Svetasvathara Upanishad – 17

  Chapter 6 (Mantras 8 to 14)

Mantra 6-8

na tasya karyam karanam cha vidyate na tatsamaschabhyadhikascha drsyate I

parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnanabalakriya cha II 6.8 II

He is without a body or organs.  No one is His equal; no one is His superior either. The Vedas speak of His exalted power, which is innate and capable of producing diverse effects and also of His omniscience and might.

            Brahman has no body or organs. None is His equal and none is His superior either. He possesses all powers of knowledge and action which are natural to Him. This has been confirmed by the scriptures.

Mantra 6-9

na tasya kaschit patirasti loke na chesita naiva ca tasya lingam I

sa karanam karanadhipadhipo na chasya kaschijjanita na chadhipah II 6.9 II

He has no master in the world, no ruler, nor is there even a sign of Him by which He can be inferred. He is the cause of all, the Lord of the lord of the organs (Jiva); and He is without progenitor or controller.

            There is none in this world who is Brahman’s master or who governs Him and there is nothing by which He can be identified. He is the cause of all. He is also the Lord of the Jiva (the individual Self) who is the lord of all the sense-organs. No one is His creator and no one is His controller. 

Mantra 6-10

yas tantunabha iva tantubhih pradhanajaih svabhavatah I

deva ekah svamavrnoti sa no dadhat brahmapyayam II 6.10 II

May the non-dual Lord, who, by the power of His Maya, covered Himself, like a spider, with threads drawn from its own navel, merge us in Brahman!

As a spider hides itself by its own web, Brahman hides Himself effortlessly within the projections of his Maya such as names, forms and actions. May He kindly unite us with Himself. 

Mantra 6-11

eko devah sarvabhuteshu gudhah sarvavyapi sarvabhutantarathma I

karmadhyakshah sarvabhutadhivasah sakshi cheta kevalo nirgunascha II 6.11 II

The non-dual and resplendent Lord is hidden in all beings. He is all-pervading and is the innermost Self of all creatures.  He presides over all actions and He is the support of all beings. He is the Witness, the Animator and the Absolute, free from the three gunas.

            Brahman is the one without a second, yet he is hidden in every being. He is all- pervasive, the Self of all. He gives to all beings the fruits of their actions, and he is the support of all. He is the witness, bestower of consciousness, without attributes and unconditioned.  Bhagavad Gita (13-23) describes Him thus:

upadrashtaanumantaa cha bhartaa bhoktaa maheshwarah I

paramaatmeti chaapyukto dehe'smin purushah parah II 13.23 II

The Supreme Purusha in this body is also called the Witness, the Approver, the Supporter, the Experiencer, the Overlord and the Absolute. 

Mantra 6-12

eko vasi nishkriyanam bahunamekam bijam bahudha yah karoti I

tam athmastham ye'nupasyanti dhirastesham sukham sasvatam netaresham II6.12 II

He is the non-dual Ruler of the inactive many and He makes the one seed grow into many.  To the wise people, who perceive Him within themselves, belongs eternal happiness and not to others.

            Brahman is the one without a second. He activates and makes all actions possible. He makes the one seed grow into many.  For instance, the five elements have grown into the vast universe by his activation. Wise people see Him within themselves and are eternally happy. Others, not having the wisdom, continue to be caught up in the cycle of samsara and do not enjoy the eternal happiness.

Mantra 6-13

nithyo nithyanam chetanaschetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman I

tat karanam samkhyayogadhigamyam jnatva devam muchyate sarvapasaih II 6.13 II

He is the Eternal among the eternals, the Consciousness among the conscious. He is non-dual, yet fulfils the desires of many. He who has realised Him, the cause of all causes who can be realized only through Knowledge (Sankhya) and yoga, is freed from all fetters.

            Brahman gives eternity to all the seemingly eternals like the elements, consciousness to those who are conscious. He is alone, yet he is able to fulfil the wishes of all. One realises him only through knowledge and when one has this realization, one becomes free from all bondages.  Bondage arises from the ignorance of the identity of one’s Self with Brahman and Self-knowledge destroys this ignorance and frees one from the bondage.

Mantra 6-14

na tatra suryo bhati na chandratarakam nema vidyuto bhanti kuto'yam agnih I

tam eva bhantam anubhathi sarvam tasya bhasa sarvamidaṃ vibhati II 6.14 II

There the sun does not shine, neither do the moon and the stars; nor do these flashes of lightning shine. How can this fire?  He shining, everything shines after Him. By His light all these shine variously.

            The sun, moon and the other luminous things derive their light from Brahman and without Brahman they cannot give any light. Brahman is the source, support, essence and goal of everything including the sun, moon and the stars. This Mantra occurs in Kathopanishad (2.2.15) and in Mundaka Upanishad (2.2.10) as well.  This Mantra need not be taken as applying to luminous objects only.  Light is symbolically used to indicate knowledge as well and the Mantra can be interpreted as revealing the fact that all process of knowing takes place due to Him only, as He is the source of all knowledge.

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