श्वेताश्वतरोपनिषत् / śvetāśvataropaniṣat - Third Chapter mantras w/ translation by Swami Swami Tyagisanandaji

 ya eko jālavānīśata īśanībhiḥ sarvām̐llokānīśata īśanībhiḥ .

ya evaika udbhave sambhave ca ya etad viduramṛtāste bhavanti .. 1..

It is the self-same One who exists alone at the time of creation and dissolution of the universe, that assumes manifold powers and appears as the Divine Lord by virtue of His inscrutable power of Maya. He it is that protects all the worlds and controls all the various forces working therein. Those who realize this Being becomes immortal.

eko hi rudro na dvitīyāya tasthurya imām̐llokānīśata īśanībhiḥ .

pratyaṅ janāstiṣṭhati sañcukocāntakāle saṃsṛjya viśvā bhuvanāni gopāḥ .. 2..

He who protects and controls the worlds by His own powers, He—Rudra—is indeed one only. There is no one beside Him who can make Him the second. O men, He is present inside the hearts of all beings. After projecting and maintaining all the worlds, He finally withdraws them into Himself.

viśvataścakṣuruta viśvatomukho viśvatobāhuruta viśvataspāt .

saṃ bāhubhyāṃ dhamati sampatatrairdyāvābhūmī janayan deva ekaḥ .. 3..

Though Deva (Ishwara) the creator of heaven and earth, is one only, yet He is the real owner of all the eyes, faces, hands and feet in this universe. It is He who inspires them all to do their respective duties in accordance with the knowledge, past actions and tendencies of the various beings (with whom they appear to be associated).

yo devānāṃ prabhavaścodbhavaśca viśvādhipo rudro maharṣiḥ .

hiraṇyagarbhaṃ janayāmāsa pūrvaṃ sa no buddhyā śubhayā saṃyunaktu .. 4..

May Rudra, who is source of the devatas and supports them ; who is the origin also of the hiranyagarbha; confers bliss and wisdom on the devoted, destroying their sins and sorrows, and punishing all breaches of law (as Sri Rudra); may Rudra, the great seer (Rishi) and the lord of all, endow us with good thoughts.

yā te rudra śivā tanūraghorā'pāpakāśinī .

tayā nastanuvā śantamayā giriśantābhicākaśīhi .. 5..

III-5: O Lord, who blesses all creatures by revealing the Vedas, deign to make us happy by Thy calm and blissful self, which roots out terror as well as sin.

yābhiṣuṃ giriśanta haste bibharṣyastave .

śivāṃ giritra tāṃ kuru mā hiṃsīḥ puruṣaṃ jagat .. 6..

III-6: O revealer of the Vedic truths, deign to make propitious that arrow which Thou holdest in Thy hand for shooting at somebody. O protector of devotees, do not destroy that benign personal form of Thine which has manifested as the universe.

tataḥ paraṃ brahma paraṃ bṛhantaṃ yathānikāyaṃ sarvabhūteṣu gūḍham .

viśvasyaikaṃ pariveṣṭitāram īśaṃ taṃ jñātvā amṛtā bhavanti .. 7..

Beyond this (saguna brahman) is the infinite Supreme Brahman (as the suddha nirguna adviteeya adhisthaana chaithanyam), who is concealed in all beings according to their bodies, and who, though remaining single, envelops the whole universe. Knowing Him to be the Lord, one becomes immortal.

vedāhametaṃ puruṣaṃ mahāntam ādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt .

tameva viditvātimṛtyumeti  nānyaḥ panthā vidyate'yanāya .. 8..

I have realized this Great Being who shines effulgent like the sun beyond all darkness. One passes beyond death only on knowing Him. There is no other way of escape from the circle of births and deaths.

yasmāt paraṃ nāparamasti kiñcidya-mānnaṇīyo na jyāyo'sti kaścit .

vṛkṣa iva stabdho divi tiṣṭhatyeka-stenedaṃ pūrṇaṃ puruṣeṇa sarvam .. 9..

