ईशावास्योपनिषद् (ईशोपनिषद्)

This document is in सरल देवनागरी (Devanagari) script, which is commonly used for Konkani language. You can also view this in ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada) script, which is also sometimes used for Konkani language.

ईशावास्योपनिषद्, also known as Isha Upanishad, is a brief but extraordinarily dense Upanishad belonging to the Shukla Yajurveda, traditionally placed as the fortieth chapter of the Vajasaneyi Samhita. It begins with the famous vision that all this moving universe is pervaded by the Lord, and it teaches a life of renunciation, duty, knowledge, and inner wholeness.

The Upanishad's opening peace mantra, पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम्, gives the philosophical key: the Whole does not become less by manifesting the whole universe. From that vision, the text addresses how to live: enjoy through renunciation, act without bondage, see the Self in all beings, and avoid one-sided attachment to ignorance, knowledge, manifestation, or non-manifestation.

ॐ पूर्ण॒मदः॒ पूर्ण॒मिदं॒ पूर्णा॒त्पूर्ण॒मुद॒च्यते ।
पूर्ण॒स्य पूर्ण॒मादा॒य पूर्ण॒मेवावशि॒ष्यते ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The peace mantra declares fullness as the source, the manifestation, and what remains after manifestation; nothing can diminish the Whole.

ॐ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॑ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The second peace recitation repeats the prayer for wholeness and removal of obstacles before and after the Upanishadic teaching.

ॐ ई॒शा वा॒स्य॑मि॒दग्ं सर्वं॒-यँत्किंच॒ जग॑त्वां॒ जग॑त् ।
तेन॑ त्य॒क्तेन॑ भुंजीथा॒ मा गृ॑धः॒ कस्य॑स्वि॒द्धनम्᳚ ॥ 1 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
All this moving universe is pervaded by the Lord; therefore one should live through renunciation and not covet another's wealth.

कु॒र्वन्ने॒वेह कर्मा᳚णि जिजीवि॒षेच्च॒तग्ं समाः᳚ ।
ए॒वं त्वयि॒ नान्यथे॒तो᳚ऽस्ति॒ न कर्म॑ लिप्यते॑ नरे᳚ ॥ 2 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
By performing one's duties here without attachment, one may wish to live a full life, for action does not bind when done in this spirit.

अ॒सु॒र्या॒ नाम॒ ते लो॒का अं॒धेन॒ तम॒साऽऽवृ॑ताः ।
ताग्ंस्ते प्रेत्या॒भिग॑च्छंति॒ ये के चा᳚त्म॒हनो॒ जनाः᳚ ॥ 3 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Those who destroy the Self through ignorance enter dark worlds covered by blindness after death.

अने᳚ज॒देकं॒ मन॑सो॒ जवी᳚यो॒ नैन॑द्दे॒वा आ᳚प्नुव॒न्पूर्व॒मर्ष॑त् ।
तद्धाव॑तो॒ऽन्यानत्ये᳚ति॒ तिष्ठ॒त्तस्मिन्᳚न॒पो मा᳚त॒रिश्वा᳚ दधाति ॥ 4 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The Self is unmoving, one, swifter than mind, beyond the gods and senses, yet sustaining the cosmic powers.

तदे᳚जति॒ तन्नेज॑ति॒ तद्दू॒रे तद्वं॑ति॒के ।
तदं॒तर॑स्य॒ सर्व॑स्य॒ तदु॒ सर्व॑स्यास्य बाह्य॒तः ॥ 5 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
That reality moves and does not move; it is far and near, within everything and outside everything.

यस्तु सर्वा᳚णि भू॒तान्या॒त्मन्ये॒वानु॒पश्य॑ति ।
स॒र्व॒भू॒तेषु॑ चा॒त्मानं॒ ततो॒ न विहु॑गुप्सते ॥ 6 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
One who sees all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings does not hate or shrink from anyone.

यस्मि॒न्सर्वा᳚णि भू॒तान्या॒त्मैवाभू᳚द्विजान॒तः ।
तत्र॒ को मोहः॒ कः शोकः॑ एक॒त्वम॑नु॒पश्य॑तः ॥ 7 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
For the knower to whom all beings have become the Self, delusion and sorrow disappear because oneness is seen.

स पर्य॑गाच्चु॒क्रम॑का॒यम॑व्रण॒म॑स्नावि॒रग्ं शु॒द्धमपा᳚पविद्धम् ।
क॒विर्म॑नी॒षी प॑रि॒भूः स्व॑यं॒भू-र्या᳚थातथ्य॒तोऽर्था॒न्
व्य॑दधाच्छाश्व॒तीभ्यः॒ समा᳚भ्यः ॥ 8 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The Self is all-pervading, radiant, bodiless, woundless, pure, untouched by evil, wise, self-existent, and the ordainer of reality.

