Thursday, January 12, 2012
Isa-vasya Upanishad
This Upanishad desires its title from the opening words
Isa-vasya, "God-covered." The use of Isa (Lord)--a more personal
name of the Supreme Being than Brahman, Atman or Self, the names
usually found in the Upanishads--constitutes one of its
peculiarities. It forms the closing chapter of the Yajur-Veda,
known as Shukla (White).
Oneness of the Soul and God, and the value of both faith and
works as means of ultimate attainment are the leading themes of
this Upanishad. The general teaching of the Upanishads is that
works alone, even the highest, can bring only temporary happiness
and must inevitably bind a man unless through them he gains
knowledge of his real Self. To help him acquire this knowledge
is the aim of this and all Upanishads.
This Upanishad desires its title from the opening words
Isa-vasya, "God-covered." The use of Isa (Lord)--a more personal
name of the Supreme Being than Brahman, Atman or Self, the names
usually found in the Upanishads--constitutes one of its
peculiarities. It forms the closing chapter of the Yajur-Veda,
known as Shukla (White).
Oneness of the Soul and God, and the value of both faith and
works as means of ultimate attainment are the leading themes of
this Upanishad. The general teaching of the Upanishads is that
works alone, even the highest, can bring only temporary happiness
and must inevitably bind a man unless through them he gains
knowledge of his real Self. To help him acquire this knowledge
is the aim of this and all Upanishads.
ISHA
UPANISHAD
Also called the Isavasya Upanishad, deals
with the union of God, the world, being and becoming. The stress is on the
Absolute in relation with the world
(paramesvara). The gist of the teachings is that a person's worldly and
otherworldly goals need not necessarily
be opposed to each other.
By the Lord is enveloped all that moves
in the moving world. By renouncing this, find your enjoyment. Do not
covet the possessions of others. Working
here one may wish to live for a hundred years. Thus it is up to you---there is
no other way than this--- the work does
not adhere to you. Demonic are those worlds named, covered in blinding
darkness; there after death go those
people who kill the soul. Unmoving the one is faster than the mind. The angels
do not reach it, as it is always beyond
them. Standing still it passes beyond those who run. In it the Mother
establishes the waters. It moves, and it
does not move. It is far, and it is near. It is within all this, and it is also
outside
all this. Whoever sees all beings in the
soul and the soul in all beings does not shrink away from this. In whom all
beings have become one with the knowing
soul what delusion or sorrow is there for the one who sees unity? It has
filled all. It is radiant, incorporeal,
invulnerable, without tendons, pure, untouched by evil. Wise, intelligent,
encompassing, self-existent, it organizes
objects throughout eternity. Into blind darkness enter those who follow
ignorance; into even greater darkness go
those who follow knowledge. It is distinct, they say, from knowledge. It is
distinct, they say, from ignorance. So
have we heard from the wise who explained it to us. Knowledge and ignorance,
whoever knows the two together with ignorance
passes over death, with knowledge attains immortality. Into blind
darkness enter those who follow
non-becoming; into greater darkness enter those who follow becoming. It is
distinct, they say, from becoming. It is
distinct, they say, from non-becoming. So have we heard from the wise who
explained it to us. Becoming and
destruction, whoever knows the two together with destruction passes over death,
with becoming attains immortality. The
face of truth is covered with a golden disc. Unveil it, nourisher, for one
whose duty is to see the truth.
Nourisher, one seer, controller, sun, child of the creator, spread your light
and gather
your brilliance that I may see your
loveliest form. Whatever is that Spirit, that also am I.
May this life enter into the
immortal breath! This body then ends in
ashes. Aum. Purpose, remember! Action, remember! Purpose, remember!
Action, remember! Agni, lead us by a good
path to success, you god who knows all ways. Keep us away from
deceitful
sins. We offer ample prayer to you.
Peace Chant
OM! That (the Invisible-Absolute) is whole; whole is this (the
visible phenomenal); from the Invisible Whole comes forth the
visible whole. Though the visible whole has come out from that
Invisible Whole, yet the Whole remains unaltered.
OM! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!
The indefinite term "That" is used in the Upanishads to designate the
Invisible-Absolute, because no word or name can fully define It. A finite
object, like a table or a tree, can be defined; but God, who is infinite and
unbounded, cannot be expressed by finite language. Therefore the Rishis or
Divine Seers, desirous not to limit the Unlimited, chose the indefinite term
"That" to designate the Absolute.
