Svetasvatara Upanishad

Om. The expounders of Brahman thus reflect: — Is Brahman the cause (of the universe)? From whom have we been created? By whom do we live? On whom do we depend? Under whose superintendence do we exist in happiness and misery? O knowers of Brahman! Let us consider and come to a decision.

It should be considered whether Time, Nature, Law, Chance, the Elements, or the Soul can be the cause of the universe. None of these can be the cause, nor can their combination be the cause; owing to the existence of the soul. The soul also is incapable (of being the cause), on account of its being subject to happiness and pain.

Resorting to yoga in the form of mental concentration, they beheld—extremely hidden by its own attributes—the power of the self-luminous soul, who alone governs all those causes, including time and the individual soul.

Having one circumference, covered with three (attributes, etc.), possessing sixteen ends, having fifty spokes with twenty nails, having six groups of eight each, with one bond of many forms, with three kinds of paths, and having delusion which is the one cause of two.

We understand that river, the water of which has five currents, which is crooked and difficult on account of five causes, whose waves are the five breaths, whose source is the five senses of perception, which has five whirlpools, whose movement consists of the collection of five miseries, which includes fifty kinds, and which has five stages.

In this mighty wheel of Brahman, which contains the life of all and the stability (or death) of all, the individual soul revolves. Having known Him as a separate and controlling Self, and having been favored by Him, the individual soul attains immortality.

Sung as an exalted Being, this is the Supreme Brahman. In Him the threefold universe lives. He is the good support of all, and yet imperishable. The knowers of Brahman, having realized Him as immanent in the universe (or the body), and being devoted to Him, become completely absorbed in Brahman and are released from birth.

God sustains this whole universe, which is connected by cause and effect—the perishable (creation) and the imperishable (Maya), the manifested (phenomena) and the unmanifested (cause, Maya). But the individual soul, which is not God, is bound because of its condition as an experiencer; and having known the self-luminous God, it is released from all bonds.

There are two uncreated beings—one omniscient and the other ignorant; one the Lord and the other not the Lord. There is also one uncreated entity which exists for the sake of the experiencer and the objects of experience. The Supreme Soul is infinite, assuming all forms, and is not a doer. When a person knows these three as Brahman, he attains liberation.

Maya (Pradhana) is perishable; God (Hara, the dispeller of ignorance) is deathless and imperishable. One luminous Being governs both the perishable Maya and the individual soul. By deep meditation upon Him, by union through Yoga, and by realization of the true Reality, there is again the destruction of all ignorance after death.

By knowing the self-luminous God, there is abandonment of all bonds. With all evils destroyed, there is complete freedom from birth and death. Having meditated upon Him, the knower, after death, reaches the third (supreme) state, where, knowing the true Brahman, he becomes entirely free and attains all desires.

This Supreme Being should always be realized as present in one’s own soul, for there is nothing higher than this to be known. Having understood the nature of the soul, the world of experience, and God, this entire threefold reality is known as Brahman—this is the main teaching of the Vedanta.

The form of fire present in the fire-producing wooden stick is not seen; yet it is not destroyed. Just as that fire can again be produced by another stick, so also both forms of Brahman can be realized in this body through the syllable Om.

Having made one’s body the lower fire-stick and the syllable Om the upper fire-stick, one should, through repeated meditation (like friction), perceive the luminous God who was previously hidden. This verse is an explanation of the simile given in the previous verse. “Repetition” means repeated effort—friction. The upper fire-stick represents the human body or the human heart, the place where truth is revealed, while the lower stick represents the instrument or cause of true knowledge. “Extremely hidden”—like fire hidden in wood or a treasure concealed. The comparison with fire is most appropriate, as it continues the earlier simile.

As oil in sesame seeds, clarified butter in curd, water in hidden springs, and fire in fire-producing wooden sticks (is obtained), so the Supreme Self is realized in one’s own mind by one who seeks to perceive it through truth, mental concentration, and control of the senses.

One should know that all-pervading Spirit who exists like clarified butter in milk, whose attainment depends upon spiritual knowledge and concentration, and who is that Supreme Brahman dwelling within (as the Self of all).

The Creator, first concentrating the mind (on the intended creation), assumes the form of the universal mind as well as the form of sense-powers. Having perceived the light of the soul within the mind, He distributes that mind among created beings. Alternative interpretation: The Creator, concentrating the mind on the Supreme Being for the manifestation of truth, restrains the senses from evil tendencies, realizes the Supreme Light, and manifests that Light throughout creation.

