Svetasvathara Upanishad – 8

 Chapter 3 (Mantras 1 to 7)

Mantra 3-1

ya eko jalavan isata isanibhih sarvanllokan isata isanibhih I

ya evaika udbhave sambhave cha ya etad vidur amrtaste bhavanti // 3.1 //

That Cosmic Self, who is a magician, who governs the world by his own power, who is the same whether he causes the origin or the destruction of the universe by his own power is one without a second. Those who realize this Being become immortal.

            Brahman is called here a magician, Maya being his power of magic.  It is through the power of Maya, the universe is projected, sustained and dissolved and hence Brahman appears as many.  Brahman with power of Maya manifest is called Saguna Brahman or Iswara who in his various forms is worshipped as personal God as well.  Isvara, as an emanation of Brahman, arises as first step in creation and remains as the last step at the time of dissolution.  Then He merges into Brahman who alone remains.  Thus Brahman is behind everything and one who comes to know this attains the realisation that in essence his individual Self is also same as Brahman, the Cosmic Self and becomes one with Brahman at death. 

Mantra 3-2

eko hi rudro na dvitiyaya tasthurya imamllokan isata isanibhih I

pratyan janamstishthati samchukochantakale saṃsrjya visva bhuvanani gopah II 3.2 II

Rudra is one who protects and controls the worlds by His own powers and He is one only. There is no one beside Him who can make Him the second.  He is present inside the hearts of all beings. After projecting and maintaining all the worlds, He finally withdraws them into Himself.

            Brahman is called Rudra in this Mantra and so Rudra has the three functions of creation, protection or maintenance and dissolution of the universe. The epithet Rudra means the destroyer of all that is false or evil, ignorance and their effects, sorrow and suffering and who confers wisdom and bliss. In the Rig Veda, Rudra is the personification of Brahman in Its destructive aspect. In the later portion of the Veda, Rudra is described as Siva, the auspicious, who has two aspects viz., Rudra meaning fierce and Saumya meaning the good.  Rudra after creating universe with his own power, Maya, takes them back unto himself at the time of pralaya or dissolution. Rudra is the antaryami, the indweller of all beings as individual Self.  He witnesses silently all the actions and thoughts of men and dispenses the fruits of their actions.

Mantra 3-3

visvatascakshuruta visvatomukho visvatobahuruta visvataspat I

sam bahubhyam dhamati sam patatrair dyavabhumi janayan deva ekah II 3.3 II

All eyes are His eyes, all faces are His faces, all arms are his arms, all feet are His feet.  He it is who endowed men with arms and birds with wings. He alone created the heaven and earth (and all that exists in-between).

            The same idea is repeated in verse 16 which is the Bhagavad Gita (13-14) sloka that is given below:

sarvatah paanipaadam tat sarvato’kshishiromukham;

sarvatah shrutimalloke sarvamaavritya tishtathi.

With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere He exists in all the worlds, enveloping all.

Brahman is immanent and transcendent.  He alone exists as everyone and everything in the world. Not only the world is created by Him, it is also supported by Him which is indicated by the statement regarding wings and hands.

Mantra 3-4

yo devanam prabhavas chodbhavas cha visvadhipo rudro maharshih I

hiranyagarbham janayamasa purvam sa no buddhya subhaya samyunaktu // 3.4 //

He, the omniscient Rudra, is the creator of the devas and of their powers and is the support of the universe, He who, in the beginning, gave birth to Hiranyagarbha-may He endow us with clear thinking (power of discrimination)!

            This is a prayer to Rudra for obtaining a pure, subtle intellect with the power of discrimination between eternal and ephemeral so that one can realize Brahman.  Rudra is described as maharshi- the omniscient seer; the creator of lesser cosmic powers such as Agni, Vayu etc.; the sustainer of the universe and the creator of Hiranyagarbha, the first Being. This Mantra is repeated in Chapter4 (4-12).

Mantra 3-5 & 6

ya te rudra siva tanuraghora’papakasini I

taya nas tanuva samtamaya girisantabhichakasihi II 3.5 II

yam ishum girisanta haste bibharshyastave I

sivam giritra tam kuru ma himsih purusham jagat II 3.6 II

O Rudra, you who reside on a mountain peak, having a benign, calm, and holy presence, cast your kind glance at us. (5)  O You who reside in the Himalayas and the protector of the Himalayas, make benign that arrow which you hold in your hand ready to shoot. Please do not hurt us or the world with it. (6)

            The above Mantras 5 and 6 are also occurring in the Anuvaka 1 of Rudra Suktham (Namakam). These are prayers to the Lord to withdraw His terrible form and shower upon the world His blessings. Lord Siva is having two forms viz., one that is calm or benign (santa) and the other that is terrific (ghora). The prayers are to the benign Self for bringing the highest good or revealing only what is good with His kind glance and not letting the arrow in hand to hurt his devotees or the world. 

Mantra 3-7

tatah param brahma param brhantam yathanikayam sarvabhuteshu gudham I

visvasyaikam pariveshtitaram isam tam jnatva’mrta bhavanti II 3.7 II

The Supreme Brahman is greater than Virat, beyond Hiranyagarbha. He is vast and is hidden in the bodies of all living beings. By knowing Him, who envelops the world within Himself, one becomes immortal.

            The Supreme Brahman is everywhere, pervading the entire world and existing in all beings. And He is also beyond the phenomenal world. Virat is the totality of physical bodies in the universe. Brahman through his Maya identifies himself with Virat. Hiranyagarbha is the cosmic seed at the beginning of creation which is also called the totality of the mind of the universe and Brahman is identified as beyond this.  He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman, says Mundaka Upanishd (3.2.9):”sa yo ha vai tat paramam brahma veda brahm’aiva bhavati (Whoever knows the supreme Brahman becomes the very Brahman)”.  So, when through self-control, discrimination and meditation, one realizes Brahman as one’s own inner Self, then that one attains Liberation i.e. becomes one with Brahman at death liberated from the cycle of birth and death. 

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