Adhyaya 3
Original Sanskrit
1 य एको जालवानीशत ईशनीभिः सर्वांल्लोकानीशत ईशनीभिः ।य एवैक उद्भवे सम्भवे च य एतद्विदुरमृतास्ते भवन्ति ॥
2 एको हि रुद्रो न द्वितीयाय तस्थुर्य इमांल्लोकानीशत ईशनीभिः ।प्रत्यङ्जनास्तिष्ठति सञ्चुकोचान्तकाले संसृज्य विश्वा भुवनानि गोपाः ॥
3 विश्वतश्चक्षुरुत विश्वतोमुखो विश्वतोबाहुरुत विश्वतस्पात् ।सम्बाहुभ्यां धमति सम्पतत्रैर्द्यावाभूमी जनयन्देव एकः ॥
4 यो देवानां प्रभवश्चोद्भवश्च विश्वाधिपो रुद्रो महर्षिः ।हिरण्यगर्भं जनयामास पूर्वं स नो बुद्ध्या शुभया संयुनक्तु ॥
5 या ते रुद्रा शिवा तनूरघोराऽपापकाशिनी ।तया नस्तनुवा शन्तमया गिरिशन्ताभिचाकशीहि ॥
6 यामिषुं गिरिशतं हस्ते बिभर्ष्यस्तवे ।शिवां गिरित्र तां कुरु मा हिंसीः पुरुषं जगत् ॥
7 ततः परं ब्रह्म परं बृहन्तं यथा निकायं सर्वभूतेषु गूढम् ।विश्वस्यैकं परिवेष्टितारमीशं तं ज्ञात्वाऽमृता भवन्ति ॥
8 वेदाहमेतं पुरुषं महान्तमादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ।तमेव विदित्वातिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय ॥
9 यस्मात्परं नापरमस्ति किंचिद्यस्मान्नणीयो न ज्यायोऽस्ति कश्चित् ।वृक्ष इव स्तब्धो दिवि तिष्ठत्येकस्तेनेदं पूर्णं पुरुषेण सर्वम् ॥
10 ततो यदुत्तरतरं तदरूपमनामयम् ।य एतद्विदुरमृतास्ते भवन्त्यथेतरे दुःखमेवापियन्ति ॥
11 सर्वाननशिरोग्रीवः सर्वभूतगुहाशयः ।सर्वव्यापी स भगवांस्तस्मात्सर्वगतः शिवः ॥
12 महान्प्रभुर्वै पुरुषः सत्वस्यैष प्रवर्तकः ।सुनिर्मलामिमां प्राप्तिमीशानो ज्योतिरव्ययः ॥
13 अङ्गुष्ठमात्रः पुरुषोऽन्तरात्मा सदा जनानां हृदये सन्निविष्टः ।हृदा मनीषा मनसाभिक्लृप्तो य एतद्विदुरमृतास्ते भवन्ति ॥
14 सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वाऽत्यतिष्ठद्दशाङ्गुलम् ॥
15 पुरुष एवेदँसर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम् ।उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यदन्नेनातिरोहति ॥
16 सर्वतः पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् ।सर्वतः श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ॥
17 सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम् ।सर्वस्य प्रभुमीशानं सर्वस्य शरणं सुहृत् ॥
18 नवद्वारे पुरे देही हंसो लेलायते बहिः ।वशी सर्वस्य लोकस्य स्थावरस्य चरस्य च ॥
19 अपाणिपादो जवनो ग्रहीता पश्यत्यचक्षुः स शृणोत्यकर्णः ।स वेत्ति वेद्यं न च तस्यास्ति वेत्ता तमाहुरग्र्यं पुरुषं महान्तम् ॥
20 अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयानात्मा गुहायां निहितोऽस्य जन्तोः ।तमक्रतुः पश्यति वीतशोको धातुः प्रसादान्महिमानमीशम् ॥
21 वेदाहमेतमजरं पुराणं सर्वात्मानं सर्वगतं विभुत्वात् ।जन्मनिरोधं प्रवदन्ति यस्य ब्रह्मवादिनो हि प्रवदन्ति नित्यम् ॥
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation made directly from Sanskrit.
1 The one who holds the net rules through his powers, rules all the worlds through his powers.He alone is there at their arising and becoming. Those who know this become immortal.
2 Rudra is one; they have not stood beside a second. Through his powers he rules these worlds.He stands facing all people; at the final hour he draws back all the worlds he has brought forth, their guardian.
3 Eyes everywhere, faces everywhere, arms everywhere and feet everywhere,with arms and wings he brings them together, the one god bringing heaven and earth to birth.
4 Rudra, the great seer, source and origin of the gods, sovereign of all,who first brought forth the Golden Embryo—may he join us to auspicious understanding.
5 Rudra, that gracious form of yours, not terrible, revealing no evil—with that most peaceful form, mountain-dweller, look upon us.
6 Mountain-dweller, the arrow you carry in your hand to shoot—make it gracious, mountain-guardian; do not harm the human being or the living world.
