Upanisad Series S'VETAS' VATAROPANISAD Including original passages, construed text (anvaya) with a literal word by word translation, English rendering of each passage, copious notes, and Introductory Note BY SWAMI TYAGISANANDA SRI RAMAKRISHNA MATH MYLAPORE, MADRAS INDIA 1949Published by THE PRESIDENT Sr1 RAMAKRISHNA MATH, MYLAPORE, MADRAS Revised Third Edition (All rights reserved) xx- 8-49 Printed by C. SUBBARAYUDU AT THE VASANTA PRESS, ADYAR, MADRASINTRODUCTORY NOTE THE S'VETAs‘VATAROPANISAD is a short Upanigad consisting of only 113 Mantras (sacred verses) divided into six chapters. It belongs to the Krsnayajurveda. It gets its name from the sage Svetas'vatara who is said to have taught it to his disciples (vide Mantra 21 of chap. 6). The word S'vetas'vatara does not seem to be the original name of the Rsi but only an honorific title. According to S/atikarananda the word means one who has controlled his senses (S'veta=pure+ As'va=Indriyas or senses). According to others it means a pure mule or a male calf (S'veta+ As'vatara). In ancient days it was quite common to add suffixes like Rsabha, Pusgava, etc., to names as a mark of respect or pre-eminence. Either way the word signifies the greatness of the teacher. It is not one of the more ancient Upanigads that are generally considered to be the major ones, and that form the basis of the enquiry in the Brahmasttras. These Siitras do not allude to any of the verses original to the S'vetiis’vatara even once, but many of its Mantras are quoted by the commentators in support of their doctrines. This shows what an important position of authority it held in the eyes of the great commentators, notwith- standing its comparatively later origin. It does not advocate any particular system of orthodox philosophy, as elaborated in the Darsanas (systems of4 S'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD philosophy) or in their expositions. There are passages in this Upanigad which are allied in thought to Dvaita (dualism), Vis‘istadvaita (qualified non-dualism), Advaita (non-dualism) and other branches of Vedanta. Sankhya and Yoga ideas find a prominent place in certain verses, It lays equal emphasis on Jfiana, Bhakti and other paths of spiritual life. The various aspects, of Godhead find their natural place in it and adjust themselves to each other without any conflict. If, in certain passages, it is Vedic in language and conception, in others it is also Puranic in expression and presentation. In fact, it would seem to be an attempt of a great synthetic mind to reconcile the various conflicting views, philosophical and religious, which were current at the time of its com- position. It reminds us of a similar, but a more popular, attempt in this direction, made by Bhagavan S'ri Krsna in the Gita. The modern student will therefore do well to approach the study of this work in the same broad and reverent spirit in which he approaches the study of the Gita, unfettered by conventions and prejudices.NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION In this book Devan&gari characters are transliterated according to the scheme adopted by the International Congress of Orientalists at Athens in 1912 and since then generally acknowledged to be the only rational and satisfactory one. In it the inconsistency, irregularity and redundancy of English spelling are ruled out : f, 4, w, x and 2 are not called to use; one fixed value is given to each letter, Hence a, e, i and g always represent 4, U, § and ‘respectively and never U, %, ¥ and 9 or other values which they have in English; t and d are always used for @ and | only. One ftialde, one accent, four macrons and ten dots {2 above, 8 below) are used to represent adequately and correctly all Sanskrit letters. The letter C alone represents 4. Since the natural function of h will be to make the aghoga ghoga (eg, kh, ch, th, th, ph, gh, jb, dh, dh, bh), it would be an anomaly for a scientific scheme to use it in combinations like ch and sh for giving {and Q values; hence ch here is @ and sh QZ, The vowel % is represented by ¢ because ri, legitimate for ft only, is out of place, and the singular gi is an altogether objectionable distortion. The tialde over n represents 4, #. Accent mark over s gives J, 9’; dots above m and n give anusvara (+), thand @, a, respectively, Dots below b and r give visarga (:), b, and 7%, ¢, respectively. Dots below s, n, t and d give their corresponding cerebrals ¥,, Zand © ,s, p, fandd; and macrons over a, i, uand ¥ give G, I, 0, F respectively. Macrons are not used to lengthen the quantity of e and o, because they always have the long quantity in Sanskrit. Sanskrit words are capitalized only where special distinctiveness is called for, as in the opening of a sentence, title of books, etc. The scheme of transliteration in full is as follows : Ha, MH 4,8 i, Fi, gu, H0, Br, BE Te, ato, Rai, au, - hth, Rk, Thh, Vs, Teh, Ss, Ac, Gch, Ti, Hib, 18, Zt Ath, ed, Edh, Maat, q th, 4d, 4 dh, An, Tp, & ph, 1b, % bh, Am, Ly, tn BL Av, Te, Ts, {s, Zh.THE PEACE INVOCATION Bt qlag: qeihit qi Gata | hea mara qitarafeeaa 11 Om. All those that are invisible are filled by Brahman, all those that are visible are also fully permeated by Brahman. The whole universe has come out of the whole Brahman. Brahman is still full, although the whole universe has come out of it. ag Be: ya Aa: ag cetiraetaaT: | featihagaraenifteiin afed aera: 1 O gods, with our ears may we hear what is auspicious. With our eyes may we see what is auspicious, O ye worshipful ones. May we enjoy the life allotted to us by the gods, offering to them the activities of our strong limbs and body as a life-long praise.8 