Shvetashvatara Upanishad (श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषद्)

Every Veda has four parts namely, Samhita, a number of Brahmanas, Aranyakas and the Upanishads. These four signify the gradual journey of an individual from external karma to internal transformation leading to the Ultimate realization.

परिचयः ॥ Introduction

Traditionally, there are 108 Upanishads connected with the four Vedas. Out of these, ten are considered to be ancient chronologically and even thematically. According to Swami Harshananda, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, though not included within the group of the ten Cardinal Upanishads, is deemed so important that it is always placed in the eleventh position. It is considered as ancient as the Mundaka and the Katha Upanishads.

Shvetashvatara Upanishad belongs to the Krishna Yajurveda. Three of its mantras (6.9, 4.5 and 5.8) have been discussed in the Brahmasutras (1.4.11, 1.4.8 and 2.3.22) by Badarayana. Many of its mantras are quoted by the commentators in support of their doctrines. This shows the important position of authority it held in the eyes of the great commentators, notwithstanding its comparatively later origin. The Upanishad begins and concludes with the famous Shanti mantra -

ॐ सह नाववतु। सह नौ भुनक्तु। सह वीर्यं करवावहै। तेजस्विनावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै। ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥ ॐ saha nāvavatu| saha nau bhunaktu| saha vīryaṃ karavāvahai| tejasvināvadhītam astu mā vidviṣāvahai| ॐ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||

Meaning: Om, May He protect us both (teacher and student). May He nourish us both. May we both work together with great energy. May the study of both of us be effective. Let there be no animosity between both of us. Om, peace (in me), peace (in nature), peace (in divine forces). Shvetashvatara is the sage who propagated this Upanishad.

तपःप्रभावाद् देवप्रसादाच्च, ब्रह्म ह श्वेताश्वतरोऽथ विद्वान् । अत्याश्रमिभ्यः परमं पवित्रं, प्रोवाच सम्यगृषिसङ्घजुष्टम् ॥ (6.21) tapaḥ-prabhāvād deva-prasādācca, brahma ha śvetāśvataro'tha vidvān | atyāśramibhyaḥ paramaṃ pavitraṃ, provāca samyag ṛṣi-saṅgha-juṣṭam ||

Meaning: Through the power of austerity and through the grace of the Lord, the sage Shvetashvatara realised Brahman and proclaimed the highly sacred Knowledge, supremely cherished by the company of seers, to sannyasins of the most advanced stage.

The word Shvetashvatara does not seem to be the original name of the seer but only an honorific title. According to Shankarananda, the word means one who has controlled his senses (Shveta = pure + Ashva = Indriyas, senses). According to others, it means a pure mule or a male calf (Shveta + Ashvatara) because in ancient days, it was quite common to add suffixes like Rishabha, Pungava etc to names as a mark of respect or pre-eminence.

भाष्याणि ॥ Commentaries

This Upanishad has five commentaries written by

• Shankara (788 - 820)
• Vijnanatman (13^th century)
• Shankarananda (14^th century)
• Narayanatirtha (18^th century)
• Upanishad Brahmayogin (18^th century)

अध्यायसारः  ॥ Chapter Contents

Shvetashvatara Upanishad has 113 mantras included in six chapters.

Shvetashvatara Upanishad

Chapter One	16 mantras
Chapter Two	17 mantras
Chapter Three	21 mantras
Chapter Four	22 mantras
Chapter Five	14 mantras
Chapter Six	23 mantras

प्रथमोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter One

The Upanishad begins with the query that what is the cause? Where have we originated from? What is our life support? And where are we placed and by whom? followed by the realized solutions of the Seer.

किं कारणं ब्रह्म कुतः स्म जाता, जीवाम केन क्व च सम्प्रतिष्ठा । (1.1) kiṃ kāraṇaṃ brahma kutaḥ sma jātā, jīvāma kena kva ca sampratiṣṭhā |

प्रथमोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter One

Mantras 2 to 5	Explain the nature of the Universal Substratum.
Mantras 6 to 11	Mention the method of Mukti of an Individual.
Mantra 12	Nature of Brahman.
Mantras 13 to 16	Method of Spiritual Practice through Pranava.

