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Isha Upanishad

(Chapter 1)

Chapter Quiz

Verse 1

oṃ | pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇātpūrṇamudacyate | pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate ||

AI Translation

The whole (Brahman) is all that is invisible. The whole (Brahman) is all that is visible. The whole (Hiranyagarbha) was born out of the whole (Brahman). When the whole (the Universe) is absorbed into the whole (Brahman) the whole alone (Brahman) remains.

Verse 2

īśāvāsyamidaṃ sarvaṃ yatkiñca jagatyāṃ jagat | tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya sviddhanam || 1 ||

AI Translation

1. All this-whatsoever moves in this universe (and those that move not) is covered (indwelt or pervaded or enveloped or clothed) by the Lord. That renounced, enjoy. Do not covet anybody’s wealth (Or – Do not covet, for whose is wealth?).

Verse 3

kurvanneveha karmāṇi jijīviṣecchataṃ samāḥ | evaṃ tvayi nānyatheto’sti na karma lipyate nare || 2 ||

AI Translation

2. Should one wish to live a hundred years on this earth, he should live doing Karma. While thus, (as) man, you live, there is no way other than this by which Karma will not cling to you.

Verse 4

asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ | tāṃste pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātmahano janāḥ || 3 ||

AI Translation

3. Those births partake of the nature of the Asuras and are enveloped in blind darkness. After leaving the body they who kill their Atman attain them.

Verse 5

anejadekaṃ manaso javīyo nainaddevā āpnuvanpūrvamarṣat | taddhāvato’nyānatyeti tiṣṭhattasminnapo mātariśvā dadhāti || 4 ||

AI Translation

4. It is motionless, one, faster than mind; and the Devas (the senses) could not overtake it which ran before. Sitting, it goes faster than those who run after it. By it, the all-pervading air (Sutratman) supports the activity of all living beings.

Verse 6

tadejati tannaijati taddūre tadvantike | tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ || 5 ||

AI Translation

5. It moves, it is motionless. It is distant, it is near. It is within all, it is without all this.

Verse 7

yastu sarvāṇi bhūtānyātmanyevānupaśyati | sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṃ tato na vijugupsate || 6 ||

AI Translation

6. Who sees everything in his Atman and his Atman in everything, by that he feels no revulsion.

Verse 8

yasminsarvāṇi bhūtānyātmaivābhūdvijānataḥ | tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvamanupaśyataḥ || 7 ||

AI Translation

7. When to the knower, all Bhutas become one with his own Atman, what perplexity, what grief, is there when he sees this oneness.

Verse 9

sa paryagācchukramakāyamavraṇamasnāviraṃśuddham apāpaviddham | kavirmanīषī paribhūḥ syayambhūryāthātathyato’rthānvyadadhācchāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ || 8 ||

AI Translation

8. He pervaded all, resplendent, bodiless, scatheless, having no muscles, pure, untouched by sin; far-seeing, omniscient, transcendent, self-sprung, (he) duly allotted to the various eternal creators their respective functions.

Verse 10

andhantamaḥ praviśanti ye’vidyāmupāsate | tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ || 9 ||

AI Translation

9. They who worship Avidya alone fall into blind darkness; and they who worship Vidya alone fall into even greater darkness.

Verse 11

anyadevāhurvidyayā’nyadāhuravidyayā | iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nastadvicacakṣire || 10 ||

AI Translation

10. One result is predicated of Vidya and another of Avidya. We have so heard from wise men who taught us both Vidya and Avidya.

Verse 12

vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha | avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamaśnute || 11 ||

AI Translation

11. He who simultaneously knows both Vidya and Avidya gets over Death by Avidya and attains immortality by Vidya.

Verse 13

andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye’sambhūtimupāsate | tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u saṃbhūtyāṃ ratāḥ || 12 ||

AI Translation

12. They fall into blind darkness who worship the unborn Prakriti. They fall into greater darkness who are bent upon the Karya Brahman Hiranyagarbha. (12).

Verse 14

anyadevāhuḥ saṃbhavādanyadāhurasaṃbhavāt | iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nastadvicacakṣire || 13 ||

AI Translation

13. They say one thing results from the worship of Hiranyagarbha and another from the worship of Prakriti. We have thus heard it stated by wise preceptors who taught us that.

Verse 15

saṃbhūtiṃ ca vināśaṃ ca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha | vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā saṃbhūtyāmṛtamaśnute || 14 ||

AI Translation

14. Those who worship the unmanifested Prakriti and Hiranyagarbha (Destruction) together, get over death through the worship of Hiranyagarbha and attain immortality through the worship of Prakriti.

Verse 16

hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham | tattvaṃ pūṣannapāvṛṇu satyadhर्मāya dṛṣṭaye || 15 ||

AI Translation

15. The entrance of the True is covered as if by a golden vessel. Remove, O sun, the covering that I who have been worshipping “The True” may behold it.

Verse 17

pūṣannekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīnsamūha | tejaḥ yatte rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tatte paśyāmi yo’sāvasau puruṣaḥ so’hamasmi || 16 ||

AI Translation

16. O Sun, sole traveller of the Heavens, controller of all, Surya, son of Prajapati remove thy rays and gather up thy burning light. I behold thy glorious form; I am he, the Purusha within thee.

Verse 18

vāyuranilamamṛtamathedaṃ bhasmāntaṃ śarīram | oṃ | krato smara kṛtaṃ smara krato smara kṛtaṃ smara || 17 ||

AI Translation

17. (Let my) Prana melt into the all-pervading Air, the eternal Sutratman; and let this body he burnt by fire to ashes; Om. O mind, remember, remember my deeds; O mind, remember, remember my deeds.

Verse 19

agne naya supathā rāye asmānviśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān | yuyodhyasmajjuhurāṇameno bhūyiṣṭhāṃ te nama uktiṃ vidhema || 18 ||

AI Translation

18. O Agni, lead us by the good path to the enjoyment of the fruits of our deeds, knowing O God, all our deeds. Remove the sin of deceit from within us. We offer thee many prostrations by word of mouth. (18).