SVETAS'VATAROPANISAD ae TARA | Te A UAH | ae TT aaa’ | aafta arian | ar Bsa? U1, ait amas i ana: 1 amar May Brahman protect us both together. May He nourish us both together. May we both work together with great energy. May our study be vigorous and effective. May we not hate each other. Om Peace! Peace! Peace !S'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD So SPRAISEATA: CHAPTER ONE aft: & 1 sernfeat acta | fe Bret ae Gar ea STAT sam Ft EF aeT afafgar: ta qaaty . aaine aefaat eaaeay 8 Ul merafea: students of Brahman afte discuss: feq what SIA cause? my Brahman ? ga: whence or why Sat: &A: we are born ? Sa due to what stata: we live? w Where @ and @eqfaet final rest ? &a by whom or what silwfeat: controlled qaaty in happiness and misery m@tfeq: knowers of Brahman sqaeury law aatat we abide ?10 S’VETAS'VATAROPANISAD Students of Brahman (i.e. the Vedas) discuss (among themselves): What is the cause ?* (Is it) Brahman? Whence? are we born? Why* do we live? Where‘ is our final rest ? Under® whose orders are we, who know the Brahman, subjected to the law of happiness and misery ? (NorEs—The Upanigad begins with an account of a discussion carried on by some students of the Veda with regard to’ the ultimate problems of philosophy and religion. 1. Cause—The first doubt deals with the problem of causation. It analyses itself as follows: What is the nature of causation? Is it necessary that everything should have a cause? If so, what is the final cause of this universe? Can it be Brahman? How can the Absolute Brahman, unrelated to anything else—the one without a second—be the cause of anything? If at all it could be the cause, what is the nature of this causal Brahman ? Is it the material cause, or the efficient cause, or both? Or, can it be that some other non-spiritual entity such as time, nature, etc., is the first cause, and not Brahman? All these seem to be condensed in the first question raised. 2. Whence are we born?—The next question is with regard to the mystery of creation. Why should the universe come into existence, if at all it is a thing created ? How can the imperfect come out of the per- fect, the finite out of the infinite? If it is not created, why should it appear to be an effect, and why shouldCHAPTER ONE 11 everything in this universe seem under the necessity of having an origin? If man in his real nature is Brahman Itself, why should there be so much variety in this world? Why should Brahman forsake Its supreme bliss and take on this individual aspect? This seems to be the purport of the second doubt. 3. Why do we live ?>—The third doubt is with re- gard to the mystery of life itself. The origin of life, its purpose, its relation to the rest of the universe and allied questions are implied in it. 4. Where is our final rest >—The fourth doubt deals with the mystery of death. The fate of the indi- vidual after death—whether he is annihilated, reborn or absorbed in Brahman—is a matter of deep interest to the religious mind. 5. Under whose orders etc.—The last doubt deals with the problem of evil. Why should there be suffering in this world? If man is free and is master of himself, would he willingly choose the life of suffering? How can the existence of suffering under a merciful Provi- dence be explained? Are there proper methods of escape from this, and if so, why does not man have recourse to these methods and be free—especially those who know these methods from a study of the Scriptures ? The next Mantra points out briefly the nature of Manana (reflection by the ‘Neti, Neti’ method, or the process of elimination.] are: eal fafatexst warts af: gar eff Rea |12 S/VETAS'VATAROPANISAD Salt Tat AeaTNTAT- arate: Gaga: Wz Ul @l@: time, @ara: nature, Rafa: law,aeegt chance, aqenier matter, art: energy, JS: intelligence, afa thus feeat cannot bear examination, 4 nor & even Gag of these @@lat: combination, wleTaTata due to identity, their own birth, and to the existence of the self. ‘IAT the individual soul sf also wefigt: not master of itself Gar-aea: because of happiness and misery. Time, nature, law, chance, matter, energy, intelligence—neither these, nor a combination of these, can bear examination because of their own birth, identity and the existence of the self. The self also is not a free agent, being under the sway of happiness and misery. {NoTEs—The various possible explanations for the riddle of the universe are here considered one by one, and rejected as unsatisfactory. To explain a riddle is to relate it to something which we already know through the law of causation. A cause is something which must invariably and immediately precede the effect. To explain the universe, therefore, is to find out something which must necessarily and immediately precede it, and a knowledge of which is essential before we can under- stand the universe. The various possible explanations offered cannot bear scrutiny, as we shall see.CHAPTER ONE 13 First let us take time. The fact that things are born and exist in time may make it a plausible explanation of the world. There are however serious objections to this. Time is but a part of the framework of thought itself, and without thought it cannot exist. Thought itself is a part of the universe whose explanation we seek. There- fore to consider time as an explanation of the universe will amount to reducing the former into an explanation of itself. It would be the same thing as to say that the cause of time is time itself, which is no explanation. Again, time, though it appears to be eternal, always changes from the past through the present to the future, and it would seem to consist of innumerable moments which come into existence