II OM II

Ishavasyopanishad


This Upanishad is the end part of white Yajurveda (vajasneya samhita). It consists of only 18 sloka and is the smallest of all.

SLOKA-I

Om Isha Vasyam Idagm Sarvam
Yatkinch Jagatyan Jagat
Tena Tyakten Bhunjitha
Ma Grudha Kasysvid Dhanam


All these is God's abode whatever place is there in this Universe; Enjoy it with detached mind and do not be greedy.


According to this Upanishad the entire Universe is God's abode. There is no place where His presence is not there. He is all pervading.

Thus what ever we enjoy belongs to Him or provided by Him. If one wants to realise God, then he should live in this Universe and enjoy but with detached mind and not become greedy for anything.

We want to meet God. We want 'God realization '. We want to find him to complain about our problems. All our problems will end once we meet him. But where is he? Is there a "God" in this world? Yes, He is there. He is every where. In everything you see, He is present in living and non-living things. Now even Science has proved that matter consists of an atom- the smallest particle. It is made up of a nucleus and electrons revolving around it. This has tremendous energy. From where does this energy come from? How does electron revolve? It is energy which proves that God is there. "Brahman " is the word we use for 'God' in spiritual science and 'energy' we refer to as ' Brahman- Shakti'.

Just as ice is solid, stationary and water is liquid and flowing while vapourised water is everywhere in the atmosphere though not visible similarly God i.e. Brahman and its Brahma-Shakti are related in the same way.

Bhagwan Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa says that the snake which is coiled and stationary is Brahman and when it starts moving it represents Brahma-Shakti.

Now to realize or to experience God, in this Sloka it is said-'TENA TYAKTENA BHUNJITHAA" meaning that BLISS-the supreme bliss one can enjoy or can be experienced only if one lives in this world with detached attitude.

The problem with us is that we get attached to the things in this world and forget the goal of our life. Our life is not just to play as a child, study , get married, have children and later on toil for the family and die. The purpose of human life is to use the beautiful, perfect body given to us as an instrument to realize 'self' and 'God'. Get out of these cycles of birth and death." Purnat Purnam Udachyate", we have come out of that complete Brahman. The God, We have to reunite with Him. But once we come to this world we get greedy, try to acquire this and that and we experience happiness or unhappiness, all temporary, and live our life or rather waste our life.

Here it is said that please live your life which detached attitude meaning do not be greedy and do not forget your goal.

This can be illustrated by a story. A person has a rich friend living in a villa with garden etc. He goes there to meet a friend but there seeing a lovely garden, flowers, fruits and many more beautiful things around he gets tempted. He starts collecting them so much that he for the moment forgets about the friend whom he had come to see. What will be the result? The watchman who watches over the garden will come and take you for a thief. He will not believe your a story of a friend and take you to the Police Station.

But if you pass through the beautiful garden seeing its beauty without getting greedy and approaching the watchman ask for your friend,then watchman and his servants will serve you everything.

Thus in this world if we do not get attached and try to realize God. He will take care of you. All the things in the world are kept for you. God has created everything for you. But do not try to be greedy and do not forget your goal. ' Ma Grudh ' means that do not be greedy. 'Kasyasvid Dhanam' means who owns all the properties? Everything belongs to God including our body.


SLOKA-2

Kurvanneveha Karmani
Jijivishet Shatangan Samaha
Evam Tvayi Na Anyathethetoasti
Na Karma Lipyate Nare


Perform your duties and wish to live for hundred years. "evam tvayi" meaning for you "na anyathetoasti" there is no other way(i.e. perform your duties with detached mind) These actions do not bind a person.


Question is how to perform action with detached mind? One is any way attached to all the things. Starting with "my life", "my house", "my parents", "my wife", "my husband", "my friends", "my office", "my money" and so on. Once we use word "my" the attachment is sure. But if we remember the first sloka that entire Universe is God's abode and his creation and his property. We are only the instruments in his hands. Whatever we do is being done by HIM or it is His Work we are doing. Then the word "my" does not occur. We are assigned the work and we are doing it. Thus work becomes worship for us. And worship will liberate us but not bind us.


SLOKA-3

Asurya Nam Te Loka
Andhena Tamasavruta
Taangste Pretyabhigachchhanti
Ye Ke chaatmahano Janaaha


(If one fails to know this, i.e.what was said in sloka-1, and get involved in worldly things then what happens?) After the death one goes to the world where no Sun Rises and it is covered with darkness!

This shloka is giving us a warning!! We have been born as human beings after going through 84 lacs of different yonies(different creature forms). We have come a long way on the journey of life. This is the time, Now is the opportunity to come out of the cycle of birth and death. Only in human body it is possible with spiritual practice to burn our bonds of past actions(karmaa).

Otherwise , Oh! Ignorant! You do not know your fate after death. You are not even knowing what Karmaa you have accumulaed in this life as well as past lives. You may go to the world( Hell ) which is known as 'Asuryaa' meaning the Sun never rises there. It is pitch dark. Now at least as a human being God has given you a perfect body, mind and intellect, which you can use for Spiritual practice and burn your Karma. Even after giving this warning if one does not learn then he is truly killing his own self!(Aatma hano janaahaa).