In the light of true wisdom the phenomenal and the Absolute are inseparable.
All existence is in the Absolute; and whatever exists, must exist in It; hence
all manifestation is merely a modification of the One Supreme Whole, and
neither increases nor diminishes It. The Whole therefore remains unaltered.
I
All this, whatsoever exists in the universe, should be covered by
the Lord. Having renounced (the unreal), enjoy (the Real). Do
not covet the wealth of any man.
We cover all things with the Lord by perceiving the Divine Presence
everywhere. When the consciousness is firmly fixed in God, the conception of
diversity naturally drops away; because the One Cosmic Existence shines
through all things. As we gain the light of wisdom, we cease to cling to the
unrealities of this world and we find all our joy in the realm of Reality.
The word "enjoy" is also interpreted by the great commentator Sankaracharya as
"protect," because knowledge of our true Self is the greatest protector and
sustainer. If we do not have this knowledge, we cannot be happy; because
nothing on this external plane of phenomena is permanent or dependable. He
who is rich in the knowledge of the Self does not covet external power or
possession.
II
If one should desire to live in this world a hundred years, one
should live performing Karma (righteous deeds). Thus thou mayest
live; there is no other way. By doing this, Karma (the fruits of
thy actions) will not defile thee.
If a man still clings to long life and earthly possessions, and
is therefore unable to follow the path of Self-knowledge
(Gnana-Nishta) as prescribed in the first Mantram (text), then he
may follow the path of right action (Karma-Nishta). Karma here
means actions performed without selfish motive, for the sake of
the Lord alone. When a man performs actions clinging blindly to
his lower desires, then his actions bind him to the plane of
ignorance or the plane of birth and death; but when the same
actions are performed with surrender to God, they purify and
liberate him.
III
After leaving their bodies, they who have killed the Self go to
the worlds of the Asuras, covered with blinding ignorance.
The idea of rising to bright regions as a reward for well-doers, and of
falling into realms of darkness as a punishment for evil-doers is common to
all great religions. But Vedanta claims that this condition of heaven and
hell is only temporary; because our actions, being finite, can produce only a
finite result.
What does it mean "to kill the Self?" How can the immortal Soul ever be
destroyed? It cannot be destroyed, it can only be obscured. Those who hold
themselves under the sway of ignorance, who serve the flesh and neglect the
Atman or the real Self, are not able to perceive the effulgent and
indestructible nature of their Soul; hence they fall into the realm where the
Soul light does not shine. Here the Upanishad shows that the only hell is
absence of knowledge. As long as man is overpowered by the darkness of
ignorance, he is the slave of Nature and must accept whatever comes as the
fruit of his thoughts and deeds. When he strays into the path of unreality,
the Sages declare that he destroys himself; because he who clings to the
perishable body and regards it as his true Self must experience death many
times.
IV
That One, though motionless, is swifter than the mind. The
senses can never overtake It, for It ever goes before. Though
immovable, It travels faster than those who run. By It the
all-pervading air sustains all living beings.
This verse explains the character of the Atman or Self. A finite
object can be taken from one place and put in another, but it can
only occupy one space at a time. The Atman, however, is present
everywhere; hence, though one may run with the greatest swiftness
to overtake It, already It is there before him.
Even the all-pervading air must be supported by this Self, since
It is infinite; and as nothing can live without breathing air,
all living things must draw their life from the Cosmic Self.
V
It moves and It moves not. It is far and also It is near. It is
within and also It is without all this.
It is near to those who have the power to understand It, for It dwells in the
heart of every one; but It seems far to those whose mind is covered by the
clouds of sensuality and self-delusion. It is within, because It is the
innermost Soul of all creatures; and It is without as the essence of the whole
external universe, infilling it like the all-pervading ether.
VI
He who sees all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings, he
never turns away from It (the Self).
VII
He who perceives all beings as the Self' for him how can there be
delusion or grief, when he sees this oneness (everywhere) ?
He who perceives the Self everywhere never shrinks from anything, because
through his higher consciousness he feels united with all life. When a man
sees God in all beings and all beings in God, and also God dwelling in his own
Soul, how can he hate any living thing? Grief and delusion rest upon a belief
in diversity, which leads to competition and all forms of selfishness. With
the realization of oneness, the sense of diversity vanishes and the cause of
misery is removed.
VIII
He (the Self) is all-encircling, resplendent, bodiless, spotless,
without sinews, pure, untouched by sin, all-seeing, all-knowing,
transcendent, self-existent; He has disposed all things duly for
eternal years.