and die away just as any other object we can conceive of. It will also be seen on self-analysis that the cognizing self always precedes the cognition of time. So time cannot be considered as the first cause which brought the universe into existence. The word ‘atmabhava ’ gives the three reasons explained above as to why time cannot be considered as a cause. These are oneness with the universe, subjection to birth, and existence of the self prior to it. Next with regard to nature. Nature may here be taken in the sense of inherent property, or as represent- ing the vast expanse of spacial objectivity. Nothing can come into existence if it were against its nature to be born. So the presence of nature may be considered a necessary antecedent to the birth of the universe, and as such, nature may be taken as jits cause. Again, nothing can exist, or come into birth, or be conceived of, except as an object in space. Therefore spacial objectivity, being a necessary and inevitable antecedent,14 S/VETAS'VATAROPANISAD may plausibly be considered as a cause of the universe. But we find on scrutiny that in either case, nature cannot be considered a cause for the very same reasons as are condensed in the aphoristic expression ‘ atma- phavat.’ Thus an inherent property can at best exist only in some object, and apart from the object it cannot have separate existence as a cause. Spacial objectivity, again, like time, is one of the frameworks of thought itself, and cannot exist as an antecedent to thought. So in either case nature cannot be considered as a cause of the universe of which it isa part. The existence of the cognizing self is again necessary for knowing nature. For this reason also nature cannot be the cause. More- over to say that the cause of the universe is its own nature is virtually to confess our ignorance of its true origin. Next with regard to law. The universe is not a chaos but a cosmos. Everything seems to be related to everything else, and the whole seems to be well arranged, co-ordinated and organized into a system, each object having its definite place and function in respect of the whole, and each being subject to a particular kind of behaviour. Law is nothing but an intellectual formula- tion of this uniformity of behaviour of objects under particular circumstances. This uniformity may be supposed to be due to some controlling force from out- side, which must necessarily exist beforehand. It is on this supposition that law is brought in as a plausible cause. But really law, being only an expression of the behaviour of objects, cannot exist apart from the uni- verse and independent of the cognizing mind.CHAPTER ONE 15 Next with regard to chance. Science tells us only about the why, and not the how, of things. Thus the science of botany traces the various stages, and analyses the diverse agencies at work, in the devel- opment of a seed into a tree, but it cannot say why those agencies work in a particular way alone, and why the seed grows into a tree and not an animal. We may push back our explanation further and further, but there is a limit to all such explanations, and we shall be forced to admit finally that we do not know the why of things. It is then that we have to take refuge in the explanation that it is due to accident or chance. If, however, we look at it a little closer, we find that the explanation means nothing more nor less than the denial of the universal law of causation. Along with time and space, causation forms a framework of thought itself. Therefore to deny it will be tantamount to denying thought itself. Intellectually, therefore, it is impossible to conceive of anything as due to chance. It will be simply a confession of our ignorance. Next comes matter. The whole universe may be conceived of as a combination of irreducible particles of matter called atoms, as scientists used to do till recently. But as even these admittedly form part of the universe that we are trying to explain, and as they require the presence of the cognizing subject for their very existence, they cannot be properly considered as cause of the universe. Next as regards energy. Even in a materialistic view of the universe the inert atoms have to be brought into union by force or energy, which may, on, that account, be spoken of as the cause of the universe. Or,16 S'VETASVATAROPANISAD as modern scientists say, the ultimate particles of matter may themselves be units of energy. Therefore it may be proper to consider energy as the source of all matter. A little thought, however, will show that even this energy cannot be the cause of the universe, because, like everything else, energy itself is part of the universe which we seek to explain, and cannot exist apart from the cognizing self. Next comes intelligence. In the ultimate analysis, the whole universe consists of cognizing minds, cognized objects, and cognition, the bond between the two. This is the Triputi of Vedanta. The cognizing intelligence must be present in every thought, although the objective world may or may not be cognized. In the act of intros- pection, the cognizing subject does not feel or know the existence of anything external to itself. It converts itself, as it were, into an object for the purpose of observ- ing itself. The cognizing subject is also present in sleep when the whole of the objective universe seems to have vanished. This perceiving intelligence, therefore, has better claims to be considered as the cause of the universe than the entities mentioned before. But on closer scrutiny we find the perceiving subject as much part of the universe as the perceived object, as both cannot exist apart from each