Svetasvathara Upanishad – 18

  Chapter 6 (Mantras 15 to23 (end))

Mantra 6-15

eko hamsah bhuvanasyasya madhye sa evagnih salile samnivishtah I

tameva viditva atimrtyumeti nanyah pantha vidyate'yanaya II 6.15 II

In this universe the Swan, (Brahman, the destroyer of ignorance), alone exists. It is He who, as fire, abides in the water (transformed into body). Only by knowing Him does one overcome death (becomes immortal).  There is no other way.

 Brahman, the Supreme Self, is referred to as the swan, hamsa (yah hanti sah hamsa) which means the destroyer (of ignorance).  Brahman is compared to fire as well because He consumes ignorance as fire burns wood. If one knows his own Self he knows Brahman and when he knows Brahman, he knows everything.  Water refers to the body because the element of water predominates in it. It also refers to pure heart in which the ego is subdued. Brahman reflected in the pure heart destroys ignorance and its effects. The meaning of the Mantra is that the only way to transcend death and attain immortality is to realise that Brahman as one’s own Self that is to say knowing the essential oneness of one’s own Self and Brahman.  When one knows the identity of Brahman as one’s own Self, one gets the conviction that nothing can destroy him. But this conviction can come only through knowledge. There is no other path; there is no other way to escape the cycle of births and deaths.

Mantra 6-16

sa visvakrd visvavid atmayonir jnah kalakalo guni sarvavidyah I

pradhanakshetrajnapatir gunesah samsaramokshasthitibandhahetuh II 6.16 II

Brahman is the support of both the unmanifest prakriti and the Jiva; the Lord of the three gunas and is the cause of bondage, existence and Liberation from samsara. He is verily the Creator of the universe, the Knower, the inmost Self of all things and their Source. He is also the omniscient Lord, the Author of time, the Possessor of virtues and the Knower of everything.

There are so many epithets, so many adjectives, used to describe Brahman, yet they are completely inadequate.  Brahman is beyond thought, beyond speech.  But unless these words are used, we cannot even conceive of Brahman.  And one can gain Liberation through knowledge of Brahman only.   So the special status of Brahman and His glory is being emphasised again and again.

The rope is the support of the illusory snake erroneously super imposed upon it.  Further, it is the reality of the rope that makes the snake appear to be real. It is the same with the unmanifest prakriti (avyakta) and the Jiva, both of which are erroneously superimposed upon Brahman. Without the substratum of Brahman neither would appear as real.  Ignorance about Brahman brings about the illusion of creation, and the non-discriminating person becomes entangled in the world. Knowledge of Brahman liberates one from it.

Mantra 6-17

sa tanmayo hyamrta isasamstho jnah sarvago bhuvanasyasya gopta /

sa ise’asya jagato nityameva nanyo hetur vidyata isanaya II 6.17 II

He is the Cosmic Self, immortal, the controller of this world.  He is the all-knowing, all-pervading, protector of the world.  He is the eternal ruler. There is no other power who controls the world.

In this Mantra also many epithets and adjectives have been used, as elsewhere, to describe Brahman; yet they are all completely inadequate.  Brahman is beyond thought, beyond speech.  But unless some words are used, we just cannot even conceive of Brahman.

Mantra 6-18

yo brahmanam vidadhati purvam yo vai vedamscha prahinoti tasmai I

tam ha devam atmabuddhiprakasam mumukshurvai saranam aham prapadye II 6.18 II

Seeking Liberation, I take refuge in the Lord, the revealer of Self-Knowledge, who in the beginning created Brahma and delivered the Vedas to Him.

            Brahman alone is the cause of a man’s bondage and liberation. So the aspirant should take refuge in Him with heart and soul.  At the beginning of the cycle, Brahman created Brahma, who is also called Prajapathi, the first being, and revealed the Vedas to him. The seeker of liberation should take refuge in that self-luminous Brahman who reveals Self-knowledge in the mind. 