This text defines the real nature of the Self. When our mind is cleansed from
the dross of matter, then alone can we behold the vast, radiant, subtle,
ever-pure and spotless Self, the true basis of our existence.
IX
They enter into blind darkness who worship Avidya (ignorance and
delusion); they fall, as it were, into greater darkness who
worship Vidya (knowledge).
X
By Vidya one end is attained; by Avidya, another. Thus we have
heard from the wise men who taught this.
XI
He who knows at the same time both Vidya and Avidya, crosses over
death by Avidya and attains immortality through Vidya.
Those who follow or "worship" the path of selfishness and pleasure (Avidya),
without knowing anything higher, necessarily fall into darkness; but those who
worship or cherish Vidya (knowledge) for mere intellectual pride and
satisfaction, fall into greater darkness, because the opportunity which they
misuse is greater.
In the subsequent verses Vidya and Avidya are used in something the same sense
as "faith" and "works" in the Christian Bible; neither alone can lead to the
ultimate goal, but when taken together they carry one to the Highest. Work
done with unselfish motive purifies the mind and enables man to perceive his
undying nature. From this he gains inevitably a knowledge of God, because the
Soul and God are one and inseparable; and when he knows himself to be one with
the Supreme and Indestructible Whole, he realizes his immortality.
XII
They fall into blind darkness who worship the Unmanifested and
they fall into greater darkness who worship the manifested.
XIII
By the worship of the Unmanifested one end is attained; by the
worship of the manifested, another. Thus we have heard from the
wise men who taught us this.
XIV
He who knows at the same time both the Unmanifested (the cause of
manifestation) and the destructible or manifested, he crosses
over death through knowledge of the destructible and attains
immortality through knowledge of the First Cause (Unmanifested).
This particular Upanishad deals chiefly with the Invisible Cause and the
visible manifestation, and the whole trend of its teaching is to show that
they are one and the same, one being the outcome of the other hence no perfect
knowledge is possible without simultaneous comprehension of both. The wise
men declare that he who worships in a one-sided way, whether the visible or
the invisible, does not reach the highest goal. Only he who has a
co-ordinated understanding of both the visible and the invisible, of matter
and spirit, of activity and that which is behind activity, conquers Nature and
thus overcomes death. By work, by making the mind steady and by following the
prescribed rules given in the Scriptures, a man gains wisdom. By the light of
that wisdom he is able to perceive the Invisible Cause in all visible forms.
Therefore the wise man sees Him in every manifested form. They who have a
true conception of God are never separated from Him. They exist in Him and He
in them.
XV
The face of Truth is hidden by a golden disk. O Pushan
(Effulgent Being)! Uncover (Thy face) that I, the worshipper of
Truth, may behold Thee.
XVI
O Pushan! O Sun, sole traveller of the heavens, controller of
all, son of Prajapati, withdraw Thy rays and gather up Thy
burning effulgence. Now through Thy Grace I behold Thy blessed
and glorious form. The Purusha (Effulgent Being) who dwells
within Thee, I am He.
Here the sun, who is the giver of all light, is used as the symbol of the
Infinite, giver of all wisdom. The seeker after Truth prays to the Effulgent
One to control His dazzling rays, that his eyes, no longer blinded by them,
may behold the Truth. Having perceived It, he proclaims: "Now I see that that
Effulgent Being and I are one and the same, and my delusion is destroyed." By
the light of Truth he is able to discriminate between the real and the unreal,
and the knowledge thus gained convinces him that he is one with the Supreme;
that there is no difference between himself and the Supreme Truth; or as
Christ said, "I and my Father are one."
XVII
May my life-breath go to the all-pervading and immortal Prana,
and let this body be burned to ashes. Om! O mind, remember thy
deeds! O mind, remember, remember thy deeds! Remember!
Seek not fleeting results as the reward of thy actions, O mind! Strive only
for the Imperishable. This Mantram or text is often chanted at the hour of
death to remind one of the perishable nature of the body and the eternal
nature of the Soul. When the clear vision of the distinction between the
mortal body and the immortal Soul dawns in the heart, then all craving for
physical pleasure or material possession drops away; and one can say, let the
body be burned to ashes that the Soul may attain its freedom; for death is
nothing more than the casting-off of a worn-out garment.
XVIII
O Agni (Bright Being)! Lead us to blessedness by the good path.
