The Isa Upanishad: Verse-3

Still however a doubt is arisen that how could the 

Upanishad spoke of path of action (karma) when the 

first verse taught the pursuit of Knowledge for the 

person of renunciation?

Definitely the antithesis between knowledge and 

action (karma) is irremovable like a mountain. 

Following the creation of the universe these two paths 

did emerge – the path of karma and the path of 

renunciation (Giving up desire of three kinds of desire 

viz. desire for son, desire for wealth, and desire for 

worlds; the path of detachment). In scriptures some 

where the path of renunciation has been sung in 

praise and elsewhere has praised the path of Karma. 

In Mahabharata it has been said that; these then are 

the two paths on which the Vedas are established: 

one consists of duty characterised by attachment and 

the other is clearly marked by detachment.

However be the superiority of these two paths, it is 

the Knowledge of the Self that is sought by the 

seekers from time immemorial for Liberation.

Knowledge is power, Knowledge is immortality; but 

variant are its form in this world of multiplicity. So to 

avoid the manyfoldedness of this relative knowledge a 

great Absolute knowledge is spoken of in the 

scriptures by knowing which every other thing is 

known and thereby achieving the origin and source of 

everything. For those people who are devoid of this 

Absolute Knowledge the Upanishad says:

असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसाऽऽवृताः ।

ताँस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः ॥३॥

asurya nama te loka andhena tamasa''vrtah ।
tanste pretyabhigacchhanti ye ke chatmahano janah ॥ 3॥

MEANING: Those worlds of devils are covered by 

blinding darkness. Those people that kill the Self go to 

them after giving up this body.

(‘Asurya nama te loka’) the worlds belonging to the 

devils, (’andhena tamasa''vrtah’) are covered by 

blinding deep darkness. (’ tanste 

pretyabhigacchhanti’) To these they depart after their 

demise (’atmahanah’), those that kill the Self(‘janah’).

Asura are those who are not realised and did not 

identified the obvious identity of the individual Self 

with the Absolute Self are all devils, even gods who 

thus has not achieved the (atmangyan) oneness of 

one’s self with the Absolute are devils as well. The 

word –loka is used for those places of residence 

where the results of karma (action) are perceived or 

enjoyed. From these regions people take birth in this 

world or the meaner, after perceiving the fruit of their 

good deeds.

By not knowing the real nature of the Self one does 

roam in this cycle of birth and death. The real nature 

of man is eternal, immortal. But people due to 

delusion think themselves to be mortal and limited to 

a shape and caste and creed. They think this world to 

be very real and assume the existence of their’s 

depends on the mortal physical body or those of the 

subtle ones. The Self is free from decrepitude and 

death. The inexplicable nature of ignorance veils upon 

the real nature of the Self as a result the knowledge of 

the Self remains concealed from the ignorant. They 

are called the killers of the Self as because by 

assuming the Immortality of the Self resulting from 

the existence of the Self; to be mortal. Since they slay 

the Self, they are subject to birth and rebirth again.

The Isa Upanishad: verse- 2

It is surely hard for a person to renounce because all our senses are ‘outward’; and to draw them inside and keep the mind focused on the thought always is difficult in general people’s lives as because they are busy in the material world. And to cognise the Self (Atman) from the forest of non-self (anatman) is tough for them. For them the Upanishad is saying:

कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतँ समाः ।

एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे ॥२॥

kurvanneveha karmani jijivisecchhataD samah ।
evam tvayi nanyatheto'sti na karma lipyate nare ॥ 2॥

MEANING: “By doing Karma, indeed one should wish 

to live here for a hundred years. For a man, such as 

you (who wants to live thus), there is no other way 

than this, whereby may not cling to you.”

At that time the maximum time a person lived was 

one hundred years, generally. So it is said that if one 

wishes to live that long span of life then he should do 

so by performing actions (karma, then the rituals like 

agnihotra etc...).

‘Kurvan iba iha’, only by doing here ’karmani’, karmas 

(action) such as (agnihotra) a sacrifice etc one should 

wish to live ‘satam samah’, a hundred years. ‘Evam 

tvayi’  for you, who have such a strong desire for 

life;’nare’  for a man identifying oneself to be same 

with human, (The real nature of us is Consciousness, 

which is the Reality and this is the Existence and Bliss 

Absolute; which has been wrongly mis-identified to be 

one with the human personality.) ‘na asti’ there is not; 

‘anyatha’ any other way; ’itha’, other than this, the  

present way of  life viz. performing rituals like 

‘agnihotra’ etc.., by which method , ‘karma na lipyate’, 

karma may not be clinging with you. Therefore one 

should desire to live by doing actions as prescribed by 

the scriptures such as ‘agnihotra’ etc...

