A text traditionally ascribed to the Black Yajurveda. It has influences from Såµkhya-Yoga and the later emerging theistic tendencies found in the Bhagavad Gîta. It is plausible to assume it is a one of the later Principle Upanishads since it attempts to integrate numerous and divergent cosmologies and theologies into its religious doctrine. Shankaracharya called it the ‘Mantra-Upanishad’ since it integrates numerous citations from older Vedic text.[1] Modern scholarship in the west has a tendency to point out the ‘chaotic accumulation of different text. However, recent scholarship, Oberlies (1988) argues that the Upanishad is a uniform text, presenting the mystical teachings of Lord Rudra. Among some schools in India this view is also accepted and the text is venerated as the first systematical exposition and teachings of Shaivism, a philosophy that revere Shiva as the superior God. This Upanishad has been dated by western scholarship to be from between 4th and 2nd Century BCE. There are four major commentators on this text and Shankaracharya is the most famous one. The text has a total of 113 Mantras divided over six chapters.
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In this survey, I will first highlight the principle features of the text, then I will pinpoint it’s major reference to yoga and finally I will extract some verses from each chapter and make some brief commentaries for those that are interested.
Overview:
The Svetasvatara Upanishad is first and foremost a text in praise of the divine. The inmost essence in man and the inmost fabric of all material existence is here qualified with various names and certain attributes. Although Rudra is the principle deity being addressed, the one without a second, here he is also being referred to as Brahman, Ishwara, Prajapati, Hiranyagarbha and Kapila. There is a strong aspect of devotion (Bhakti) in this text compared to other Upanishad who focuses more on meditative insight (upasana). Words such aspara-bhaki(superior devotion)sharanam(refuge) andprapadye(surrender) are mostly known from later devotional schools, but here it is used regularly. In earlier Upanishads God (Brahman) is usually portrayed as formless. Here he is portrayed with a numerous characteristics such as knowledge and power, the creator and sustainer, and whose presence is everywhere and in everything. Another important feature of this text is that God is equally portrayed as Maya and Brahman. In his feminine aspect of Maya, he indirectly controls the unfolding of material energies in this Universe. As Brahman he remains detached from them in his capacity of being un-bound, a contradiction in itself, and a much-heated debate for later interpreters of Vedanta. However, the foremost feature of this text is that God, who is portrayed, as the inmost controller of all there is, is also capable of giving salvation to human beings. There are also strong reference to Samkhya and Yoga. Here Rudra witnessed the birth of Kapila, the father of Samkhya (SU 5.2) and there are numerous references to the samkhya-yoga terminology that strives to develop the right discrimination (viveka) between Prakrti and Purusha in order to liberate man from the many layers of suffering.
Reference to Yoga:
In the 2nd Chapter we find the first references to Yoga. First the mind is to be cultivated with good thoughts and mediation on god Savitri (the inner essence of the sun) is suggested for developing of strength and greater clarity of mind. The practice of yoga is then suggested as follows:
When he keeps his body straight, with the three sections erect, and draws the senses together with the mind into his heart, a wise man shall cross all the frightful rivers with the boat consisting of that formulation (brahman). 8
Compressing is breath in here and curbing his movements, a man should exhale through one nostril when his breath is exhausted. A wise man should keep his mind vigilantly under control, just as he would that wagon yoked to unruly horses. 9
Level and clean; free of gravel, fire and sand; near noiseless running waters and the like; pleasing to the mind but not offensive to the eye; provided with a cave or a nook sheltered from the wind - in such a spot should one engage in yogic practice. 10
Now the specifics of a yoga practice is not referred to, but from the text we can assume it requires a certain stability in posture (asana), in order to restrain the outward fluctuations of the body and mind. A further practice of pranayama (retention of the breath) is alluded to in the subsequent verse, but the details of a practice we can only speculate over. With reference to later texts on Hatha Yoga (HYP 1:11) ++ we have all reasons to believe that the specific practices were kept secret and only disclosed to students who had proven themselves worthy. The conclusion of this text also reveal that “only a man who has the deepest love for God, and who shows the same love for his teacher as toward God” (SU 6:23), will be susceptible to grasp this subtle doctrine. The major portion of this text is dedicated to the awakening of the personal experience of God residing within the hearts of men. Most of it is conveyed in beautiful metaphors as we shall see later, but here is a strong indication of the practical experience one may gain when ones practice of yoga is proper:
When, by means of the true nature of the self, which resembles a lamp, a man practicing yogic restraint sees here the true nature of brahman, he is freed from all fetters, because he has known God, unborn, unchanging, and unsullied by all objects.(SU 2:15)
The goal of all yogic practices, is first and foremost a refinement of the operating layers of ones prakrti constitution, then as the veil of ‘ignorance’ (avidya) is lifted, one is able to discriminate the real from the less real, i.e. purusha from prakrti. Here an instant awakening may come about directly from the experience of God, as the inmost presence in ones own heart heart. This is the foremost teachings of this text, and as we shall see later, a similar approach is found in the Yoga Sutras with reference to Ishwara. Now I will proceed to give a brief overview of each chapter with some selected verses to hopefully stimulate the interest of further inquiry.
Chapter by Chapter:
Chapter 1:
Here the big questions of life are being contemplated. “What is the cause of Brahman, why were we born, by what do we live and on what are we established” (v.1). No simple answers are given, but for those that come to realize brahman, the inmost essence of the heart, will be able to discriminate between what is ultimately real vs. not real and will be free from the cycle of transitory existence.
When on has known God, all the fetters fall off; by the eradication of the blemishes, birth and death come to an end; by meditating on him, one obtains, at the dissolution of the body, a third - a sovereignty over all. And in the absolute one’s desires are fulfilled. 11
This can be known, for it abides always within ones’ body (atman). Higher than that there is nothing to be known. When the enjoyer discerns the object of enjoyment and the impeller - everything has been taught. That is the threefold Brahman. 12
If we were to use yoga terminology it is easy to make parallels between this trinity of Brhaman and the three principles of Yoga Philsophy, namely Purusha, Prakrti and Ishwara. In this Upanishad a total surrender to God, here Brahman is first suggested in order to acquire the inmost experience and ultimate support of existence. In YS a similar approach is found where a total surrender to Ishwara is suggested as the easiest way to Samadhi (see YS 1:23-29). Patanjali is indeed scarce with reference to Ishwara, but this whole Upanishad an exposition on the many attributes of God and how to know him. The concluding portion of the first chapter ends with suggestions on meditative contemplations on the sacred syllable OM (v. 13-16) and how this may be the primary awakening of the genuine experience of divinity situated within all.
Chapter 2:
In addition to what I’ve already explained with reference to yoga it may be repeated that meditation of Savtri, is the preparatory step to stimulate the awakening of inner effulgence and strength building (v. 1-7), then comes the ‘secret’ practices of yoga as already mentioned. What is noteworthy to observe is that the results of the practice, are many of the exact same signs as referred to in the medieval literature of Hatha Yoga:
When earth, water, fire, air, and ether have arisen together, and the body made up of these five becomes equipped with the attribute of yoga, that man, obtaining a body tempered by the fire of yoga, will no longer experience sickness, old age, or suffering.
Lightness, health, the absence of greed, a bright complexion, a pleasant voice, a sweet smell, and very little feces and urine - that, they say is the first working of yoga practice. (SU 2:12-13)
In HYP The success of purifying ones nerve patterns (nadis) through the practice of yoga is defined to be: ‘Slimness of body, luster on the face, clarity of voice, brightness of eyes, freedom from disease etc’ (2:78), so we have all reasons to believe that the ancient practitioners of yoga may have been engaged in practices of asana, pranayama etc. although nothing specific is referred to regarding their practices.
Chapter 3:
Here Rudra is introduced as the chieftain of all the gods. He is also equated to be Ishwara and the one who witnessed the birth of Hiranyagarbha.[2] What is higher than even Brahman is called ‘the immense person’ (maha-purusha), situated in the heart of men he is the one to be contemplated for the ultimate release of suffering:
Who is higher than that, higher than brahman, the immense one hidden in all beings, in each according to its kind, and who alone encompasses the whole universe - when people know him as the lord they become immortal. 7
I know that immense Person, having the color of the sun and beyond darkness. Only when a man knows him does he pass beyond death; there is no other path for getting there. 8
This whole world is filled by that Person, beyond whom there is nothing; beneath whom there is nothing; smaller than whom there is nothing; larger than whom there is nothing; and who stands like a tree firmly planted in heaven. 9
Chapter 4:
In the opening verse of this chapter we encounter an interesting compound word namely ‘shakti-yoga’, implying that due to this inherent power God creates and dissolves the universe according to the cycles of creation.
Who alone, himself without color, due to his shakti-yoga creates countless colors, and in whom the universe comes together at the beginning and dissolves in the end - may he furnish us with lucid intelligence. 1
What is further interesting about this chapter is that the distinction between Maya and Brahman is also given and how it manifest and is experienced within ones own body:
Two birds, who are companions and friends, nestle on the very same tree. One of them eats a tasty fig; the other, not eating, looks on. 6
Stuck on the very same tree one person grieves, deluded by her who is not the Lord. But when he sees the other, the contended Lord - and the Lord’s majesty - his grief disappears. 7
In a nutshell this distinction is the heart of Yoga and Vedanta, to discriminate between what is constant, i.e. not changing and that which is always changing, i.e. all thoughts, ideas and perception. On a personal level, according to the text, a person is set free from bondage when they no longer generate karma due to selfish behavior of likes and dislikes. On a universal level, the world is in constant movement, yet something remains infinitely the same. This is impossible to verify, explain or point at, because it is part of everything that is. To therefore try to explain Braham will be a futile attempt, but according to this text, the very power that reveals it is Maya, the primal matter that originated from Brahman, yet is different to it.
Meters sacrifices, rites, religious observances, the past, the future, and what the Vedas proclaim - from that the illusionist (Brahma) creates this whole world, and in it the other remains confined by the illusory power (Maya). 9
One should recognize the illusory power (Maya) as primal matter (Prakrti) and the illusionist, as the great Lord. This whole living world is thus pervaded by things that are parts of him. 10.
The interpreters of Vedanta argue heftily about the concept of Maya and there is no room to discuss that here. There are reasons to believe that the purpose of this text is not to explain Maya, but rather point to a different experience in the mind/heart that reveal something of a different nature than the world of phenomenon. The reader is urged to acquire this distinction with insightful contemplations of the heart in order to gain a new awareness of ones inmost existence. Now, just to illustrate how difficult this may be, the following verse is appropriate:
No one will catch hold of him from above, from across, or in the middle. There is no likeness of him, whose name is Immense Glory. 19
His appearance is beyond the range of sight, no one can see him with this sight. Those who know him thus with their hearts - him, who abide in their hearts - and with insight become immortal. 20
Chapter 5:
This chapter makes the distinction between knowledge (vidya) and ignorance (avidya). It ensures us that it is only Brahman that remains at the end of every cycle of creation and the one that sets it forth in the beginning. Yet Brahman is also hidden in everything that exists and good actions will help a man reveal it and negative actions will cause further ignorance. This essence of Brahman is the inmost essence situated within our own hearts. Yet it can equally be all-expansive like the sun, when perceived in the right manner. To illustrate the subtlety of it we have the following verse:
When the tip of a hair is split into a hundred parts, and one of those parts further into a hundred parts - the individual soul (jiva), on the one hand, is the size of one such part, and, on the other, it partakes of infinity. 9
It is neither a woman nor a man, nor even a hermaphrodite; it is ruled over by whichever body it obtains. 10
The birth, growth, life-span, health, wealth, etc. of a body/mind is said to take place due to ones actions and the very intentions that support them. The very fact that we cannot pierce the veil of ignorance is due to our lack of clear discrimination and the underlying patterns of continual activity supported by ignorance. While identifying with thoughts, ideas and regular phenomenon, these patterns continue to solidify and the quandary is that nobody can escape the sensations of the body and mind while alive. It is therefore rather the essence of the perceiver, the one that does not change in the midst of change, that is to be inquired into for the cultivation of a new perspective. In Samkhya and Yoga this duality is qualified as Purusha and Prakrti, and the conjunction (sam-yoga) that exists between them is what has to be released for the ultimate experience of the One to exist in isolation[3]. Here a similar explanation is given.