There is naught higher than or different from Him; naught greater or more minute than Him. Rooted in His own glory He stands like a tree, one without a second and immovable. By that Being the whole universe is filled.

tato yaduttaratataṃ tadarūpamanāmayam 

ya etadviduramṛtāste bhavanti athetare duḥkhamevāpiyanti .. 10..

III-10: That Being is far beyond this world, is formless and free from misery. They who know this become immortal. But all others have indeed to suffer misery alone.

sarvānana śirogrīvaḥ sarvabhūtaguhāśayaḥ

sarvavyāpī sa bhagavāṃstasmāt sarvagataḥ śivaḥ .. 11..

III-11: Therefore, that Divine Lord, being all-pervading, omnipresent and benevolent, dwells in the hearts of all beings, and makes use of all faces, heads and necks in this world.

mahān prabhurvai puruṣaḥ satvasyaiṣa pravartakaḥ .

sunirmalāmimāṃ prāptimīśāno jyotiravyayaḥ .. 12..

III-12: This Self is indeed the mighty Lord. He is the imperishable (internal) light that controls everything. He guides the intellect of all beings so as to enable them to gain that extremely pure state (of Mukti).

aṅguṣṭhamātraḥ puruṣo'ntarātmā sadā janānāṃ hṛdaye sanniviṣṭaḥ .

hṛdā manīṣā manasābhiklṛpto ya etad viduramṛtāste bhavanti .. 13..

III-13: Assuming a form of the size of a thumb, by virtue of intellect, emotion, imagination and will, the Infinite Being dwells in the hearts of creatures as their inner self. Those who realize this become immortal.

sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt .

sa bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvā atyatiṣṭhaddaśāṅgulam .. 14..

III-14: That Infinite Being has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet enveloping the whole universe on all sides. He exists beyond ten fingers.

puruṣa evedagͫ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yacca bhavyam .

utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yadannenātirohati .. 15..

III-15: That which is, that which was, and that which is yet to be - all this is nothing but this Infinite Being. Though He grows beyond His own nature into the form of the objective universe, He still remains the lord of immortality.

sarvataḥ pāṇipādaṃ tat sarvato'kṣiśiromukham .

sarvataḥ śrutimalloke sarvamāvṛtya tiṣṭhati .. 16..

III-16: With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, That exists, pervading everything in the universe.

sarvendriyaguṇābhāsaṃ sarvendriyavivarjitam .

sarvasya prabhumīśānaṃ sarvasya śaraṇaṃ suhṛt .. 17..

III-17: They realize Him as shining by the functions of all the senses yet without the senses as the lord of all, the ruler of all, the refuge of all and the friend of all.

navadvāre pure dehī haṃso lelāyate bahiḥ .

vaśī sarvasya lokasya sthāvarasya carasya ca .. 18..

III-18: It is He who resides in the body, the city of nine gates. He is the soul that sports in the outside world. He is the master of the whole world, animate and inanimate.

apāṇipādo javano grahītā paśyatyacakṣuḥ sa śṛṇotyakarṇaḥ .

sa vetti vedyaṃ na ca tasyāsti vettā tamāhuragryaṃ puruṣaṃ mahāntam .. 19..

III-19: Without hands and feet He goes fast and grasps; without eyes He sees; without ears He hears. He knows whatever is to be known, yet there is none who knows Him. They say He is the foremost, the great Infinite Being.

aṇoraṇīyān mahato mahīyā-nātmā guhāyāṃ nihito'sya jantoḥ .

tamakratuḥ paśyati vītaśoko dhātuḥ prasādānmahimānamīśam .. 20..

III-20: Subtler than even the subtlest and greater than the greatest, the Atman is concealed in the heart of the creature. By the grace of the Creator, one becomes free from sorrows and desires, and then realizes Him as the great Lord.

vedāhametamajaraṃ purāṇaṃ sarvātmānaṃ sarvagataṃ vibhutvāt .

janmanirodhaṃ pravadanti yasya brahmavādino hi pravadanti nityam .. 21..

III-21: I know this un-decaying primeval Immanent Self of all, who is omnipresent because of His all-pervasiveness, and whom the expounders of Brahman declare to be eternally free from birth.