The Upanishadic thought actually a very brilliant one 

declaring clearly to the people that one should be very 

true to oneself. Suppose a person is there who does 

not have that degree of nonattachment (vairagya) 

which is very much essential for enlightenment 

through Knowledge Absolute (liberation) but has the 

earnest urge to achieve the goal of human birth by 

realising unity of the individual Self with the Absolute 

self. For him it becomes tough as the scriptures here 

prescribes the aspirant to fix one’s mind fully 

absorbed to the Absolute and detach totally from this 

material world. Tough, because his mind more often 

pulls him backwards and reminds him of the world 

that he has left. Here is the brilliance of the Vedas, the 

Upanishad tells him to take the path of action, and 

perform the rituals; in modern times he should do the 

right without any association with action or its fruit. 

(Each action has some result as its fruit; which in turn 

generates another set of actions and fruits). And 

eventually he is lead to the deliverance after 

thoroughly cleansing his mind through these selfless 

actions. The ancient Upanishad thus actually gave a 

way out for everyone to reach Peace Absolute.

Bhagavan says: “be perfect with yourself, staying true 

to one’s own conscience is an austerity. It is one of 

the primaries of religion.” Actually one should not 

deviate from the one’s own natural tendencies, rather 

when interest develops in this path of spirituality one 

should try slowly turn all the tendencies towards God. 

So Upanishads gave a way out for those people who 

have a strong desire for the life to exercise the actions 

which are instructed by the scriptures and eventually 

they achieve deliverance as well.

Verse - I Isopanishad

 ॐ ईशा वास्यमिदँ सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम् ॥१॥
om isa vasyamidam sarvam yatkincha jagatyam jagat ।
tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasyasviddhanam ॥ 1॥
Om. All this whatsoever moves on the earth- should be covered by "Isa" the Lord. Protect (your Self) through that detachment. Do not covet anybody's wealth(do not covet- for whose is wealth?)

One who lords over (has the power) is ‘Isa’. He who regulates controls, rules is the supreme Ruler and is supreme Self of all is the Lord. Since He is the indwelling soul of all and He is the self of all hence rules all. So (Isa) by that Lord in His real form as the Self, everything should be covered (vasyam); whatever that moves (jagat) on the earth (jagatyam).

(Whatever we see in this world is moving; for moving means there is a birth to it, it stays, it grows, it reaches its culmination point, it decays and lastly it falls in the hand of death or it stops to exist in the form that we witnessed it to be.)

So all these is to be covered by one’s own Self, by the Lord, through his supreme reality(present in the realisation) as because He is the indwelling Self of all and “I am all this”; all this that is unreal ; whatever is ‘Jagat’(moving) ,i.e. whatever is not real to be covered by one’s own supreme Self.

Whatever moves means the apparent duality, the effect of ignorance; characterising ideas such as agentship, enjoiership,etc;  which is superimposed on the real nature of the Self.

Bhagavan spoke to us about Vedanta in such a lively pattern that more often we in our day to day life did find these words of Upanishads very practically true. One such instance is that while I was adolescent I went to see a movie in a cinema-hall and watching the movie and all the time I was in search to see the Screen, on which the movie is being projected. Because the other day Bhagavan narrated me the vedantic thought how everything that we experience is false, by giving the example of a movie; that it is no matter how brilliant the heroine is dancing on the screen or how violent the scene is, fire is there altogether fountain is there as well but in reality that heroine was never there nor those violence nor even the hero or the fire or the fountain, all the while there was screen, and we thought there was all those movement!  The whole experience of emotion or drama or action is but falsity.

In this same way all this doership, agentship, enjoiership and everything else are falsity. Only truth is the real Absolute Being, the Self. That’s why the Upanishad asks us to cover everything with the supreme Self. Every type of modifications such as doership or enjoiership or everything else any name, form or action will be abandoned through the contemplation of the Self, which is the Truth Absolute.

He, who thus has fully immersed in the thought of Self or supreme Being has only competence for renouncing (tena tyaktena) three kinds of desire; desire for son, desire for wealth and desire for the world after and hence not for karma (action).

Since one is totally engaged in the thought of the Self as God so to him this mundane world is already lost and he therefore is detached from this world. Through that detachment and not by any abandoned thing one should protect one. So through renunciation one should protect (bhunjithah).

But protect what? When one realises the Supreme he should keep his mind fixed in that, till the mind vanishes and one becomes the Bramhan Itself. Because with great luck we get the opportunity of a human birth and the realisation of the oneness with the Absolute Self is the main purport of the scriptures and the goal of human being.  So one should protect it till he Becomes.

