|
Section Three
Incomplete Translations and Commentaries
Circa 1902 1912
Svetasvatara Upanishad
Chapter IV
1. He who is one and without hue, but has ordained manifoldly many hues by the Yoga of his Force and holds within himself all objects, and in Him the universe dissolves in the end, that Godhead was in the beginning. May He yoke us with a good and bright understanding.
2. That alone is the fire and That the sun and That the wind and That too the moon; That is the Luminous, That the Brahman, That the waters, That the Father and Lord of creatures.
3. Thou art the woman and Thou the man; Thou art a boy and again a young virgin; Thou art yonder worn and aged man that walkest bent with thy staff. Lo, Thou becomest born and the world is full of thy faces.
4. Thou art the blue bird and the green and the scarlet-eyed, the womb of lightning and the seasons and the oceans. Thou
Page – 235 art that which is without beginning and thou movest with thy pervasive extension whence all the worlds are born.
5. There is One, unborn, white and black and red, who is ever bringing forth many creatures with forms and her one unborn loves and cleaves to and lies with her; another unborn abandons, when all her enjoyments have been enjoyed.
6. Two winged birds cling about a common tree, comrades, yoke-fellows; and one eats the sweet fruit of the tree, the other eats not, but watches.
7. The Soul upon a common tree is absorbed and because he is not lord, grieves and is bewildered; but when he sees and cleaves to that other who is the Lord, he knows that all is His greatness and his sorrow passes away from him.
8. In the highest immutable Heaven where all the gods have taken up their session, there are the verses of the Rigveda, and he who knows Him not, what shall he do with the Rik? They who know That, lo, it is they who thus are seated.
9. Rhythms and sacrifices and ritual and vows, what has been and what is to be and what the Vedas declare,—the Master
Page – 236 of Maya brings forth from that all this that is and there is another whom within it his Maya holds imprisoned.
10. Thou shalt know Maya to be Force of Nature and the Master of Maya to be the great Lord; this whole universe is occupied by His becomings that are His members.
11. He who being One enters every womb and in whom all this comes together and goes apart, the adorable Godhead who rules as lord and gives us our desirable boons, one having seen comes exceedingly unto this peace.
12. He who is the coming to birth of the gods and the arising of their being, the master of the universe, the Violent One, the Great Seer and beheld Hiranyagarbha born,—may he yoke us with a bright and good understanding.
13. He who is the master of the gods, in whom the worlds are lodged and who rules over this two-footed and four-footed, to what god should we offer the worship of our oblation?
14. Subtle beyond the subtle in the midst of the hurtling chaos, the creator of the universe who has many forms and being 238
Page – 237 one encompasses all, knowing as the Benign, one comes exceedingly to the peace.
15. He in Time is the guardian of the world of existence and the master of the universe secret in all existences,—in whom have union of Yoga the holy sages and the gods; thus knowing him one cuts asunder the snares of Death.
16. Knowing him who is exceedingly subtle like the cream above the clarified butter, the Benign secret in all existences, knowing the God who being one encompasses all, one is released from every bondage.
17. This is the God, the mighty Soul, the Architect of all, seated for ever in the hearts of creatures and he is realised by the heart and the intellect and the mind; who know this, they become immortal.
18. When there is no darkness, that is neither day nor night, nor being nor non-being, it is the absolute Benign alone; That is the immutable, that the supreme light of the Creating Sun and from it the Wisdom went forth that is of old.
Page – 238 19. Him one shall not seize as on high nor as one on a level plane nor in the middle; there is no image for him whose name is a mighty glory.
20. The form of Him stands not within the vision and none beholdeth Him by the eye; but by the heart and the mind, for in the heart is His station; who thus know Him, they become immortal.
21. One here and there approaches him with awe thinking of him as the Unborn. O Violent One, that which is thy auspicious right-hand face, with that protect me ever.
22. Do no hurt to our son nor our grandson nor our life nor our cattle nor our horses. O Violent One, slay not in thy anger our heroes; ever to Thee with the oblation we call.
Page – 239 Chapter V
1. Both of these in the Transcendent, the Knowledge & the Ignorance, yea both have their hidden being in the Eternal & Infinite Who dwelleth beyond Brahman of the Veda, & are set in it for ever. But of these Ignorance dieth and Knowledge liveth for ever; and He who is master of both is other than they.
