Isha Upanishad (with commentary) · Verses 11-18

vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yas tad vedobhayaṃ saha |
avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtam aśnute

yata evamato vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca devatājñānaṃ karma cetyarthaḥ /
yastadetadubhayaṃ sahaikena puruṣeṇa anuṣṭheyaṃ veda tasyaivaṃ samuccayakāriṇa eva ekapuruṣārthasambandhaḥ krameṇa syādityucyate /
avidyayā karmaṇā agnihotrādinā mṛtyuṃ svābhāvikaṃ karma jñānaṃ ca mṛtyuśabdavācyamubhayaṃ tīrtvā atikramya vidyayā devatājñānenāmṛtaṃ devatātmabhāvamaśnute prāpnoti /
taddhyamṛtamucyate yaddevatātmagamanam

adhunā vyākṛtāvyākṛtopāsanayoḥ samuccicīṣayā pratyekaṃ nindocyate /
andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye 'sambhūtim upāsate |
tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u sambhūtyāṃ ratāḥ

andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye asambhūtiṃ sambhavanaṃ sambhūtiḥ sā yasya kāryasya sā sambhūtiḥ tasyā anyā asambhūtiḥ prakṛtiḥ kāraṇamavidyā avyākṛtākhyā tāmasambhūtimavyākṛtākhyāṃ prakṛtiṃ kāraṇamavidyāṃ kāmakarmabījabhūtāmadarśanātmikāmupāsate ye te tadanurūpamevāndhaṃ tamo 'darśanātmakaṃ praviśanti /
tatastasmādapi bhūyo bahutaramiva tamaḥ praviśanti ya u sambhūtyāṃ kāryabrahmaṇi hiraṇyagarbhākhye ratāḥ

adhunobhayorupāsanayoḥ samuccayakāraṇamavayavaphalabhedamāha--
anyad evāhuḥ saṃbhavād anyad āhur asaṃbhavāt |
iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nas tad vicacakṣire

anyadeva pṛthagevāhuḥ phalaṃ sambhavātsambhūteḥ kāryabrahmopāsanādaṇimādyaiśvaryalakṣaṇaṃ vyākhyātavanta ityarthaḥ /
tathā cānyadāhuḥ asambhavādasambhūtekhyākṛtād avyākṛtopāsanāt /
yaduktamandhantamaḥ praviśantīti prakṛtilaya iti ca paurāṇikairucyata ityevaṃ śuśruma dhīraṇāṃ vacanaṃ ye nastadvicacakṣire vyākṛtāvyākṛtopāsanaphalaṃ vyākhyātavanta ityarthaḥ

yata evamataḥ samuccayaḥ sambhūtyasambhūtyupāsanayoryukta evaikapuruṣārthatvāccetyāha--
saṃbhūtiṃ ca vināśaṃ ca yas tad vedobhayaṃ saha |
vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā saṃbhūtyāmṛtam aśnute

sambhūtiṃ ca vināśaṃ ca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha vināśo dharmo yasya kāryasya sa tena dharmiṇā abhedena ucyate vināśa iti, tena tadupāsanenānaiśvaryamadharmakāmādidoṣajātaṃ ca mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā-- hiraṇyagarbhopāsanenāpti hyāṇimādiprāptiḥ phalam, tenānaiśvaryādimṛtyumatītya asambhūtyā avyākṛtopāsanayā amṛtaṃ prakṛtilayalakṣaṇamaśnute /
sambhūtiṃ ca vināśaṃ cetyatrāvarṇalopena nirdeśo draṣṭavyaḥ prakṛtilayaphalaśrutyanurodhāt

