What inner nurturing will help us cultivate good relationships?
Isha Upanishad, in
word for word translation.
(Pronunciation note. A dot under a letter or a bar above it, called diacritics, are important, for they indicate proper pronunciation of sacred language. Please read my webpage “Pronouncing the Sanskrit.”)
Table of Contents.
1. Isha Upanishad Translation.
2. Comment on the Composition of īśa upaniṣad.
3. om pūrṇam adah pūrṇam idam
4. Acknowledgements.
5. A Clear and Comprehensible Translation of Upanishad.
īśa upaniṣad (Isha Upanishad) discusses the Divinity (īśa) that resides in all of us, as our own innate nurturing (mātari-svān v 4 – 8.) mātari-svān guides us away from darkness (tamas v 8, 9) to light (vidya v 9 - 11), from destructiveness and pain (mohaḥ + śokaḥ v 6, 7) to the healing and wholesome (dhīrāṇāṃ v 10.) .
However, mātari-svān = mātar-īśvara can only do this for us when we connect with it, and restore it back into our daily life. We need to first return to mātar-īśvara before it can help us. So īśa upaniṣad (Isha Upanishad) describes this innate nurturing, and how we can reconnect with it.
īśa is short for īśvara, which is an important word for Presence of Deity or pure consciousness. When there is Presence, then we are truly at ease and content, and our mind is clear, inspired and full of good will for the people and pursuits of our lives.
As a mere dictionary word, īśvara simply means guide and direct. So īśvara can mean our ability to guide and direct our minds towards these Divine Qualities. īśvara can also mean our ability to guide and direct our daily activities, so that they may be an effective expression of these beautiful spiritual Qualities. Therefore, īśa upaniṣad focusses on directing and guiding our mind and thus our lives, away from pain and problems and towards delight and solutions.
Isha Upanishad Translation.
īśā āvāsyam sarvaṃ
pure inhabited by all important
consciousness
1) Being inhabited by pure consciousness is all important
jagatyāṃ jagat
in the activities of us humans.
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
for then letting go enjoy
of troubles
mā gṛdhaḥ dhanam kasyasvid
not wanting alluring belong
things elsewhere
for then we can enjoy letting go of troubles, instead of wanting allures that belong elsewhere.
(note : “wanting allures that belong elsewhere” includes alluring thought trains and topics that do not belong to the refreshing and rejuvenating quiet of meditation and rest. In fact, such unnecessary and unhelpful thinking do not really belong anywhere in our lives. kasya literally means “whose?” or “where?” or “why?” and -svid is a suffix that makes the “whose?”, “where?” or “why?” very indefinite. To whom do these problems belong? Where do these problems belong? Why should we be entangled in them?)
kurvan karman
performing karma
jijīviṣet śataṃ samāḥ
livelihood, frequently like this
na karma lipyate tvayi
few karma defiled in us.
2) If we can frequently perform our speech and action (karma) like this in our livelihood, then there will be little painful consequences (karma) for us.
asuryā te lokā
diabolical those pursuits
andhena tamasā vṛtāḥ
blindness darkness hidden
3) Diabolical are those pursuits driven by blindness and darkness,
tān te pretya abhi -gacchanti
of these consequences towards take us
for they take us towards the consequences of blindness and darkness.
ātma hano janāḥ
higher self ruin our
They ruin our higher self.
anejat manaso javīya ekaṃ devā
stabilise mind skilful at-one Deity
āpnuvan pūrvam.
approach, original.
arrive at purity.
arṣat tat dhāvataḥ atyeti
busy-ness that moves fast, transcend,
of mind instable rise above
tiṣṭhat tasmin apaḥ
be Present, in our speech, actions
stable (karma)
mātari -svān dadhāti
nurturing own direct, sustain (cf dhāraṇa)
innate support, receive help
4) So let us carefully direct and protect (dadhāti) our mind in a skilful way, be stable and at-one with Deity, and head towards our primordial purity. Let us transcend the rapid busy-ness and instability of mind, and be Present and stable in our speech and actions. Let this come from our innate nurturing (mātari-svān).
(note : dadhāti is related to dhāraṇa, which I discuss under “Upanishads and samādhi” on the page for “Mandukya Upanishad.)
tat ejati na ejati dūre antike
that active not active, far away nearby,
antar sarv-asya bāhyataḥ sarv-asyā
within all of this outside all of this
5) Our own innate nurturing (mātari-svān) can be in both activity and stillness, can be either far away or nearby, and is both within our heart and in the outside world.