2. He being One entereth upon womb & womb, yea upon all forms of being and upon all wombs of creatures. This was He that of old filled with many sorts of Knowledge Kapila, the seer, after his mother bore him; yea He saw Kapila shaping.
3. God weaveth Him one net or He weaveth Him another and He maketh it of manifold meshes & casteth it abroad in this field of the body; then He draweth it in again. Also He created Yatis, great Seekers, & thus the Mighty Mind wieldeth the sceptre of His universal Lordship.
4. The Sun riseth & driveth the world’s wain, then he blazeth illumining all the regions and above and below and the level grow one lustre, even so this glorious & shining God, being One, entereth upon & ruleth nature that clingeth to the womb, to each womb its nature.
Page – 240
5. For He who is the Womb of the World bringeth each nature to its perfection and He matureth all those that are yet to be perfected. He indwelleth & presideth over all this His world and setteth all the modes of Nature to their workings.
6. This is that secret mystery which is hidden in Upanishads; for the Upanishad is the secret of the Veda. This is that which Brahma knoweth for the Womb of the Eternal and the older Gods and the sages who knew of This, became This & were immortal.
7. There is One who maketh works and their fruits to them, for the moods of Nature cleave to Him; this is He that enjoyeth the works He hath done; and the World is His body and He hath three modes of His natures & the roads of His travel are likewise three. Lo, the Master of Life, by the momentum of His own works He moveth in the centuries.
8. His size is as the size of a man’s thumb but His aspect as the Sun in its glory; and He hath Volition and He hath Personality; but there is another whom we see by virtue of the Understanding & by virtue of the Spirit for the point of a cobbler’s awl is not finer to vision.
Page – 241
9. Take thou the hundredth part of the point of a hair, divide it into a hundred parts again; then as is a part of this hundredth part of a hundredth, such shalt thou find this Spirit in man, if thou seek to separate Him; yet ’tis this in thee that availeth towards Infinity.
10. Not woman is He, nor man either, nor yet sexless; but whatsoever body He take, that confineth & preserveth Him.
11. As body is born and groweth by food and drink and plenty, so also the Spirit in body progressively attaineth to successive forms in their fit places—by the allurements of sight, by the witcheries of touch, by the magic of volition, for according to his works he progresseth and his forms shape themselves to his works.
12. Forms gross and forms subtle, forms many,—the Spirit in body evolveth them all by his own nature in its working; by the law of action of his works & the law of action of the Spirit in man, by these he evolveth them. But there is Another in Whom we behold Cause whereby all these meet together.
13. Without beginning, without end in the welter and the chaos, who createth the world by taking many figures & as the One girdeth & encompasseth it. He is the Lord &
Page – 242 if thou know Him thou shalt break free from all kinds of bondage.
14. Shiva the Master of all becomings and not-becomings and from Him this whole creation floweth and it is only one part of Shiva; but He is not named after any nest of the winged Spirit, and the heart alone can apprehend Him. They who know Shiva, the Blessed One, abandon body for ever.
Page – 243 Chapter VI
1. ‘Tis Nature and Self-existence, say one school of the Seers. Nay, ’tis Time, say another; both are deceived and bewildered. ‘Tis the Majesty of the Lord in the world of His creatures whereby the Wheel of the Eternal whirleth about continually.
2. He envelopeth this whole Universe with Himself for ever, He that knoweth, Maker of Time, & the Modes of Nature dwell in Him; yea, all things He discerneth and by His governance the Law of Works revolveth in its cycle. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, of these thou shalt consider (as the substance wherein it turneth).
3. The Lord doeth works and resteth again from His works, one or two or three or eight He yoketh Himself with the Principle of things in their essence & with Time He yoketh Himself and with Self in its subtle workings.
4. So He beginneth works, that are subject to the modes of Nature, and setteth all existences to their workings: & when these things are not, thereby cometh annihilation of work that hath been done; and with the perishing of work, He departeth out of them; for in His final truth He is other than they.
Page – 244
5. Lo we have beheld Him & He is the Beginning and the Cause of all Causes whereby these elements meet together & form ariseth; the past, the present and the future are this side of Him and Time hath no part in Him. Let us worship the Ancient of Days in our own hearts who sitteth. Let us wait upon God who must be adored, for the world is His shape and the Universe is but His becoming.