mānuṣadaivavittasādhyaṃ phalaṃ śāstralakṣaṇaṃ prakṛtilayāntam /
etāvatī saṃsāragatiḥ /
ataḥ paraṃ pūrvoktamātmaivābhūdvijānata iti sarvātmabhāva eva sarveṣaṇāsaṃnyāsajñānaniṣṭhāphalam /
evaṃ dviprakāraḥ pravṛttinivṛttilakṣaṇo vedārtho 'tra prakāśitaḥ /
tatra pravṛttilakṣaṇasya vedārthasya vidhipratiṣedhalakṣaṇasya vedārthasya vidhipratiṣedhalakṣaṇasya kṛtsnasya prakāśane pravargyāntaṃ brāhmaṇamupayuktam /
nivṛttilakṣaṇasya vedārthasya prakāśane 'ta ūrdhvaṃ bṛhadāraṇyakamupayuktam /
tatra niṣekādiśmaśānāntaṃ karma kurvan jijīviṣedyo vidyayā sahāparabrahmaviṣayayā taduktaṃ 'vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ca yastadvedobhayaṃ saha /
avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamasnute' iti /
tatra kena mārgeṇāmṛtatvamaśnuta ityucyate /
tadyattatsatyamasau sa ādityo ya eṣa etasminmaṇḍale puruṣo yaścāyaṃ dakṣiṇe 'kṣanpuruṣa etadubhayaṃ satyam /
brahmopāsīno yathoktakarmakṛcca yaḥ so 'ntakāle prāpte satyātmānamātmanaḥ prāptidvāraṃ yācate 'hiraṇmayena pātreṇa' iti /
hiraṇmayena pātreṇa satyasyāpihitaṃ mukham /
tat tvaṃ pūṣann apāvṛṇu satyadharmāya dṛṣṭaye

hiraṇmayamiva hiraṇmayaṃ jyotirmayamityetat /
tena pātreṇeva apidhānabhūtena satyasyaivādityamaṇḍalasthasya brāhmaṇo 'pihitam ācchāditaṃ mukhaṃ dvāram /
tattvaṃ he pūṣannapāvṛṇvapasāraya satyasya upāsanātsatyaṃ dharmo yasya mama so 'haṃ satyadharmā tasmai mahyamathavā yathābhūtasya dharmasyānuṣṭhātre dṛṣṭaye tava satyātmana upalabdhaye

pūṣann ekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīn samūha tejaḥ |
yat te rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sāv asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi

he pūṣan! jagataḥ poṣaṇātpūṣā ravistathaika eva ṛṣati gacchati ityekarṣiḥ-- he ekarṣe! tathā sarvasya saṃyamanādyamaḥ-- he yama! tathā raśmīnāṃ prāṇānāṃ rasānāñca svīkaraṇāt sūryaḥ-- he sūrya! prajāpaterapatyaṃ prājāpatyaḥ-- he prājāpatya! vyūha vigamaya raśmīnsvān /
samūha ekīkuru upasaṃharate tejastāpakaṃ jyotiḥ /
yatte tava rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamam atyantaśobhanaṃ tatte tavātmanaḥ prasādāt paśyāmi /
kiñcāhaṃ na tu tvāṃ bhṛtyavadyāce yo 'sāvādityamaṇḍalastho vyāhṛtyavayavaḥ puruṣaḥ puruṣākāratvātpūrṇaṃ vānena prāṇabuddhayātmanā jagatsamastamiti puruṣaḥ puri śayanādvā puruṣaḥ so 'hamasmi bhavāmi

vāyur anilam amṛtam athedaṃ bhasmāntaṃ śarīram |
oṃ krato smara kṛtaṃ smara krato smara kṛtaṃ smara

athedānīṃ mama mariṣyato vāyuḥ prāṇo 'dhyātmaparicchedaṃ hitvādhidaivatātmānaṃ sarvātmakamanilamamṛtaṃ sūtrātmānaṃ pratipadyatāmiti vākyaśeṣaḥ /
liṅgaṃ cedaṃ jñānakarmasaṃskṛtamutkrāmatviti draṣṭavyam, mārgayācanasāmarthyāt /
athedaṃ śarīramagnau hutaṃ bhasmāntaṃ bhūyāt /
om iti yathopāsanam oṃpratīkātmakatvātsatyātmakamagnyākhyaṃ brahmābhedenocyate /
he krato! saṅkalpātmaka! smara yanmama smartavyaṃ tasya kālo 'yaṃ pratyupasthito 'taḥ smara /
etāvantaṃ kālaṃ bhāvitaṃ kṛtamagne smara yanmayā bālyaprabhṛtyanuṣṭhitaṃ karma tacca smara /
krato smara kṛtaṃ smareti punarvacanamādarārtham

