shri ishopanisad

7/30/2019 Shri Ishopanisad

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orh purna m a da h purnam idaipurnat purnam udacyatepurnasya purnam adaya

purn am evavasi sya teThe unmanifest brahman is perfect . Themanifested brahman is perfect . From the

unmanifest brahman appears the manifestbrahman as various avata ras. When the

manifested forms emerge from theunmani fes t brahman the unmani fes t

brahman remains .


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IsopanisadC o m m e n t a r y B y

MadhvacaryaVedanta Desika

Baladeva VidyabhusanaBhaktivinoda Thakura

Translated byH.H.Bhanu Swami


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Readers interested in the subject matter of this book are irtvited tocorrespond with:His Holiness Bhanu Swami MaharajISKCONHare Krishna Land,Injambakkam,Chennai-600041.Ind i aEmail: [email protected] Web: www.iskconchennai.com

First Edition :200 6 : 2,000 Copies

2006, Sri Vaikunta EnterprisesISBN: 81-89564-08-0

Quotations from Srlmad-Bhagaxathamare from Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Cover Design : Vijaya Govinda Das

I'liiiiril Ity Sii Vaikunta Enterpr i ses , Chennai

C O N T E N T S

Introduct ionMantra 1Mantra 2Mantra 3Mantra 4Mantra 5Mantra 6Mantra 7Mantra 8Mantra 9Mantra 10Mantra 11Mantra 12Mantra 13Mantra 14

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mailto:[email protected]://www.iskconchennai.com/http://www.iskconchennai.com/mailto:[email protected]


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CONTENTS

Mantra 15Mantra 16Mantra 17Mantra 18

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

The head of the Vedas is the Upanisads. They are the finalconclusion of the Vedas and thus are called Vedanta. In th ewords of the followers of Vedanta they are called sruti-prasthana (sruti texts, without author and eternal). Vyasa, inorder to harmonize the s ta tements of the Upanisads wroteth e Vedanta-sutras. That is called nyaya-prasthana (work involving logic to find the meaning of the Upanisads). TheMahabharata an d Puranas, which he also wrote, are calledsmrti-prasthana (smrti texts , authored but following theVedas).Upanisads are the crown jewel of the Vedas. What is Veda?.Veda comes from the verbal root vit, meaning to know or beaware. Vedayati dharmam brahma ca vedah: the scripture thatteaches about dharma an d brahman is called Veda. They arethe sound incarnation of the Lord. The Vedas are usually inverse with meter and each verse is called a mantra. A collection of mantras is called a sukta. A collection of suktas is calleda samhita. T he Brahmanas, another part of the Vedas, dealwi th mantras for sacrifice and rules for sacrifice. They areusually written in prose. The Aranyakas are another part of

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Isopanisad

th e Vedas, similar to the Brahmanas. Upanisads are the fourthpart of the Vedas.The meaning of the word Upanisad is as follows. Those scriptures which help the practitioner achieve liberation and bringthe person close to the Lord are called Upanisad. Upa means"near" and nisldati means "bring." Or the word may be divided as up a meaning "near," with ni meaning "certainly" andsa d meaning "to loosen, destroy or attain." That knowledgewhich loosens bondage with certainty, destroys the ignoranceconcerning the jiva's svarupa and brings one close to the Lordis called Upanisad. Upanisad is called brahma-vidya an drahasya-vidya, secret knowledge, imparted by the guru to thedisciple, who realizes it in his heart.There are many Upanisads. The Muktikopanisad l ists 108names, of which the first ten are:

isa kena hatha prasna munda manduhya tittirihaitareyath ca cchdndogyam brhad-aranyakam tatha

Along with the Svetdsvatara Upanisad this makes eleven.Sarikara wrote commentar ies on them. Some claim thatSarikara did not write the commentary on Svetasvatara sinceit contains many mantras describing the Supreme Lord andhis energies. But this argument is defeated by the fact thatSarikara quotes the Svetasvatara many times in his commentary on Vedanta-sutras.Sri Ramanujacarya did not write any commentaries on theUpanisads himself but his follower Rarigaramanuja wrote commentar ies on them (except Isopanisad). Sri Madhvacarya

Int roduct ion.

wrote commentaries on the eleven Upanisads. Baladeva apparently wrote commentaries on ten Upanisads, but unfortunately, except for the Isopanisad commentary, none can befound at present.Isopanisad takes its name from the first word of its first verse.It is the last chapter of the $ukla-yajur-veda containing 40chapters. Because it is contained w ithin the Vajasaneya-samhitasection it is called Vajasaneya-samhitopanisad. Its 18 mantrasdescribe the Paramatma, jiva and the jiva's goal.What is the sum and substance of the sruti including theUpanisads, smrti an d nyaya-prasthana? Vyasa, after writingal l the scr iptures for the benef i t of the jivas wrote theBhagavatam to explain the meaning of the Vedanta-sutra,Mahabharata, gayatri mantra and the Vedas. It is worshippedas the crown jewel of the all scriptures. Bhagavatam containsthe essence of sruti, smrti an d nyaya-prasthanas. Thus we canunderstand the meaning of the scriptures through the conclusions of Bhavagatam. Thus the meaning of the Upanisadsshould not contradict the conclusions of Bhagavatam.


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INVOCATIONorh purnam addh purnam idcuhpurnat purnam udacyatepumasya purnam adayapurnam evavasisyateTRANSLATION

Th e unmanifest brahman is perfect. The manifested brahmanis perfect. From the unmanifest brahman appears the manifest brahman as various avataras. When the manifested formsemerge from the unmanifest brahman the unmanifestbrahman remains1.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura's commentaryThe perfect avatari and the perfect avatara are complete, endowed with all energies. From the perfect avatari appearsthe perfect avataras for the purpose of spreading the pastimesof the Lord. When the perfect avatari accepts a perfect formfor accomplishing certain pastimes, he is still present, but ina covered form. In no circumstance is there a diminution ofthe perfection of the Supreme Lord.

'This is technically not part of the Upanisad. Translation has been taken fromBaladeva's commentary on the Vedanta-sutra 1.1.9.

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MANTRA 1mvasyamidamsarvamyatkincajagatyamjagat- Tt m


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isopanisad

desiring to eat him. Hearing his verses, Yajfia liberated himafter killing the raksasas, who could not be killed by others,and could kill all others. This benediction was given to themby Siva. But their powers could not be applied against Hari 3.Isavasyam (isa an d avasyam) means "fit to be dwelt in by theLord, because nothing moves wi thout the presence of theLord." Jagatyam means "in prakrti". Thus the meaning is "Thewhole world, whatever is within prakrti, is fit to be dwelt inby the Lord." One should enjoy that which is given (tyaktena)by the Lord (tend).T h e Brahmanda Purana says :

Svatah pravrtty asaktatvad isavasyam idamjagatpravrtty e prakrti-gamyasmat sa prakrtHvarahtad adhlna-pravrttitvat tad iyam sarvam eva tattad dattenaiva bhunjirha ato hanyam prayacayetBecause the world cannot function on its own, the Lord mustdwell within it for it to function. Because he enters prakrti forit to function he is called the lord of prakrti. Because the functioning of everything is dependent on him , it is said to belongto him. Enjoy what is given by him (the owner), and do notask for anything else.'According to a commentator, the description gives the four anubandhas: th emercy of Visnu is the abhidheya or subject (visaya), the liberation of thedevotee is the prayojana or result, the adhikari or qualified person for themantras is a devotee like Svayambhuva Manu , and the satnbandha or elementconnecting th e other three elemen ts is Visnu and h is greatness. As well, the rsiis Svayambhuva Manu and the devata of the mantras is Yajna. The meter a ndviniyoga vary with each mantra. It is traditional to mention these two groupsof four before recitation of a work.

Vedanta Desika:TRANSLATIONThe Lord is inside and outside of everything in this world

and beyond. Therefore experience the objects of the worldwith a sense of detachment, since nothing belongs to oneself.Do not desire anyone else's wealth.

C O M M EN TA R Y1 worsh ip Vasudeva, a river of pure, etern al qualities, whopervades this universe which is composed of conscious andunconscious entities. He is the controller of all 4, filled withnatural greatness5, and resides within as the soul of all beings.6 He transcends all faults.7 He alone is to be know n by allknowledge.8 Since he dispenses karma and withdraws anddestroys sin, who else is the object of meditation for the liberated soul9 and who else is the means for liberation? 10 Thisperson, who is also the means of perfection, is clearly revealed at the end of the White Yajur Veda, in the Isopanisad.It should be understood that these verses are spoken by theguru to a disciple as instructions on knowledge of God. ThisUpanisad is placed at the end of the samhita to indicate thatall actions described in the samhita, by being applied as secondary to knowledge, will be useful for gaining knowledge of

T hi s is depicted in the first verse of the Upanisad.'This is described in verses 4 and 5.Th is is described in verses 6 and 7.Th is is described in the 1" half of verse 8.This is described in the 2 nd half of verse 8 as well. Vidya can refer to generalknowledge or to the thirty-two types of vidya mentioned in the ChandogyaUpanisad.Th ese three items are described in verse 11.'This is described in verses 15-16.


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th e Lord11.With the desire to make the disciple qualified, in the firstverse, the teacher proclaims the posi t ion of the SupremeLordthat all others are dependent upon him, thus rejectingall false notions about this independent person.12 Idam refersto the world composed all conscious and non-conscious entities, excluding the Lord, and who are verified as truly existing, ha means "by the Supreme Lord," the controller of allthings, famous as being distinct from the jivas. He is describedin texts like the following. Jfiajnau dvav ajav is-anlsau: therear e two eternal beings, the Lord full of knowledge and thejlva full of ignorance. (Svetasvatara Upanisad 1.9) This worldis pervaded (vasyam) by that Lord. Or it can mean "this worldmust be inhabited by him, or must dwell always within him."The following should be remembered:

sarvatrasau samastam ca vasaty atreti vai yatahtatah sa vasudeveti vidvadbhih paripathyate

1 The thirty-nine chap ters of the Sukla-yajur Veda deal with deal w ith sacrificeand duties (.karma). The last chapter is the Hopanisad, dealing with knowledge.12The first verse declares the tattva or highest truth . The first group, consistingof verse one and two, declares the major theme of the work knowledgeaccompanied by works. The second grou p, from verse three to eight, deals withknowledge of the Lord and the results of that knowledge. The eighth verse aswell makes clear the distinction between the jlva and the Lord. The third group,from verse nine to fourteen, deals with the practice, and also indicates theultimate goal. The fourth group, from verse fifteen to eighteen, consists ofprayers to be used by the worshipper, whereas the previous verses were instructions.