O Lord! Thou knowest all our deeds, remove all evil and delusion
from us. To Thee we offer our prostrations and supplications
again and again.
Here ends this Upanishad
This Upanishad is called Isa-Vasya-Upanishad, that which gives
Brahma-Vidya or knowledge of the All-pervading Deity. The
dominant thought running through it is that we cannot enjoy life
or realize true happiness unless we consciously "cover" all with
the Omnipresent Lord. If we are not fully conscious of that
which sustains our life, how can we live wisely and perform our
duties? Whatever we see, movable or immovable, good or bad, it is
all "That." We must not divide our conception of the universe;
for in dividing it, we have only fragmentary knowledge and we
thus limit ourselves.
He who sees all beings in his Self and his Self in all beings, he
never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within his true
Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish. He alone can love.
That AH-pervading One is self- effulgent, birthless, deathless,
pure, untainted by sin and sorrow. Knowing this, he becomes free
from the bondage of matter and transcends death. Transcending
death means realizing the difference between body and Soul and
identifying oneself with the Soul. When we actually behold the
undecaying Soul within us and realize our true nature, we no
longer identify ourself with the body which dies and we do not
die with the body.
Self-knowledge has always been the theme of the Sages; and the
Upanishads deal especially with the knowledge of the Self and
also with the knowledge of God, because there is no difference
between the Self and God. They are one and the same. That which
comes out of the Infinite Whole must also be infinite; hence the
Self is infinite. That is the ocean, we are the drops. So long
as the drop remains separate from the ocean, it is small and
weak; but when it is one with the ocean, then it has all the
strength of the ocean. Similarly, so long as man believes
himself to be separate from the Whole, he is helpless; but when
he identifies himself with It, then he transcends all weakness
and partakes of Its omnipotent qualities.
OM! That (the Invisible-Absolute) is whole; whole is this (the
visible phenomenal); from the Invisible Whole comes forth the
visible whole. Though the visible whole has come out from that
Invisible Whole, yet the Whole remains unaltered.
OM! PEACE! PEACE! PEACE!
The indefinite term "That" is used in the Upanishads to designate the
Invisible-Absolute, because no word or name can fully define It. A finite
object, like a table or a tree, can be defined; but God, who is infinite and
unbounded, cannot be expressed by finite language. Therefore the Rishis or
Divine Seers, desirous not to limit the Unlimited, chose the indefinite term
"That" to designate the Absolute.
In the light of true wisdom the phenomenal and the Absolute are inseparable.
All existence is in the Absolute; and whatever exists, must exist in It; hence
all manifestation is merely a modification of the One Supreme Whole, and
neither increases nor diminishes It. The Whole therefore remains unaltered.
I
All this, whatsoever exists in the universe, should be covered by
the Lord. Having renounced (the unreal), enjoy (the Real). Do
not covet the wealth of any man.
We cover all things with the Lord by perceiving the Divine Presence
everywhere. When the consciousness is firmly fixed in God, the conception of
diversity naturally drops away; because the One Cosmic Existence shines
through all things. As we gain the light of wisdom, we cease to cling to the
unrealities of this world and we find all our joy in the realm of Reality.
The word "enjoy" is also interpreted by the great commentator Sankaracharya as
"protect," because knowledge of our true Self is the greatest protector and
sustainer. If we do not have this knowledge, we cannot be happy; because
nothing on this external plane of phenomena is permanent or dependable. He
who is rich in the knowledge of the Self does not covet external power or
possession.
II
If one should desire to live in this world a hundred years, one
should live performing Karma (righteous deeds). Thus thou mayest
live; there is no other way. By doing this, Karma (the fruits of
thy actions) will not defile thee.
If a man still clings to long life and earthly possessions, and
is therefore unable to follow the path of Self-knowledge
(Gnana-Nishta) as prescribed in the first Mantram (text), then he
may follow the path of right action (Karma-Nishta). Karma here
means actions performed without selfish motive, for the sake of
the Lord alone. When a man performs actions clinging blindly to
his lower desires, then his actions bind him to the plane of
ignorance or the plane of birth and death; but when the same
actions are performed with surrender to God, they purify and
liberate him.
III
After leaving their bodies, they who have killed the Self go to
the worlds of the Asuras, covered with blinding ignorance.
The idea of rising to bright regions as a reward for well-doers, and of
falling into realms of darkness as a punishment for evil-doers is common to
all great religions. But Vedanta claims that this condition of heaven and
hell is only temporary; because our actions, being finite, can produce only a
finite result.