Mantra 6-19

nishkalam nishkriyam santam niravadyam niranjanam I

amrtasya param setum dagdhendhanamivanalam II 6.19 II

He has no form, no action, no attachment or hatred.  He is above reproach and has no blemish. He is the best bridge to immortality.  He is as bright as the smokeless fire.

Brahman is here again described in various terms.  He is homogeneous, formless.  He is a witness only and has no desires and does no action. He is always calm and peaceful, without attachment or hatred, desire, vanity, ego and so on. He is the bridge to immortality.  He is as bright as blazing charcoal which shines radiantly after the wood is consumed.

Mantra 6-20

yada charmavad akasam veshtayishyanti manavah I

tada devam avijnaya duhkhasyanto bhavishyati II 6.20 II

Only when one can roll up the sky like a skin, will there be an end to one’s suffering and misery without realising Brahman.

            This oft-quoted Mantra explains the futility of the thought of one freeing oneself of samsara without realising Brahman by comparing it to the attempt to roll up the sky like a piece of leather. The rolling up of the sky like a piece of leather is not possible whatever be the effort.  Same way trying to free oneself from the sufferings and miseries of the world without realising Brahman is also not possible.

Mantra 6-21

tapahprabhavad devaprasadachcha brahma ha svetasvataro'tha vidvan I

atyasramibhyah paramam pavitram provacha samyagrsisanghajushtam II 6.21 II

Through the power of austerity and through the grace of the Lord, the sage Svetasvatara realised Brahman. Then he passed on the truth of that supremely holy Brahman, greatly cherished by the company of seers, to sannyasins of the most advanced stage.

            The sage Svetsvatara acquired this Supreme Knowledge through his own efforts and through the Grace of God.  Then he passed on the knowledge to other monks who have renounced the world. The Vedic teachings have been transmitted through a succession of teachers. When aspirants devoting themselves to the pursuit of knowledge of Brahman and who have practiced the proper spiritual disciplines such as control of the senses and the concentration of mind, follow these teachings, through the grace of God, they attain liberation. This Mantra highlights the necessity of self-effort, God’s Grace as well as supreme vairagya for the realisation of the highest truth.

Mantra 6-22

vedante paramam guhyam purakalpe prachoditam I

na’prasantaya datavyam na’putrayasishyaya va punah II 6.22 II

This highly secret knowledge in the Vedanta was taught in the previous cycle. It should not be given to one whose passions have not been subdued, nor to one who is not a worthy son, nor to an unworthy disciple.

            The Upanishads teach the profound secret that is Knowledge of Brahman which shows the way to final Liberation. This sacred knowledge is to be imparted only to them whose minds are under control or to the son who is dutiful or a disciple, endowed with inner calmness. This is to safeguard the scriptures from wrong understanding and misinterpretation by unripe minds.

Mantra 6-23

yasya deve para bhaktir yatha deve tatha gurau I

tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah prakasante mahatmanah II6.23II

These truths, when taught, shine forth only in a high-souled person who feels the highest devotion for God and for his guru as for God.  They shine forth in that high-souled one only.

            The Upanishad teachings taught by a Guru bear fruit only for those aspirants who cherish devotion to the Lord and the teacher. It is God who teaches the disciple through an illumined human teacher.  As a man whose clothes are under fire wants nothing but soaking himself in water or a hungry man wants nothing but a morsel of food, so a noble-minded aspirant, afflicted with the miseries of phenomenal existence, seeks nothing but the grace of the Guru, without which the Knowledge of Brahman is indeed hard to attain.  With this Mantra, the chapter six ends and also the Upanishad.

Acknowledgement

While concluding the series of blogs on Svetasvatara Upanishad I wish to record my deep debt of gratitude to the speeches and writings on this Upanishad, of:

1)      Swami Lokeswarananda

2)      Swami Tejomayananda

3)      Sri T.N. Sethumadhavan

4)      Swami Tyagisananda

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