other. We thus see the necessity for the self itself to take the form of an object of observation in introspection. As part of the universe, this perceiving subject also, like the perceived object, vani- shes in deep sleep and Samfdhi, and only pure conscious- ness remains. Thus intelligence cannot be the first cause. Next, as regards the self. The self must remain in Sam&dhi as well as in deep sleep, although even _CHAPTER ONE 17 intelligence vanishes. The consciousness of having en- joyed sound sleep, and of the non-awareness of the exist- ence of the world at the time of deep sleep bear evidence to this fact. The self must have existed in deep sleep, as it could not otherwise have had memory of these experi- ences after awakening. We cannot also be sure other- wise whether the awakened self is the same as the one that had gone to sleep. This individual self, which must thus be presumed to exist in all the three states of waking, dream and sleep as the knower, the enjoyer and the doer, may be supposed to be the ultimate principle on which the explanation of the universe depends. But even this individual self seems to be not free. If it were free, it would have always continued to enjoy and not to suffer, as nobody likes suffering. The very fact that it has to come back to the dream world or to the waking world, which is full of happiness and misery, shows that there is some agent which is keeping it under its subjection. : We thus see that the explanations offered by the intellect, on the basis of reason, are not satisfying to the cause-seeking intellect itself. The Ultimate Truth has to be experienced and real- ized in the depths of Samadhi, and only then intellect and reason may be of use to us in comprehending the truth of our experience. That is the province of reason. Meditation is, therefore, the most important method for realization, and hence it is this process and its results that form the topic of the next Mantra.] & eqaainwata 3947 Jaraate wha |18 s'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD a: erconfa faftaent af ararngaratafagen: tl 3 ul & they earqatargiat: practising the method of medi- tation waa: by the Gunas fryer, hidden or concealed, areaafiey the self-conscious power in themselves ; or the sources of intellect, emotions, and will; or, the God of religion, the Self of philosophy, and the Energy of science WYXaq realized or experienced ; 4: who Y#: the one without a second sraragariat beginning with time and ending with self fafwernifa all arf those #runa causes Sfafagia superintendents or controls. Practising the method of meditation, they realized that Being who’ is the God of religion, the Self of philosophy and the Energy of science ; who exists as the self-luminous power in everyone ; who is the source of the intellect, emotions and will; who is one without a second; who’ presides over all the causes enu- merated above, beginning with time and ending with the individual soul; and who had* been incomprehensible because of the limitations of their own intellect.’ [NorEs—1. Who is the God of religion etc.— The word ‘devitmagakti’. is an aphoristic expression which is variously interpreted by various commentators,CHAPTER ONE 19 but to us it seems to embody the following view: The word ‘deva’ represents the God of Religion, ‘Atma’ the Self of philosophy, and ‘gakti’ the Energy of Science. The word also means the self-conscious power which is in everyone, Deva meaning self- luminous. It thus means to emphasize the presence of the Ultimate Truth in everybody in the form of self- conscious power. Devatmasakti also means the source of knowledge, emotions and will, the three aspects of mind, Deva standing for knowledge, Atma for the emotions, and S'akti for will. This gives the character- istics of the Ultimate Reality which is beyond the pro- vince of mind and language. 2. Who presides over. . . the individual soul—By the word ‘adhitisthati ’ (presides over) the Sruti wants to make clear that all the other causes mentioned before as possible explanation depend for their very existence on this fundamental principle, and cannot function in- dependently of it. The other so-called causes are only the instruments of this principle. It is to be noted that the S'ruti calls this principle not as causing the universe, but as presiding over everything. This is to indicate that the question of causation, with which the Upanisad begins, arises only at the intellectual stage of thought and enquiry ; it ceases to crop up when the state of unity is realized in Samadhi. 3. Had been incomprehensible etc.—The word ‘svagupa’ may here refer to Sattva, Rajas and Tamas —the constituent elements of jNature according to Sati- khya philosophy. It may also mean the apparent limita- tions that the Supreme Reality assumes by itself, or better still, the limitations of the intellect in the spiritual20 S‘VETAS VATAROPANISAD aspirant who has been trying to find out the Reality. This last meaning is preferrable, because the S'ruti wants to emphasize that the obstruction to spiritual realization lies within ourselves, and that as soon as this is removed by meditation the Spirit reveals Itself. This universe is nothing but the Ultimate Principle as it appears to our intellect. The next two Mantras give a description of this phenomenal universe.] aaaata faa dead aarat faafaracta: | aek: efafeaernas Pravtag fefafadarteg 2 aq Him qeafta with one felly framq with a triple tyre Geared with sixteen extremities garaleq with fifty spokes Maafaneatia: (gaa) with twenty counter- spokes or wedges qaft: wes: (gwA) with six sets of eight farstaqeny with a belt which is single yet mani- fold frantia