What does it mean "to kill the Self?" How can the immortal Soul ever be
destroyed? It cannot be destroyed, it can only be obscured. Those who hold
themselves under the sway of ignorance, who serve the flesh and neglect the
Atman or the real Self, are not able to perceive the effulgent and
indestructible nature of their Soul; hence they fall into the realm where the
Soul light does not shine. Here the Upanishad shows that the only hell is
absence of knowledge. As long as man is overpowered by the darkness of
ignorance, he is the slave of Nature and must accept whatever comes as the
fruit of his thoughts and deeds. When he strays into the path of unreality,
the Sages declare that he destroys himself; because he who clings to the
perishable body and regards it as his true Self must experience death many
times.
IV
That One, though motionless, is swifter than the mind. The
senses can never overtake It, for It ever goes before. Though
immovable, It travels faster than those who run. By It the
all-pervading air sustains all living beings.
This verse explains the character of the Atman or Self. A finite
object can be taken from one place and put in another, but it can
only occupy one space at a time. The Atman, however, is present
everywhere; hence, though one may run with the greatest swiftness
to overtake It, already It is there before him.
Even the all-pervading air must be supported by this Self, since
It is infinite; and as nothing can live without breathing air,
all living things must draw their life from the Cosmic Self.
V
It moves and It moves not. It is far and also It is near. It is
within and also It is without all this.
It is near to those who have the power to understand It, for It dwells in the
heart of every one; but It seems far to those whose mind is covered by the
clouds of sensuality and self-delusion. It is within, because It is the
innermost Soul of all creatures; and It is without as the essence of the whole
external universe, infilling it like the all-pervading ether.
VI
He who sees all beings in the Self and the Self in all beings, he
never turns away from It (the Self).
VII
He who perceives all beings as the Self' for him how can there be
delusion or grief, when he sees this oneness (everywhere) ?
He who perceives the Self everywhere never shrinks from anything, because
through his higher consciousness he feels united with all life. When a man
sees God in all beings and all beings in God, and also God dwelling in his own
Soul, how can he hate any living thing? Grief and delusion rest upon a belief
in diversity, which leads to competition and all forms of selfishness. With
the realization of oneness, the sense of diversity vanishes and the cause of
misery is removed.
VIII
He (the Self) is all-encircling, resplendent, bodiless, spotless,
without sinews, pure, untouched by sin, all-seeing, all-knowing,
transcendent, self-existent; He has disposed all things duly for
eternal years.
This text defines the real nature of the Self. When our mind is cleansed from
the dross of matter, then alone can we behold the vast, radiant, subtle,
ever-pure and spotless Self, the true basis of our existence.
IX
They enter into blind darkness who worship Avidya (ignorance and
delusion); they fall, as it were, into greater darkness who
worship Vidya (knowledge).
X
By Vidya one end is attained; by Avidya, another. Thus we have
heard from the wise men who taught this.
XI
He who knows at the same time both Vidya and Avidya, crosses over
death by Avidya and attains immortality through Vidya.
Those who follow or "worship" the path of selfishness and pleasure (Avidya),
without knowing anything higher, necessarily fall into darkness; but those who
worship or cherish Vidya (knowledge) for mere intellectual pride and
satisfaction, fall into greater darkness, because the opportunity which they
misuse is greater.
In the subsequent verses Vidya and Avidya are used in something the same sense
as "faith" and "works" in the Christian Bible; neither alone can lead to the
ultimate goal, but when taken together they carry one to the Highest. Work
done with unselfish motive purifies the mind and enables man to perceive his
undying nature. From this he gains inevitably a knowledge of God, because the
Soul and God are one and inseparable; and when he knows himself to be one with
the Supreme and Indestructible Whole, he realizes his immortality.
XII
They fall into blind darkness who worship the Unmanifested and
they fall into greater darkness who worship the manifested.
XIII
By the worship of the Unmanifested one end is attained; by the
worship of the manifested, another. Thus we have heard from the
wise men who taught us this.
XIV
He who knows at the same time both the Unmanifested (the cause of
manifestation) and the destructible or manifested, he crosses
over death through knowledge of the destructible and attains
immortality through knowledge of the First Cause (Unmanifested).