(note. The Sanskrit word for “our own innate nurturing” can also be spelled mātar-īśvara which can also be interpreted as “Pure consciousness (īśvara) that nurtures (mātar). mātar is equivalent to the Latin mater = mother.)
yastu sarvāṇi bhūtāni ātmani eva ānupaśyati
who in all of us higher surely observe,
self experience
vijānataḥ na vijugupsate mohaḥ śokaḥ
with insight, not deny, deadening burning
objective conceal, ignore defilements pain
6 & 7) Our own innate nurturing (matar-īśvara) is surely in all of us. It is the higher self’s ability to observe and experience the painful thoughts and feelings in our mind (mohaḥ + śokaḥ) with insight and objectivity (vi-jn͂ānataḥ), and not deny, conceal and ignore our own pain (mohaḥ + śokaḥ).
sa paryagat śukram a-kāyam vyadadhāt
who permeates happiness not physical separate from
a-vraṇam a- asnāvaka śuddham a-pāpa-viddham
un-blemished no sinews purifies not evil afflicted
kaviḥ manīṣī paribhūḥ
wise sagacious Deity within
svayam-bhū sāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ
independent eternal towards equanimity
8) Our nurturing pure consciousness (matar-īśvara) is the eternal Deity within us, that permeates our happiness. It is spiritual and separate from the physical, with “no sinews”. The indwelling Deity is unblemished, not afflicted with evil, and purifying. It is wisdom and sagacity, and takes us towards equanimity and inner peace.
andhaṃ tamas praviśanti a-vidyā upāsate
blindness darkness enter un-wisdom sit down
ignorance in
9) Those who enter and “sit down in” un-wisdom and ignorance will be in blindness and darkness.
tato bhūya te ratāḥ tamas ye vidyāyāṃ
as if become they pleased deadening their wisdom
defilement
It seems as if they become pleased with darkness, think it wise to be in deadening defilement,
anya vidya
opposed wisdom, clarity.
and are opposed to wisdom and the light.
śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ yenastad vicacakṣire
listen, wisdom those of us manifest
heed within
anya a-vidya
oppose un-wisdom, ignorance.
10) But for those of us who listen to and heed the wisdom within, then wisdom will manifest in us, and we will oppose un-wisdom and ignorance.
vidyāṃ ca a-vidyāṃ veda ubhayam
wisdom and un-wisdom, know both
clarity ignorance understand
11) When we truly know and understand both wisdom and un-wisdom,
a-vidyāt mṛtyor tīrtvā
stupidity, mortality, transcend
ignorance destructive
vidyayā amṛtāya aśnute
wisdom, immortal, return to,
clarity eternal attain
then we will transcend from stupidity and ignorance and move towards wisdom and clarity. We will transcend from mortality and destructiveness, and return to and restore the immortal and eternal.
(Note. In the expression – “know wisdom”, this can be the wisdom of seeking nurturing, turning towards it, and re-establishing inner nurturing into this moment. Perhaps by valuing and appreciating the good things we have, and take delight and enjoyment in life. “know ignorance” can be the ignorance that allows problems to breed, that fuels the instability of mind and mental noise. When we truly ‘know’ both these opposites, then we can transcend …… )
2. Comment on the Composition of īśa upaniṣad.
Verses 1 – 3 emphasise the importance of avoiding painful speech and action (karma). Then verses 4 – 8 discuss the innate nurturing that enables us to avoid such bad karma. Such nurturing is an essential Quality of Deity, and Hinduism has very many Names and words for Deity. The Name (nāma) used in Isha Upanishad is “mātari-svān”, which can also be spelled “mātar-īśvāra”. This Name for Deity appears late in verse 4. Then verses 5 – 8 all begin with the words tat, yastu, sa = that or who. These words all relate to the Name (nāma) for Deity, which is mātari-svān = mātar-īśvāra for Isha Upanishad (īśa upaniṣad).
Thus Deity is not named directly in verses 5 – 8, but only referred to indirectly, using indirect words “that, who.” Deity is infinite, and words are finite, with finite meaning. Using such indirect language helps us to let go of limiting, ego centric notions and opinions about the Divine, when we recite sacred verses.
Then verses 9 – 11 discuss un-wisdom (a-vidya) and wisdom (vidya). We need to properly understand these two extremes, to avoid harmful speech and action.
Isha Upanishad (īśa upaniṣad) then continues with verses 12 – 18, which give further discussion. May I suggest we properly understand and study verses 1 – 11 first, before proceeding any further. Verses 1 – 11 are complete within themselves, as a unit.
3. om pūrṇam adah pūrṇam idam
Isha Upanishad actually begins with the mantra om pūrṇam adah pūrṇam idam. This mantra is about sending out and receiving purity (pūrṇam), when conditions are favourable to do so. It concludes with the expression (or mantra) –
pūrṇam -eva vasiṣyate
purity surely will be here.