with three different roads ighiatecieg with each revolution giving rise to two (avila: we think). We think of Him as the universe resemb- ling a wheel which has one’ felly with a triple? tyre, sixteen® extremities, fifty* spokes, twenty® counter-spokes and six sets of eight ; which is driven along three’ different roads by means of a belt® that is single yetCHAPTER ONE al manifold; and which each® revolution gives tise to two. (NorEs—This abstruse Mantra is Safkhya in terminology, and uses a highly technical imagery. It ‘conveys the sense that, to one bound by the intellect and the senses, the universe is explainable only as an ex- pression of the Supreme Being. Hence God is meditated upon as the wheel of this universe. The universe itself is compared to a wheel in order to indicate its dynamic nature—its perpetual motion. It also alludes to the cyclic nature of all worldly processes—the movement of heavenly bodies, the rounds of birth and death, the succession of involution and evolution, the repetitive process of history, the alternation of happiness and misery, etc. 1. One felly—The circumference of the wheel repre- sents Nature, known variously as unmanifested ether, Maya, Prakrti, Sakti, Ajiiana, etc. It is the cause on which the whole creation depends. 2. Triple tyre—The three tyres represent the three qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, or it may be taken as representing time, space and causation, or the Triputi of Vedanta. 3. Sixteen extremities—These represent the six- teen products or Vikrtis of the Sankhya philosophy. They are the eleven organs (Indriyas) and the five gross elements (Paficabhtitas). They are called extre- mities because creation becomes complete with their evolution, . 4. Fifty spokes—These consist of (a) the five Vipar- yayas or misconceptions, (b) the twenty-eight As‘aktis22 S'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD or disabilities, (c) the nine Tustis or satisfactions, and (d) the eight Siddhis or perfections. More informa- tion on this may be found in Saikhyasitra III, 37, 45, and Catkhyakarika 47 ef seqg.; in Yogasitra I, 8 and II, 2; and in the Brahmapuraya. 5. Twenty counter-spokes—These are the wedges to strengthen the spokes, and they refer to the ten senses and their ten objects. 6. Six sets of eight—Astagas or six sets, each consisting of eight entities, are commonly enumerated as follows: (1) eightfold Nature (Prakrtyastaka) consisting of the five elements and mind (Manas), intel- lect (Buddhi) and egoism (Ahadkara) ; (2) eight ingredi- ents of the body (Dhatvastaka) consisting of external skin (Carma), internal skin (Tvak), blood (Ask), flesh (Mathsa), fat (Medas), bone (Asthi), marrow (Majja), and semen (Sukra); (3) eight psychic powers (Ais'varyas- taka) like Anima, Mahima, etc. ; (4) eight mental states (Bhavastaka), consisting of righteousness (Dharma) and unrighteousness (Adharma), knowledge (Jana) and ignorance (Ajfiana), renunciation (Vairagya), and attach- ment (Avairagya), super-human powers (Ais'varya) and want of super-human powers (Anais'varya); (5) eight super-human beings (Devastaka) like Brahma, Prajapati, Devas, Gandharvas, Yakgas, Rakgasas, Pitrs and Pisa- cas; and (6) the eight virtues of the soul (Gunastaka), consisting of compassion (Daya), forbearance (Ksama), absence of jealousy (Anasiiya), purity (Sauca), freedom from fatigue (Anayasa), freedom from poverty (Akar- panya) and desirelessness (Asprha). . 7. Three different roads—These are virtue (Dharma ) vice (Adharma), and knowledge (ffana),CHAPTER ONE 23 8. Belt—It is Kama or desire, which is said to be manifold on account of the differences in the objects of desire. 9. Each revolution—The corresponding word ‘moha' in the text literally means delusion, and is synony- mous with Bhrama. In its application to the wheel, Moha can, however, mean only revolution. This revolu- tion represents delusion, which gives rise to the two opposites, namely, merit and sin, or happiness and misery.] garetts waa gaat TET wagaafayeny | qaaTaat qaqa qarazat arated: We & UI (aq, Him) qaretaiegq, who contains the waters of five streams Gea quaeL who has five big turnings due to five causes WaHTaNag whose waves are the five Pranas qagauany whose source is the mind, the basis of five-fold perception qaraaty who has five whirlpools wag: aaa whose rapids are the five-fold misery qatarza@ta, who has fifty (numerous) aspects qarahy who has five branches weft: we think. We think of Him (in His manifestation as the universe) who is like a river that contains the waters of five’ streams; that has five big turnings due to five* causes; that24 s'VETAs'VATAROPANISAD has the five Pranas for the waves, the mind*’— the basis of five-fold perception—for the source, and the five-fold‘ misery for its rapids; and that has five’ whirlpools, five branches and innumerable aspects. {NoTEs—The points of resemblance between the river and the universe, which make the metaphor sugges- tive and significant, are as follows: (1) as the river, water comes from the sea and goes back to the sea, the universe springs from God and goes back to Him. (2) As the river is full of potential dangers to the unthinking masses living on its banks on account of possible floods, so is the world capable of mischief to men absorbed in it; but, then, just as the river contributes to the prosperity and convenience of people who make use of it for irrigation and communication, the world also helps the spiritual evolution of those who have the right outlook on it. (3) The waters of the river always change but yet keep a unity because of the banks; so also the universe is full of change, but it keeps up an appearance of unity within the limits of its banks of time and space situated in the bed of causation. (4) As the waters of the river are not different from the ocean, the universe is not different from God in the absolute sense. 