NITAAI-Veda.nyf > All Scriptures By Acharyas > Upanishads > Sri Svetasvatara Upanisad > Chapter 5 |
Chapter 5
Text 1
dve aksare brahma-pare tv anante
vidyavidye nihite yatra
gudhe
ksaras tv avidya hy amrtam tu vidya
vidyavidye isate yas tu
so 'nyah
dve-two; aksare-in the
imperishable; brahma-pare-above the demigod Brahma; tu-also; anante-unlimited;
vidya- knowledge; avidya-and ignorance; nihite-situated; yatra-where;
gudhe-hidden; ksarah-the fluctuating material energy; tu-and; avidya-is
ignorance; hi-certainly; amrtam-immortality; tu- also; vidya-is knowledge;
vidya-knowledge; avidye-and ignorance; isate-controls; yah-He who; tu-but;
sah-He; anyah-another.
Both knowledge and
ignorance rest in the limitless, eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Ignorance is death, but knowledge is immortality. He rules knowledge and
ignorance although He is beyond them both.
Text 2
yo yonim yonim adhitisthaty eko
visvani rupani yonis ca
sarvah
rsim prasutam kapilam yas tam agre
jnanair bibharti
jayamanam ca pasyet
yah-who; yonim yonim-in
all species of life; adhitisthati-is situated (as the Supersoul); ekah-one
without a second; visvani-all; rupani-forms; yonih-species; ca-also; sarvah-
all; rsim-learned; prasutam-born; kapilam-Brahma; yah-who; tam-Him; agre-at the
beginning of the creation; jnanaih-with knowledge; bibharti-maintains;
jayamanam-being born; ca-also; pasyet-sees.
He alone rules all
species, forms, and universes. In the beginning He fathered the demigod Brahma
with a glance and taught Him the truth.
Text 3
ekaikam jalam bahudha vikurvann
asmin ksetre samharaty
esa devah
bhuyah srstva patayas tathesah
sarvadhipatyam kurute
mahatma
eka-ekakm-one after
another; jalam-network; bahudha- variegated; vikurvan-creating; asmin-in this;
ksetre-material world; samharati-withdraws; esah-He; devah-the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; bhuyah-again; srstva-creating; patayah-the controllers
of the universe; tatha-in the same way; isah- the Supreme Controller;
sarva-over everything; adhipatyam- sovereignty; kurute-manifests; maha-atma-the
Supreme Person.
Spreading His net
everywhere, the Supreme Personality of Godhead retracts the material world.
Then again The Supreme Personality of Godhead creates the demigods. The Supreme
Personality of Godhead rules all.
Text 4
sarva disa urdhvam adhas ca tiryak
prakasayan bhrajate yad
v anadvan
evam sa devo bhagavan varenyo
yoni-svabhavan
adhitisthaty ekah
sarvah-in all;
disah-directions; urdhvam-above; adhah- below; ca-also; tiryak-on all sides;
prakasayan-lighting; bhrajate-shines; yat-just as; u-certainly; anadvan-the
sun; evam-in the same way; sah-He; devah-the Supreme Personality of Godhead;
bhagavan-full of all powers and opulences; varenyah- supremely worshippable;
yoni-svabhavan-the entire universe; adhitisthati-creates and controls; ekah-one
without a second.
As the sun shines in
all directions: above, below, and across, so the glorious Supreme Personality
of Godhead rules all creatures.
Text 5
yac ca svabhavam pacati visva-yonih
pacyams ca sarvan parinamayed
yah
sarvam etad visvam adhitisthaty eko
gunams ca sarvan
viniyojayed yah
yat-who; ca-also;
svabhavam-the natures of the various material elements; pacati-develops;
visva-of the universes; yonih-creator; pacyan-developed; ca-also; sarvan-all of
them; parinamayet-transforms; yah-who; sarvam-all; etat-this; visvam-universe;
adhitisthati-creates and controls; ekah-one without a second; gunan-the three
modes of material nature; ca- also; sarvan-all; viniyojayer-controls; yah-who.
He creates the worlds.
He develops and transforms the creation. He alone rules all the world. He
controls the modes of nature.
Text 6
tad veda-guhyopanisatsu gudham
tad brahma vedate
brahma-yonim
ye purva-deva rsayas ca tad vidus
te tan-maya amrta vai
babhuvuh
tat-Him; veda-in the
Vedas; guhya-the confidential parts; upanisatsu-in the Upanisads;
gudham-hidden; tat-Him; brahma-the demigod Brahma; vedate-knows; brahma-of the
impersonal Brahman effulgence, and of the Vedic literatures; yonim-the origin;
ye-those who; purva-devah-Lord Siva and the other primal demigods; rsayah-the
great sages; ca-also; tat- Him; viduh-know; te-they; tat-mayah-devoted to the
Supreme Lord; amrtah-free from the cycle of birth and death; vai- certainly;
babhuvuh-became.
Knowing Him, who is the
author of the Vedas, who is hidden in the Vedas and Upanisads, and whom the
demigod Brahma also knows, the great demigods and sages became immortal.
Text 7
gunanvayo yah phala-karma-karta
krtasya tasyaiva sa
copabhokta
sa visva-rupas tri-gunas tri-vartma
pranadhipah sancarati
sva-karmabhih
guna-anvayah-bewildered
by the three modes of material nature; yah-who; phala-karma-karta-engaged in
fruitive actions; krtasya-performed; tasya-of that; eva-certainly; sah-he;
upabhokta-is the enjoyer; sah-he; visva-rupah-taking birth in various species
of life; tri-gunah-impelled by the three modes of nature; tri-vartma-travelling
on three paths (sin, piety, and knowledge); prana-of the Life breath;
adhipah-the controller; sancarati-wanders; sva-karmabhih-impelled by the
reactions of his fruitive actions.