7 Beyond that is supreme Brahman, vast, hidden in all beings according to their bodies,the one Lord who encompasses the universe. Knowing him, they become immortal.
8 I know this great Person, radiant as the sun, beyond darkness.Knowing him alone, one passes beyond death; no other path leads to that journey's end.
9 Beyond him there is nothing higher or lower, nothing smaller or greater.Alone he stands in heaven, still as a tree. By that Person all this is filled.
10 What is higher still than that is without form, without affliction.Those who know this become immortal; the others enter sorrow alone.
11 All faces, heads and necks are his; he rests in the secret heart of every being.All-pervading is the blessed one; therefore Shiva is everywhere.
12 Great indeed is the sovereign Person; he sets existence in motion.He rules this perfectly pure attainment, the light that does not fade.
13 The Person, a thumb's breadth in measure, the inner Self, is always lodged in people's hearts.He is apprehended by heart, discernment and mind. Those who know this become immortal.
14 The Person has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet.Enfolding earth on every side, he extended ten fingers beyond it.
15 The Person alone is all this, what has been and what will be.He is also lord of immortality, and of what grows through food.
16 Its hands and feet are everywhere, its eyes, heads and faces everywhere;with ears everywhere in the world, it stands enveloping all.
17 Shining through the powers of every sense, yet free of every sense,sovereign and lord of all, refuge of all, a loving friend.
18 Within the city of nine gates, the embodied swan plays outward,master of the whole world, of what stands still and what moves.
19 Without hands or feet, he is swift and grasps; without eyes he sees, without ears he hears.He knows what can be known, yet no one knows him. They call him the foremost, the great Person.
20 Smaller than the small, greater than the great, the Self lies hidden in this creature's heart.Free of desire and sorrow, one sees the Lord's greatness through the Creator's grace.
21 I know this ageless, ancient one, Self of all, present everywhere through his pervasiveness.The speakers of Brahman declare him the ending of birth; indeed, they declare him eternal.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted translation made independently from Sanskrit.
1 The one with the net uses his powers to rule. He uses those powers to govern every world.He alone is present when things arise and come into being. Anyone who knows this becomes immortal.
2 There is only one Rudra. They have not taken their stand beside a second one. He controls these worlds through his powers.Facing all people, he guards all the worlds he created and takes them back into himself at the end.
3 He has eyes, faces, arms and feet on every side.This one god brings things together with arms and wings as he produces heaven and earth.
4 Rudra is the great seer who governs everything, the source from which the gods come.He produced the Golden Embryo at the beginning. May he give us sound and fortunate understanding.
5 Rudra, you have a kindly form that is not frightening and does not show evil.You who live in the mountains, look at us with that most peaceful form.
6 You who live in the mountains, you hold an arrow in your hand, ready to shoot.You who guard the mountains, make it harmless. Do not hurt a person or the living world.
7 Beyond that is Brahman, the highest and greatest, hidden in every being according to its body.Knowing that Lord, the single one who surrounds the universe, makes people immortal.
8 I know this great Person, bright like the sun and beyond darkness.Only knowing him takes you past death. There is no other way to reach that destination.
9 There is nothing above or below him, nothing smaller or bigger than him.He stands alone in heaven, motionless like a tree. That Person fills everything here.
10 What is still higher than that has no shape and no suffering.Those who know this become immortal. Other people go only into suffering.
11 He has every face, head and neck, and lives in the hidden space inside every being.The blessed one is present everywhere; so Shiva is in all places.
12 The Person is indeed a great ruler, who causes existence to develop.He controls this completely pure attainment and is a light that never runs out.
13 The inner Self is the Person, the size of a thumb, always located in people's hearts.The heart, understanding and mind can grasp him. People who know this become immortal.
14 The Person has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet.He covered the earth on every side and reached ten fingers beyond it.
15 Everything here is the Person, both what has happened and what will happen.He is the ruler of immortality and of everything that grows by feeding.
16 It has hands, feet, eyes, heads and faces everywhere.It has ears all around the world and remains there, surrounding everything.
17 It appears through the abilities of all the senses but has none of the senses itself.It rules and governs everything, gives everything shelter and is a friend to all.
18 The embodied swan plays out toward the world from the city with nine gates.It controls everything in the world, both things that stay still and things that move.
19 He has no hands or feet but moves quickly and takes hold. He has no eyes but sees, no ears but hears.He knows whatever there is to know, but nobody knows him. They call him the first and the great Person.
20 The Self is smaller than small things and larger than large things, hidden in this creature's inner space.A person without desire or grief sees the Lord's greatness through the Creator's favor.
21 I know this ancient one who never ages, the Self of everything, present everywhere because he extends through everything.Those who speak about Brahman say he ends birth. They also say he is eternal.
About this section
Adhyaya 3 is part of Shvetashvatara Upanishad by Unknown. This page sets the Sanskrit original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 3 of 6 in the work, which is kept in the Hindu tradition.
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