Under the command of the self-luminous Creator, with our mind controlled (by His grace), we strive with all our strength for meditation, the means of attaining liberation. Alternative interpretation: Having been created by the self-luminous Creator, we, with controlled mind and endowed with strength, strive toward higher realization.

Having controlled with the mind the organs of sense, which move toward objects of pleasure and reveal the light of the self-luminous Brahman, the Creator directs or stimulates those organs. Alternative interpretation: Having engaged, through the mind, the gods (such as Indra), who move toward Brahman—the abode of bliss—and who reveal the light of the self-luminous Brahman through their insight, the Creator directs them.

Wise Brahmans control the mind and control the organs of sense. By them, great praise should be offered to the self-luminous Creator, who is all-pervading, mighty, and omniscient, and who, being wise, accomplishes His works alone.

(O heart and mind!) I fix both of you on that Brahman who exists from beginningless time. May my praise, with salutations, go forth in various ways to God, like the fame of a wise man along his path. Hear this praise, O sons of immortality, who dwell in heavenly abodes.

During the state of yoga, the mind becomes concentrated in that part of the body where heat is generated, where the breath is controlled, and where the lunar essence becomes abundant. Alternative interpretation: The mind of an unspiritual person becomes absorbed in ritual actions—where fire is kindled, wind is controlled, and Soma is consumed.

One should win the favor of the Creator, who is the chief cause of the universe. One should practice faith in that Brahman who exists from beginningless time; then no action will disturb one. Alternative interpretation: One should worship Brahman through yogic practice using the inner essence experienced in meditation; thus the fruit will not be delayed.

Having equally balanced the body, with its three parts raised, and having fixed the organs of sense in the heart by means of the mind, the wise person should cross all the dangerous streams by the boat of Om (knowledge of Brahman). This verse and the following describe the details of Yoga. “With its three portions raised” — The chest, neck, and head (or alternatively the belly, shoulders, and chest) held upright. “Balanced” — Steady and even. “In the heart” — In the lotus or inner cave of the heart. “Having fixed” — Firmly established or concentrated. “Boat” — The means of crossing; Om or knowledge of Brahman. “Rivers” — The streams of worldly existence, especially desires and tendencies. “Dangerous” — Leading to repeated births due to attachment and desire.

Being moderate in his activities, the yogi, having forcibly controlled the breaths in the body, should regulate breathing through the nostrils when the breath has been reduced. Being vigilant, the wise person should control the mind like a chariot yoked to unruly horses.

One should practise yoga in a place that is free from wind, solitary (or cave-like), level, clean, free from stones, fire, and sand, and also free from noise and water hazards. Above all, it should be agreeable to the mind and not distressing to the eyes.

During the practice of yoga, forms such as mist, smoke, the sun, wind, fire, fireflies, lightning, crystal, and the moon appear. These are preliminary signs indicating the manifestation of Brahman.

When earth, water, fire, air, and ether are mastered, and the condition of yoga is achieved, then there is no disease, no old age, and no death for one whose body is filled with the fire of yoga.

The first stage of yoga is said to be lightness of body, health, freedom from attachment to sense objects, clarity of complexion, sweetness of voice, pleasant smell, and reduction in excretions.

Just as a metal disc covered with dust shines brightly when cleaned, so a person, having realized the true nature of the Self and becoming one with God, becomes free from sorrow and attains his goal.

When a person, with self-control, sees the reality of Brahman within himself, as if by a lamp, he becomes free from all bonds, having known the self-luminous, beginningless, unchanging, and pure Being.

It is this luminous Being alone who pervades all directions. He is the first-born (as Hiranyagarbha), He is present in the womb of the universe (as Virat), He is all that is born and all that will be born. With faces everywhere, He dwells within all beings.

Salutations again and again to that luminous Being who pervades fire, who pervades water, who pervades the entire universe, who pervades plants, and who pervades trees.

Those become immortal who know Him who, the one Lord of the web of Maya, governs all the worlds by His sovereign powers; who alone remains one and the same at the time of creation, destruction, and the interval between them.

As Rudra is one, there is no second. He governs all the worlds by His powers and dwells within all beings as their inner self. Having created all the worlds, He sustains them and, at the time of dissolution, withdraws them.

He has eyes everywhere, faces everywhere, arms everywhere, and feet everywhere. The one luminous Being, while creating heaven and earth, equips beings with arms and birds with wings.