Bewildered by the modes
of nature, the conditioned soul performs fruitive acts and then experiences
their results. Bewildered by the modes, he accepts different forms, by his
karma traveling here and there on the paths of sin, piety, and transcendental
knowledge.
Text 8
angustha-matro ravi-tulya-rupah
sankalpahankara-samanvito yah
buddher gunenatma-gunena caiva
aragra-matro hy aparo
'pi drstah
angustha-of the thumb;
matrah-the size; ravi-with the sun; tulyah-equality; rupah-form;
sankalpa-desire; ahankara- and false ego; samanvitah-endowed with; yah-who;
buddheh-of the intelligence; gunena-by the quality; atma-of the material body;
gunena-by the quality; ca-also; eva-certainly; ara-agra-a tiny point;
matrah-the measurement; hi-certainly; aparah- different from the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; api-also; drstah-seen.
The conditioned soul is
small as a thumb, splendid as the sun, and filled with false-ego and material
desire. Different from Him is the Supersoul, whose form is also very small, but
who is filled with intelligence and spiritual knowledge.
Text 9
balagra-sata-bhagasya
satadha kalpitasya ca
bhago jivah sa vijneya
sa canantyaya kalpate
bala-agra-the tip of a
hair; sata-bhagasya-of one hundredth; sata-dha-into one hundred parts;
kalpitasya- divided; ca-and; bhagah-minute portion; jivah-the living entity;
sah-that; vijneyah-to be understood; sah-he; ca- and; anantyaya-for liberation;
kalpate-is fit.
If we divide the tip of
a hair into one hundred parts and then take one part and divide this into
another one hundred parts, that ten-thousandth part is the dimension of the
living entity. Although encased within the temporary material body, the tiny
soul may one day qualify itself to become liberated and return to the eternal
spiritual world.*
Text 10
naiva stri puman esa
na caivayam napumsakah
yad yac chariram adatte
tena tena sa raksyate
na-not; eva-certainly;
stri-woman; na-nor; puman-man; esah-he; na-nor; ca-also; eva-certainly;
ayam-he; napumsakah-nueter; yat yat-whatever; sariram-body; adatte-he accepts;
tena tena-by that body; sah raksyate-he is designated.
The individual spirit
soul is not female. It is not male. It is not neuter. These designations arise
only from the various material bodies the soul accepts.
Text 11
sankalpana-sparsana-drsti-mohair
grasambu-vrstya
catma-vivrddhi-janma
karmanugany anukramena dehi
sthanesu rupany
abhisamprapadyate
sankalpana-desire;
sparsana-contact of the senses with the sense-objects; drsti-experiences the
pleasant and unpleasant results; mohaih-by bewilderment; grasa-food; ambhu-by
water; vrstya-by rain; ca-also; atma-of the body; vivrddhi- development;
janma-birth; karma-anugani-according to his actions; anukramena-by travel;
dehi-the embodied conditioned soul; sthanesu-in various positions within the
material world; rupani-various forms; abhisamprapadyate-attains.
With the illusions of
lusty glances and touches, and with a rain of food and drink, the conditioned
soul nourishes his next birth. According to his deeds he attains different
bodies in different conditions of life.
Text 12
sthulani suksmani bahuni caiva
rupani dehi sva-gunair
vrnoti
kriya-gunair atma-gunais ca tesam
samyoga-hetur aparo 'pi
drstah
sthulani-large;
suksmani-and small; bahuni-many; ca- also; eva-certainly; rupani-forms;
dehi-the embodied spirit soul; sva-gunaih-by his desires; vrnoti-accepts;
kriya-gunaih- by the results of his actions; atma-gunaih-by his thoughts and
conceptions of Life; ca-also; tesam-of them; samyoga-hetuh-the reasons;
aparah-not the Supreme; api-even; drstah-is observed.
According to his own
merit the conditioned soul accepts many different bodies, both large and small.
According to his deeds and character he is linked to different bodies. Thus it
is seen he is different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Text 13
anady-anantam kalilasya madhye
visvasya srastaram
aneka-rupam
visvasyaikam parivestitaram
jnatva devam mucyate
sarva-pasaih
anandi-without
beginning; anantam-without end; kalilasya- of the material creation; madhye-in
the midst; visvasya-of the universe; srastaram-the creator; aneka-in many;
rupam-forms; visvasya-of the universe; ekam-one without a second;
parivestitaram-all-prevading; jnatva-having understood; devam- the Supreme
Personality of Godhead; mucyate-one becomes liberated; sarva-pasaih-from all
the bonds of material existance.
By knowing the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, who has no beginning and no end, who has many forms,
who created the universe, and who is present everywhere in the universe, one
becomes free of all bondage.
Text 14
bhava-grahyam anidakhyam
bhavabhava-karam sivam
kala-sarga-karam devam
ye vidus te jahus tanum
bhava-by pure
devotional service; grahyam-attainable; anida-akhyam-whose form is not
material; bhava-of creation; abhava-and anihillation; karam-the cause;
sivam-auspicious; kala-sarga-karam-the creator of the ingredients of the
material manifestations; devam-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ye- those
who; viduh-understand; te-they; jahuh-give up; tanum- the material body.
By knowing the
auspicious Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is attained only by love, who is
not material, who is the creator and destroyer of the worlds, and who is the
creator of time, the individual souls become free from having to accept another
material body.