द्वितीयोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter Two

Mantras 1 to 11	Method of Spiritual practice.
Mantras 12 to 14	Symptoms of the Spiritual practitioner.
Mantra 15	Nature of Mukti.
Mantras 16 to 17	Nature of the Integral substratum.

तृतीयोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter Three

Mantras 1, 7, 8, 10, 13	Who are Amrita (Immortal) ?
Mantras 2 to 19	Nature of the Integral substratum.
Mantras 20 to 21	Symptoms of the Spiritual Practitioner.

चतुर्थोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter Four

Mantras 1 to 19	Nature of the Integral substratum.
Mantras 17, 20	Who are Amrita (Immortal)?
Mantras 21, 22	Prayer to Rudra.

पंचमोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter Five

Mantras 1 to 12	Nature of the Integral substratum.
Mantra 6	Who are Amrita (Immortal)?
Mantras 13, 14	Nature of Mukti.

षष्ठोsध्याय: ॥ Chapter Six

Mantras 1 to 19	Nature of the Integral substratum.
Mantras 13, 20	Nature of Mukti.
Mantra 21	Sage Shvetashvatara
Mantras 22, 23	Qualifications of the recipient of Spiritual Knowledge.

विषयविस्तारः ॥ Subject Matter

A thematic discussion of the topics covered in the Upanishad is presented further.

कारणं ब्रह्म ॥ Nature of the Universal Substratum

The Upanishad starts with the doubt about the Universal Integral Cause and the second mantra gives various options available in the then academic circle along with the real reply.

• Should time, or nature, or necessity, or chance, or the elements be regarded as the cause? Or he who is called the purusha, the living self? (1.2)

• The sages, absorbed in meditation through one−pointedness of mind, discovered the creative power, belonging to the Lord Himself and hidden in its own gunas. That non−dual Lord rules over all those causes−time, the self and the rest. (1.3)

• The sages saw the wheel of Brahman, which has one felly, a triple tire, sixteen end−parts, fifty spokes with twenty counter−spokes and six sets of eight; whose one rope is manifold; which moves on three different roads; and whose illusion arises from two causes. (1.4)

• We meditate on the River whose five currents are the five organs of perception, which is made impetuous and winding by the five elements, whose waves are the five organs of actions and whose fountain−head is the mind, the source of the five forms of perception. This River has five whirlpools and its rapids are the fivefold misery; and lastly, it has fifty branches and five pain−bearing obstructions. (1.5)

• He indeed, the Lord, who pervades all regions, was the first to be born and it is He who dwells in the womb of the universe. It is He, again, who is born as a child and He will be born in the future, He stands behind all persons and His face is everywhere. (2.16)

• The Self−luminous Lord, who is fire, who is in water, who has entered into the whole world, who is in plants, who is in trees−to that Lord let there be adoration! Yea, let there be adoration! (2.17)

The same description continues in third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters. Each specimen is as below:

• Rudra is truly one; for, the knowers of Brahman do not admit the existence of a second, He alone rules all the worlds by His powers. He dwells as the inner Self of every living being. After having created all the worlds, He, their Protector, takes them back into Himself at the end of time. (3.2)

• He, the One and Undifferentiated, who by the manifold application of His powers produces, in the beginning, different objects for a hidden purpose and, in the end, withdraws the universe into Himself, is indeed the self−luminous−May He endow us with clear intellect! (4.1)

• In the Immutable, infinite Supreme Brahman remain hidden the two: knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance leads to worldliness and knowledge, to Immortality. Brahman, who controls both knowledge and ignorance, is different from both. (5.1)

• Some learned men speak of the inherent nature of things and some speak of time, as the cause of the universe. They all, indeed, are deluded. It is the greatness of the self−luminous Lord that causes the Wheel of Brahman to revolve. (6.1)

मुक्तिमार्ग:॥ Method of Mukti

According to the Sage Shvetashvatara:

• In this great Brahma−Wheel, in which all things abide and finally rest, the swan (individual) wanders about so long as it thinks the self is different from the Controller. When blessed by Him the self attains Immortality. (1.6)

• It is the Supreme Brahman alone untouched by phenomena that is proclaimed in the Upanishads. In It is established the triad of the enjoyer, the object and the Lord who is the Controller. This Brahman is the immutable foundation; It is imperishable. The sages, having realized Brahman to be the essence of phenomena, become devoted to Him. Completely merged in Brahman, they attain freedom from rebirth. (1.7)

• The Lord, Isha, supports all this which has been joined together−the perishable and the imperishable, the manifest (the effect) and the unmanifest (the cause). The same Lord, the Supreme Self, devoid of Lordship, becomes bound because of assuming the attitude of the enjoyer. The jiva again realizes the Supreme Self and is freed from all fetters. (1.8)

• The Supreme Lord appears as Ishvara, omniscient and omnipotent and as the jiva, of limited knowledge and power, both unborn. But this does not deny the phenomenal universe; for there exists further the unborn prakriti, which creates the ideas of the enjoyer, enjoyment and the object. Atman is infinite and all−pervading and therefore devoid of agency. When the seeker knows all these three to be Brahman, he is freed from his fetters. (1.9)

• Prakriti is perishable. Hara, the Lord, is immortal and imperishable. The non−dual Supreme Self rules both prakriti and the individual soul. Through constant meditation on Him, by union with Him, by the knowledge of identity with Him, one attains, in the end, cessation of the illusion of phenomena. (1.10)

• When the Lord is known, all fetters fall off; with the cessation of miseries, birth and death come to an end. From meditation on Him there arises, after the dissolution of the body, the third state, that of universal lordship. And lastly, the aspirant, transcending that state also, abides in the complete Bliss of Brahman. (1.11)

• And when the yogi beholds the real nature of Brahman, through the Knowledge of the Self, radiant as a lamp, then, having known the unborn and immutable Lord, who is untouched by ignorance and its effects, he is freed from all fetters. (2.15)

• He who knows the Lord, who is without beginning or end, who stands in the midst of the chaos of the world, who is the Creator of all things and is endowed with many forms−he who knows the radiant Deity, the sole Pervader of the universe, is released from all his fetters. (5.13)

• Those who know Him who can be realised by the pure heart, who is called incorporeal, who is the cause of projection and withdrawal, who is all good and the creator of the sixteen parts−those who know the luminous Lord are freed from embodiment. (5.14)

• He is the Eternal among the eternal, the Conscious among the conscious and though non−dual, fulfils the desires of many. He who has known Him, the luminous Lord, the Great Cause, to be realised by Knowledge (Samkhya) and Yoga, is freed from all fetters. (6.13)

• When men shall roll up space as if it were a piece of hide, then there will be an end of misery without one’s cultivating the Knowledge of the Lord, who is without parts, without actions, tranquil, blameless, unattached, the supreme bridge to Immortality, an like a fire that has consumed all its fuel. (6.19−20)

साधना ॥ Method of Spiritual Practice

According to this Upanishad:

• Atman, which exists in two states, like fire, can be grasped in this very body by means of Om. (1.13)

• By making the body the lower piece of wood and Om the upper piece and through the practice of the friction of meditation, one perceives the luminous Self, hidden like the fire in the wood. (1.14)

• As oil exists in sesame seeds, butter in milk, water in river−beds and fire in wood, so the Self is realized as existing within the self, when a man looks for It by means of truthfulness and austerity−when he looks for the Self, which pervades all things as butter pervades milk and whose roots are Self−Knowledge and austerity. That is the Brahman taught by the Upanishad; yea, that is the Brahman taught by the Upanishads. (1.15−16)

• May the sun, at the commencement of yoga, join our minds and other organs to the Supreme Self so that we may attain the Knowledge of Reality. May He, also, support the body, the highest material entity, through the powers of the deities who control the senses. (2.1)

• Having received the blessings of the divine Sun and with minds joined to the Supreme Self, we exert ourselves, to the best of our power, toward meditation, by which we shall attain Brahman. (2.2)