May He, who is the cause of the origin and prosperity of the gods, the protector of creation, the destroyer of suffering, mighty and omniscient, and who created Hiranyagarbha in the beginning, grant us noble understanding.

O Rudra, giver of happiness, through Thy gracious nature, look upon us with that most auspicious form of Thine which is benevolent, revealing righteousness, and not terrible.

O giver of happiness, abiding in Thy auspicious nature, O protector, make peaceful that arrow which Thou holdest for striking. Do not destroy this world, which is a form of the Supreme Being.

Men become immortal by knowing that God who is beyond the world, beyond Hiranyagarbha, who is mighty, hidden in all beings according to their forms, and who is the one pervading the entire universe. “Beyond this world” — (a) Beyond the world mentioned previously (b) Beyond Virat or Hiranyagarbha (c) Realized after attaining the grace of the Lord “Beyond Hiranyagarbha” — (a) Beyond the cosmic creator (b) The Supreme Brahman “According to their forms” — Just as fire or sunlight appears differently when placed in various forms, the one Self appears different in different bodies. “Pervading” — Entering and existing within all beings.

I know that great Being who is all-pervading, luminous like the sun, and beyond darkness. Knowing Him alone, one crosses death; there is no other path to liberation.

This whole universe is pervaded by that perfect Being, than whom there is nothing higher or lower, nothing smaller or greater. He stands alone in His glory, immovable like a tree.

Those become immortal who know that which is beyond the cause of the world, which is without form and free from suffering; but others fall into misery.

Because He possesses all faces, heads, and necks, and because He is present in the hearts of all beings, He is all-pervading and the Lord of all powers; therefore, that benevolent Being (Siva) is omnipresent.

That perfect Being is the mighty Lord, the controller of the heart, the Lord of the highest attainment (salvation), the luminous, and the imperishable.

The all-pervading Being, dwelling in the heart (in a space as small as a thumb), the inner Self of all, has entered the hearts of all beings. He is known through reason and meditation. Those who know Him become immortal.

That perfect Being has thousands of heads, thousands of eyes, and thousands of feet. Having pervaded the earth on all sides, He extends beyond it by a span.

All that is past, present, and future is that perfect Being alone. He is the Lord of immortality and transcends all phenomena.

He whose hands and feet are everywhere, whose eyes, heads, and faces are everywhere, whose ears are everywhere, exists pervading all.

He is the light of all the organs of sense, their faculties and their objects; yet He is free from all organs of sense. He is the Lord and Governor of all, the great refuge of all.

In the body with nine openings (the city of nine gates), the soul, associated with the body, moves about in the world. He is the controller of all, both the moving and the unmoving.

Without hands and feet, He moves swiftly and grasps; without eyes, He sees; without ears, He hears. Without a mind, He knows all that is to be known. No one knows Him fully. He is called the First, the Great, the Perfect Being.

As Rudra is one, there is no second. He governs all the worlds by His powers and dwells within all beings as their inner self. Having created all the worlds, He sustains them and, at the time of dissolution, withdraws them.

I know that Being who is unchanging, ever-fresh though ancient, the Self of all, all-pervading through His immanence, and without birth, as declared by the knowers of Brahman.

He is the luminous Being who, being one and without form or name, creates through connection with Maya, holding names and forms in His thought, the manifold universe in the beginning, and at the end dissolves it. May He grant us right understanding.

He alone is fire, He is the sun, He is air, He is the moon, He is the shining stars, He is Hiranyagarbha, He is the waters, He is Virat.

Thou art woman; thou art man; thou art the young man; thou art the young woman; thou art the old man who walks with a staff. Thou art born in all forms.

Thou art the black bird, the green bird, the red-eyed bird, the cloud, the seasons, and the oceans. Because Thou transcendest time and space, Thou art without beginning, and from Thee all worlds arise.

One unborn being follows and serves another unborn being who is red, white, and black, and who produces many forms like herself. Another unborn being abandons her after enjoying her.

Two birds, beautiful and inseparable friends, perch on the same tree. One eats the fruit of varied taste; the other looks on without eating.

The individual soul, dwelling in the same tree, becomes deluded and grieves due to helplessness. But when it sees the other, the Lord, and realizes His greatness, it becomes free from sorrow.

What use is the study of the Vedas for one who does not know that eternal, supreme, all-pervading Being in whom all the gods and the Vedas reside? Those who know Him attain the true state.

The Vedas, sacrifices with and without Soma, vows, and all that is spoken of in the Vedas—past, present, and future—are all born from the Supreme Being. He, united with Maya, creates the universe, and in that universe the individual soul is bound by Maya.

The material cause of the universe should be known as Maya alone, and the Supreme God as the controller (or life-giver) of Maya. By His powers this whole universe is pervaded.

One attains the highest peace by knowing Him—the ruler, the giver of gifts (including liberation), the luminous and praiseworthy Being, who, being one, governs all causes, in whom this entire universe is absorbed at dissolution and from whom it again emerges in various forms.

This verse is the same as Mantra 3.4, except that instead of “who created Hiranyagarbha in the beginning,” it is to be understood as “who saw Hiranyagarbha being born.”

May we worship with offerings that luminous and blissful Being who is the Lord of the gods, on whom all the worlds depend, and who governs both the biped and the quadruped.

One attains the highest peace by knowing that blissful Being who, though one, pervades the universe, assumes many forms, is the creator of the world, is present amidst this dense mass of phenomena, and is subtler than the subtlest.

He alone is the protector of the world at the proper time, the Lord of the universe, hidden in all beings, on whom sages and gods meditate. Knowing Him thus, one breaks the bonds of death.

One is freed from all bonds by knowing that luminous Being who, though one, pervades the universe, is hidden in all beings, is blissful, and is extremely subtle—like the essence which is superior to and subtler than butter.

That luminous Being, whose work is the universe, is the Supreme Self who always dwells in the hearts of beings. He is known through reason, control of the mind, and meditation. Those who know Him become immortal.

When there is no ignorance, there is neither day nor night, neither existence nor non-existence; there is only the one, pure, undivided Being—the eternal, the adorable Creator—from whom ancient wisdom has arisen.

None can grasp Him above, nor across, nor in the middle. He, whose name is “Great Glory,” has no comparison.

His being is not within the range of vision; no one sees Him with the eye. Those who know Him in the heart, through reason and meditation, become immortal.

Since Thou art free from birth and other limitations, therefore one who fears (birth and suffering) takes refuge in Thee. O Rudra, O destroyer of sorrow, protect me always with Thy benevolent form.

Do not harm our children, nor our descendants, nor our lifespan; do not harm our cows, nor our horses. O Rudra, do not harm our brave servants. We invoke Thee always with offerings.

The two—knowledge and ignorance—are different: ignorance is perishable, while knowledge is imperishable. But He who governs both knowledge and ignorance is different from both; in Him, the hidden, eternal, supreme, and infinite Being, both knowledge and ignorance reside.

He who, being one, governs Maya—the causeless cause—and all forms and secondary causes, who at the beginning of creation nourished the wise Hiranyagarbha, and who saw him being born, should be known.

Having transformed each group of causes and effects into various forms, this luminous Being withdraws them again into their source—Maya. Then, creating again the lords (as before), the Supreme Being rules over all.

He who develops the inherent nature of all things, who matures all that is to be matured, who unites all qualities, and who, being one, governs this whole universe—He alone should be known.

He is hidden in the secret teachings of the Upanishads; Hiranyagarbha knows Him as the source of the Vedas. The gods and sages of old, having realized Him and become one with Him, became immortal.

He who, connected with the qualities, performs actions for their fruits, is the experiencer of those actions. Assuming many forms, having three qualities and three paths, and being the master of the vital forces, he wanders according to his deeds.

He, who, connected with qualities, performs action for the sake of fruit, is alone the experiencer of the fruit of the same action. He, assuming all forms, and having three qualities and three paths, the master of the breaths, wanders by his own deeds.

The individual self, about the size of a thumb and luminous like the sun, is connected with desire and egoism. It is also said to be as minute as the point of a needle, because of the qualities of reason and of the soul.

If the hundredth part of the tip of a hair is divided again into a hundred parts, the individual soul is to be known as that minute; yet it is capable of infinity.

It is neither female, nor male, nor neuter. It becomes associated with whatever body it assumes.

The growth and birth of the individual soul depend upon desire, contact, sight, attachment, and also upon the giving of food and water. According to its actions, it successively assumes forms in different bodies.

The individual soul takes on many forms, gross and subtle, according to its own qualities, the qualities of its actions, and the qualities of its thoughts; another cause of this combination is also seen.

This verse is the same as Mantra 6.14, except that instead of “minuter than the minute,” it is to be understood as “without beginning and without end.”

Those who know that luminous Being, attainable by a pure heart, who is called bodiless, who causes creation and destruction, who is Siva, pure and untainted, and the creator of powers—such persons abandon the body forever.