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The learned people say that the Lord is called Vasudeva because he lives (yasati) everywhere and everything lives withinhim. Visnu Purana 1.2.12Jagatyam (in this world) indicates as well places beyond thisworld. Jagat means all beings as enjoyers who stray away(gacchanti) from their quality (dharma)u and all things as enjoyed objects which stray way from their very form (svarupa).To emphasize the point that nothing can exist without theLord's presence inside and outside all things, yat kinca (whatever) is added. This is confirmed by the following:

indriyani mono buddhih sattvam tejo balarh dhrtihvasudevatmakany ahuh ksetrarh ksetra-jnam eva caThey say that the senses, mind, intelligence, existence, power,strength, determination, prakrti and the soul are all Vasudevaalone. Visnu-sahasra-ndma"According to the saying that conventional meaning overridesetymological meaning, Isa should mean Siva, since it commonly refers to him. As well, it is not combined with sarva tomake sarvesa, which would specifically imply Visnu." This isno t so, because the conventional meaning is also excluded inCases where words like akasa and prana are said to be thecause of everything.14 And there are statements such as thefollowing:nJiva's eternal nature, his svarupa, can never change. However his awarenessof God and the world (dharma-bhuta-jnana) can change. Material objects,which are tem porary, are different in svarupa from their spiritual cou nterparts,which are eternal."Vedanta-sutra 1.4.14


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eko ha vai narayana aslt na brahma nesanahOnly Narayana existed, not Brahma and not Siva. MahaUpanisad

Anapahata-papma 'ham asmi namani me dhehiI5Siva sa id: 1 am not free from sin. Give me names. Satapatha-brahmana 6.1.3.9By such statements, Siva cannot be said to be the final causeof everything, and is described as being controlled by karma.Therefore it is impossible that he pervades everything andcontains everything. Thus the well-established etymologicalmeaning the controller of all with unobstru ctedpowers must be taken in this case. Though there is a difference in the case of Is in this verse from the use of wordssuch as akasa, since well-known indications (such as inclusion of the words ha or ha vai) are lacking in the verse, it isreasonable to reject the con ventional m eaning of Siva becausethere is contrary meaning to the word Is in the verse at hand.This is according the rule vacanattva yathartham aindri syat.16(Jaimini-sutra 3.2.2) Nor can the word Is have a restricted

15The following version is found in the Satapatha-brahmana 6.1.3.9 anapahata-papma va asmy ahita-nama noma ma dhehi16Rg Veda 8.51.7 mentions Indra: kada cana starirasi nendra sascasi dasuse/upopen nu maghavan bhuya in nu te danam devasya prcyate. However, theconventional m eaning mu st be rejected, since the verse is used in reference toAgni in the househ old fire.

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mean ing acco rd ing to the ru le sarvatvam adhikarikam 17(Jaimini-sutra 1.2.16) since no limitation is seen in the verse.Those who maintain that there is a different lord created foreach new universe, and those who maintain that there aremany lords within one universe, are defeated by scripturalevidence establishing a single Lord who prevails through eternal time in all universes.The following verse shows that the Lord has power up on w hicheverything else rests:

patim visvasyatmesvaramHe is the master, the Lord and the sou l of the universe. Maha-narayana Upanisad 13.2

yo 'sav asau purusahHe who is the famous Lord dwelling in the sun is that Lord inth e heart, isopanisad 16This verse will be explained later.Verses have been quoted which prove positively that Brahmaand Siva arise from him. He is glorified as the Lord who dwellsirIn the statement "all results accrue from the performance of sacrifice," theword "all" is restricted to the results designated as such for the sacrifice. It isdoes not m ean all favorable and unfavorable results. In the same way, the wordIs does not mean a limited controller but an absolute controller, because theverse states that he co ntrols the whole u niverse.


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within everything, as the soul in statements such as esa sarva-bhutdntardtmd apahata-pdpmd divyo deva eko ndrayanah:Narayana is the soul within all entities, free of sin, the oneshining lord. (Subala Upanisad)Though there are statements such as sa brahmd sa siva: he isBrahma and he is Siva, these statements mean that Narayanapervades them. When i t i s stated visvam evedam purusah:Narayana is the universe (Mahd-ndrdyana Upanisad), i t meansthat he pervades the whole universe. These descriptions showhow the universe is dependent on the Lord. Enough has nowbeen said to criticize the ignorant persons wh o have not studied all the verses which are devoid of the conven tional meaning of isa.After making the student understand that everything is dependent on the Lord, the teacher instructs the pupil to become detached from the world. With complete detachment(tyakena) towards objects {tend) which one mistakes as objects of one's own enjoyment, from seeing all the faults in theobjects, one should take only what is necessary for maintaining the body, and only that which is not contrary to yoga ordharma. Thus the goals of both knowledge (with renunciation of material objects) and continued life (necessitatingmaterial objects) are fulfilled. Or you should enjoy a limitedamo unt of objects by the method being explained, since {tend)i t has just been described that the Lord pervades everything.Do not lust after the wealth of someone who is a friend or nota friend. Yama says to his servant parama-suhrdi... satha-matirupayati... yo artha-trsndm... parusa-pasur n a sa vdsudeva -bhaktah: one who hankers for weal th is not a devotee of

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Vasudeva. (Visnu Purdna 3.7.31-32)This rejection of wealth indicates detachment from all objects other than the Paramatma. Thus it is stated:

paramatmani yo rakto virakto 'paramatmanisar\aisana-vmu~muktah sa bhaiksam bhoktum arhatiHe who is absorbed in the Lord and is detached from everything other than the Lord is qualified to become a renunciate,free from all desires. Narada-parivrdjaka Upanisad 18

'B a l a de v a V i d y a b h u s a n a :TRANSLATIONThis visible world, and whatever exists beyond percept ion,is under the control of the Lord. Because of this you shouldenjoy only what is allotted to you by the Lord thro ugh karma.Do not hanker for more than that. Whose property is it?COMMENTARYIntroduct ion:I worship Syamasundara, the Supreme Lord, ever unchanging, with a form non-different from himself, controlled bysurrender alone, filled with inconceivable powers, whom the

srutis an d smrtis praise as the final cause of creation, maintenance and destruction.There are many mistaken ideas about the meaning of theVedas. Some persons of defective intelligence say that theVedas indicate prescribed actions called karma to attain thefour purusdrthas (artha, dharma, kdma an d moksa), that Visnuis subordinate to those a ctions, that the results of karma such


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as Svarga are eternal, that the jlva an d prakrti are independent of the Lord, that the jlva is a fragment of brahman, areflection of brahman, or a delusion of brahman, that the jlvacan destroy repeated birth in the material world just by realizing that he is the spiritual brahman. Taking these as theopponent's views (purvapaksa), the Isopanisad replies that thesupreme form of Visnu i s independent , omnipotent , omniscient, possessing all qualities which are the goal of humanendeavor, and composed of knowledge and bliss.There are five tattvas mentioned in the scriptures: isvara, jiva,prakrti, kala an d karma. Among them, isvara is the Lord, unaffected by time and place. He is the supreme conscious entity (vibhu-caitanya) , and the jiva i s the minute consciousentity (anu-caitanya). Th e jiva an d isvara are both endowedwith qualities such as eternal knowledge and an identity of"I". Jlva and Isvara are knowers (of self and other things) andalso knowledge itself.18 This is not a contradictory state, butrather it is just like the su n, which illuminates itself and otherthings, and which is also light itself.But the Lord, by nature endowed with all powers, enters intoprakrti and controls it , and supplies material enjoyment andliberation to the jlva. Thou gh one, he appears in many forms,and though non-different from his body and qualities, he appears as a person with qualities or as a soul with a body tothe qualified person. He is unavailable to the mind and senses,but is controlled by devotion, and thus he offers his form ofbliss and knowledge to the devotee."This point is covered also in Baladeva's commentary on Glta 2.29

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The jlvas however are not one but many, in many differingcon di t ions . By reject ion of the Lord they are bou nd bysamsara, but by being favorable towards the Lord, the jlvasgive up the coverings on their form and qualities and attaintheir true form and qualities.Prakrti is a state of equilibrium of the three modes . It is calledby names such as may a an d tamah. Only when the Lord glancesupon prakrti, does it give rise to variety in the universe.Kdla is a special ingredient which arranges for experience ofpast, present, future, simultaneity, fast and slow. From amoment to a parardha,19 there are many divisions of time. Itrevolves continuously like a wheel. It appears for the purpose of creation and destruction.Isvara, jiva, prakrti an d kala are eternal ingredients, withoutcreation or destruction, but jlva, prakrti an d kala are dependent on Isvara.Th e karma of the jlva is also called adrsta or fate. It has noindependent power and is inert (like prakrti an d kala). It hasno beginning but is liable to have an end (unlike prakrti an dfcala). Jlva, prakrti, kala an d karma are the energies (sakti) ofbrahman (saktiman), and thus they are considered non-different from it. In that sense there is agreement with the Advaitadoctrine which says that there is only Brahman and nothingelse.