Here forgiven are those people who are totally ignorant like a child. They may grow up to be understanding humans one day. But those who have understood the 'verbal' meaning by reading the scriptures, Bhagawat Geeta, Upanishads and have still not awakened and are not trying to walk on spiritual path are like people who are awake but pretending to sleep. Person who is asleep can be woken up but not the one who pretends to be asleep.

People read Geeta, Upanishads and show their bookish knowledge, hold discusions about the contents, situations, characters and also the authenticity!! But they do not try to understand why all these scriptures have come to this world!! Just to wake us up and not to discuss. They are torch lights to show us the way and not leisure reading or to get University degrees and not for showing oratory powers. One must know how to find the path and walk on it.

Otherwise as told in this sholka one will go in the dark world. There are aerobic bacteria and anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria will grow where there is no light and no oxygen!! We might be reduced to that state!!.


SLOKA-4

Anejadekam manaso javiyo
Na inat deva apnuvat purvam arshat
Tat dhavatah anyan atyeti tishthat
Tasmin na apo matarishva dadhati


Meanings of sanskrit words: Anejadekam= an + ejat + ekam
an=not; ejat=mobile(moving); ekam= one; javiyo=faster; manaso=than mind; na apnuvat=can not over take; purvam=before hand, arshat=reached; dhavatah anyan= all other fast moving-runners; atyeti=outruns,as it were; tishthat=stationary; matarishva=air or vayu; dadhati=holds;


(Here the characteristics of Gross Spirit or Brahman or God is given):

Not mobile but (is) faster than mind. Senses can not over take it. It runs out all the runners as reaches before hand, and be stationary and without it even the vaayu (here breath)can not hold (life in) the body.


Once we are determined to come out of the cycle of birth and death, for 'self realization', towards the path of spirituality, here, in Upanishad, the guide lines are given for us.

We are very common people. We do not know where to start or how to start our journey. We do not know how to recognize that 'Atman'.

Hence, there some attributes of 'Atman' are given. 'Ane'jat' means not vibrating meaning it is stationary-not moving. But it is also ' Manaso JAVIYO, meaning faster than mind'. What does that mean? When it is said to be "anejat" i.e. stationary actually it means stable, not moving and in other simpler word it is eternal. Faster than mind means that it can not be perceived by mind and without it breath -vaayu cannot hold the body is the way we determine to declare one dead! If soul leaves the body person stops breathing!!


SLOKA-5

Tadejati tan naijati
Tadduure tadvantike
Tadantarasya sarvasya
Tadu sarvasyaasya baahyatah


the letter't' of tat becomes 'd'when compounded with the adjacent word.
Meanings of sanskrit words:tat=that(the atman); duure=far away; tadvantike can be split into tat+ u + antike=that is very near; antarasya=within, inside; baahyatah=outside, exterior; sarvasya= of all.
Again while giving the characteristic of atman, in this sloka it is said that it is moving(Tadejati) and also stationary(tannaijati)!! One gets confused at such statement. What does this mean?
When a child is born, we say atman(soul) enters the body and when one dies, we say atman(soul) leaves the body. This is mobile character of atman which we can understand. But how is it stationary?
This is explained by the terms used by Sri Shankeracharya- "ghatakash"(space in a mudpot), "mathakash" (space in a Building of monastery and "chidakash"(Space in the sky).
Look at an empty pot kept in the monastery. We say it is empty but there is a space(filled with air) between the walls of a pot. There is a space outside too. Now just imagine that a pot breaks. Where does the space within a pot goes? In reality, the mud pieces fall down on the ground or table whatever the case may be. But the space does not go anywhere! Because the space was already there! It just merges to be one with external space in the math or monastery building! Now imagine what happens to the space within the monastery if the building collapses? It still remains there merging into outside space called "chidakash"!!
This means, pot came and gone, monastery was there and collapsed, but space was there and still there!! This is the stationary character of space and similarly of atman.
Now further it is said to be "duure" i.e. far away and at the same time "antike" meaning very close. How can one thing be far away and very close too? When we cannot reach something or understand then we say it is far beyond my reach or understanding. Similarly, atman is far beyond the reach of our sense organs or mind. Neither our imagination can capture it nor our intellect can understand. It is "far away" in this sense. Now let us try to understand the "antike" character of atman. antike means very close. We are all living being because atman is present in our body. This itself shows how close it is! Even scientists have tried to capture it by enclosing a dying person in leak-proof glass case. When person was dead, the crack was found on the glass but they could not capture the soul! Within our body the atman resides that shows how close it is!
Further it is "antarasya sarvasya" within everyone's body as shown above and also outside evry one (sarvasyaasya baahyatah)! As explained earlier by example of the space within and outside the mudpot. In short it is all pervading. This is also characteristic of Brahman or God. This is the reason it is said God is within us. One will not find if searched outside. One should seek for God within.
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