Some wise men speak of Nature as the cause of the universe; others, being deluded, speak of Time as the cause. But it is the greatness of the luminous Being by which this wheel of Brahman (the universe) is set in motion.

Governed by Him who pervades the whole world, who is consciousness itself, the creator of time, possessed of faultless qualities, and omniscient—the world of effects assumes various forms such as ether, air, fire, water, and earth. This should be understood.

Having performed His work and renounced attachment to it, and having brought about the union of the individual soul with the Supreme Soul, one attains liberation—by means of one, two, three, or eight (disciplines), along with time and subtle spiritual qualities. Alternative interpretation: Having created the world of effects and having perceived it, and having brought about the association of the individual soul with various elements—one, two, three, or eight—along with time and subtle qualities, the Creator completes creation.

When all worldly things cease to exist, the actions of the person who has performed righteous deeds are destroyed. Having absorbed all things into their cause, and with the destruction of actions, he becomes a divine being, distinct from matter.

He is the original cause, the cause of the causes of bodily existence, beyond time, and independent of powers. Having worshipped Him—the many-formed, the cause of all, the true, the praiseworthy, the luminous, and the one present in the heart—one attains liberation.

He, by whom this universe is set in motion, is beyond the world, time, and form. Having known Him—the uplifter toward righteousness, the destroyer of sin, the Lord of powers, present in the intellect, immortal, and the support of the universe—the knower becomes divine.

May we know that Supreme and Mighty Governor of governors, that Supreme God of the gods, that Supreme Lord of the lords, who is beyond Maya and material things, self-luminous, the ruler of the universe, and praiseworthy.

His body or organ does not exist; His equal or superior has not been seen; His supreme power has been heard to be varied; and His knowledge, power and action are natural.

In this world there does not exist any Lord of His, nor any governor, nor any characteristic proof of His existence; He is the cause, the Lord of the guardian-deities of organs; there does not exist any creator or superintendent of His.

May He grant us absorption into Brahman, Who, being one and self-luminous, has, by His own will, concealed Himself by qualities born of Maya, just as a spider conceals itself by threads.

There is one self-luminous Being, hidden in all creatures, pervading all, the inner soul of all, the Superintendent of actions, living in all creatures, direct seer, conscious without organs, and free from any quality.

He is the one Controller of actionless beings, who shapes one germ of Maya into many forms; those wise men who see Him present in the reason — theirs is eternal happiness, and not of others.

He who, being One, creates the means of enjoyment (for) the many, is the Eternal of the Eternals, and the Intelligent of the Intelligents; having known that cause, knowable by knowledge (Sankhya) and self-control (Yoga), a man is released from all bonds.

Neither the sun shines there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings; then how this fire? Everything shines after His shining; this whole world shines by His light.

He alone is the one Destroyer in the midst of this world; He alone is the fire which has entered water; having known Him alone, man overcomes death; there exists no other path to the attainment of salvation.

He is the Creator of the universe, omniscient, the Soul and Cause of all, conscious in nature, the Creator of time, possessing faultless qualities and all sciences, the Lord of Maya and the individual soul, the controller of qualities, and the cause of salvation from the world as well as the cause of bondage in the form of stay in the world.

He, full of that light, is immortal, abiding in His divine glory, conscious in nature, pervading everywhere, the protector of this world, and who always governs this world. There is no other cause capable of governing the universe.

Verily, as a seeker after salvation, I resort to the refuge (of) only that Luminous Being, who is the illuminator of spiritual understanding, who creates Brahm in the beginning (of creation) and who vouchsafes the Vedas unto Him.

(I resort to Him who is) without parts, free from action, Unchangeable, Faultless, Untainted, the Supreme bridge (for the attainment of) salvation, (manifested) like fire which has consumed the fuel.

When human beings, not knowing the Luminous Being, will put on the sky (ether) like skin, then there will be misery.

By the power of penance (and self-control) and by the grace of God, Svetāsvatara (first) knowing Brahm, thoroughly expounded to the most respectable Sannyasis (called Paramahamsa) the Holy, Supreme Being well-served by groups of sages.

This knowledge, extremely confidential in the Vedanta, and taught in the previous creation, should not be imparted to one whose (heart) has not been purified, nor to one who is not a (pure-hearted) son, nor to one who is not a (pure-hearted) disciple.

These subjects, as described (above), are revealed to that great soul who has devotion to God, and as much devotion to (his) preceptor as God.