punaranyena mantreṇa mārgaṃ yācate--
agne naya supathā rāye asmān viśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān |
yuyodhy asmaj juhurāṇam eno bhūyiṣṭhāṃ te nama uktiṃ vidhema

he agne! naya gamaya supathā śobhanena mārgeṇa /
supratheti viśeṣaṇaṃ dakṣiṇamārganivṛttyartham /
nirviṇṇo 'haṃ dakṣiṇena mārgeṇa gatāgatalakṣaṇenāto yāce tvāṃ punaḥ punargamanāgamanavarjitena śobhanena pathā naya /
rāye dhanāya karmaphalabhogāyetyarthaḥ, asmānyathoktadharmaphalaviśiṣṭān viśvāni sarvāṇi he deva! vayunāni karmāṇi prajñānāni vā vidvāñjānan /
kiñca yuyodhi viyojaya vināśaya asmadasmatto juhurāṇaṃ kuṭilaṃ vañcanātmakamenaḥ pāpam /
tato vayaṃ viśuddhāḥ santa iṣṭaṃ prāpsyāma ityabhiprāyaḥ /
kintu vayamidānīṃ te na śaknumaḥ paricaryāṃ kartum /
bhūyiṣṭhāṃ bahutarāṃ te tubhyaṃ nama uktiṃ namaskāravacanaṃ vidhema namaskāreṇa paricarema ityarthaḥ /
'avidyayā mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtamaśnute /' (ī.u.11) 'vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvāsambhūtyāmṛtamaśnute' (ī.u.14) iti śrutvā kecitsaṃśayaṃ kurvanti /
atastannirākaraṇārthaṃ saṃkṣepato vicāraṇāṃ kariṣyāmaḥ /
tatra tāvaktinnimittaḥ saṃśaya ityucyate /
vidyāśabdena mukhyā paramātmavidyaiva kasmānna gṛhyate 'mṛtatvañca /
nānuktāyāḥ paramātmavidyāyāḥ karmaṇaśca virodhātsamuccayānupapattiḥ /
satyam /
virodhastu nāvagamyate virodhāvirodhayoḥ śāstrapramāṇakatvāt /
yathāvidyānuṣṭhānaṃ vidyopāsanañca śāstrapramāṇakaṃ tathā tadvirodhāvirodhāvapi /
yathā ca na hiṃsyātsarvā bhūtānīti śāstrādavagataṃ punaḥ śāstreṇaiva bādhyate 'dhvare paśuṃ hiṃsyāditi /
evaṃ vidyāvidyayorapi syāt /
vidyākarmaṇośca samuccayaḥ /
na"dūramete viparīte viṣūcī avidyā yā ca vidyā"(ka.u.1 / 2 / 4) iti śruteḥ /
vidyāṃ cāvidyāṃ ceti vacanādavirodha iti cet?
na ; hetusvarūpaphalavirodhāt /
vidyāvidyāvirodhāvirodhayorvikalpāsambhavātsamuccayavidhānādavirodha eveti cet?
na? sahasambhavānupapatteḥ /
krameṇaikāśraye syātāṃ vidyāvidye iti cet?
na ; vidyotpattau avidyāyā hyāstatvāttadāśraye 'vidyānupapatteḥ /
na hyagniruṣṇaḥ prakāśaśceti vijñānotpattau yasminnāśraye tadutpannaṃ tasminnevāśraye śīto 'gniraprakāśo vetyavidyāyā utpattirnāpi saṃśayo 'jñānaṃ vā"yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtānyātmaivābhūdvijānataḥ /
tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvamanupaśyataḥ"(ī.u.7) iti śokamohādyasambhavaśruteḥ /
avidyāsambhavāttadupādānasya karmaṇo 'pyanupapattim avocāma /
amṛtamaśnuta ityāpekṣikam amṛtam /
vidyāśabdena paramātmavidyāgrahaṇe hiraṇmayenetyādinā dvāramārgādiyācanamanupapannaṃ syāt /
tasmādupāsanayā samuccayo na paramātmavijñāneneti yathāsmābhirvyākhyāta eva mantrāṇāmartha ityuparamyate