Isha Upanishad
श्री ईशोपनिषद् • Shukla Yajurveda
Isha Upanishad
Comprising the final chapter of the Shukla Yajurveda, it teaches the oneness of God, detachment, and selfless action.
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते। पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
Om pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate | pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate || Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Om! That is infinite, and this universe is infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite, it remains as the infinite alone. Om Peace! Peace! Peace!
ईशा वास्यमिदं सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत्। तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम्॥१॥
īśā vāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ yatkiñca jagatyāṁ jagat | tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasyasviddhanam || 1 ||
All this—whatever moves in this moving world—is enveloped by the Lord. Therefore, find your enjoyment in renunciation; do not covet what belongs to others.
कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतं समाः। एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे॥२॥
kurvanneveha karmāṇi jijīviṣecchataṃ samāḥ | evaṃ tvayi nānyatheto'sti na karma lipyate nare || 2 ||
Doing verily works in this world, one should wish to live a hundred years. Thus it is with you and not otherwise; actions will not bind you.
असूर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसावृताः। ताँस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः॥३॥
asūryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ | tāṁste pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātmahano janāḥ || 3 ||
Sunless and covered with blind darkness are those worlds, to which go after death all those people who are slayers of their own souls.
अनेजदेकं मनसो जवीयो नैनद्देवा आप्नुवन् पूर्वमर्षत्। तद्धावतोऽन्यानत्येति तिष्ठत् तस्मिन्नपो मातरिश्वा दधाति॥४॥
anejadekaṃ manaso javīyo nainaddevā āpnuvan pūrvamarṣat | taddhāvato'nyānatyeti tiṣṭhat tasminnapo mātariśvā dadhāti || 4 ||
Unmoving, the One is swifter than the mind. The senses (gods) cannot reach It, as It runs before them. Standing, It outstrips others who run. In It, the cosmic life-force (Matarishva) distributes the duties.
तदेजति तन्नैजति तद्दूरे तद्वन्तिके। तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्यास्य बाह्यतः॥५॥
tadejati tannaijati tad dūre tadvantike | tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ || 5 ||
That moves and That moves not; That is far and the same is near; That is within all this, and That is outside all this.
यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मन्येवानुपश्यति। सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते॥६॥
yas tu sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmany evānupaśyati | sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṃ tato na vijugupsate || 6 ||
He who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, does not feel any revulsion (or hatred) because of that.
यस्मिन्सर्वाणि भूतान्यात्मैवाभूद्विजानतः। तत्र को मोहः कः शोक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः॥७॥
yasminsarvāṇi bhūtānyātmaivābhūdvijānataḥ | tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvamanupaśyataḥ || 7 ||
When to the knower all beings have become one with his own Self, then what delusion and what sorrow can there be for him who beholds that oneness?
स पर्यगाच्छुक्रमकायमव्रणमस्नाविरं शुद्धमपापविद्धम्। कविर्मनीषी परिभूः स्वयम्भूःयाथातथ्यतोऽर्थान् व्यदधाच्छाश्वतीभ्यः समाभ्यः॥८॥
sa paryagācchukramakāyamavraṇamasnāviraṃ śuddhamapāpaviddham | kavirmanīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūryāthātathyato'rthān vyadadhācchāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ || 8 ||
He (the Self) is all-pervading, bright, bodiless, scatheless, without muscles, pure, untouched by sin. He is the Seer, the Thinker, the One above all, and Self-existent. He has distributed things properly through eternal years.
अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽविद्यामुपासते। ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायां रताः॥९॥
andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'vidyāmupāsate | tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ || 9 ||
Into blinding darkness enter those who worship ignorance (Avidya/rituals), and into still greater darkness enter those who are devoted to knowledge (Vidya/mere intellectual study) alone.
अन्यदेवाहुर्विद्ययाऽन्यदाहुरविद्यया। इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे॥१०॥
anyadevāhurvidyayā'nyadāhuravidyayā | iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nastadvicacakṣire || 10 ||
They say that one thing is obtained by knowledge (Vidya) and another by ignorance (Avidya). Thus we have heard from the wise who explained it to us.
