [with him], by abiding in [his] essence gradually [ceases] and in the end all delusion disappears.

11. When God is known, all bonds fall away, with the destruction of suffering, birth and death disappear.

By thinking about it, the third [state] is [attained], with the disintegration of the flesh - mastery over everything, the solitary one achieves [the fulfillment] of desires.

12. One should know this eternal, abiding in the Atman; nothing should be known except it.

In thinking about the perceiver, the perceived in the Mover, everything is expressed. This is the triple Brahman.

13. As the form of fire, hidden [in its] source, is not visible, [but] its basis does not perish

And it is again obtained in [its] source [with the help of] wood - so, verily, in both cases [the Atman is realized] in the body with the help of pranava.

14. Having made his body the [upper] arani and the pranava the lower arani,

By the diligent friction of contemplation [man] will see God, like the hidden [fire].

15. As sesame oil in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water in the bed of a river, and fire in pieces of wood,

Thus does he realize the Atman in himself who looks upon it in truth and penance.

16. [He realizes] the Atman, pervading everything, like butter in cream, -

The root of self-knowledge and penance. This is the highest Upanishad of Brahman! This is the highest Upanishad of Brahman!

Part Two

1. Savitar, who first bridled the mind and thought for the sake of the essence,

Having comprehended the light of fire, he carried it over the earth.

2. With the mind bridled, we are in the power of Savitar,

For the sake of strength to reach heaven.

3. Having bridled the mind, [having reached] the gods going to heaven, with thought [having reached] the heavens,

Savitar urges [the gods], creating the great light..

4. The priests of the great wise priest bridle the mind and bridle the thought.

The one knowledgeable in the regulations prescribed the sacrificial ceremonies. Truly great is the praise of the god Savitar.

5. With praise I join your ancient prayer. Let the verse move, like the sun, on [its] path.

Let all the sons of the immortal listen [to it] - who have reached the divine dwellers.

6. Where fire is produced by friction, where the wind rises,

Where soma flows, there the mind is born.

7. Encouraged by Savitar, let [man] rejoice in the ancient prayer.

Make [your] source there, and former deeds will not strike you.

8. Raising the three parts, holding the body straight, enclosing the senses and the mind in the heart,

Let the wise man cross on the boat of Brahman across all the streams that carry fear.

9. Holding his breath here, let the one who has mastered [his] movements breathe with a weak breath through the nostrils.

Let the wise man, without distraction, govern his mind, as if it were a cart drawn by bad horses.

10. On a level, clean [place], free from pebbles, fire, sand; with its own sounds, water and other

Conducive to reflection, not offensive to the eye; in a hidden shelter, protected from the wind, let him devote himself to the exercises.

11. Fog, smoke, sun, wind, fire, fireflies, lightning, crystal, moon -

These preliminary images are manifestations in Brahman during [the exercises] of yoga.

12. When with the appearance of earth, water, fire, wind, space the fivefold property of yoga develops,

Then there is no disease, no old age, no death for him who has obtained a body from the flame of yoga.

13. Lightness, health, equanimity, a clear complexion, a harmonious voice,

A pleasant smell, an insignificant amount of urine and feces - these, they say, are the first manifestations of yoga.

14. Just as a mirror soiled with dust shines brightly again when it is cleansed,

So, verily, one endowed with a body, having seen the essence of the Atman, becomes one, having attained the goal, free from suffering.

15. When with the essence of [his] Atman, as if endowed with a lamp, he sees the essence of Brahman,

Then, having known the unborn, permanent, free from all essences god, he gets rid of all bonds.

16. Verily, this is the god, [who dwells in all the countries of the world, he is born in the beginning and he is within the womb.

He is born, he will be born, he stands before people, facing in all directions.

17. To the God who is in fire, who is in water, who has permeated the whole world,

Who is in plants, who is in trees, to that God - worship, worship!

Part Three

1. Who knows him who is one, who spreads the net, who holds by the powers of dominion, who holds all the worlds by the powers of dominion,

Who is one in the origin and abiding [of the world], - they become immortal.

2. For Rudra, who holds these worlds by the powers of dominion, is one - [the sages] do not hold to the second.

He stands before men; having created all the worlds, he, the shepherd, rolls [them] up at the end of time.