• May the Sun bestow favour upon the senses and the mind by joining them with the Self, so that the senses may be directed toward the Blissful Brahman and may reveal, by means of Knowledge, the mighty and radiant Brahman. (2.3)

• It is the duty of those aspirants who fix their minds and senses on the Supreme Self to utter such lofty invocations to the divine Sun, omnipresent, mighty and omniscient. For He, all−witnessing and non−dual, is the dispenser of sacrifices. (2.4)

• O senses and O deities who favour them! Through salutations I unite myself with the eternal Brahman, who is your source. Let this prayer sung by me, who follow the right path of the Sun, go forth in all directions. May the sons of the Immortal, who occupy celestial positions, hear it! (2.5)

• If sacrifices are performed without first propitiating the Sun, then the mind becomes attached to sacrifices in which fire is kindled by the rubbing of the pieces of fire−wood, the oblations are offered to the deity Vayu and the soma juice is drunk excessively. (2.6)

• Serve the eternal Brahman with the blessings of the Sun, the cause of the universe. Be absorbed, through samadhi, in the eternal Brahman. Thus your work will not bind you. (2.7)

• The wise man should hold his body steady, with the three upper parts erect, turn his senses, with the help of the mind, toward the heart and by means of the raft of Brahman cross the fearful torrents of the world. (2.8)

• The yogi of well regulated endeavours should control the pranas; when they are quieted he should breathe out through the nostrils. Then let him undistractedly restrain his mind, as a charioteer restrains his vicious horses. (2.9)

• Let yoga be practised within a cave protected from the high wind, or in a place which is level, pure and free from pebbles, gravel and fire, undisturbed by the noise of water or of market−booths and which is delightful to the mind and not offensive to the eye. (2.10)

• When yoga is practised, the forms which appear first and which gradually manifest Brahman are those of snow−flakes, smoke, sun, wind, fire, fire−flies, lightning, crystal and the moon. (2.11)

साधक: ॥ Symptoms of the Spiritual practitioner

Sage Shvetashvatara says that:

• When earth, water, fire, air and akasha arise, that is to say, when the five attributes of the elements, mentioned in the books on yoga, become manifest then the yogi's body becomes purified by the fire of yoga and he is free from illness, old age and death. (2.12)

• The precursors of perfection in yoga are lightness and healthiness of the body, absence of desire, clear complexion, pleasantness of voice, sweet odour and slight excretions. (2.13)

• As gold covered by earth shines bright after it has been purified, so also the yogi, realising the truth of Atman, becomes one with the non−dual Atman, attains the goal and is free from grief. (2.14)

• The Self, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of creatures. The wise, by the grace of the Creator, behold the Lord, majestic and desireless and become free from grief. (3.20)

• I know this undecaying, primeval One, the Self of all things, which exists everywhere, being all−pervading and which the wise declare to be free from birth. The teachers of Brahman, indeed, speak of It as eternal. (3.21)

अमृता: ॥ Who are Amrita (Immortal)?

According to this Upanishad, they are Amrita (immortal) who:

• Know that the non−dual Jaalavaan (Ensnarer) rules by His powers. Remaining one and the same, He rules by His powers all the worlds during their manifestation and continued existence. (3.1)

• Know that the Brahman is higher than Virat, beyond Hiranyagarbha. He is vast and is hidden in the bodies of all living beings, pervading the universe. (3.7)

• Know that the great Purusha, who is luminous, like the sun and beyond darkness. Only by knowing Him does one pass over death; there is no other way to the Supreme Goal. (3.8)

• Know that which is farthest from this world is without form and without affliction. (3.10)

• Know that the Purusha, no bigger than a thumb, is the inner Self, ever seated in the heart of man. He is known by the mind, which controls knowledge and is perceived in the heart. (3.13)

• Know Him as the Maker of all things, self−luminous and all−pervading. He dwells always in the hearts of men. He is revealed by the teachings of the Vedanta, discriminative wisdom and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection. (4.17)