19This is half of Brahma's life span


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To define these five items clearly, the acarya among the srutis,Isopanisad, is presented. Since these mantras define the nature of the atma, they are not useful for performing karma forenjoying in this world but are useful for worship (upasana).Upasana means to establish a relationship of jiva with theLord. The relationship is one of favorable service attitude ofth e jlva to the Lord.I will now briefly explain the verses. The first three mantrasare in anustup meter . The rs i or revealer of the mantras isDadyari-atharvana ( D a d y a n , t h e s o n o f A t h a r v a n a ) . 2 0Atharvana's student and son was pure in heart through following selfless conduct, was desirous of good association,faithful to the meaning of scripture, and had control of hissenses and mind. When he approached his father to knowthe truth, the father spoke this Upanisad.The word isa comes from the noun It, meaning ruler or controller, derived from the verb Is. It can be derived by addingthe ending according to the rule kvip ca . (Panini 3.2.76) Inthe instrumental case, it becomes Ha (by the controller) inrelation to the verb form vasyam. In the context it means "Hecontrols all the living entities or the Supreme Lord." He controls them all because he is the very essence of all living beings (atmatva). Idarh sarvam refers to the whole of the real,visible material world. The whole material realm is coveredby (vasyam) the Lord. Vasyam means "capable of being covered," from the root vas. Vas becomes vasya by the rule20Dadhyan was the son of Atharvana. In the Vedas, each set of mantras has a rsiwho revealed it. Before reciting Vedic mantras it is customary to recite thename of the rsi, the meter of the particular mantra as well as the presiding deity(devata) and the use of the mantra (viniyoga).

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rhalor nyad: the ending ny a (ya) is added after a verb thatends in r long or short or in a consonant (Panini 3.1.124).Va s belongs to the verb class which takes long a an d svaritahaccent with the suffix of ya . Thus the meaning is "This worldshould be covered by the Lord. The world must be pervadedby the supreme Lord in order to function." The srutis say: saevadhastat sa evoparistat antar bahis ca tat sarvam vyapyanarayanah sthitah: Narayana is the beginning and the end,within and outside everything. (Maha-narayana Upanisad)Or, one can take the meaning of va s as "to dwell in." TheLord must inhabit the world. Thus, it means "the Lord creates, maintains and controls this world." Sruti says yato vaimani bhutani, jayante yena jatani jivanti: he by whom all arecreated, maintained (Taittiriya Upanisad 3.1) an d yamayatyesa ta atmantaryamy amrtah: he controls; he is the immortalsupersoul wi thin. {Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 3.7.22)Not only the visible universe (idam, this), but the whole universe with its seven layers is under h is control. Thu s the versesays yat kinca jagatyam jagat. All the moving and non-movingentities (jagat) in the world (jagatyam), whatever is known toexist through statements of scripture (yat kinca), is broughtinto being by the Lord and is under the control of the Lord.Because of this, you should enjoy (bhunjiihah) only thoseobjects allotted to you (tyaktena) by the Lord (tena) throughone's karma..But do not hanker for more (ma grdhdh). Grdhumeans hankering. In the negative imperative (aorist) with mathe meaning is "do not desire." One should give up the though tthat one should have more. Even if you have more desire,you cannot attain it because it will be blocked by the Lord.


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Whose wealth is it? (kasya svid dhanam) Svit is a particleindicating conjecture. Whose is it? It belongs to no one inthis world. Sa esa sarvasya vail sarvasyeidnah sarvam icathpraidsti ya d idarh kirn ca : he is the controller of all, the lord ofall; he is the ruler of anything tha t exists in this world. (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 4.4.22) Such statements show that theSupreme Lord alone is the primary benefactor, and not anyother living being. Thus one should live with a sense of detachment from enjoyment.Bhakt ivinoda T hakura:

TRANSLATIONWhatever exists in this universe is all covered by the Lord.Because of this you should enjoy along with the practice ofrenunciation. You should not hanker after the wealth of others .COMMENTARYCreating the universe by his own energy, the Lord enters everywhere within it by his energy. O jivai You are also a particular type of substance emanating from his energy. He isthe supreme soul and you are an individual soul. You aresoul, but you cannot be anything else other than a minutesoul. You unfortunately have mistaken your identity, and tryto enjoy those objects for your own pleasure, which actuallybelong to someone else. But if you accept all objects in relation to the supreme so ul and give up selfish enjoym ent, thenyou cannot accept someone else's wealth as your own.

Offer everything to the Lord and whatever little you accept,take it as the mercy given by the Lord. Then, everything becomes spiritual.

MANTRA 2kurvann eveha karmanijijlvisec chatarh samahevarh tvayi nanyatheto 'stir\a karma lipyate nare | |2| |

Madhvacarya: TRANSLATIONOne must live his full life of a hundred years while performing his prescribed actions with detachment, offering them tothe Lord. There is no alternative for you. Such actions do notcontaminate any man.COMMENTARY

It is not a fact that by non-performance of action one is notbound in the world. Ndradiya Purana says:ajrlasya karma lipyate krsnopastim akurvatahjnanino 'pi yato hrasa anandasya bhavet dhruvamato 'lepe 'pi lepah syad atah karyaiva sa sada

If a man is ignorant and does not worship Krsna, then heincurs sins. If he is a jhdnl and fails to worship the Lord, hisbliss will definitely diminish. Thus even a jndnl who is freefrom sin becomes sinful by his omission of worship. Therefore everyone should perform action related to the Lord.Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONOne can l ive for a hundred years doing prescr ibed act ions

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with detachment, understanding that the Lord is the proprietor. There is no other path for you to follow than this. Action does not bind the man who performs work with knowledge.

COMMENTARYThis verse shows how the learned person lives his whole lifeper forming da i ly and per iodic dut i es whi l e r enouncingdoership, desires and the results of action. The desiderativeform of the verb (jijivisethe should want to live) is used toindicate that even the man searching for brahman should engage in his duties until he achieves the goal of his life in theform of full realization of brahman. Mentioning a hundredyears is approximate. Living a hundred years or until one hasrealized brahman, one should perform ac tions suitable to one'squalification. One should never give up those prescribed duties which assist in the cultivation of knowledge. This versedoes not enjoin that prescribed actions should be done independently for results. Thus, Brahma-sutra says navisesat: thereis no specification that a man sho uld perform karma throughout his whole life. {Brahma-sutra 3.4.13) Another case notcontrary to that statement is then mentioned in the surras.Stutaye 'numatir vd: permission to perform karma (prescribedduties) throughout one's life is only for the sake of glorifyingknowledge. (Brahma-sutra 3.4.14) The $r\-bhasya says: vdindicates exclusion, meaning "only." Therefore, there is permission to perform duties in life only for the glorification ofknowledge (not for independent results), since this statementfollows the subject concerning knowledge that the Lord pervades everything. Though a person performs actions throughout his life, because of the power of knowledge, he is notcontaminated by karma. In this way knowledge gets glori-

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fied. This is stated in the last line. For you (tvayi), who arequalified for knowledge of brahman, there is no other waythan performing these actions (evam). The negative statementmakes the meaning stronger."But by its very nature, performance of action should bindthe performer." The verse answers, "Karma does no t cont aminat e t h i s man (nare), t he seeker of knowledge ofbrahman." Actions do n ot give results such as going to Svargabecause the prescribed actions of karma are done as secondary to the pursuit of knowledge.21 Agnihotradi tu tat-karyayaivatad-darsanat: fire sacrifices and other prescribed daily actionsproduce knowledge as their effect, because that is shown inthe scriptures. (Brahma-sutra 4.1.16)There is no possibility for the discriminating, detached person, having intelligence, to perform kamya-karmas or forbidden actions which are not favorable for knowledge. For thosewho do revert to previous habits, there must be suitable atonement. This is on the strength of statements such as the following:

navirato duscaritatnasantonasamahitah

nasantd-manaso vapiprajiianenainam apnuyat

2lThough knowledge is the cause of liberation, karmas should be performedalong with kno wledge because they are helpful for that attainment. T he karmasare done witho ut desire for attaining Svarga-loka, and therefore do n ot causebondage . If karmas axe. done independent of knowledge, then they would givematerial results such as Svarga-loka. This idea is expressed in sahak&ritvena ca(Vedanta-sutra 3.4.33) and ekasya tubhayatve sarhyoga-prthaktvam (Purva-mlmarhsa 4.3.5)


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A person who has not abandoned sins, a person who is notpeaceful, a person who does not strive to attain the Lord, ora person who does not control his mind, cannot attain theSupreme Lord, even though he may be very intelligent andlearned. Katha Upanisad 1.2.24In Brahma-sutra from 4.1.13 onwards (explaining the resultsof knowledge for the jiva) i t is shown, however, that there isno trace of contamination by committing unintentional sinsfor those who have attained knowledge of the Lord. The ideathat the person who has burned all sins to ashes by knowledge does not need to follow rules and prohibitions is notapproved by those who know the Vedas.Baladeva V idyabhusana:TRANSLATIONPerforming prescr ibed act ions wi thout at tachme nt whi le l iving in the world, you can aspire to live for a hundred years.There is no other method than this for you or any humanbeing to become f ree of contaminat ion. These act ions do n otcontaminate you.