3. [Having] an eye everywhere and a face everywhere, a hand everywhere and a foot everywhere,

Having created heaven and earth, the one god forges [them] with his hands and wings.

4. [He] who is the lord and creator of the gods, the universal lord, Rudra, the great

Who gave birth in the beginning to the golden embryo, - may he endow us with [the ability] to clearly understand!

5. Your beneficent form, Rudra, is not terrible, does not show evil, -

Look at us with this peace-bearing form, dweller of the mountains!

6. The arrow that [you], dweller of the mountains, hold in your hand to throw [it], -

Make it beneficent, guardian of the mountains, do not harm man and animal!

7. Above this is Brahman, the supreme, the great, hidden in all beings, in the body of each,

The One, embracing the universe, - having known this lord, they become immortal.

8. I know this purusha, great, the color of the sun, [located] on the other side of darkness, -

Only having known him, [a person] goes beyond death; there is no other path [that could be] followed.

9. Above whom there is nothing, less or greater than which there is nothing,

The One, he stands like a tree established in the sky; this purusha fills this entire [world] .

10. Without form, free from suffering is that which is above this [world];

Those who know this become immortal, others attain only misery.

11. Dwelling in all faces, heads, necks, in the secret place [of the heart] of all beings,

He is the all-pervading, the lord and therefore the omnipresent Shiva.

12. Verily, this Purusha is the great ruler, the moving force of existence;

Immaculate is this attainment [of him, he] is the lord, the imperishable light.

13. Purusha, the size of a thumb, constantly dwelling within the body, in the heart of people,

Is realized by the heart, by the mind, by the intellect. Those who know him become immortal.

14. The Purusha with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand legs -

Having surrounded the entire earth, he extends ten fingers above it.

15. This Purusha is all that has been and all that will be,

And also the lord of immortality and of that which increases through food.

16. On all sides he has hands and feet, on all sides eyes, heads, mouths,

On all sides ears; he stands embracing everything in the world.

17. Reflecting the properties of all the senses, devoid of all senses,

[He is] the lord, the master of all, the great refuge of all.

18. In the city with nine gates, the "swan" endowed with a body rushes out -

The ruler of the whole world, motionless and moving.

19. Without legs and arms, he is swift and grasping: he sees without eyes, hears without ears;

He knows what should be known; but no one knows him. He is called the first great purusha.

20. Less than the small, greater than the great, the Atman is hidden in the heart of this being.

Him, devoid of desires, the great ruler, is seen [by a man] free from sorrow, thanks to the pacification of the senses.

21. I know that ageless, primordial, universal Atman, who has entered into everything by [his] omnipresence,

[Who] is called the cessation of births, whom those who discuss Brahman address as eternal.

Part Four

1. [He] who is one, devoid of color, by means of manifold power creates, [according to his] hidden purpose, various colors,

And [in whom] in the end and in the beginning the universe is concentrated, he is a god; may he endow us with [the power of] clear comprehension!

2. This, verily, is fire, this is the sun, this is the wind, this is also the moon;

This, verily, is pure, this is Brahman, this is water, this is Prajapati.

3. You are a woman, you are a man, you are a youth, and verily, you are a girl.

You are an old man, hobbling with a stick, you are the [newly]born, turning in all directions.

4. [You are] a blue bird, a green [bird] with red eyes, [a cloud] with lightning in [its] womb, the seasons, the seas.

You are beginningless, due to omnipresence; from [you] are born all the worlds.

5. [There are] the unborn, the one, the red, the white and the black, producing numerous offspring like [her];

And one unborn, loving, lies nearby; another unborn one leaves her, having tasted pleasure.

6. Two birds, friends united together, cling to the same tree -

One of them eats a sweet berry; the other looks [at it], without eating.

7. On the same tree - a man, immersed [in the sorrows of the world], blinded, grieves over [his] powerlessness,

When he sees another - the beloved lord and his greatness, then he is freed from grief.

8. The imperishable rich - the highest heaven, in which all the gods reside -

What will this rich bring to him who does not know it? Those, verily, who know it, sit here together.