And those who have thus renounced desires, (ma gridha) do not covet; do not cherish any desire for wealth. Do not long for either your or anyone else’s wealth (kasya svid dhanam). The Upanishad here uttered in this way that- whose is wealth? Putting the question in denial Upanishad is asking not to cherish, because nobody has any wealth which can be coveted. Cover everything by Lord; all this is but the Self, everything belongs to Self and the Self is all. So do not cherish, do not covet.

Thus 1^st verse says, the main purport is to protect the Self with firm devotion to the knowledge of the Self after renouncing the three fold desire for sons etc.

The Isa basya Upanishad: Part -I

The Isa basya Upanishad:

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शांतिः शांतिः शांतिः ॥

om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudachyate |
purnasya purnamadaya purname vavasisyate ॥
om shantih shantih shantih ॥

ॐ ईशा वास्यमिदँ सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम् ॥१॥
om isa vasyamidam sarvam yatkincha jagatyam jagat ।
tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasyasviddhanam ॥ 1॥

कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतँ समाः ।
एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे ॥२॥

kurvanneveha karmani jijivisecchhataD samah ।
evam tvayi nanyatheto'sti na karma lipyate nare ॥ 2॥

असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसाऽऽवृताः ।
ताँस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः ॥३॥

asurya nama te loka andhena tamasa''vrtah ।
taste pretyabhigacchhanti ye ke chatmahano janah ॥ 3॥

अनेजदेकं मनसो जवीयो नैनद्देवा आप्नुवन्पूर्वमर्षत् ।
तद्धावतोऽन्यानत्येति तिष्ठत्तस्मिन्नपो मातरिश्वा दधाति ॥४॥

anejadekam manaso javiyo 
nainaddeva apnuvanpurvamarsat ।
taddhavato'nyanatyeti 
tisthattasminnapo matarisva dadhati ॥ 4॥

तदेजति तन्नैजति तद्दूरे तद्वन्तिके ।
तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्यास्य बाह्यतः ॥५॥

tadejati tannaijati taddure tadvantike ।
tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyasya bahyatah ॥ 5॥

यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मन्येवानुपश्यति ।
सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते ॥६॥

yastu sarvani bhutanyatmanyevanupasyati ।
sarvabhutesu chatmanam tato na vijugupsate ॥ 6॥

यस्मिन्सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मैवाभूद्विजानतः ।
तत्र को मोहः कः शोक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः ॥७॥

yasminsarvani bhutanyatmaivabhudvijanatah ।
tatra ko mohah kah soka ekatvamanupasyatah ॥ 7॥

स पर्यगाच्छुक्रमकायमव्रण- मस्नाविरँ शुद्धमपापविद्धम् ।
कविर्मनीषी परिभूः स्वयम्भू-र्याथातथ्यतोऽर्थान् व्यदधाच्छाश्वतीभ्यः समाभ्यः॥८॥

sa paryagacchhukramakayamavrana-
masnavira suddhamapapaviddham ।
kavirmanisi paribhuh svayambhu-
ryathatathyato'rthan vyadadhacchhasvatibhyah samabhyah ॥ 8॥

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते ।
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायाँ रताः ॥९॥

andham tamah pravisanti ye'vidyamupasate ।
tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u vidyayaD ratah ॥ 9॥

अन्यदेवाहुर्विद्ययाऽन्यदाहुरविद्यया ।
इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे ॥१०॥

anyadevahurvidyaya'nyadahuravidyaya ।
iti susruma dhiranam ye nastadvichachaksire ॥ 10॥

विद्यां चाविद्यां च यस्तद्वेदोभयँ सह ।
अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते ॥११॥

vidyam chavidyam cha yastadvedobhayaD saha ।
avidyaya mrtyum tirtva vidyaya'mrtamasnute ॥ 11॥

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽसम्भूतिमुपासते ।
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ सम्भूत्याँ रताः ॥१२॥

andham tamah pravisanti ye'sambhutimupasate ।
tato bhuya iva te tamo ya u sambhutyaD ratah ॥ 12॥

अन्यदेवाहुः सम्भवादन्यदाहुरसम्भवात् ।
इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे ॥१३॥

anyadevahuh sambhavadanyadahurasambhavat ।
iti susruma dhiranam ye nastadvichachaksire ॥ 13॥

सम्भूतिं च विनाशं च यस्तद्वेदोभयँ सह ।
विनाशेन मृत्युं तीर्त्वा सम्भूत्याऽमृतमश्नुते ॥१४॥

sambhutim cha vinasam cha yastadvedobhaya saha ।
vinasena mrtyum tirtva sambhutya'mrtamasnute ॥ 14॥