This is what we can do to support our own innate nurturing, described as ‘mātari-svān’ in īśa upaniṣad.
I provide a writeup for this mantra on this website, and Nilong and Arjuna provide a beautiful recording of this mantra at -
https://arjuna108.bandcamp.com/album/wisdom-of-the-heart track 3
4. Acknowledgements.
I am indebted to Stephanie Simoes who provided the Sanskrit of Isha Upanishad, in word-for-word translation, when she was a graduate student of Brock University.
She is at –
https://brocku.academia.edu/StephanieSimoes
Her word-for-word translation of Isha Upanishad is at –
https://www.academia.edu/17430464/Isha_Upanishad_Word_for_Word_Translation_with_Transliteration_and_Grammatical_Notes
I looked up the translation of many words in the Isha Upanishad in the following online dictionary –
https://sanskritdictionary.com This remarkable resource for the Dharma gives translations from six different dictionaries. You type your entry using the International Agreement for Sanskrit Transliteration, which I use for all scripture quotes on this website. As does Stephanie. Please read my webpage “Pronouncing the Sanskrit.”
If you do not have the IAST spelling, you can use another online dictionary that will offer several different spellings, and you take your pick. This is
https://www.learnsanskrit.cc This will give the Devanagari, which you can enter into https://sanskritdictionary.com
I found that the dictionary meaning worked well for most words in Isha Upanishad, often the exact dictionary words. But the less commonly used dictionary meanings were usually the best choice. A few words were superfluous, and I left these on Stephanie’s website.
She is at –
https://brocku.academia.edu/StephanieSimoes
Her word-for-word translation of Isha Upanishad is at –
https://www.academia.edu/17430464/Isha_Upanishad_Word_for_Word_Translation_with_Transliteration_and_Grammatical_Notes
I looked up the translation of many words in the Isha Upanishad in the following online dictionary –
https://sanskritdictionary.com This remarkable resource for the Dharma gives translations from six different dictionaries. You type your entry using the International Agreement for Sanskrit Transliteration, which I use for all scripture quotes on this website. As does Stephanie. Please read my webpage “Pronouncing the Sanskrit.”
If you do not have the IAST spelling, you can use another online dictionary that will offer several different spellings, and you take your pick. This is
https://www.learnsanskrit.cc This will give the Devanagari, which you can enter into https://sanskritdictionary.com
I found that the dictionary meaning worked well for most words in Isha Upanishad, often the exact dictionary words. But the less commonly used dictionary meanings were usually the best choice. A few words were superfluous, and I left these on Stephanie’s website.
5. A Clear and Comprehensible Translation
of Upanishad.
By tradition, Upanishads like Isha Upanishad have been presented in obscure language that can confuse more than clarify. They conceal more than reveal the full value of these verses, for our daily lives. This gives a misleading impression that the Upanishads are obscure, esoteric, and only the elite can properly understand them. This has turned the common people away from Upanishadic material, and for very many centuries the Upanishads have been studied only by the Brahman priestly caste.
In more recent millennia new material was incorporated into Hindu scriptures for the common people. These are Purana (puraņa), which uses the ancient tradition of story telling, where Names for Deity become the names of people in stories that are often imaginative and magical.
This is a great loss, for Upanishad (upaniṣad) expresses important spiritual insights that arise from deep meditation. Upanishad (upaniṣad) was not composed to be obscured with confusing obfuscations. Upanishad (upaniṣad) can be easy to use and understand, if priority is given to a translation that is sensible and comprehensible. This I have done.
I often found that the lesser dictionary meanings worked better than the primary meanings, when I translated these Upanishads. At times I had to extrapolate considerably from dictionary meanings, to make the translation work. Or I had to use other information sources. I also adjusted word sequence and grammar. Upanishad (upaniṣad) is ancient, with archaic Sanskrit, and primary dictionary meanings might be classical Sanskrit from a later epoch in Indian history.
I place the sacred language side by side with the worldly language, with diacritics retained to indicate proper pronunciation. In this, the sacred language is supposed to be articulated, to help us to gain full benefit. We need to get out of this “One Language” of English, and explore others.
May the beauty of sacred language attract us to the beauty of spiritual practice.
Composed by Mike Browning, 2021. ©Copyright cannot be claimed for this webpage, for the important sections of it all come from ancient tradition.
You are permitted and encouraged to copy text from this webpage and use as you see fit, provided it is not harmful to mantra-translate.
You are permitted and encouraged to copy text from this webpage and use as you see fit, provided it is not harmful to mantra-translate.