• Know that His form is not an object of vision; no one can behold Him with the eyes. They realise Him as abiding in the heart through pure intellect and the Knowledge of Unity based upon reflection. (4.20)

• Know that He is the cause of all and enables all things to function according to their nature. He brings to maturity all that can be ripened; who, being non−dual, rules over the whole universe and engages the gunas in their respective functions. He is concealed in the Upanishads. Brahma knew Him who can be known only from the evidence of the Vedas. The Gods and seers of olden times who knew Him became Brahman and attained Immortality. (5.5-6)

वैशिष्ट्यानि ॥ Unique Features

Shvetashvatara has some special features.

• It has addressed Paramatman (Supreme Self) as Hara (1.10), Rudra (3.2, 3.4, 4.12, 4.21 and 4.22) and Shiva (3.14 and 4.10). However scholars consider them as general names of Supreme Being and hence do not concede that it is a Shaiva Upanishad.

• The second speciality is its advocacy of bhakti or devotion to Supreme Being as an important aspect of sadhana.

• The third is giving a definite form to Supreme Being and considering him as a Person.

• Use of the words Sankhya, Yoga (6.13) and Kapila (5.2) is the next. However, these do not propagate the Sankhya philosophy as described in later philosophical literature.

The Upanishad also contains some of the famous slogans of Indian culture namely,

शृण्वन्तु विश्वे अमृतस्य पुत्रा आ ये, धामानि दिव्यानि तस्थुः ॥ (2.5) śṛṇvantu viśve amṛtasya putrā ā ye, dhāmāni divyāni tasthuḥ ||

Meaning: May the sons of the Immortal, who occupy celestial positions, hear it!

स नो बुद्ध्या शुभया संयुनक्तु ॥ (3.4) (4.1) (4.12) sa no buddhyā śubhayā saṃyunaktu ||

Meaning: May He endow us with clear intellect!

त्वं स्त्री त्वं पुमानसि, त्वं कुमार उत वा कुमारी । त्वं जीर्णो दण्डेन वञ्चसि, त्वं जातो भवसि विश्वतोमुखः ॥ (4.3) tvaṃ strī tvaṃ pumānasi, tvaṃ kumāra uta vā kumārī | tvaṃ jīrṇo daṇḍena vañcasi, tvaṃ jāto bhavasi viśvatomukhaḥ ||

Meaning:  You are woman, You are man; You are youth and maiden too. You as an old man totter along on a staff; it is You alone who, when born, assume diverse forms.

रुद्र यत्ते दक्षिणं मुखं तेन मां पाहि नित्यम् ॥ (4.21) rudra yatte dakṣiṇaṃ mukhaṃ tena māṃ pāhi nityam ||

Meaning: O Rudra, may Thy benign face protect me forever!

उपसंहार: ॥ Conclusion

The Upanishad concludes by mentioning the criteria of the recipient of this Upanishad.

नाप्रशान्ताय दातव्यं नापुत्रायाशिष्याय वा पुनः ॥ (6.22) nāpraśāntāya dātavyaṃ nāputrāyāśiṣyāya vā punaḥ ||

Meaning: It should not be given to one whose passions have not been subdued, nor to one who is not a son or a disciple. It also adds that the meaning of the Upanishad will shine forth only for those who have the highest devotion for Deity and for his guru as for Deity.

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ । तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः ॥ (6.23) yasya deve parā bhaktiḥ yathā deve tathā gurau | tasyaite kathitā hyarthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ ||

As one turns the pages of this Upanishad, one is pleasantly surprised to come across several familiar verses found in full or in part in other sacred scriptures such as the Vedas, the major Upanishads and the Gita. There are passages in this Upanishad which are allied in thought to Dvaita (dualism), Vishishtadvaita (Qualified Non-dualism), Advaita (Non-dualism) and other branches of Vedanta. It lays equal emphasis on Jnana, 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 seems 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 composition. Such is the grandeur of this Upanishad that it inspires everyone who reads it to lead a better and purposeful life, keeping the glory of spiritual pursuit and its goal constantly in view.