1, Five streams—These represent the five senses. 2. Five causes—These are the five elements, or Paficabhitas. 3. Mind . . . for the source—The expression indicates that the universe is dependent on the mind, and that if it is transcended in Samadhi, the universe disappears.CHAPTER ONE 25 4. Five-fold misery—It consists of the sorrows of Pre-natal existence in the womb, those attendant on birth, the miseries of old age, the pains of diseases and the sorrows of death. 5. Five whirlpools—The objects of the five senses of sound, touch, colour, taste and smell, in which indivi- dual souls generally get drowned.] ais’ waded aera afer Gat areas AAT | Tareas Aitat | aa QoeraetarTTeAaeA aI aaisf® in which everything lives @4@eY in which everything rests g@@ in the infinite witaa in this waa in the wheel of Brahman @@: the pilgrim soul wreqa is whirled about. gumieataq, the individual soul hitherto regarded as separate @ itself Xitateq as the moving force or God azaqt knowing, a: then aa by Him We: blessed or favoured Saray, immortality aia attains. In this infinite wheel? of Brahman, in which everything lives and rests, the pilgrim® soul is* whirled about. Knowing the individual * soul, hitherto regarded as separate, to be itself the Moving Force, and blessed* by Him, it attains immortality. [Nores—1. Wheel of Brahman—The reference here is to the wheel described in Mantra 4. The wheel is the universe.26 S'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD 2. Pilgrim soul—The word Hathsa, which literally means swan in classical Sanskrit, is here interpreted to mean traveller or pilgrim. The progress of con- sciousness from Tamas to Sattva, or from the uncon- sciousness of inert substance to the super-consciousness of Samadhi, is compared to a pilgrimage. There seems also to be a subtle reference to the similarity of the soul to a swan kept in a revolving cage, fluttering about so as to escape from its confinement. 3. Is whirled about—The reference is to the theory of reincarnation. 4. Individual soul etc.—The line is variously interpreted by commentators of various schools of thought, each trying to find in it a support for his own favourite system of Vedanta. It is referred to many times in the commentary on the Vedantasutras. The Advaitic commentator takes the line to be connected with the previous part of the Mantra and interprets it to mean, ‘ Thinking that the individual soul is different from God.’ According to him this conception of the difference between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul is the .real cause of bondage and reincarnation. According to the Advaitic interpretation, the line has to be construed thus: Atmanam jivam preritaram ca isvaram prthag eva matva bhraimyate. Theists take this line as related to the last line of the Mantra. According to them it means that the realization of the Atman as separate from its Lord and Master gives immortality. They, therefore, would construe it thus: Atmanam preritaram ca prthag matva amrtatvam etc. Even taking this line as referring to the last line of the Mantra, others interpret the line to mean,‘ Knowing the individual self to be the same asCHAPTER ONE 27 God’, and treat it as referring to the cause of liberation. ‘We may attempt to reconcile these views, which are generally supposed to be in opposition, as follows: The ignorant man is usually concerned only with himself and the world. To him God, the third entity, does not exist. The intelligent man soon finds out, however, that there is some unknown power behind the universe, which is guiding his destinies. The first part of spiritual practice, therefore, is to realize the existence of this power on whom both he and the world depend. At first this realization is only intellectual. In the history of humanity, as well as in the life of the individual, we find that the idea of God comes early in the picture. With the maturing of intellectual powers comes the real search as to the fundamental character of this power. Sadhana (spiritual practice) first begins with a separation of God from the universe, as a being with qualities entirely dif- ferent from the individual and the world. Subsequently, with the analysis of the individual and the world psycho- logically and scientifically, the various systems of philo- sophy, dealing with the relations between God, the individual and the world, come into being. Each system represents a stage in the progress of thought and Sadhana. In the final stage of realization, in the depths of Samadhi, the world and the individual soul, as we know them, vanish entirely, and God alone remains. The individual soul gradually acquires all the fundamental characteristics of God, and gives up all the characteristics of the world. This process of transformation of the individual soul is referred to in this line. This transformation involves both the processes, namely, first finding out the difference between God and the individual soul, as we know it, and28 S'‘VETAS'VATAROPANISAD secondly, the identification of God with the individual soul, as it really is. The two being part of the same process, there is no real conflict between them. 5. Blessed—The blessing of God, according to Advaitic interpretation, is the realization of the oneness of Jiva and Brahman. The theists construe it as refer- ting to the doctrine of grace. There is no real conflict between the two views, as the Lord’s grace is necessary for the