Upanishads

SKANDA UPANISHAD


(Tripadvibhuti Upanishad)

Krishnaya Jurveda
a group of Upanishads – pure Vedanta

Om! May He protect us both; may He nourish us both; may we work together with great energy, may our studies be powerful and effective, may we not bicker (and hate anyone).

Om! Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!

[Skanda said:]

1. By a little of Your mercy, O Great Lord (Mahadeva), I am full knowledge, and I am [himself] Shiva ("goodness"); what can be higher than that?

2. Due to the weakening of the mind, that which is not inherent in the true nature appears as such. By the removal of the mind [the Lord] Hari is conscious.

3. I am the unborn, conscious; what can be higher than that? That which is different [from Consciousness] is inert, it disappears like a dream.

4. He who sees Consciousness in inert objects is eternal, he is [the image of] true knowledge. He is the Great God (i.e. Shiva), he is also the great Hari (Vishnu).

5. He is the Light of lights, He is the Supreme Lord, He is also the Supreme Brahman. Undoubtedly, That Brahman is me.

6. The living soul (jiva) is Shiva, and Shiva is the living soul. The living soul [by its nature] is entirely Shiva. [This is like] a grain of rice can be enclosed in a husk, or it can be free from it.

7. [When consciousness] is thus bound, it is the living soul, [when] karma is destroyed, it is the Eternal Shiva. Thus, bound by fetters, it is the living soul, free from fetters, it is the Eternal Shiva.

8. [Worship] Shiva in the form of Vishnu, [worship] Vishnu in the form of Shiva! The heart of Shiva is Vishnu, the heart of Vishnu is Shiva.

9. Just as Vishnu is of the nature of Shiva, so Shiva is of the nature of Vishnu. Since I see no difference between [them], my life is happy.

10. Thus, there is no difference between Shiva and Keshava (Vishnu). The body is called the abode of God, and the living soul is Shiva. One should discard the remnants of ignorance and worship Him with the awareness "He [am] me."

11. Indiscriminate vision is knowledge; mind devoid of objects (thoughts) is meditation. Bathing is getting rid of impurities of the mind, purity is awareness of the senses.

12. Let [the ascetic] drink the nectar of Brahman, and for the maintenance of the body let him collect alms. And let him live, completely free from duality. The wise who follow this path attains liberation [while alive].

13. Let there be worship to the auspicious supreme abode, prosperity and eternal life! By Your mercy, O Nrisimha, Lord of the gods, [they] realize themselves as Brahman, as having the nature of Brahma, Vishnu and Shankara, inconceivable to the mind, unmanifested, infinite, eternal and [identical] to the essence of the Vedas.

14. That supreme abode of Vishnu, like the celestial eye, is always contemplated by the sages.

15. They, being awake, praise that supreme abode of Vishnu. This is the doctrine of liberation, the doctrine of the Vedas. The doctrine of the Vedas is [in] this Upanishad.

Om! May He protect us both; may He nourish us both; may we work together with great energy, may our studies be powerful and effective, may we not quarrel (and hate anyone).

Om! Shanti, shanti, shanti!

This is the Skanda Upanishad of the Krishnayajurveda.