COMMENTARYThis verse speaks of the necessity of \arnasrama-dharma ac cording to scripture for purifying the consciousness. By performing actions like fire sacrifice without personal desire(kurvan karmani) one can desire to live on this earth (iha) u pto a hundred years (Satam samah). Therefore (itah) since youdesire to live a hundred years (tvayi), and must perform actions as a human being (nare), you cannot attain liberationby any other means (na anyatha) than performing actions suchas fire sacrifice. Or it can mean "there is no other way of

Mantra 2 23

avoiding contaminat ion." Such act ions do not contaminateyo u (karma na lipyate).Bhakt ivinoda Thakura:

TRANSLATIONPerforming action in this world with previously describedmentality you can live for a hundred years. Living in thisway, you will not be affected by karma. There is no alternative to this.COMMENTARYWhen one performs actions while establishing everything inrelation to Paramatma, all activities become spiritual. Even if

you live for hundreds of years you will not be contaminated.While living day-to-day life, one must necessarily performaction. Otherwise you will die or at least live uncomfortably.But if a person lives his life while cultivating a relation toParamatma, actions in relation to him are no longer causes ofbondage. Those actions actually take the form of knowledgeor bhakti. The ac t iv i t i es per formed wi th knowledge ofParamatma are bhakti. Thus Narada has said:sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat paratvena nirmalamhrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir uttama

Bhakti is defined as service to the Lord using the senses. Itshould be done with the intention of pleasing the Lord, freeof o ther des i r es , and unobst ruc t ed by o ther processes .Narada-pancaratra
http://arnasrama-dharma/http://arnasrama-dharma/http://arnasrama-dharma/


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MANTRA 3asurya natna te Xdkaandhena tamasavrtahtarns te pretyabhigacchantiye ke catma-hano janah ||3||

Madhvacarya: TRANSLATIONThe planets attained by the demons, full of misery, are certainly covered with deep darkness. Those who defame thetrue nature of Visnu enter those planets after death.COMMENTARYThe place is called asurya because it is the place where the

asuras go and is without (a) fine (su) pleasure (ra from ramenjoy). As Bhdgavata Purana says na bata ramanty ah o asad-upasanaydtma-hano: people in general fail to delight in you;rather they at tack the Lord, worshipping with wrong conceptions instead. (SB 10.87.22)Vatnana Purana explains this mantra:

maha- duhkhaika-hetutvat prapyatvad asurais tathaasurya noma te lokah tan yanti vimukhd harau.These planets are called asurya because they give great suffering (no pleasure or sura) and because they are attained byth e asuras. Those who are opposed to the Lord go to theseplanets.Th e mantra states a rule: any person (ye ke ) who is opposed

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ntra 3 25

to the Lord goes there.22 Scripture also says niyamena tamoyanti sarve 'pi vimukhd harau: as a fixed rule, anyone opposedto Visnu goes to that darkness.Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONAfter death, those who do not cultivate knowledge of thesoul immed iately enter the planets covered with intense darkness, where the demonic dwell.

COMMENTARYWith the goal of stimulating a person to engage immediatelyin the knowledge just described, the teacher describes howthe killers of the soul - those who do not engage in knowledge, but rather engage in other pursuits such as seekingwealth, rejecting know ledge of the Lord just explained - certainly go to hell. Asurya means, "belonging to the demons."This implies "to be experienced by those of demonic tendencies." Those places, which are famous (ndma) for inhabitantswith demonic tendencies, are known as hellish planets. Furthermore they are spread with intense darkness (andhenatamasd dvrtdh). Those killers of the soul (te), whether theyar e devoid or human, whether they are brdhmana or ksatriya(ye ke), immediately go (abhigacchanti) to those places without light (tan) after giving up their present bodies (pretya).Asann eva sa bhavati asad brahmeti veda cet: if one thinks thatbrahman does not exist, that person ceases to exist. (Taittiriya

'^Atma-ha means "those who have wrong ideas about Visnu (dtma)."


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26 Isopanisad

Upanisad 2.6) Persons who do not believe in brahman makethemselves non-existe nt. K illers of the self (atma-hanah) thusmean those who accumulate heaps of s in . The word janahindicates those who take birth again (jan means to be born).Thus those who do not engage in knowledge of the Lord takebirth again, in the realm of demons.Baladeva Vidyabhusana:TRANSLATIONThe planets a tta ined by the demons are certainly coveredwith deep darkness. Those who kil l themselves by wastingtheir l ives in worldly pursuits ente r those planets after death .

COMMENTARYThis verse criticizes those addicted to actions for their ownenjoyment. Yefeemeans ye kecit: anyone (whether he is highor low, learned or fool).The phrase atma-hanah (killers of the atma) refers to thosewho become bound by repeated births (by desiring excessiveenjoyment). After dying (preyta) all those killers of the self goto those planets (tan). Then the planets are described. Theseplanets where those with demonic tendencies go (asurya) ar tcovered with intense (andhena) darkness (tamasa). The meaning is this: those who have no knowledge of soul or God andare addicted to material enjoyment go to the demonic planets covered with unlimited ignorance after death.Bhaktivinoda Thakura:TRANSLATIONThose who do not establish a relation to Paramatma and enjoy the world are called killers of the soul. They go to de-

Mantra 3 27

monic world s covered by darkness after giving up this body.

COMMENTARYThose who do not perform actions aiming at dharma, thosewho do not perform dharma for attaining detachment, andthose who do not take shelter of detachment for spir i tualcultivation, perform karma, dharma and detachment only forselfish reasons, for sense gratification, and not for assistingtheir spiritual advancement. Their lives are thus similar todeath itself. T he Bhagavatam says:

nayasya karma dharmaya na viragaya kalpatena tlrtha-pada sevayaijlvann api mrto hi sah

Anyone whose work is not meant to elevate him to religiouslife, anyone whose religious ritualistic performances do notraise him to renunciation, and anyone situated in renunciation that does not lead him to devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, must be considered dead, although he is breathing. SB 3.23.56Those who act like this put their soul in a dull almost destroyed state. Therefore they are called killers, destroyers oftheir souls. Such persons gradually attain demonic tendencies, giving up the soul's natural tendency to worship the Lord.Therefore you should perform actions to maintain the bodywhile establishing a relation with the Paramatma while livingin this world. Those actions are karma in name only. Theyhave been completely transformed into service to the Lord.


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MANTRA 4anejad ekarh manasojavlyonainad deva apnuvan purvam arsattad dhavato nyan atyeti tisthattasminn apo matarisva dadhati ||4||1Madhvacarya:

TRANSLATIONThe Lord is witho ut fear, supreme , faster than the mind. Thedevatds cannot understand him completely, but he has understood everything since eternity. Standing in one place hesurpasses all others who m ove quickly. Under him, Vayu supports the movements of all living beings.

COMMENTARYBrahmanda Purana says:anejan nirbhayatvat tad ekarh pradhanyatas tathasamyagjflatum asakyatvad agamyarh tat surair apisvayam tu sarvan agamat purvam eva svabhavatahacintya-saktitas caiva sarvagatvac ca tat paramdravato 'tyeti sathtisthat tasmin harmony adhan marutmaruty evayatas cesta sarvam tarn haraye 'rpayet

The Lord is described as not trembling (anejat) because he isfearless. He is one (eka) because he is supreme. He is notunderstood by even the devatds (nainad deva apnuvan) because they cannot understand him fully. But he, by his verynature, has unde rstood everything from the beginning of time(purvam arsat). Because his power is inconceivable and because he is all-pervading, he surpasses all while remaining inone place, though they pursue him. Since all actions of the

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living beings arise from Vayu (matarisva) and Vayu offers allactions of the living beings (apah) to the Lord, a person shouldoffer everything to the Lord.Arsat comes from rs, to know.23Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONThe Lord is the independent person, w ho do es not move, buthe moves faster than the mind. The devatds cannot understand and perceive this Lord though he is present before them.Though remaining in one place, he overtakes all those whorun. By his power, the air carries the water and cloud s.

COMMENTARYIn this verse the teacher depicts the Supreme Lord, w ho isendowed with all-pervasiveness already mentioned, by showing his wondrous powers through the use of contradictoryexpressions. That Supreme Lord is without motion (anejat)and is the principal person (ekatn), or the independent person with no equal . He is swif ter than the quickest mind(manaso javlyo). Someone may object "It is impossible thathe does not move, and is still faster than the wind." But it isnot impo ssible. By understan ding the real sense, it is easy forthe Lord to do. It is figuratively said that he does not movebecause h e is eternally pervading everything by himself alone(and thus does not need to go from one place to another),and he is swifter than the functioning of the mind since he"The verse shows the following qualities of the Lord: fearless, supreme inpower, swifter than the mind, incomprehensible even to the devatds, omniscient, inconceivable, omnipre sent, and the sou rce of all action.


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exceeds the limits of where the mind can go at all t imes. Theother statements should be understood in the same manner.Thus , th e devatas such as Hiranyagarbha have not until thistime attained this one person under discussion (enat) whohas already attained all places. Before they attain real knowledge, persons in the mater ial wor ld, whose knowledge isbound by karma, cannot understand the Lord with their ownintelligence, even though he is eternally present before themby his powerful nature. Thus there is no contradiction in thestatement .Similarly, Chandoeya Upanisad says:

tat yatha hiranya-nidhim nihitam ahsetra-jna upary upari sancarantona vindeyuhevam evemah sarvah praja ahar ahar gacchanty etarh brahma-lokarh navindanti annena hi pratyudhahJust as ignorant people wandering about over a golden treasure hidden in the earth do not attain the treasure becausethey are unaware of it, similarly all the living beings in thisworld, covered by karma, though daily going to the Lord indeep sleep, do not attain the world of the Lord. ChandogyaUpanisad 8.3.2He remains everywhere (tisthan). It is said yah prthivyamtisthan: he remains in the earth (Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad3.7.3) and ya atmani tisthan: he remains in the soul . Thusremaining motionless everywhere, he over takes al l otherssuch as Garuda who are running. However quickly they run,the Lord, though remaining m otionless, is far away from them.Thus it is said:

tr a 4 31

varsayuta-satenapi paksirad iva sampatannaivantam karanasyeyatyadyapi syan manojavahEven if one travels at the speed of the mind, like Garuda,flying for a million years, one cannot find the end of the Lord.Ahirbudhnya-samhitdIt is astonishing because all others who remain motionlesscannot overtake a running person. The teacher speaks of another astonish ing feature of the Lord. Situated in him, the air,thoug h withou t firmness of substance to preven t objects fromfalling, carries the water. This means tha t being supp orted bythe Lord who is the controller of everything and the container of everything, Matarisva (air), by the Lord's power,carr ies the sun, the clouds, the constel lat ions, the planetsand stars. The smrti says:

dyauh sacandrarka-naksatram khath diio bhur-mahodadhihvasudevasya vlryena vidhrtani mahatmanahThe power of Vasudeva, the greatest soul, supports the sky,the moon, the sun, the stars, the akasa, the directions, theearth and the ocean. Mahabharata 13.135.134Baladeva Vidyabhusana:TRANSLATIONThe Lord is witho ut fear, suprem e, faster than the mind. Thesenses cannot reach him. He has gone far in front. Standingin one place he surpasses all others who move quickly. Vayuoffers the actions of the living entities to him-