हिरण्मयेन पात्रेण सत्यस्यापिहितं मुखम् ।
तत्त्वं पूषन्नपावृणु सत्यधर्माय दृष्टये ॥१५॥

hiranmayena patrena satyasyapihitam mukham ।
tattvam pusannapavrnu satyadharmaya drstaye ॥ 15॥

पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य व्यूह रश्मीन् समूह तेजः ।
यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि ॥१६॥

pusannekarse yama surya prajapatya
vyuha rasmin samuha tejah ।
yatte rupam kalyanatamam tatte pasyami
yo'savasau purusah so'hamasmi ॥ 16॥

वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मांतँ शरीरम् ।
ॐ क्रतो स्मर कृतँ स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतँ स्मर ॥१७॥

vayur anilamamrtamathedam bhasmanta sariram ।
om krato smara kruta smara krato smara kruta smara ॥ 17॥

अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान् विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान् ।
युयोध्यस्मज्जुहुराणमेनो भूयिष्ठां ते नमउक्तिं विधेम ॥१८॥

agne naya supatha raye asman
visvani deva vayunani vidvan ।
yuyodhyasmajjuhuranameno
bhuyistham te namauktim vidhema ॥ 18॥

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शांतिः शांतिः शांतिः ॥

om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudachyate |
purnasya purnamadaya purname vavasisyate ॥
om shantih shantih shantih ॥

The Isa or Isavasya upanishad got its name from the commencing words of this Upanishad- 'Isavasyamidam' This upanishad is a very eminent one among the upanishads.It is also known as Samhitopanishad, as it is an integral part of Vajasaneyisamhita. It forms the last chapter of Sukla-Yajurveda-samhita.

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
ॐ शांतिः शांतिः शांतिः ॥

“That is total, this is total, this total has been projected from that total. When this total merges with that total all that remains is - Total.”

 ‎'Acceptance' is a word which introduces us 

with the culture of love, where one does not 

tolerate another nor does refute anyone by any 

means instead accepts everything. When one 

becomes total, he becomes .There always has 

been a conflict about the greatness between the 

path of karma(action) and  the path of   

naishkarma(renunciation)or knowledge, in 

achieving the ultimate supreme peace and bliss. 

This doubt arose in the mind of Arjuna as well 

when he asked Bhagavan Krisna: “O 

Janardana,if it be your opinion that wisdom is 

superior to action why then do you urge me to 

action? Also you bewilder my understanding as 

it were by a seemingly conflicting statement! 

Tell me for certain one of these by which I may 

attain the highest Good." (Bhagavat Gita:2 1-2)

The action creates some sort of vibration which 

a wise enlightened person shall call –the 

apparent world that we witness. Unless one 

reveals the quiet calmness of the Self one 

remains unable in realising the true nature of 

the Self. The Instrument with which we seek to 

search out and hold fast the Truth has some 

element viz. doubt or confusion in it and 

definitely this is a quality of mind to create a 

second thought with every thought we assume 

to contemplate. The capability of performing a 

task does vary with every individual, and in 

pursuing an Ideal which is so famous and yet 

very hard to be attained, requires not only 

attention and perspiration but surely Sincerity, 

Patience, Perseverance and Purity.

The Upanishads serve to reveal the true, real 

nature of the Self, where as the Bhagavat Gita 

or the other scriptures deals with the 

emancipation of the Individual. The Vedic 

verses here in this Upanishad are the revealer 

of the true nature of the Self and has no 

appendage with (Karma) action. The real nature 

of the Self being in Its purity, sinlessness, 

shapelessness, omniscient, transcendence, 

eternity etc which in turn being the opposite to 

the qualities for the Self as agentship, 

enjoiership etc. and impurity, sinfulness 

enjoining with karma or action. So the real 

nature of the Self shall be in conflict with those 

qualities that are in appendage with karma, is 

obvious.

Therefore the verses in this Upanishad destroy 

all the ignorance about the true nature of the 

Self. The Upanishad acquaints us about the true 

nature of the Self. And thereby produce 

Knowledge of the oneness of the individual Self 

with the Absolute Self; uprooting all the sorrow 

and delusion that are incidental with this 

mundane existence.

The anubhandya chatustaya for the upanishad 

is as following: one who wants emancipation is 

the competent student, the unity with the 

individual self with the Absolute Self is the 

subject matter; the relation of the upanishadic- text and 

the subject matter consists in the former being 

the revealer of the of the later, and the purpose 

is eradication of ignorance and attainment of 

Bliss Absolute