अं॒धं तमः॒ प्रवि॑शंति॒ येऽवि॑द्यामु॒पास॑ते ।
ततो॒ भूय॑ इव॒ ते तमो॒ य उ॑ वि॒द्याया᳚ग्ं र॒ताः ॥ 9 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Those attached only to ignorance enter darkness; those attached only to knowledge in a one-sided way enter an even subtler darkness.

अ॒न्यदे॒वायुरि॒द्यया॒ऽन्यदा᳚हु॒रवि॑द्यया ।
इति॑ शुशुम॒ धीरा᳚णां॒-येँ न॒स्तद्वि॑चचक्षि॒रे ॥ 10 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The wise have taught that knowledge and ignorance lead to different results; both must be understood in their proper place.

वि॒द्यां चावि॑द्यां च॒ यस्तद्वेदो॒भय॑ग्ं स॒ह ।
अवि॑द्यया मृ॒त्युं ती॒र्त्वा वि॒द्ययाऽमृत॑मश्नुते ॥ 11 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Knowing knowledge and ignorance together, one crosses death through the appropriate means and attains immortality through knowledge.

अं॒धं तमः॒ प्रवि॑शंति॒ येऽसम्᳚भूतिमु॒पास॑ते ।
ततो॒ भूय॑ इव॒ ते तमो॒ य उ॒ संभू᳚त्याग्ं र॒ताः ॥ 12 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Those attached only to the unmanifest enter darkness; those attached only to manifestation enter an even subtler darkness.

अ॒न्यदे॒वाहुः सम्᳚भ॒वाद॒न्यदा᳚हु॒रसम्᳚भवात् ।
इति॑ शुश्रुम॒ धीरा᳚णां॒-येँ न॒स्तद्वि॑चचक्षि॒रे ॥ 13 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The wise have taught distinct results from manifestation and non-manifestation, so both must be understood without confusion.

संभू᳚तिं च विणा॒शं च॒ यस्तद्वेदो॒भय॑ग्ं स॒ह ।
वि॒ना॒शेन॑ मृ॒त्युं ती॒र्त्वा संभू᳚त्या॒ऽमृत॑मश्नुते ॥ 14 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Knowing manifestation and dissolution together, one crosses death through dissolution and attains immortality through the manifested support.

हि॒र॒ण्मये᳚न॒ पात्रे᳚ण स॒त्यस्यापि॑हितं॒ मुखम्᳚ ।
तत्वं पू᳚ष॒न्नपावृ॑णु स॒त्यध᳚र्माय दृ॒ष्टये᳚ ॥ 15 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The seeker prays to the Sun to remove the golden covering that hides the face of truth, so the follower of truth may see it.

पूष॑न्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य॒ प्राजा᳚पत्य॒ व्यू᳚ह र॒श्मीन्
समू᳚ह॒ तेजो॒ यत्ते᳚ रू॒पं कल्या᳚णतमं॒ तत्ते᳚ पश्यामि ।
यो॒ऽसाव॒सौ पुरु॑षः॒ सो॒ऽहम॑स्मि ॥ 16 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The seeker asks the Sun to gather its rays, reveal the most auspicious form, and recognizes the purusha there as the same Self.

वा॒युरनि॑लम॒मृत॒मथेदं भस्मां᳚त॒ग्ं॒ शरी॑रम् ।
ॐ 3 क्रतो॒ स्मर॑ कृ॒तग्ं स्म॑र॒ क्रतो॒ स्मर॑ कृ॒तग्ं स्म॑र ॥ 17 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
As the body returns to ash and the life-breath to the immortal air, the seeker asks the will to remember what has been done.

अग्ने॒ नय॑ सु॒पथा᳚ रा॒ये अ॒स्मान् विश्वा॑नि देव व॒यना॑नि वि॒द्वान् ।
यु॒यो॒ध्य॒स्मज्जु॑हुरा॒णमेनो॒ भूयि॑ष्टां ते॒ नम॑उक्तिं-विँधेम ॥ 18 ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The final prayer asks Agni to lead by the good path, remove crooked sin, and receive repeated salutations.

Translation (भावार्थ):
The peace mantra closes by returning to the same vision of fullness.

ॐ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॑ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The final peace invocation seals the recitation with a prayer for peace at all levels.

Browse Related Categories: