Svetasvatara Upanishad

ऋचो अक्षरे परमे व्योमन् यस्मिन् देवा अधि विश्वे निषेधुः यस् तन् न वेद किम् ऋचा करिष्यति य इत् तद् विदुस् त इमे समासते

In the imperishable, supreme space, where all gods reside, if one does not know that, what will the hymn accomplish? Those who know it gather there.

छन्दांसि यज्ञाः क्रतवो व्रतानि भूतं भव्यं यच् च वेदा वदन्ति अस्मान् मायी सृजते विश्वम् एतत् तस्मिंश् चान्यो मायया संनिरुद्धः

Hymns, sacrifices, rituals, vows, past, future, and what the Vedas declare—all this the magician creates as the universe, and another is bound by his magic.

मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यान् मायिनं तु महेश्वरं तस्यावयवभूतैस् तु व्याप्तं सर्वं इदं जगत्

Know Māyā as Prakṛti, and the magician as the great Lord; by his parts, this entire world is pervaded.

यो योनिं-योनिम् अधितिष्ठत्य् एको यस्मिन्न् इदं सं च वि चैति सर्वम् तम् ईशानं वरदं देवम् ईड्यं निचाय्येमां शान्तिम् अत्यन्तम् एति

He alone presides over every womb; in him all moves and rests; to that Lord, giver of boons, worthy of worship, bowing down, one attains supreme peace.

यो देवानां प्रभवश् चोद्भवश् च विश्वाधिको रुद्रो महर्षिः हिरण्यगर्भं पश्यत जायमानं स नो बुद्ध्या शुभया संयुनक्तु

He who is the source and origin of the gods, greater than all, Rudra, the great sage—see Hiranyagarbha being born; may he unite us with auspicious understanding.

यो देवानाम् अधिपो यस्मिंल् लोका अधिश्रिताः य ईशे अस्य द्विपदश् चतुष्पदः कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम

He is the lord of the gods, in whom worlds are established; he rules over bipeds and quadrupeds; to which god should we offer with oblation?

सूक्ष्मातिसूक्ष्मं कलिलस्य मध्ये विश्वस्य स्रष्टारम् अनेकरूपं विश्वस्यैकं परिवेष्टितारं ज्ञात्वा शिवं शान्तिम् अत्यन्तम् एति

Subtler than the subtlest, in the midst of confusion, the creator of the universe, of many forms, the one who envelops all—knowing Shiva, one attains supreme peace.

स एव काले भुवनस्य गोप्ता विश्वाधिपः सर्वभूतेषु गूढः यस्मिन् युक्ता ब्रह्मर्षयो देवताश् च तम् एवं ज्ञात्वा मृत्युपाशांश् छिनत्ति

He alone is the protector of the world in time, lord of all, hidden in every being; in whom sages and gods are united—knowing him thus, one cuts the bonds of death.

घृतात् परं मण्डम् इवातिसूक्ष्मं ज्ञात्वा शिवं सर्वभूतेषु गूढं विश्वस्यैकं परिवेष्टितारं ज्ञात्वा देवं मुच्यते सर्वपाशैः

Knowing Shiva, subtler than clarified butter, hidden in all beings, the one who envelops the universe—knowing the divine, one is freed from all bonds.

एष देवो विश्वकर्मा महात्मा सदा जनानां हृदये संनिविष्टः हृदा मनीषा मनसाभिकॢप्तो य एतद् विदुर् अमृतास् ते भवन्ति

This divine, maker of all, great soul, is always established in the hearts of people; by heart, intellect, and mind he is approached; those who know this become immortal.

यदातमस् तन् न दिवा न रात्रिर् न सन् न चासच् छिव एव केवलः तद् अक्षरं तत् सवितुर् वरेण्यं प्रज्ञा च तस्मात् प्रसृता पुराणी

When that darkness is, there is neither day nor night, neither being nor non-being; only Shiva alone; that imperishable, that most excellent of Savitṛ, from whom ancient wisdom has arisen.

नैनम् ऊर्ध्वं न तिर्यञ्चं न मध्ये परिजग्रभत् न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति यस्य नाम महद् यशः

No one has grasped Him above, across, or in the middle; He has no likeness; whose very name is of great glory.

न संदृशे तिष्ठति रूपम् अस्य न चक्षुषा पश्यति कश्चनैनं हृदा हृदिस्थं मनसा य एनम् एवं विदुर् अमृतास् ते भवन्ति

His form does not stand within the range of sight; no one sees Him with the eye. Those who know Him dwelling in the heart, by the heart and mind, they become immortal.

अजात इत्य् एवं कश्चिद् भीरुः प्रपद्यते रुद्र यत् दक्षिणं मुखम् तेन मां पाहि नित्यम्

Some fearful person, thinking 'Unborn,' takes refuge; O Rudra, by Your auspicious face, always protect me.

मा नस् तोके तनये मा न आयुषि मा नो गोषु मा नो अश्वेषु रीरिषः वीरान् मा नो रुद्र भामितो वधीर् हविष्मन्तः सदम् इत् त्वा हवामहे

Do not harm our children, nor our lifespan, nor our cattle, nor our horses; O Rudra, do not strike down our heroes, O praised one; we always invoke You with offerings.