COMMENTARYKnowledge of brahman or God leads to liberation. But who is


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32 Isopanisad

that God? This verse answers the question. It is in tristubhmeter (four lines of eleven syllables). Anejat means "not shaking; not moving; without fear." Ekam means "one with noequal or no superior." It can also mean "among all entitiesthe one person with a form full of condensed knowledge."Manaso javlyah means "he who is faster than the mind," theperson who cannot be attained. Devd means the senses suchas the eye or Brahma a nd other devatds. Th e devatds or sensescannot reach the Lord (enat), they cannot know the Lord.Why? Because he has departed previously (purvam arsat),since he is swifter than the mind. The verse then describesanother of his extraordinary qualities. Though situated in oneplace (tisthat) he can surpass (atyeti) all others {anydn) whomove quickly (dhdvatah), for he is all-pervading. By hisacintya-sakti he can accomplish these feats. Moreover by theLord's will alone, Vayu (mdtarisvd), the cause of action in theuniverse24 , sustains the actions (apah) of all living beings. Or,Vayu offers the actions of the living beings to the Lord(tasmin).15

"Though Vayu often refers to the devata in charge of the air element, here itrefers to the deity in charge of all movem ent an d life, the support for all life inthe universe. He is also called Muk hya-prana, a nd is again mentioned in verse17asam!a ."Haladeva takes the first meaning accord ing to Sankara and the second m ean-Ing Recording to Madhva.

Mantra 4 33

Bhakt ivinoda T hakura:TRANSLATIONParamatma and jlvatmd are unmoving, super ior to mat ter ,and faster than the mind. The senses canno t grasp them because they always precede the senses. Thoug h the mind m aypursue Paramatma and jivatmd, it cannot surpass them. Whilethey remain inactive, Vayu performs actions on their behalf.

COMMENTARYThe word dtmd refers to any object having qualities of dtmd: itrefers to both the jlva and Paramatma, the Supreme Lord.Paramatma is the vibhu-caitanya, the powerful conscious entity and jlva is the anu-caitanya, the minute conscious entity.Though the distinction of vibhu an d anu is eternal they areone in quality of caitanya. In Vedic statements, sometimesdtmd refers to jlva and sometimes to Paramatma. One shouldunderstand which is meant according to the context. In thisverse dtmd refers to both. The verse shows the superiority ofthe conscious entity to the gross and subtle world of matter.In the gross and sub tle worlds the mind is the quickest. But itlags behind the dtmd. Though jlva does not move, it takes onlife and performs actions through accepting Vdyu or prdna, aproduct of mdyd-sakti, material energy. Paramatma is alsounmoving but is active through his spiritual icchd-sakti an dkriyd-sakti.


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M A N TR A 5tad ejati tan naijatitad dure tad vantiketadantarasyasarvasyatadusarvasyasyabahyatah\\5\\

Madhvacarya:TR A N SLA TIO N

Others fear the Lord but the Lord fears no one. He is faraway, but c lose . He is inside everything and outside every-thing.

C O M M EN TA R YTad ejati means "others are af raid of h im (tat)." Tan naijatimeans "he is not af raid of anyone." 26 T h e Tattxa-samhita s u p por ts th is with a s imilar s ta tement:

tato bibheti sarvo 'pi na bibheti harih svayamsarva-gatvat sa dure ca bahyo 'ntas ca samlpa-gahAll fear him but Hari is not afraid of anyone. Since he is allpervading, he is far of f and near , and is outs ide and ins ide.(This cont inues the thought f rom the f i r s t word of the las tverse anejat. He is not afraid.)

26This meaning is a continuation of the meaning given to anejat in the previous verse. Anejat means "not trembling" or "not fearful."

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Mantra 5 3 5

Vedanta Desika:TR A N SLA TIO N

That ent i ty moves but does not move. It i s very far way buta lso c lose . It i s within everyth ing and a lso outside everything .

C O M M EN TA R YWhat was taught in the previous verse is now taught in another way out of great respect for the subject . That ent i tywho is a l l pervading (tatneuter g en d e r ) mo v es (ejati) in them a n n e r j u s t explainedbeing fas ter than the wind but notmo v in g , r ema in in g in th e devatas but being beyond their percept ion , and surpass ing al l , though remaining in one p lace. I tappears to move, but by the inherent nature of that en t i ty , i tdoes not move. I t remains far away and also very close. Thiss ta tement of the Lord being close and far s imultaneous ly dep en d s o n b e in g en l ig h ten ed o r i g n o r an t . Th u s Saunaka says :

paranmukhanam govinde visayasakta-cetasamtesam tat paramarh brahma durad duratare sthitamtan-mayatvenagovinde ye nara nyasta-cetasahvisaya-tyaginas tesam vijneyam ca tad antikeFor persons who have an avers ion to Govinda and who area t t r ac t ed to ma te r i a l en jo y men t , t h e s u p r em e brahman is s i tuated very far away. For those who are absorbed in Govinda,surrender ing fu l l to h im, while g iv ing up mater ia l en joyment ,th e s u p r eme brahman, who should be known, is very close.Visnu-dharma 9 5 . 1 3 . 1 5S o me o b jec t s a r e co n ta in ed wi th in o th e r o b jec t s , an d thusthey are not outs ide. And some objects are outs ide o ther obj e c t s , and thus are not ins ide. The Lord is in nei ther of theseco n d i t io n s . Th i s is s t a t ed in th e n ex t l i n e . Th a t s u p r eme


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brahman (tat) which pervades everything is within all conscious and unconscious objects which are verified to exist byproper proofs (asya sarvasya). Because he has no obstacle todoing that, the Lord is situated within everything, and without discontinuity is also situated in the environment surrou nding the object. He rema ins, simultaneously, o utside of all theseobjects. Just as he exists wherever objects exist, he also exists where those objects do not exist. This is clearly stated inth e Upanisad attached to the Krsna Yajur Veda, in the versesdescribing the thousand-headed Lord, to specify the objectof highest knowledge:

yac ca hiiicinjagaty asmin drsyate sruyate 'pi vaantar bahii ca tat sarvath vyapya narayanah sthitah

Narayana pervades inside and outside of everything seen andheard in this universe. Maha-narayana UpanisadBaladeva Vidyabh usana:

TRANSLATIONHe moves and does not move. He is far and he is close. He iswithin al l exist ing things and is o utside al l exist ing things.COMMENTARY

Because of the difficulty in understanding the teachings of theprevious verse, the atma (Supreme Lord) under discussion isdescribed again in this verse. This verse is in anustubh meter.The Paramatma moves (ejati) and does not move. The foolmay think he moves, but he does not actually move. Or "doesnot move" can mean he does not s t r ay f rom dharma.Paritranaya sadhunam: he always protects his devotees. He isalso situated far away. The ignorant cannot approach him for

Mantra 5 37

millions of years and thus he seems far away. But he is alsovery close (antike), because he is in the heart of the knowerof brahman. For one who pervades all , where is the questionof far or near? Not only is he near and far, but he is within allmanifested objects endowed with nam e, form an d action (asyasarvasya), and he alone (tad u) is at the same time outside allthese objects, like the akasa.Bhakt ivinoda Thakura:

TRANSLATIONAtma is both moving and non-moving. He is far and near,wi thin and outside the universe.COMMENTARYJust as every material object has its own inherent energy, sothe spiritual objects have their own atma-sakti. By this energyall the contradictory qualities found in the material realm areresolved in the spiritual objects. Movement and non-movement are opposite qualities, near and far are opposite qualities, residing inside and outside are opposite conditions. Thesecannot exist simultaneous ly in material objects. However theycan exist together in the atma by the inconceivable potency

of atma.27

"Bhaktivinoda continues to use the word atma withou t distinction until verse7, where h e identifies atma as Paramatma. However, in the present an d following verses, the word atma should more likely mean Paramatma as well. Thejivais not described as having inconceivable powers like the Lord.


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M A N T R A 6yas tu sarvani bhutanyatmany evanupasyatisarva-bhutesu catmanarhtato na vijugupsate | |6| |

Madhvacarya:TRANSLATION

He who sees everything in the Lord and the Lord in everything does not desi re to protect himself.

COMMENTARYT h e Saukarayana-sruti says :

sarvagath paramatmanarh sarvath ca paramatmaniyah pasyet sa bhayabhavan natmanam goptum tcchatiHe who sees everything in the Supreme (support) and seesthe Lord in all (regulator, controller) does not desire to protect himself since he has no fear of anyone.28Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONThus, he who sees all beings ultimately in the Lord and theLord in all beings never criticizes anyone.

^Vijugupsate can mean either "he hates" or "he desires to protect.'

38

Mantra 6 V)

COMMENTARYIt has been said that everything has brahman as the soul. Thisverse speaks of the suitable benefit for the know er of brahman.The word tu indicates the special glory of one who knowsbrahman. In this verse the word atma refers to the inner soulof all beings (the Lord, not the j iva), because the Lord doesnot co ntract himself into the jfva, and the subject m atter hasbeen the Supreme Lord. Whatever is situated on the earth isactually situated in the Paramatma ultimately. That is the significance of the word eva. The pe rson m editates skillfully andcontinuously (anupasyati) on this. "He is in all beings" mea nssimply that he pervades them all (without depending on them),because it is impossible that he should be supported by them.The word sa (he, the knower of brahman) should be suppliedas the subject of the verb. Seeing that all things have brahmaninside and outside, he never criticizes anyone because everyone has brahman as their very self. He treats everyone just asa person treats his personal wealth and family. He never dislikes or insults anyone.Baladeva Vidyabhusana:TRANSLATIONHe who sees all beings in the atma and the atma in all beingsdoes not hate anyone.