This particular Upanishad deals chiefly with the Invisible Cause and the
visible manifestation, and the whole trend of its teaching is to show that
they are one and the same, one being the outcome of the other hence no perfect
knowledge is possible without simultaneous comprehension of both. The wise
men declare that he who worships in a one-sided way, whether the visible or
the invisible, does not reach the highest goal. Only he who has a
co-ordinated understanding of both the visible and the invisible, of matter
and spirit, of activity and that which is behind activity, conquers Nature and
thus overcomes death. By work, by making the mind steady and by following the
prescribed rules given in the Scriptures, a man gains wisdom. By the light of
that wisdom he is able to perceive the Invisible Cause in all visible forms.
Therefore the wise man sees Him in every manifested form. They who have a
true conception of God are never separated from Him. They exist in Him and He
in them.
XV
The face of Truth is hidden by a golden disk. O Pushan
(Effulgent Being)! Uncover (Thy face) that I, the worshipper of
Truth, may behold Thee.
XVI
O Pushan! O Sun, sole traveller of the heavens, controller of
all, son of Prajapati, withdraw Thy rays and gather up Thy
burning effulgence. Now through Thy Grace I behold Thy blessed
and glorious form. The Purusha (Effulgent Being) who dwells
within Thee, I am He.
Here the sun, who is the giver of all light, is used as the symbol of the
Infinite, giver of all wisdom. The seeker after Truth prays to the Effulgent
One to control His dazzling rays, that his eyes, no longer blinded by them,
may behold the Truth. Having perceived It, he proclaims: "Now I see that that
Effulgent Being and I are one and the same, and my delusion is destroyed." By
the light of Truth he is able to discriminate between the real and the unreal,
and the knowledge thus gained convinces him that he is one with the Supreme;
that there is no difference between himself and the Supreme Truth; or as
Christ said, "I and my Father are one."
XVII
May my life-breath go to the all-pervading and immortal Prana,
and let this body be burned to ashes. Om! O mind, remember thy
deeds! O mind, remember, remember thy deeds! Remember!
Seek not fleeting results as the reward of thy actions, O mind! Strive only
for the Imperishable. This Mantram or text is often chanted at the hour of
death to remind one of the perishable nature of the body and the eternal
nature of the Soul. When the clear vision of the distinction between the
mortal body and the immortal Soul dawns in the heart, then all craving for
physical pleasure or material possession drops away; and one can say, let the
body be burned to ashes that the Soul may attain its freedom; for death is
nothing more than the casting-off of a worn-out garment.
XVIII
O Agni (Bright Being)! Lead us to blessedness by the good path.
O Lord! Thou knowest all our deeds, remove all evil and delusion
from us. To Thee we offer our prostrations and supplications
again and again.
Here ends this Upanishad
This Upanishad is called Isa-Vasya-Upanishad, that which gives
Brahma-Vidya or knowledge of the All-pervading Deity. The
dominant thought running through it is that we cannot enjoy life
or realize true happiness unless we consciously "cover" all with
the Omnipresent Lord. If we are not fully conscious of that
which sustains our life, how can we live wisely and perform our
duties? Whatever we see, movable or immovable, good or bad, it is
all "That." We must not divide our conception of the universe;
for in dividing it, we have only fragmentary knowledge and we
thus limit ourselves.
He who sees all beings in his Self and his Self in all beings, he
never suffers; because when he sees all creatures within his true
Self, then jealousy, grief and hatred vanish. He alone can love.
That AH-pervading One is self- effulgent, birthless, deathless,
pure, untainted by sin and sorrow. Knowing this, he becomes free
from the bondage of matter and transcends death. Transcending
death means realizing the difference between body and Soul and
identifying oneself with the Soul. When we actually behold the
undecaying Soul within us and realize our true nature, we no
longer identify ourself with the body which dies and we do not
die with the body.
Self-knowledge has always been the theme of the Sages; and the
Upanishads deal especially with the knowledge of the Self and
also with the knowledge of God, because there is no difference
between the Self and God. They are one and the same. That which
comes out of the Infinite Whole must also be infinite; hence the
Self is infinite. That is the ocean, we are the drops. So long
as the drop remains separate from the ocean, it is small and
weak; but when it is one with the ocean, then it has all the
strength of the ocean. Similarly, so long as man believes
himself to be separate from the Whole, he is helpless; but when
he identifies himself with It, then he transcends all weakness
and partakes of Its omnipotent qualities.
Thus ends the Isa Vasyopanishad as contained in the Sukla - Yajur - Veda
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swamyjis, Philosophic Scholars, Knowledge seekers for the collection)
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