6. Time & Form and the Tree of Things, none of these is He for He is more than they & it is from Him that this Cosmos beginneth. We will know this Master of grace & glory for He cometh to us carrying righteousness in His hand & He driveth Sin from its strong places. We will know Him for He is in our Self & immortal & the World’s foundation.
7. We will know this Mightiest one who is far above all the mighty—this summit of the gods & their godhead, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who towereth high above all summits & greatnesses. Let us learn of God for He is this World’s Master & all shall adore Him.
8. God needeth not to do anything neither hath He any organ of doing; there is none greater than He nor do we see any that is His equal—for His power is far over all, only men hear of it under a thousand names & various fashions. Lo the strength of Him and the works of Him and
Page – 245 His Knowledge, they are self-efficient & their own cause & nature.
9. He hath no master in all this world, there is none that shall rule over Him. Nor feature nor distinction hath He; for He is begetting cause and sovran over the lords of these natural organs, but Himself hath no begetter neither any sovran.
10. Even as is the spider that out of himself fashioneth his own web, so is God One & nought else existeth but by his own nature covereth Himself up in the threads He hath spun out of primal matter. May the One God ordain unto us departure into His Eternal.
11. One God who alone is & He lurketh hidden in every creature for He pervadeth and is the inmost Self of all beings, He presideth over all work and is the home of all things living. He is the Mighty Witness who relateth thought with thought and again He is the Absolute in whom mood is not nor any attribute.
12. One God & alone He controlleth the many who have themselves no separate work nor purpose; and He developeth one seed into many kinds of creatures; the strong-hearted behold God in their own Self, therefore for them is everlasting bliss and not for others.
Page – 246
13. One Eternal of all these that pass & are not, One conscious in all consciousnesses; He being One ordereth the desires of many; He alone is the great Source to which Sankhya and Yoga bring us. If thou know God thou shalt break free from every sort of bondage. 1
14. There the sun cannot shine and the moon has no splendour; the stars are blind; there our lightnings flash not neither any earthly fire; all that is bright is but the shadow of His brightness and by His shining all this shineth.
15. One Swan of Being in the heart of all this Universe & He is Fire that lieth deep in the heart of water. By Knowledge of Him, the soul passeth beyond the pursuit of Death and there is no other road for the great passage.
16. He hath made all and knoweth all; for He is the womb out of which Self ariseth, & being possessed of the Nature Moods He becometh Time’s Maker and discerneth all things. And Matter is subject to Him & the Spirit in Man that cogniseth His field of matter & the modes of Nature are His servants. He therefore is the cause of this coming into phenomena & of the release from phenomena—& because of Him is their endurance & because of Him is their bondage.
Page – 247
17. Lo He is Immortal because He is utter existence; but He houseth Himself in the Lord & is the Knower, the Omnipresent that standeth on guard over this His universe, yea He ruleth all this moving world for ever and for ever, and there is no other source of lordship and kingliness.
18. He ordained Brahma the Creator from of old and sent forth unto him the Veda, I will hasten unto God who standeth self-revealed in the Spirit & in the Understanding. I will take refuge in the Lord for my salvation;
19. Who hath neither parts nor works for He is utterly tranquil, faultless, stainless, therefore He is the one great bridge that carrieth us over to Immortality, even as when a fire hath burnt all its fuel.
20. When the sons of men shall fold up ether like a skin and wrap the heavens round them like a garment, then alone without knowledge of the Lord our God shall the misery of the World have an ending.
21. By the might of his devotion & the grace of God in his being Svetasvatara hereafter knew the Eternal & he came to the
Page – 248 renouncers of the worldly life and truly declared unto them the Most High & Pure God, to whom the companies of seers resort for ever.
22. This is the great secret of the Vedanta which was declared in former times, not on hearts untranquilled to be squandered nor men sonless nor on one who hath no disciples.
23. But whosoever hath supreme love & adoration for the Lord and as for the Lord, so likewise for the Master, to that Mighty Soul these great matters when they are told become clear of themselves, yea to the Great Soul of him they are manifest.
Page – 249 |