COMMENTARYAfter describing the Lord, now the method of worshippinghim is described. This mantra is in anustubh. The qualifiedperson who sees all entities from the unmanifest state ofprakrtidown to the immobile grass, both conscious and unconscious


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things in the brahman (atmani)29, and who sees the brahman(dtmdnam) in all things, as a result of seeing this way (tatah),does not hate anyone (n a vijugupsate). This means h e be comesliberated.Bhaktivinoda Thakura:TRANSLATIONHe who sees all entities in dtmd an d dtmd in all entities doesnot show hatred to any creature.

COMMENTARYHatred and love are opposites. Unless one is devoid of hatred, one cannot attain love. One who sees everything in relation to dtmd has no object of hatred. He easily attains love.

"Sometimes the word atman is found instead of atmani. Baladeva says itmeans atmani

MANTRA 7yasmin sarvani bhutanyatmaivabhud vijanatahtatra ko mohah kah Sokaekatvam anupasyatah ||7II

Madhvacarya:TRANSLATIONThe Paramatma within w hom all living beings reside (yasmin

sarvani bhutdni) has always existed within all living beings.For one who sees Paramatma as one in all beings and attainshim, what delusion can exist?COMMENTARY

The grammatical structure is as follows.The Paramatma (dtmd) in who m all living beings reside (yasminsarvani bhutdni) has always existed in all living beings (tatra).For one who knows Paramatma is one in all beings, whatdelusion can exist?

?The Pippaldda-sdkhd confirms this:yasmin sarvani bhutani sa attna sarva-bhuta-gahevarh sarvatrayo visnurh pasyet tasya vijanatah

ko mohah ko 'thava sokah sa visnum paryagad yatahThe Paramatma in whom all beings exist pervades all beings.For the knowing person who sees Visnu everywhere, whatdelusion or lamentation can exist, since he attains Visnu? Inaddition to the fact that the knower of the Lord becomes

41


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42 Isopanisad

fearless, as stated in the previous verse, this verse adds thathe becomes free of lamentation and illusion. The repetitionin the two verses is to emphasize the Lord's all-pervadingnature .Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONWhat lamentation or illusion can exist for that per son whosees the Lord pervading everything, who at the time of meditation realizes all beings as parts of the one Lord?

COMMENTARYConfirming how the Lord is the soul of everything by statingthe identity of brahman with everything, the teacher nowshows how seeing brahman destroys i l lusion and lamentation. At the time of meditation, for the person who knowsthis independent entity through considering the scriptures astaught by the guru, there is a perception that Paramatma alonehas all other entities as it's attributes (sarva-visistha). That isthe meaning of saying "All entities are the atma." Identity ofatma or the Lord with everything is similar to the relation ofthe soul to the body (being the prime factor in the body).This usage is in the Vedas and in common perception, as inthe statement "1 am the Lord." (This does no t mean literalidentity, but identity because the Lord is the prime mover ofone's existence.) Thus the theory that on realization of theon e brahman, the individuals in the universe cease to exist(badha), the theory that the jlva and the world are simply afalse superimposition on brahman (upacara) and the theoryof oneness of svarupa (svarupaikya) of al l things wherebrahman transforms into everything are rejected. When atthe t ime of medi tat ion, there ar ises the percept ion that

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Paramatma is the soul of all entities in the person who hasknowledge, then at that time, illusion (moha) in the form oferroneous knowledge concerning the jlva's i ndependence ,does not arise. That person, who sees the one Lord pervading all things (ekatvam anupasyatah) , suffers no lamentation(soka) from death of a son or loss of a kingdom because hehas attained complete lack of possessiveness for all things inthis world - since he understands that everything is part ofthe Lord.

anantarh bata me vittam yasya me nasti kincanamithilayam pradiptayam na me kimcit pradahyateDetached Janaka said: My treasures are unlimited but nothing belongs to me. If the whole of Mithila were burnt down,still nothing of mine is burnt. Mahabharata 12.17.18The word "oneness" (ekatvam) does not mean "only one entity and nothing else," but rather one entity with everythingelse as its attributes, because there is no statement in thiswork which negates the statement in the first verse "everything is pervaded by the Lord." (Everything, including thismaterial world, is also real.) And it would be impossible tobegin teaching about such absolute oneness, since a personwould have to admit duality in the form of knowledge andignorance concerning the falsity of all experience even to beginteaching.Nor can one talk of "seeing oneness" by realization of onesvarupa in mutually contrary existing objects (which are notfalse), because there would arise a destruction even of one'sown or others' ability to discern that oneness at the time of


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perfection, when there is a dissolution of obstacles to seeingoneness. What is explained in this verse is seeing one entitywith all other real entities acting as its attributes, followingafter all scriptural evidence. It is better to explain onenessunder discussion in terms of a particular relationship. Forinstance the word "one" is used to describe a particular relationship in the following example, rama-sugrivayor aihyam:there is oneness of Rama and Sugriva. {Ramayana 5.33.49)Though it is possible to take these two verses (6 and 7) asdescriptions of how the liberated persons (mukta) see theworld, according to the context of what has been said earlier, they are meant as praise of the person aspiring for liberat ion (mumuksu).Here the word seeing (anupasyatah) refers to seeing withknowledge arising from scriptures and with knowledge whichtakes the form of worship of the Lord, which is the essence ofthe scriptures, with an intense desire for a clear vision of theLord. The verse should not be considered as praise for thedirect realization of the Lord arising from samadhi, becausethe method to attain that realization (rather than the realization itself) is the topic under discussion. In the $r\-bhasya iti s a l so expla ined tha t t he word darsana ( "see ing" oranupasyatah) means "the object of one's worship" (rather thanseeing or realizing) in all statements concerning teaching themethod of liberation.Baladeva Vidyabhusana:TRANSLATIONWhat delusion or lamentat ion can exist for one who seesoneness, wh en al l beings are brahman for that knower?

Mantra 7 45

COMMENTARYThe same meaning is expressed in this verse. It is in anustubhmeter. For the person in knowledge, if all entities are in theParamatma and the Paramatma is in all things, and thus allentities are brahman (atma eva abhut), by contemplating srutistatement such as sarvarh khalv idam brahma: everything isbrahman (Chandogya Upanisad 3.14.1), what illusion or lamentation can exist for that person seeing oneness (ekatvam)!Illusion and lamentation arise from ignorance of this matter.Bhakt ivinoda Thakura:

TRANSLATIONWh en a perso n sees the on eness of the Lord with al l ent i t ies,what illusion or grief can exist for that person seeing oneness?COMMENTARYIllusion and grief act contrary to knowledge. When illusionand grief exist in the heart, knowledge cannot remain there.Just as all hatred vanishes when a person sees everything inrelation to Parama tma, illusion and grief also disappear. Th usit is necessary to establish a relationship with Paramatma.


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MANTRA 8sa paryagac chukram akayam avranamasnaviram iu.ddh.am apapa-viddhamkavir manisi paribhuh svayambhuryathatathyato 'rthan vyadadhac chasvatlbhyah sam

Madhvacarya: TRANSLATIONThe knower of the all-pervading Lord attains the Lord, whois wi thout grief, perfect in qualities and eternal, without s ubtleor gross body, most pur i fying and untouched by sin. He isomniscient, controlling the minds of all , the best and independ ent . Such a Lord has created real objects eternal ly.

abhyah||8||

COMMENTARYVaraha Purana explains the verse:sukram tac-choka-rahityad avranam nitya-purnatahpavanatvat sada suddham akayam linga-varjanalsihula-dehasya rahityad asnaviram udahnamevam bhuto 'pi sarvajhat kavir ity eva sabdyatebrahmadi-sarva-manasam prakrtermanaso 'pi caisitrtvan manisi sa paribhuh sarvato varahsada 'nanyasaraytvac ca svayambhuh pariklrtitahsa satyamjagad etadrn nityam eva pravahatahanady-ananta-kalesupravahaika-prakaratahniyamenaiva sasrje bhagavan purusottamahsaj-jhanananda-sriso 'sau saj-jnanananda-bahukahsaj-jnanananda-dehas ca saj-jnanananda-padavanevam bhuto mahavisnur yathariham jagad idrsamanady-ananta-kallnam sasarjatmecchaya prabhuh

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Mantra 8 47

The Lord is called sukram (bright) because he is devoid oflamentation. He is called avranam (without blemish) becausehe is eternally perfect. He is called suddham because he purifies everything. He is called akayam (without body) becausehe is devoid of a subtle body. He is called asnaviram (withoutveins) because he is devoid of a gross body. He is called kavih(wise) because he knows everything. He is called manisi (wise)because he controls the minds al l beings beginning withBrahma and even controls the mind of Laksmi. He is calledparibhuh because he is the best of al l . He is known assvayambhuh (self-born) because he never takes shelter ofanyone else. The Supreme Lord has created the real world ina regulated way in the mann er of a continuously flowing current, which is eternal but changing, in beginningless and end less time. His head is eternal existence, knowledge and bliss.His arms are eternal ex istence, knowledge and bliss. His bodyis eternal existence, knowledge and bliss. His feet are eternalexistence, know ledge and bliss. By his will alone such a Lordwith perfect qualities, Mahavisnu, creates a real universewhich is without beginning and end.30 -

"'The Lord is without grief because he is perfect, without a gross and subtlebody. He is without sin because he is pure. But can a bodiless person create auniverse? To remove this doubt, the next line indicates the Lord still hasqualities in a spiritual body. Thus he is described as omniscient, the controllerof the mind, the best, and indepen dent. Finally he is described as creating a realworld as it was before, eternally.
http://iu.ddh.am/http://iu.ddh.am/


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Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONThe knower of the Lord, with transcendental vision, who isintell igent, who surpasses all o thers in knowledge, who isindifferent to objects of this world, attains the Lord who isself-manifesting, w ithout a material bo dy having defects orveins, whose character is faultless , and who is untou ched bysin, piety , karma or ignorance. Carefully considering all objects of this world, he continually sees which are favorableand unfavorable for his attainment of the Lord.

