Svetasvathara Upanishad – 5

Chapter 2 (Mantras 1 to 7) 

Mantra 2-1

yunjanah prathamam manas tatvaya savita dhiyah I

agner jyotir nichayya prthivya adhyabharat II 2.1 II

May the Sun (at the commencement of yoga) join the mind and other organs to the Supreme Self (so that we may attain the Knowledge of Brahman).   May He, also, support the body through the powers of the deities who control the senses.

            This chapter starts with a prayer by a spiritual seeker to Savitha, the Sun. as Sun is thought of as a symbol of Brahman with Sakthi, the power of all the Devatas. Through this prayer the spiritual seeker appeals to the Sun that He may kindly direct the seeker’s mind and other faculties which are normally occupied with external objects towards Brahman, the Cosmic Self.  The natural tendency of the mind and organs is to perceive external objects. As long as they perceive the external objects, the Self remains beyond one’s vision. Therefore, the prayer is for their control and turning inward so that their energy is not dissipated. By praying to Savita, the Sun, the symbol of cosmic energy, the extrovert nature of the mind is controlled, redirected inward and focused for success in yoga. 

Mantra 2-2

yuktena manas vayam devasya savituh save I

suvargeyaya saktya II 2.2 II

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 Heaven (union with Brahman).

            This Mantra speaks of the necessity for constant and vigorous practice, Abhyasa, which according to Patanjali, forms along with Vairagya, the most necessary requirement for success in yoga.  The Supreme Self, Brahman is called heaven here because It alone is of the nature of absolute Bliss and in which all other joys are included. With the Grace of Sun and with mind controlled, the meditator seeks union with Brahman. Thus the essence of the Mantra is: “let one, through meditation and Grace of Savita, strive for that absolute joy itself which is Brahman only”. 

Mantra 2-3

yuktvaya manasa devan suvar yato dhiya divam I

brhajjyotih karishyatah savita prasuvati tan II 2.3 II

May the Sun join the senses and the mind to the Self, so that the senses may be directed toward the Blissful Brahman and may reveal, by means of Knowledge, the radiant Brahman.

            The Sun is prayed for turning one’s mind and the sense organs inward. Unless one turns one’s mind inward and re-directs the course of one’s thoughts from the external world one cannot know one’s Self. Once the mind and the sense organs become strong and refuse to be swayed by the external attractions and distractions, one becomes fit for the experience of Brahman. One’s prayer is to prepare the body, mind and intellect in such a way that one can attain Self-Knowledge. So the prayer is not only for stilling the outgoing mind and organs and turning inward but also to ensure they do not slip back to extrovertedness.

Mantra 2-4

yunjate mana uta yunjate dhiyo vipra viprasya brhato vipaschitah I

vi hotra dadhe vayunavideka inmahi devasya savituh parishtutih II 2.4 II

Those learned sages who are able to concentrate their minds and sense organs on the Cosmic Self should be grateful to the all-pervasive, all-knowing great Sun God. This Sun God is wise, unique and the inspirer of all activities.

            After reiterating the necessity for the prayers to make the mind inward, this Mantra makes a reference to the learned sages who have been able to unite their minds and organs with the Self. They offer abundant praise to the Sun as all-pervading and all-knowing, all-witnessing and non-dual, who has granted them their prayers to bestow them Self-Knowledge and unite them with the Self.

Mantra 2-5

yuje vam brahma purvyam namobhir visloka etu pathyeva sureh I

srnvanthi visve amrtasya putra a ye dhamani divyani tasthuh II 2.5 II

O my senses and their presiding deities! 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 you all, the children of immortal bliss and also those in the celestial regions, hear it!

            This is one of the important Mantras of this Upanishad as it refers to the entire human race as ‘amritasya putrah’ - sons of immortality showcasing all the humans as divine. Swami Vivekananda elaborated this Mantra and its ideas at the Parliament of Religions held in 1893 at Chicago.  This Mantra is also in praise of Savitha.  The seeker salutes the sense organs and their presiding deities by whose grace he is able to concentrate and attain Brahman. Let everyone hear this message wherever one is, in this world or elsewhere. Let all wise people help spread this message for the benefit of humanity.

Mantra 2-6

agnir yatrabhimathyate vayur yatradhirudhyate I

somo yatratirichyate tatra samjayate manah II 2.6 II

Where fire is produced by the rubbing of fire-woods, where there is no wind blowing and the soma drink is abundant, there the mind attains perfection.

            Fire in Vedic terminology stands for intellectual knowledge in the form of ideas couched in language.  Of the two pieces of fire-wood used for rubbing, the upper one stands for acharya and the lower for disciple and the rubbing for the process of study. This process refers to Jnana yoga. ‘The wind does not blow’ refers to pranayama, the control of breadth, which is part of Raja yoga. ‘Overflow of soma juice’ stands for Karma yoga as soma juice is used at the time of Vedic sacrifices. So the Mantra is to be interpreted as aiming for a synthesis of Karma yoga, Raja yoga and Jnana yoga for the realization of the Brahman, as revealed by Mahavakhyas. The interpretation is as follows: “The seeker should first practice Karma yoga performing the sacrifices and other rituals prescribed in the Vedas. Then he should practice breath-control and other disciplines of Raja yoga, cultivate meditation and finally realize the meaning of Mahavakyas like ‘Aham Brahmasmi (I am Brahman)’ through Jnana yoga and attain the highest Bliss”.

Mantra 2-7

savitra prasavena jusheta brahma purvyam I

tatra yonim krnavase nahi te purtam akshipat II 2.7 II

A spiritual seeker should seek the grace of Savitha, the source of the universe, and concentrate on meditating on the eternal Brahman.  This will save the seeker from the karma of activities that bind one to this world.

            The Mantra emphasizes the importance of performing work with the right attitude as opposed to merely performing work taking the world and the work to be real as such. Right attitude means without attachment and with right perception. For example, if one perceives a woman as a woman his reactions will be different from that when he perceives her as a manifestation of the Divine Mother; the one leads to bondage and the other to Moksha. The Mantra emphasises that a spiritual seeker should seek the blessings of Savita who is the source of the universe and concentrate on that eternal Brahman. This will also save the seeker from being drawn into worldly activities and entanglements. 

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