विद्याञ्चाविद्याञ्च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह। अविद्यया मृत्युं तीर्त्वा विद्ययाऽमृतमश्नुते॥११॥
vidyāñcāvidyāñca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha | avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayā'mṛtamaśnute || 11 ||
He who knows both Vidya and Avidya together, crosses over death through Avidya, and attains immortality through Vidya.
अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति येऽसम्भूतिमुपासते। ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ सम्भूत्यां रताः॥१२॥
andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye'sambhūtimupāsate | tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u sambhūtyāṃ ratāḥ || 12 ||
Into blinding darkness enter they who worship the unmanifested (Asambhuti), and into still greater darkness they who are devoted to the manifested (Sambhuti) alone.
अन्यदेवाहुः सम्भवादन्यदाहुरसम्भवात्। इति शुश्रुम धीराणां ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे॥१३॥
anyadevāhuḥ sambhavādanyadāhurasambhavāt | iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nastadvicacakṣire || 13 ||
It is said that one result is obtained from the worship of the manifested (Sambhuti) and another from the unmanifested (Asambhuti). Thus we have heard from the wise who explained it to us.
सम्भूतिञ्च विनाशञ्च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह। विनाशेन मृत्युं तीर्त्वा सम्भूत्याऽमृतमश्नुते॥१४॥
sambhūtiñca vināśañca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha | vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā sambhūtyā'mṛtamaśnute || 14 ||
He who knows both the manifest (Sambhuti) and the destructible (Vinasha/unmanifest) together, crosses over death through the destructible, and attains immortality through the manifest.
हिरण्मयेन पात्रेण सत्यस्यापिहितं मुखम्। तत्त्वं पूषन्नपावृणु सत्यधर्माय दृष्टये॥१५॥
hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham | tat tvaṃ pūṣannapāvṛṇu satyadharmāya dṛṣṭaye || 15 ||
The face of Truth is covered with a golden vessel. Unveil it, O Sun (Nourisher), so that I who am devoted to truth may behold it.
पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य व्यूह रश्मीन् समूह तेजः। यत्ते रूपं कल्याणतमं तत्ते पश्यामि योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमस्मि॥१६॥
pūṣannekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīn samūha tejaḥ | yatte rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tatte paśyāmi yo'sāvasau puruṣaḥ so'hamasmi || 16 ||
O Nourisher, sole Seer, Controller, O Sun, descendant of Prajapati! Gather your rays, withdraw your light. I behold your most auspicious form. That Person who is there in the sun, He am I.
वायुरनिलममृतमथेदं भस्मान्तं शरीरम्। ॐ क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर क्रतो स्मर कृतं स्मर॥१७॥
vāyuranilamamṛtamathedaṃ bhasmāntaṃ śarīram | oṃ krato smara kṛtaṃ smara krato smara kṛtaṃ smara || 17 ||
May my breath merge into the all-pervading, immortal Prana, and may this body end in ashes. O Om! O Mind (will/intellect), remember! Remember what has been done. Remember! Remember what has been done.
अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान् विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान्। युयोध्यस्मज्जुहुराणमेनो भूयिष्ठां ते नमउक्तिं विधेम॥१८॥
agne naya supathā rāye asmān viśwani deva vayunāni vidvān | yuyodhyasmajjuhurāṇameno bhūyiṣṭhāṃ te namauktiṃ vidhema || 18 ||
O Agni! Lead us along the auspicious path to prosperity, O God, who knowest all our deeds. Remove from us the deceitful sin. We offer thee our best words of salutation again and again.
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते। पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते॥ ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥
Om pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyate | pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate || Om śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ ||
Om! That is infinite, and this universe is infinite. The infinite proceeds from the infinite. Taking the infinitude of the infinite, it remains as the infinite alone. Om Peace! Peace! Peace!
Contemplation Completed
You have completed reading the key verses of the Isha Upanishad. May Vedic wisdom illuminate your intellect.