COMMENTARYThe teacher again describes the person who knows the Lordan d jiva by clearly defining the object he should know. Thatperson (sa) who understands that brahman is the soul withinall beings will attain (paryagat) that Lord described in theverse.31 This is reasonable because there are statements saying that he who knows brahman attains brahman. Or it can betaken as a description of what the practitioner experiencesd u r i n g samadhi a s i n s t a t e m e n t s s u c h a s atra brahmasamasnute: in that state he enjoys brahman. (Katha U panisad).He attains the Lord who is dazzling (sukram), being self-manifesting like light. Though the Lord is the soul in all bodies, hedoes not have a body produced by karma (akayam). Therefore he has no defects (avranam) and has no veins (asnaviram).

"Paryagat is an aorist form, which usually de notes the past. However according to the rule chandasi lun Ian Utah (Panini 3.4.6), in the Vedas, the aorist,imperfect and perfect tenses can be employed optionally to indicate all tenses.

Mantra 8 49

He has no fau l t s such a s d is sa t i s fa c t ion o r ig nora nce(suddham). The Lord is not touched by karmas in the form ofsin and piety caused by cause and effect originating in ignorance (apapaviddham). The same is concluded in statementssuch as sarve papmdno 'to nivartante: all sins are absent inh im. (Chandogya Upanisad 8.4.1) Thus this Paramatma, whois contrary to all despicable qualities, should be attained bythe aspiran t for liberation, and because he is the cause of thatatta inment, he should be worshipped.Then the knower of brahman (sa) is described with termssuch as "the seer of what is beyond the senses." The knowerhas extended vision (kavi). Or kavi (poet) can mean the creator of compositions expressing realization of the SupremeLord such as Vyasa. That which controls the mind is intelligence. It is called manlsa. One who possesses that intelligenceis called manlsi. Paribhu means one who exists everywhere(he is beyond the limits of the body), or surpasses all otherswho have knowledge. Or it can mean the person who overcomes all hostile elements such as anger, lust and greed, whichare difficult to control. Svayambhu means he is indifferent toall other things, while constantly seeing the atma. Carefullyconsidering all things, he fixes in his mind on the supremegoa l , the me thods fo r a t ta in ing i t , and the obs tac le s(ydthatathyato 'rthdn vyadadhat) for many years (sasvatibhyahsamabhyah)for removing all obstacles unti l he atta insbrahman.Or one can explain the verse taking the subject as the Lordand the object as the j iva. Thus all words like sukram refer tothe pure jiva free of all contamination. Sa paryagat refers tothe supreme lord who is situated everywhere. The other w ords


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in reference to the Lord such as kavi (meaning poet , andmanisimost intel l igent , paribhucontaining everything,svayambhuindependent) are easily understood. This Lordarranges all real objects in this world (yathatathyato 'rthanvyadadhat) until their destruction (sasvatlbhyah samabhyah)for the liberated jlva. They are not simply appearances likemagical tricks of a magician.Baladeva Vidyabhusana:TRANSLATIONThat person in knowledge at tains the Lord who is pure consciousness and bl iss, who is wi thout m ater ial body and without veins, and who is pu re, devoid of sin. The Lord, who isomniscient , wise, the control ler of al l beings and independent, has established all real objects eternally.

COMMENTARYThe result of perceiving the atma by the qualified person asdescribed in the p revious verses is here delineated. This verseis in jagati meter. (There should be four lines of twelve syllables each, but there are exceptions.) Sa indicates the qualified person described in the previous verses. That person inknowledge at tains (paryagat) the Paramatma. What is thenature of that Paramatma? He is sukram, having the natureof pure consciousness and bliss. He is akayam, without amaterial body whose purpose is sense gratification. He isavranam, without faults, being perfect. He is without veins(asnaviram). The cause of this is described in the next descriptive element. He is suddham, without a touch of impurity. This is made clearer by the word apapa-viddham: he isdevoid of papa an d punya. Though without (a material) body,by his inconceivable energy he creates, maintains and destroys

Mantra 8 l

the universe. Thus the verse says that the man in knowledgesees that atma (brahman) as the person who has established(vyadadhat) eternally (Sasvatlbhyah samabhyah) all objectswith their real form (yatha-tathyatah arthan). What are hisqualities? He is omniscient (kavih), intelligent (manlsl), th econtroller of all (paribhuh), and independent (svayambhuh).

Bhakt ivinoda Thakura:TRANSLATIONThe Paramatma is al l pervading, pure, wi thout bo dy, wi thoutinjury, without veins, withou t false appeara nce, beyond tnaya,seeing everywhere, omniscient, self-manifesting and controlling all . He arranges all eternal objects in their proper cat

egory by his inconceivable po wers.COMMENTARYT he Bhagavatam shows f ive basic objects of existence(padartha) which are dependent on the Lord:

dravyam karma ca kalas ca svabhavojiva eva cayad anugrahatah sand na santi yad upeksayaOne should definitely know that all material ingredients, karmaor destiny, time, impressions, and the living entities who aremean t to enjoy them all, exist by His mercy only, and as soonas He does not care for them, everything becomes nonexistent. SB 2.10.12

These padarthas are distinguished by their particular qualities. Sruti says nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam:among eternal objects the Lord is the chief eternal object andamong all conscious entities the Lord is the chief consciousentity: he is the chief among many. (Svetasvatara Upanisad


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6.13) By this we understand that the five objects are eternal.But the Paramatma is the supreme eternal because he is theshelter of all other eternal objects. He does not have a material body. His perfect body is always spiritual. He performsall activities by his spiritual energy.32

,2This commentary is an explanation of the last sentence of the verse: hearranges all eternal objects in their proper category by his inconceivable powers.

MANTRA 9andharh tamah pravi&antiye'vidyamupasate\tato bhuya iva te tamoya u vidyayam ratah ||9||Madhvacarya:

TRANSLATIONThose who worship with false knowledge fall into blindingdarkness and those who worship w ith true knowledge alone(without correcting false knowledge) fall into even greaterdarkness.COMMENTARYTh e Kurma Purana explains:

anyathopasakaye tu tamo 'ndhamyanty asamsayamtato 'dhikam iva vyaktamyanti tesam anindakahtasmadyatha svanipam tu narayanam anamayamayatharthasya nindam caye viduh saha sajjanahte nindayayatharthasya duhkhajnanadi-rupinahduhkhajnanadi-santirnah sukha-jiianadi-rupinahyatharthasya parijnanat sukha-jfianadi-rupatam yantiWithout doubt, the worshippers of deities other than Visnugo to blinding darkness, but even more so those who do notcriticize them. Those who know Narayana in his true form,free from faults, and simultaneously criticize those with falseknowledge of Visnu are the true devotees. By criticizing falseknowledge, wh ich is full of sorrow and ignorance, they crossover sorrow and ignorance. By knowing the complete truth,

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which is full of bliss and knowledge, they attain bliss andknowledge.Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONThose who are absorbed in performance of prescr ibed act ions wi thout knowledge enter into darknes s. But those whoengage only in knowledge while neglecting the performanceof prescr ibed dut ies e nter into even greater dark ness.

COMMENTARYHaving already taught the cultivation of knowledge whoseobject is the Paramatma endowed with wondrous energies,while performing karma as an auxiliary activity (verses 1 and2) , the teacher in this verse criticizes the practice of karmaalone and knowledge alone, and states that the highest goalwill be achieved only by cultivating knowledge along withpractice of varnasrama. Those who, excessively attached toenjoyment and power, perform with absorbed mind (upasate)karma (avidyam) devoid of jnana enter into very dense ignorance (andham tamah). Avidyd is equated with karma in thefollowing verse. Avidyd karma-sarhjnd 'nya trtlya saktir isyate:there is a third energy called avidyd or karma. (Visnu Purdna6.7.61) Or, they enter the place of suffering inev itably causedby absorption in ariha, dharma an d kama without moksa. Thewriters on the subject declare the continual suffering of thoseengaged only in karma:

plava hy ete adrdhayajnarupa astadasoktam avararhyesu karmaetac chreyo ye 'bhinandanti mudhajara-mrtyurh te punar evapi yantiThose who practice inferior karma of eighteen parts are like

L

unsteady boats with their absorption in sacrifices. These foolish persons, who rejoice that this is the highest goal, attainold age and death repeatedly. Mundaka Upanisad 1.2.7Those who engage only in knowledge, giving up karmas suitable to their qualifications, enter into even greater ignorancethan those absorbed in karma alone. The word iva suggeststhat the extent of ignorance cannot be properly understood.The word u should be connected with vidydyam. Thus themeaning is "those engaged in knowledge only."Baladeva Vidyabhusana:

TRANSLATIONThose who engage solely in karma at tain bl ind ignorance andthose who engage solely in jnana attain even greater ignor ance .