The embodied self assumes numerous physical appearances, both large and small, in accordance to its inherent qualities. This union (samyoga), give rise to the perception of duality, due to the qualities of action of the body and the subtle qualities (gunas) of the self.[4] 12
Now we may ask. Why does ignorance exist, is our normal mode of perception ultimately not real? These questions can never be answered within our operative standpoint of phenomenology, what we feel and perceive, no matter what level of ignorance we are covered in, is somewhat real to us due to the fact that we perceive it. However, the seers and sages of Yoga and Vedanta try to point to a different experience which is constant at all times and exist in everything and when somebody recognizes this inmost essence of the heart one is freed from all fetters.
Chapter 6:
Why is there existence at all? Why not just non-existence? Despite the many layers of facts, confusion, ignorance within us all, ultimately there is only one thing that is real and that seem to be the main message conveyed of this Upanishad:
Some wise men say it is inherent nature, while others say it is time - all totally deluded. It is rather the greatness of God present in the world by means of which this wheel of Brahman goes around. 1
This Royal architect of nature, time and everything that exists, sets forth this expansive universe at the beginning of every creation, then absorbs it again, and hence the cycle continues. What is our place in the midst of this cosmic soup? Is it not better to be stuck in ignorance than try to perceive something of which we are not even aware?
The ultimate purpose of these teachings is not to make us into anything we are not, but rather help us reveal suffering. The ultimate result of that has to be experienced within the individual. As far as the text say, they speak of a higher bliss then what is to be gained from the senses, a bliss that is lasting, eternal and gives the highest joy:
The one controller of the many who is inactive, who makes this single seed manifold; the wise perceive him as abiding within themselves (atman), they alone, not others, enjoy eternal happiness. 12
How do we come to perceive this is the final purpose of these teachings. Whether we succeed or not has to be tested in our own awareness. If it makes us genuinely more joyful and appreciative of life, despite its many challenges, we can be sure to be on the right path. The method of application is said to be Samkya and Yoga and hence I have traversed on this winding path trying to explain this Upanishad. The ultimate teachings of yoga is of course all around, but how we gain greater awareness of this inmost perceiver that illuminates our intellect and understanding, ai that is the greater purpose of everything we do.
The changeless, among the changing, the intelligent, among intelligent beings, the one, who dispenses desires among the many - when a man knows that cause, which is to be comprehended through the application of Såmkhya-Yoga, as God, he is freed from all fetters. 13
There the sun does not shine, nor the moon, and stars; there lightning does not shine, of this common fire need we speak! Him alone, as he shines, do all things reflect; this whole world radiates with his light. 14.
[1] See Purusha Sukta (RV 10. 194), Nasadiya Sukta, Agni Sukta, Rudra Prashna, and others.
[2] In a commentary on the YS called Bhaasvatii, of Hari Haraananda Aaranya, already in his first sentence he quotes and old saying supposedly from Yoga Yajnavalkya which reads: ‘Hiranyagarbho yogasya vaktaa naanyah puraatanah’. Which basically equates Hiranyagarbha to have been the first expositor of yoga in the modern age.
[3] See YS 2:23-25
[4] Now the essence of the self has no qualities per se, but is rather the inmost witness of all that exist. What is referred to here must therefore be the inmost subtle qualities of jiva, the personal soul, that is carrying its samskaaras (karmic residue) from birth to birth.