realization of identity. A greater difficulty is as to how to reconcile the doctrine of grace with the doctrine of Karma or self- effort. Here also the difficulty can be overcome if we understand that the grace of God is bestowed on a person only after he has reached the limits of self-effort. How to get absorbed in Brahman is described in the next Mantra.] BAAAIT | AA afinad gafagisat 3 | saray wefaat fafger Star wate aac: ae te tl Qaq this qa Supreme we (af) Brahman era, expressly declared. afara In that aay the triad. (az) gsltret That is the firm support, (aq) WW that is imperishable @ and. @# here geaqq the inner essence waiag: knowers of Veda frigeat knowing, Aw: devoted to it maf in Brahman @tat: merged @iftget: released from birth (waféa are).CHAPTER ONE 29 This? is expressly declared to be the Supreme Brahman. In that is the triad? It* is the firm support, and it is the imperishable. Knowing the inner‘ essence of this, the know- ers of Veda become devoted to Brahman, merge themselves in It, and are released from birth. ([NoreEs—1. This—The word may refer to the visible universe inclusive of individual souls, or to the Ultimate Reality behind it experienced in Samadhi as the Self of ourselves. In the former case, the first line would mean: ‘This universe is expressly declared (by the Vedas) to be the Supreme Brahman.’ In the latter case, it means, ‘The Absolute (experienced in Samadhi) is what is expressly declared (in the Vedas) as the Supreme Brahman.’ According to the Advaitic explana- tion, the line means that the Supreme Brahman described in the Vedas is above the world of cause and effect. 2. Triad—The expression signifies the world of multiplicity, which is conceived as different series of three like time, space and causation; waking, dream and sleep, etc. The world of multiplicity may be said to exist in Brahman either in reality as the theists would have it, or by way of superimposition as the Advaitins would prefer. 3. It is the firm support—The passage may mean any three of the following: Either ‘The Absolute is the substratum of all manifested appearances’, or ‘It is the one support, which always saves everything from a fall’, or ‘The whole universe rests in It after dissolution ’.30 S'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD 4. Inner essence—The reference is to the Taitti- riya passage which describes how the knowers of the Veda realize the inner essence of this universe by progressing step by step from the gross body through the subtle and causal bodies.] agwAA TTA F saa wet Peat: | staat Tea WaT- AAT Hea Ba QeaT TAT: UN < Ul aga bound together 9 perishable WAM im- perishable sawteTHY manifest and unmanifest @ and gaa this f¥aq universe €u: the Lord awa supports. wrefigr:; without the Lord sqreat the self wlegarara because of being the enjoyer qeqa is bound. aq God grat knowing aan: from all fetters qeaa is released | and. The Lord supports this universe, which consists of a combination’ of the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest and the un- manifest. As long as the self does not know the Lord, it gets attached to worldly pleasures, and is bound; but when it knows Him, all fetters fall away from it. [NoTEs—1. Combination etc.—Refers to the subtle and gross aspects, cause and effect, spirit and matter, into which everything in the world may be divided.]CHAPTER ONE 31 Stat grasrdtatarast dar Vaniensga | ara eae wal a4 ar feed wetag 18 qmg¥ the conscious subject and the unconscious object araiait: the master and the dependent # both SN are unborn. Wregatariget Who is engaged in bringing about the relation of the enjoyer and the enjoyed Wet another one f&€ too Wat is unborn. 7et when qa this Taq triad He Brahman (gie as) (#fTE some- body) faeqa realizes, SAT the self WaAFa: infinite faweq: having assumed the form of the universe aeat inactive wafa becomes. The conscious subject and the unconscious object, the master and the dependent, are both unborn. She too, who is engaged in bringing about the relation of the enjoyer and the en- joyed (or between these two), is unborn. When all these three are realized as Brahman, the self becomes infinite, universal and free from the sense of agentship. [NoTEs—This Mantra deals with the Triputi or the three elements of thought—the subject, the object and the relation between the two. These three are said to be unborn, because nobody knows when and how they32 S'VETAS' VATAROPANISAD came to be. The conscious subject is described as the master because it exists independent of the object in deep sleep, while the object is considered to be dependent because it cannot exist independent of the perceiving subject. The second line refers to how the subject and object are brought into relation by the inscrutable power of Maya, which invests them with the character of the enjoyer and the enjoyed, and thus gives rise to all kinds of sufferings. This reminds us of Yogasttras, II. 17 and 23, where junction of the subject and the object is described as the cause of avoidable misery. It is in deep Samadhi that this relation is finally severed, and all the three merge themselves into one in Brahman, and the Atman, which till then was known to be finite, active and different from the universe, realizes its natural infinitude, universality and freedom from the sense of agentship.] at TITATTAAT BT aTrearatag 24 TH: | wear hearareasraraca- ara yTara feaarafafa: (1 Qo sparta, matter 8tq perishable, gx: God Bzargey im- mortal and imperishable. g%; One 2a: God quratat the perishable and individual souls era rules over. aeq His aftearara by meditation a@trata by union aequrata by becoming one with Him aa: again Wea in the