9. Sacred verses, sacrifices, rites, vows, the past, the future, and what the Vedas say, -

All this the creator of delusion created from him, in whom and another is bound by delusion.

10. Know that prakriti is delusion and the great lord is the creator of delusion,

This whole world is permeated with beings - its members.

11. Having realized him who alone rules over each womb, in which all this is united and separated, -

This lord, the giver of blessings, the venerable god, [man] comes to infinite peace.

12. [He] who is the lord and creator of the gods, the universal lord, Rudra, the great

Who saw the emerging golden embryo - may he grant us [the ability] of clear comprehension.

13. Who is the lord of the gods, in whom the worlds abide,

Who rules these two-legged and four-legged - to which god do we make sacrificial offering?

14. Having known [the one who is] subtler than subtle, [who abides] in the center of disorder, the universal creator, diverse,

The One, embracing the universe, bringing happiness, [man] goes to eternal peace.

15. Verily, he is the keeper of the world in time, the universal ruler, hidden in all beings,

In whom the sages-brahmins and the deities are united. Having known him thus, [man] cuts the bonds of death.

16. Having known the subtlest, like a film on the edge of clarified butter, the bringer of happiness, hidden in all beings;

Having known the one god, embracing the universe, [man] is freed from all bonds.

17. This god, the creator of everything, the great Atman, constantly abiding in the heart of people,

Is realized by the heart, thought, mind. Those who know him become immortal.

18. When there is no darkness, then there is neither day nor night, neither being nor non-being - [there is] only one, the bringer of happiness.

This is the imperishable, this is the desired [radiance] of Savitar, and from it extend the ancient instructions.

19. Neither above, nor across, nor in the middle [has anyone] encompassed it;

There is no one like it, whose name is "great glory".

20. Its form is invisible, no one sees it with the eye;

Those who know it with the heart and mind, residing in the heart, become immortal.

21. "Unborn!" - with such [thought] a person resorts [to you].

O Rudra, may your face, which is favorable, always protect me.

22. Do not harm us in our children and offspring, nor in our lives, nor in our cows, nor in our horses,

Do not destroy our husbands in anger - for we constantly call upon you, making offerings.

Part Five

1. In the imperishable, supreme, infinite Brahman, where the two are hidden - knowledge and ignorance,

Ignorance is fragile, but knowledge is immortal. He who rules over knowledge and ignorance is the other.

2. [He is the one] who alone rules over each womb - over all forms and all wombs;

Who bears in his thoughts the red rishi who arose in the beginning and looks upon him, born.

3. This god, who stretches out numerous nets one after another, draws them together in this field.

Thus the lord, having again created the lords, exercises dominion over all - the great Atman.

4. As the sun shines, illuminating all the cardinal directions - from above, from below and across,

So this god, desired, revered, the only one, rules over [all] beings, born from the [mother's] womb.

5. [He] - the universal womb - [the one] who makes his own nature ripen and who grows everything that is capable of ripening,

Ruling over this entire world - the one who distributes all qualities.

6. This is hidden in the Vedas, hidden in the Upanishads; Brahman knows this womb of Brahman.

Those gods and rishis who knew this in the beginning, verily, attained it and became immortal.

7. [But] he who is endowed with qualities, performs actions [bearing] fruits, and, verily, tastes what he has done.

He, endowed with all forms, three qualities, three paths, the lord of the vital forces, wanders according to his actions.

8. [He is he] who is the size of a thumb, in appearance like the sun, endowed with will and self-awareness,

[But], due to the qualities [of] comprehension and the qualities of the body, appears smaller even than the point of an awl.

9. As a part of a hundredth part of the tip of a hair, divided into a hundred,

This being should be recognized, - and it is capable of being infinite.

10. It is neither female nor male, nor is it sexless.

Whatever bodily [sheath] it takes, by that it is protected.

11. Thanks to will, touch, sight, delusions, abundance of food and drink the body is born and grows.

According to [its] actions, the one endowed with flesh gradually takes [different] forms in [different] states.

12. Thanks to its properties, the one endowed with flesh chooses numerous forms - gross and subtle;

Causing union with them, thanks to the properties of [its] deeds and the properties of the body, it appears to be different.