COMMENTARYNow the Upanisad speaks to the persons who desire to livetheir l ives simply performing prescr ibed act ions, wi thoutknowledge of the atma which was previously discussed.This and the next five mantras art in anustubh meter. In theseverses there is criticism of both karma an d jnana when theyare performed independent of each other, with a desire thatthey should be performed together. Those living beings whoperform (upasate) only karma (avidydm), which is the opposite of knowledge, who perform actions to attain Svarga, en ter into darkness or ignorance (tamah) where nothing can beseen (andham). This means they experience repeated birthand death with material bodies. But (u ) those who cultivateonly impersonal atma-jnana (vidydyam) enter an even worse


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state (bhuyah) of ignorance than the blind state of repeatedbirth and death (tatah).33

Bhakt ivinoda Thakura:TRANSLATIONOne who is situated in ignorance (material life) goes to theregion of darknes s. One engaged in knowledge (seeking impersonal l iberat ion) goes to an even darker region.COMMENTARYParamatma has inconce ivable energy. This is understo od fromscr iptures. The Svetasvatara Upanisad (6.8) says: parasyasaktir vividhaiva sruyate: the Lord has various energies. One

of the energies is called maya. By this maya, Paramatma creates this world. Maya has two functions: vidya an d avidyd.Th e vidya function destroys matter. The avidya function creates matter. Those men engaged in matter are situated in theavidya function and their spiritual nature is covered by thedarkness of matter.Those who become detached f rom mat ter - though they areable to destroy matter (with the vidya function)do not receive the shelter of the Lord's spiritual sakti unless they perform bhakti. Thus, they (absorbed in vidya) enter into adarker region where the atma seems to be destroyed. If th e

"Cultivation of vidya alone without previously doing karma leads to worsedarkness because it will lead to failure. One will attain neither liberation, northe purification that karma brings.

Mantra 9 57

jfva does not establish a relation with Paramatma in this material world, he cannot be liberated from matter . When aperson gives up the variety of qualities found in this world asdespicable, he then becomes attracted to something withoutqualities, which creates a great obstacle for the jiva. Thedevatas describe this state:

ye 'nye 'ravindaksa vimukta-maninastvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayaharuhya krcchrena pararh padarh tatahpatanty adho 'nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

O lotus-eyed Lord, although non-devotees who accept severeausterities and penances to achieve the highest position maythink themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. Theyfall down from their position of imagined superiority becausethey have no regard for your lotus feet. SB 10.2.32


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MMANTRA 10any ad evahur vidyayaanyadahuravidyaya\

iti susruma dhlranamyenastadvicacaksireUlOttMadhvacarya: TRANSLATIONThey say that one result is attained by correct knowledge(vidya) and another resul t by correct ing wrong knowledge(avidyd).34 Thus we have heard from the wise who have explained it to us.Vedanta Desika: TRANSLATIONThe previous acaryas have said that the means of liberationis different from cultivating only prescribed duties or onlyknowledge. We have heard this from the seers of the Lordwho taught us abou t l iberat ion through combining both practices.

COMMENTARYIn this verse the teacher explains the method of gaining liberation. Against the normal usage, the instrumental case hasbeen used with the meaning of the ablative case (avidya an dvidyaya should mean avidydt and vidydt). Otherwise there"Following his quotation from Kurma Purana, Madhva gives the meaning ofavidya in this and the next verse as condemn ing false knowledg e, whereas inthe previous verse it meant only "wrong knowledge."

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would be no meaning to the statement (otherwise there wouldbe no connec tion to the word anya and consequently no meaning to the statements). Verse 13 is structured in the sameway. The previous acaryas (unstated but understood) havesaid (ahuh) that the means of attaining liberation is different(anyat) from the practice of karma alone without knowledgeand different from the practice of knowledge alone withoutkarma. Or suitable also is "The Upanisads say." Next, it isstated that the meaning presented here comes in a long lineof succession. In this way {iti) we have heard (susruma) fromthem, those who were ful ly dedicated to medi tat ion onParamatma (dhlranam), the previous acaryas, who after deliberation, taught this means of liberation (tad) to us (nah),who have humbly approached them with obeisance. The possessive case (dhlranamof the dedicated teachers) means theablative (we have heard from the dedicated teachers). Or theword vacanam (words) can be supplied with dhlranam to mean"we have heard the words of those dedicated to Paramatma."The perfect tense (susruma) is used to show the inability ofgrasping the whole meaning of brahma-vidya because it is difficult to understand.35

Baladeva V idyabhusana:TRANSLATION

The wise say that one result is attained by jndna and anotherresult is attained by karma. Thus we have heard f rom thewise, who have explained i t to us.33The perfect tense indicates a remote past beyond the experience of the speaker.Therefore first person (I or we) is rarely used, since this would ind icate directexperience. When the first person (1 or we) is used in the perfect tense it showsa distracted state of mind, very distant from one's own ex perience.


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Isopanisad

COMMENTARYThis verse speaks of the different results from karma an djfidna. By jMna (vidyaya) one gets one resul t . By karma(avidyayd) one gets another result. The adherents of brahmanclaim that only from dtma-jnana one can attain liberation andother learned men claim that by karma one can attain Pitr-loka. Thus the Sruti says karmana pita-loko vidyaya deva-lokodeva-loko va i lokanam sresthas tasmad vidyam prasamsanti: bykarma one attains Pitr-loka and by jfidna one attains Deva-loka; Deva-loka is the best place, and that is why the wisepraise jfidna. (Brhad-dranyaka Upanisad 1.5.16) How doesone know this? In this way (iti) we have heard (sutruma)words of the wise men (dhirdndm), who, as dearyas , haveexplained to us karma an d jfidna (tat) in terms of their actualresult. This means that this scripture has come to us in thedisciplic succession from them.Bhakt ivinoda Thakura:TRANSLATIONKnowledge of Paramatma is different from both knowledge(vidya) and ignorance (avidyd). We have heard this from thelearned who have taught us.

COMMENTARYAtmd is a spiritual object, separate from both vidya an d avidya(which are functions of maya). Paramatma cannot be covered by maya at all . Paramatma's svarupa-sakti allows mayato act. Paramatma is thus the controller of maya. Though jivais also a spiritual object, he is minute:

balagra Sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya cabhagojivah sa vijneyah sa canantaya kalpate

Mantra 10 61

When the upper point of a hair is divided into one hundredparts and again each of such parts is further divided into onehundred parts, each such part is the measurement of the dimension of the spirit soul. SvetaSvatara Upanisad 5.9From this statement of $vetasvatara Upanisad we can understand that the jiva is anu-caitanya. Because the jiva is not all-powerful, he ends up being co ntrolled by maya. Falling undermaya's control, he begins to lament. Covered by avidya heexperiences suffering in the darkness of matter. Wh en h e takesshelter of vidya to get relief from suffering, he falls into evengreater suffering by contemplating the impersonal God without qualities. Thus the Veda (this verse) says: O jiva, searching for truth abo ut atmd, atmd is different from both vidya an davidya. i6

''This is a unique explanation of this verse.


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MANTRA 11vidyaih cavidyath ca yastadvedobhayarhsaha\avidyayamrtyumttrtvavidyayamrtamainuteWUW

Madhvacarya:TRANSLATIONHe who knows both correct knowledge and false kno wledge,having surpassed misery and ignorance by defeat ing falseknowledge - which is full of misery and ignorance - attainsknowledge and bliss by true knowledge - which is full ofknowledge and bl iss.

Vedanta DesikaTRANSLATIONHe who knows prescr ibed dut ies and knowledge together ,who pract ices both together , wi th dut ies as an assistant toknowledge, crosses over karmas which cause repeated deathby performance of duties which purify him, and attains thefaultless Lord by meditation on the Lord.COMMENTARYThis verse summarizes what was said in the previous verse.The possessor of the above teachings knows both vidya, consisting of worship of Paramatma, and avidya, consisting ofkarma as a secondary practice and combines them togetherwithout mutual conflict (ubhayam saha). It is said that heknows both together (saha veda) because he practices bothimpartially, vidya being the main element and karma being

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the secondary element. In this way, both should be knownwithout prejudice. The statement does not mean that oneshould know both because knowing both the beneficial andunbeneficial is valuable. If one argues that su ch a mea ning ispossible because karma has just been criticized, that must berejected because knowledge has also been criticized. Both(karma and knowledge) should then be rejected. The nextstatement also defeats that argument.Having completely crossed over all accrued karmas whichcause death (mrtyurh tlrtvd) in the form of restriction of knowledge, by performing prescribed karma as a limb of knowledge, he attains Paramatma (amrtam) who possess no faults,by vidya (contem plat ing Paramatm a) as explained ear l ier(verse 6). Amrta refers to the brahman, etad amrtam abhayametad brahma: t h i s brahman is amrta a n d f e a r l e s s n e s s .(Chandogya Upanisad 4.15.1) Though the word amrta is synonymous with liberation or freedom from death, there is nofault of redundancy in the statement by accepting the aboveexplanation.37 Mrtyum tlrrvtf means "having crossed over theobstacles in practicing the means of realization." Because ofhaving destroyed the obstacles to attainment of the Lord, onethen attains the Lord (amrtam asnute).Some explain this statement as "attaining death by ignorance"by forgetting the natural import of the verse. 38 In doing so,"Th e statement could read "having being liberated (surpassing death) by avidya,the knower of brahman attains liberation (eternal life). However that would b ea literary fault called punar-ukti or redundancy.^Perhaps this is a sarcastic reference to Sarikara's interpretat ion. For h im,avidya is performance of sacrifice and vidya is worship ofdevatas. Both lead torebirth.


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6 4 Isopanisad

they attain death by their own ignorance. Visnu Purana however confirms the explanation just given:iyaja so 'pi subahunyajnanjnana-vyapasrayahbrdhma-vidyam adhisthaya tartum mrtyum avidyaya

Devoid of knowledge of brahman, Janaka performed manysacrifices in order to cross over obstacles by avtdyd (sacrifice, karma), in order to fix himself in knowledge of brahman.Visnu Purana 6.6.12Th e Srl-bhasya has explained avidya as karma or prescribedduties, which are assistants to knowledge, because of the context of the discussion and the suitable m eaning it p roduces."What is meant by the word avidya is karma, act ions prescribed by varnasrama. Th e avidya acknowledged as a meansof crossing over de ath is that which is opposite to vidya." Th eword avidya excludes knowledge (vidya), just as the use ofthe word ksatriya excludes brahmana. All acts performed andnot included in knowledge should come within the scope ofkarma.

Other confirming statements should also be considered:tapo vidya ca viprasya nihsreyasa karav ubhautapasa

shri ishopanisad

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