Everything about The Isha Upanishad totally explained
The
Isha Upanishad (in sandhi
Ishopanishad, also ), is a
Sanskrit poem (or sequence of
mantras) from the
Upanishads and is considered
Śruti by followers of a number of diverse traditions within
Hinduism. It is one of the smaller texts of the Upanishads (18 verses in total) but also one of the most often quoted.
Background and content
The Isha Upanishad is contained in the final
adhyāya (chapter) of the
White Yajurveda (VS). It consists of either 17 or 18 two-line verses covering a wide spectrum of
philosophy,
religion,
ritualism and metaphysics in a concise manner. The name of the Upanishad derives from its incipit,
Iśāvāsyam idam sarvam, "This universe is enveloped by the Lord". It belongs to an advanced stage of monist speculation, assuming a Lord (
ish) of the universe (Weber 1878:103). It is one of the later
mukhya Upanishads, dating approximately to
Mauryan times. According to
Mahidhara's commentary, it's a polemic against the
Bauddhas (the predecessors of the later
Samkhya doctrines).
Text
In the two
shakhas of the White Yajurveda, VSM and VSK, the order of verses 1-8 is the same. VSK verses 9–14 correspond to VSM verses 12, 13, 14, 9, 10, 11. VSM 17 is a variation of VSK 15, VSK 16 is lacking in VSM, and VSK 17–18 correspond to VSM 15–16. Verse numbers in this article refer to VSK:
| VSK |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
17 |
18 |
| VSM |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
(17) |
- |
15 |
16 |
Verse 1 »
Literal translation: "all this (idam sarvam) is pervaded by the Lord (Isavasyam), whatsoever, (yat kiñcha) the created world (jagatyam jagat). What is given by him (tena tyaktena) do enjoy (bhuñjitha), don't covet (ma grdhah) anyone else's (kasyasvid) wealth (dhanam).
» "The world is swaddled in the glory of the Lord.
Renounce it and enjoy it. Do not covet anyone's wealth." (trans. P. Lal)
» "Everything animate or inanimate that's within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one shouldn't accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong." (trans. Prabhupada
)
Verse 7 » "One who always sees all living entities as spiritual sparks, in quality one with the Lord, becomes a true knower of things. What, then, can be illusion or anxiety for him?" (trans. Prabhupada)
Verse 8 »
» "He hath attained [paryagāt] unto the Bright [shukram], Bodiless, Woundless, Sinewless, the Pure which evil hath not pierced."
"Far-sighted, wise, encompassing, he self-existent hath prescribed aims, as propriety demands, unto the everlasting Years" (trans. Griffith) » "Such a person must factually know [paryagāt] the greatest of all, the Personality of Godhead [shukram], who is unembodied, omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins, pure and uncontaminated, the self-sufficient philosopher who has been fulfilling everyone's desire since time immemorial." (trans. Prabhupada)
According to Shankara and Mahidhara, the neuter adjectives shukram etc. relate to Atman (sas "He") rather than to Brahma or Highest Essence. Depending on the interpretation of the first line, "Far-sighted" etc. refers either to the man who knows, or to Atman itself.
Verse 18 » "O my Lord, as powerful as fire, O omnipotent one, now I offer You all obeisances, falling on the ground at Your feet. O my Lord, please lead me on the right path to reach You, and since You know all that I've done in the past, please free me from the reactions to my past sins so that there will be no hindrance to my progress." trans. Prabhupada
See Sanskrit text #REDIRECT ईशावास्य उपनिषद्
The Supreme
The
Isha Upanishad is significant amongst the Upanishads for its description of the nature of the Supreme Person as the controller (
Ish) behind our universe. 'He who is unembodied,
omniscient, beyond reproach, without veins, pure and uncontaminated' (verse 8). (As stated above, commentators differ as to whether the referent here's Ish, Atman, or he who has recognized Atman.) He who 'walks and doesn't walk', who is 'far away, but very near as well', who 'although fixed in His abode is swifter than the mind' (from verses 4 & 5). In this way the Upanishad gives a number of seemingly paradoxical descriptions of the Supreme.
The later verses take the form of a series of prayers requesting that the speaker be able to see past the supreme light or effulgence in order to understand the true nature of the Supreme Lord Himself and be freed of the sins of past misdeeds
Morality
The text also discusses the nature of
karma for the living entities, and it promotes a way of life of simple living, 'accepting only those things set aside for oneself' (text 1) and a culture of knowledge over ignorance (text 10). The text also mentions negative reactions for one who kills another living being, and it advises seeing all living entities in connection with the Supreme Person and thus being equipoised towards them (verses 6 & 7).
Worship of
devas (demigods) is condemned in favour of worship of the Supreme
God only, for worship of anything other than the Supreme brings about different results. The reward for correct worship is given as a future life of eternity, bliss and knowledge.
Further Information
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