द्वे अक्षरे ब्रह्मपरे त्व् अनन्ते विद्याविद्ये निहिते यत्र गूढे क्षरं त्व् अविद्या ह्य् अमृतं तु विद्या विद्याविद्ये ईशते यस् तु सो ऽन्यः

There are two eternal syllables, supreme Brahman and infinite, where knowledge and ignorance are hidden; the perishable is ignorance, the immortal is knowledge; and He who rules over both knowledge and ignorance is another.

यो योनिं योनिम् अधितिष्ठत्य् एको विश्वानि रूपाणि योनीश् च सर्वाः ऋषिं प्रसूतं कपिलं यस् तम् अग्रे ज्ञानैर् बिभर्ति जायमानं च पश्येत्

He who alone presides over the womb of all wombs, who forms all forms and all wombs, who upholds the sage Kapila, born at the beginning, with knowledge, and sees the one being born.

एकैकं जालं बहुधा विकुर्वन्न् अस्मिन् क्षेत्रे संहरत्य् एष देवः भूयः सृष्ट्वा पतयस् तथेशः सर्वाधिपत्यं कुरुते महात्मा

Making each net manifold, in this field this God withdraws them; having created again, He is the Lord of lords, the great soul who exercises sovereignty over all.

सर्वा दिश ऊर्ध्वम् अधश् च तिर्यक् प्रकाशयन् भ्राजते यद् वानड्वान् एवं स देवो भगवान् वरेण्यो योनिस्वभावान् अधितिष्ठत्य् एकः

Shining forth, illuminating all directions—above, below, and across—like the sun, so does that blessed, venerable God, alone preside over the natures of all wombs.

यच् च स्वभावं पचति विश्वयोनिः पाच्यांश् च सर्वान् परिणामयेद् यः सर्वम् एतद् विश्वम् अधितिष्ठत्य् एको गुणांश् च सर्वान् विनियोजयेद् यः

The universal womb cooks its own nature, and transforms all that is to be cooked; He alone presides over this whole universe and assigns all the qualities.

तद् वेदगुह्योपनिषत्सु गूढं तद् ब्रह्मा वेदते ब्रह्मयोनिं ये पूर्वं देवा ऋषयश् च तद् विदुस् ते तन्मया अमृता वै बभूवुः

That which is hidden in the secret Upaniṣads, that Brahman is known by Brahmā as the source of Brahman; those gods and seers who knew it before became immortal, identified with That.

गुणान्वयो यः फलकर्मकर्ता कृतस्य तस्यैव स चोपभोक्ता स विश्वरूपस् त्रिगुणस् त्रिवर्त्मा प्राणाधिपः संचरति स्वकर्मभिः

He who is associated with qualities, the doer of actions and their results, and also the enjoyer of what is done, who is of manifold forms, threefold in qualities and paths, the lord of life, moves according to his own deeds.

अङ्गुष्ठमात्रो रवितुल्यरूपः संकल्पाहंकारसमन्वितो यः बुद्धेर् गुणेनात्मगुणेन चैव आराग्रमात्रो ह्य् अवरो ऽपि दृष्टः

Of the size of a thumb, with a form like the sun, endowed with will and ego, by the quality of intellect and by its own quality, though the smallest, is seen as the tip of a hair.

वालाग्रशतभागस्य शतधा कल्पितस्य च भागो जीवः स विज्ञेयः स चानन्त्याय कल्पते

The living being is to be known as the hundredth part of the tip of a hair divided again a hundredfold; and yet it is capable of infinity.

नैव स्त्री न पुमान् एष न चैवायं नपुंसकः यद् यच् छरीरम् आदत्ते तेन तेन स युज्यते

He is neither female, nor male, nor neuter; as He assumes each body, so He is joined with it.

संकल्पनस्पर्शनदृष्टिमोहैर् ग्रासाम्बुवृष्ट्या चात्मविवृद्धिजन्म कर्मानुगान्य् अनुक्रमेन देही स्थानेषु रूपाण्य् अभिसंप्रपद्यते

Through will, touch, sight, and delusion, through food, water, and rain, the embodied self, following actions, is born and grows, and in due order assumes forms in various places.

स्थूलानि सूक्ष्माणि बहूनि चैव रूपाणि देही स्वगुणैर् वृणोति क्रियागुणैर् आत्मगुणैश् च तेषां संयोगहेतुर् अपरो ऽपि दृष्टः

The embodied self chooses many gross and subtle forms by its own qualities, by qualities of action and of self; and another is seen as the cause of their union.

अनाद्यनन्तं कलिलस्य मध्ये विश्वस्य स्रष्टारम् अनेकरूपं विश्वस्यैकं परिवेष्टितारं ज्ञात्वा देवं मुच्यते सर्वपाशैः

Knowing the beginningless and endless God, the creator of the world, of many forms, the sole enveloping Lord of the universe, one is freed from all bonds.

भावग्राह्यम् अनीडाख्यं भावाभावकरं शिवं कलासर्गकरं देवं ये विदुस् ते जहुस् तनुम्

Those who know the God who is grasped by being, called the nestless, the maker of being and non-being, the auspicious, the creator of parts, they abandon the body.