end farang: cessation of all illusion @ and.CHAPTER ONE 33 Matter is perishable, but God is imperish- able and immortal. He, the only God, rules over the perishable matter and individual souls. By meditating on him, by uniting with Him, and by becoming one with Him, there is cessation of all illusion in the end. (NoTEs—The last two lines point out the various stages by which the Absolute is reached. The expres- sion ‘by union’ refers to Savikalpa or Samprajfiata Samadhi, in which there is yet difference between the person meditating and the object meditated on, and the phrase ‘by becoming one with him’, to the Nirvikalpa or Asamprajiiata Samadhi, in which even this distinction is obliterated in the consciousness of identity.] grat 34 adararaenfa: ata: Bava: | aera she fadad Fas orga 22 Raq God grat knowing @4qreTqEtla: the failing away of all fetters (aate happens). @@: waning mit: by misery (i.e., ignorance and its effects) WeRargrenty: cessation of birth and death. a&% on Him aivearary by meditation aeaz getting beyond the consciousness of the body afta, third state fa*zaray universal lordship (a and); (@:) aw: one without a second SI@eIa: whose desires are satisfied (@ waia becomes).34 s'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD With the knowledge of God, all fetters fall off. With the waning of ignorance, birth and death cease. Going beyond the consciousness of the body by meditating on Him, one reaches the third state, viz., the universal lordship. All his desires are satisfied, and he becomes one without a second.’ [NorEes—The Mantra describes the various stages of realization—knowledge through scriptural study etc., waning of ignorance, cessation of future births, continu- ous meditation on Him, overcoming the body conscious- ness, and becoming one without a second which is the same as the fulfilment of all desires and attaining universal lordship. cased rewarded ara: 1 Afeaed fe FRRaq ater abd Sfat a gear aa at fara aetaq 22 qaa this fre eternally wrerdeuq existing in one’s own self GH only Az is to be known. Wa: tq, beyond this #7 féfaq, nothing Afzaag, to be known f& indeed. wtet enjoyer aay the enjoyed Rare ‘@ and that which brings about the enjoyment arat as a result of meditation @4q all qa this fafa threefold many the Brahman sia is declared (in the Veda).CHAPTER ONE 35 This? is to be known as eternally existing in one’s own self. Indeed, there’ is nothing to be known beyond this. As a result of meditation, the enjoyer, the enjoyed and the power which brings about the enjoyment—all are declared to be three aspects of Brahman. [NoTEs—1l. This is to be known etc.—The state attained by the knower of Brahman, which is described in the previous Mantra, is natural to one, and exists in oneself even before realization ; only one is not conscious of it on account of one’s limitations. So meditation should be on the eternal Truth existing in one’s own self, and should not be on anything which is separate from it. 2. There is nothing to be known etc.—This line refers to the fact that, when consciousness of unity is reached, knowledge cannot proceed further, as all science attempts only to find out the unity behind diversity.] aaa afaraea gfe ea Aa a ferret: | a yr waa frga- eaatrd F qos BF LR qat as arf latent in its source @&: of fire fa: the form @ tzaa is not seen, feryarat: destruction of its subtle form aq @ (saiat) and yet there is not, @: he36 S'VETAS'VATAROPANISAD ‘WT: again eaaalingg: capable of being perceived when that piece of wood is brought into contact with another piece of wood @@ surely. @@ af similarly 3waq both maqaa by means of Pranava ae in the body zea is realized. Fire is not perceived in its cause, the fire- stick, till it is ignited by percussion. The subtle essence of fire, nevertheless, is not absent in the stick; for fire can be obtained from the source, the fire-stick, by striking again. (The state of the Atman before and after realization) is like that of fire (before and after percussion). By meditating on the Pranava, the Atman is perceived manifestly in the body, (but it was there in a latent state even before realization). (Notes—The Mantra introduces an illustration to convince, even a layman, of the eternal existence in himself of the glory of Atman, which he subsequently realizes as a result of meditation. The act of percussion, which brings out the latent fire, stands for spiritual practices which reveal the Atman within. Here spiritual practice is identified with meditation on Pranava or the sound symbol ‘Om’.] eazeaefiy Hear gor Spach | eqrafaraarearenta ssafergeag ll 22CHAPTER ONE 37 waieq one’s own body wzfirq the lower piece of wood, sway the symbol Om sara the upper wood @ and wrtat making, eqraiaaaareaata, by practising churning in the form of meditation 344, God qxaa one should see faqeaa like something hidden. Making one’s own body the lower piece of wood, and the Pranava the upper piece of wood, and practising churning in the form of meditation, one should realize God as one would find out something hidden. [NotEs—Elsewhere we find the teacher and the dis- ‘ciple compared to the two pieces of wood, and the process of learning, to churning, in place of the three factors mentioned here—viz., body, the Pranava and the process of meditation.] : fady 48 afacta afacs: aaa ata: | Tamremseafa gaasal ayaa TIE ASAI LA Blerfeaaead sit afifentiag | qrafaratys agetafara aq 8&1 frag in the sesame seeds aarq oil, afaft in curds aff: butter, wag in (underground) springs Sq: water, ‘sag in pieces of wood WIT; fire Ea just as 4 and Taq in like manner @@t this ‘sweat the Self seat in the self waa is perceived. @: who Yaq this aacarqaa,