13. Having known the beginningless, the infinite, [dwelling] in the center of disorder, the universal creator, the multiform,

the One, embracing the universe, God, [man] is freed from all bonds.

14. Whoever knows the comprehended by the heart, the incorporeal, the creator of being and non-being, bringer of happiness,

God, the creator of the elements - they leave [their] body.

Part Six

1. Some sages speak in error about their own nature, others - about time.

But only the greatness of God in the world is that by which the wheel of Brahman turns.

2. [He] by whom this whole [world] is constantly covered, who is wise, the creator of time, endowed with properties,

Under the power of that action unfolds - [that which] is thought of as earth, water, fire, wind, space.

3. Having performed this action, again leaving [it, he] entered into union with the essence of the essence

With the help of one, two, three or eight, as well as - and time, and the subtle properties of Atman.

4. [He is the one] who, having begun the actions associated with the properties, distributes all beings.

When they are not there, then the perfect action perishes; with the destruction of the action, he, verily, moves, being different [from what he created before].

5. He is the beginning, the cause that brings about the union; even devoid of parts, he is seen beyond the three times,

When he is first honored as the manifold, the basis of being, the venerable god, dwelling in our thoughts.

6. He is above the tree [of the world], time and [all] images and is different [from them]; from him this diversity [of the world] spreads.

Having known him as the bringer of virtue, the remover of evil, the lord of prosperity, abiding in [the knower] himself, immortal, the universal refuge, - [man attains bliss].

7. Him - the supreme, the great lord among lords; him - the supreme deity among deities,

The supreme lord among lords, the beyond - let us know - god, the ruler of the world, the venerable one!

8. His actions and organ of action are unknown, no one is seen equal to him and superior [to him];

His supreme power is revealed as manifold, inherent in his nature the activity of knowledge and strength.

9. He has no lord in the world, no ruler, he has no sign.

He is the cause, the lord of the lords of the organs of action, he has no parent, no lord.

10. He who, like a spider, with threads arising from pradhana,

Covers himself, [following] his own nature, the one god - may he enable us to attain Brahman.

11. The one god, hidden in all beings, all-pervading, the Atman within all beings,

Overseer of actions, dwelling in all beings, the witness, the thinker, the only one and devoid of attributes;

12. The one ruler of many inactive ones, who multiplies one seed -

[Only] those sages who see him in themselves [are destined] for eternal happiness, and not others.

13. Having known the Eternal among the Eternal, the Thinker among the unthinking, the One among many, who brings [fulfillment] of desires, -

This cause of God, attainable by Sankhya and Yoga, - [man] is freed from all bonds.

14. There neither the sun nor the moon nor the stars shine, these lightnings do not shine, whence [can there be] this fire?

Everything shines only after him, the shining one; this whole [world] reflects his light.

15. The one "swan" in the middle of this world, he, verily, is fire that has penetrated the ocean;

Only having known him, [man] goes beyond death; there is no other path [that could be] followed.

16. He is the all-doer, the knower of his own source, the wise, the creator of time, endowed with attributes, omniscient,

Lord of pradhana and the conscious principle, the cause of bondage, permanence and liberation in the cycle of existence.

17. Being such, he, immortal, abides as the lord - the wise, omnipresent, the preserver of this world,

Who eternally possesses this world, for no other basis of [this] dominion is known.

18. Who in the beginning created Brahman, who, verily, imparted to him the Vedas, -

To that god, shining with his own power of comprehension, I, striving for salvation, verily, resort as a refuge, -

19. [To him], devoid of parts, inactive, tranquil, faultless, unstained,

The supreme bridge [leading] to immortality, like a flame with burnt fuel.

20. When people roll up space like a skin,

Then [even] without recognizing God, the end of [their] suffering will come.

21. By the power of austerities and the grace of God, the wise Shvetashvatara

Thus told about the highest and pure Brahman to the best of the ascetics - [knowledge], giving joy to the assembly of rishis.

22. This supreme secret in the Vedanta, spoken in ancient times,

Should not be imparted to the restless, nor to a son or a disciple.

23. Whoever is [full of] the highest devotion to God [and devoted] to the teacher as well as to God,

The truths spoken [here] shine – to the great in spirit, shine – to the great in spirit.