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• Preface
• Remarks Concerning the Translation Its Method and Arrangement
• List of Abbreviations
• Errata
• An Outline of the Philosophy of the Upanishads
• Chapter I: The Place of the Upanishads In the History of Philosophy
• Chapter II: The Upanishads and Their Place In Indian Philosophy
• Chapter III: First Attempts At the Conception of a Unitary World-ground
• Chapter IV: The Development of the Conception of Brahma
• Chapter V: The Development of the Conception of the Atman and Its Union With Brahma
• Chapter VI: The Realistic Conception of the Ultimate Unity, and the Doctrine of Illusion
• Chapter VII: Idealism and the Conception of Pure Unity
• Chapter VIII: The Outcome On Religion and On the Doctrine of Karma
• Chapter IX: The Outcome On Practical Life and On Morals
• Chapter X: The Artificial Method of Unity In Renunciation and In Yoga
• Chapter XI: Concluding Estimate
• BṚihad-ĀraṆyaka Upanishad
• First AdhyĀya
• Second AdhyĀya
• Third AdhyĀya
• Fourth AdhyĀya
• Fifth AdhyĀya
• Sixth AdhyĀya
• ChĀndogya Upanishad
• First PrapĀṬhaka a Glorification of the Chanting of the Sāma-veda 1
• Second PrapĀṬhaka the Significance of the Chant In Various Forms
• Third PrapĀṬhaka Brahma As the Sun of the World-all
• Fourth PrapĀṬhaka Conversational Instructions
• Fifth PrapĀṬhaka Concerning Breath, the Soul, and the Universal Soul
• Sixth PrapĀṬhaka the Instruction of Śvetaketu By Uddālaka Concerning the Key to All Knowledge
• Seventh PrapĀṬhaka the Instruction of Nārada By Sanatkumāra
• Eighth PrapĀṬhaka Concerning the Nature of the Soul
• TaittirĪya Upanishad
• First VallĪ (Śikshā Vallī, ‘chapter Concerning Instruction’)
• Second VallĪ (brahmānanda Vallī, ‘bliss-of-brahma Chapter’)
• Third VallĪ (bhṛigu Vallī, ‘chapter Concerning Bhṛigu’)
• Aitareya Upanishad
• First AdhyĀya
• Second AdhyĀya
• Third AdhyĀya
• KaushĪtaki Upanishad 1
• First AdhyĀya the Course of Reincarnation, and Its Termination Through Metaphysical Knowledge 2
• Second AdhyĀya the Doctrine of Prāṇa, Together With Certain Ceremonies
• Third AdhyĀya Doctrine of Prāṇa (the Breathing Spirit)
• Fourth AdhyĀya a Progressive Definition of Brahma 2
• Kena Upanishad 1
• (first KhaṆḌa)
• (second KhaṆḌa)
• (third KhaṆḌa) 3
• (fourth KhaṆḌa)
• KaṬha Upanishad
• First VallĪ 1
• Second VallĪ
• Third VallĪ
• Fourth VallĪ
• Fifth VallĪ
• Sixth VallĪ
• ĪŚĀ Upanishad 1
• MuṆḌaka Upanishad
• First MuṆḌaka Preparation For the Knowledge of Brahma
• Second MuṆḌaka the Doctrine of Brahma-Ātman
• Third MuṆḌaka the Way to Brahma
• PraŚna Upanishad 1
• First PraŚna
• Second PraŚna
• Third PraŚna
• Fourth PraŚna
• Fifth PraŚna
• Sixth PraŚna
• MĀṆḌŪkya Upanishad
• ŚvetĀŚvatara Upanishad
• First AdhyĀya
• Second AdhyĀya
• Third AdhyĀya
• Fourth AdhyĀya
• Fifth AdhyĀya
• Sixth AdhyĀya
• Maitri Upanishad
• First PrapĀṬhaka
• Second PrapĀṬhaka
• Third PrapĀṬhaka
• Fourth PrapĀṬhaka
• Fifth PrapĀṬhaka
• Sixth PrapĀṬhaka
• Seventh PrapĀṬhaka
• A Bibliography of the Upanishads Selected, Classified, and Annotated

FOURTH ADHYĀYA

The One God of the manifold world

1. The One who, himself without color, by the manifold application of his power (śakti-yoga)

Distributes many colors in his hidden purpose,

And into whom, its end and its beginning, the whole world dissolves—He is God (deva)!

May He endow us with clear intellect!

The One God pantheistically identified

• • 2.

    That surely is Agni (fire). That is Āditya (the sun).
  • That is Vāyu (the wind), and That is the moon.
  • That surely is the pure. That is Brahma.
  • That is the waters. That is Prajāpati (Lord of Creation).

• • 3.

    Thou art woman. Thou art man.
  • Thou art the youth and the maiden too.
  • Thou as an old man totterest with a staff.
  • Being born, thou becomest facing in every direction.2

4. Thou art the dark-blue bird and the green [parrot] with red eyes.

Thou hast the lightning as thy child. Thou art the seasons and the seas.

Having no beginning, thou dost abide with immanence,

Wherefrom all beings are born.

The universal and the individual soul

5. With the one unborn female, red, white, and black,3

Who produces many creatures like herself,

There lies the one unborn male4 taking his delight.

Another unborn male5 leaves her with whom he has had his delight.

6. Two birds, fast bound companions,

Clasp close the self-same tree.

Of these two, the one6 eats sweet fruit;

The other7 looks on without eating.8

7. On the self-same tree a person, sunken,

Grieves for his impotence, deluded;

When he sees the other, the Lord (īś), contented,

And his greatness, he becomes freed from sorrow.9

The ignorant soul in the illusion of a manifold universe

18. That syllable of the sacred hymn (ṛc, Rig-Veda) whereon, in highest heaven,

All the gods are seated—

Of what avail is the sacred hymn (ṛc, Rig-Veda) to him who knows not That?

They, indeed, who know That, are here assembled.1

9. Sacred poetry (chandas), the sacrifices, the ceremonies, the ordinances,

The past, the future, and what the Vedas declare—

This whole world the illusion-maker (māyin) projects out of this [Brahma].

And in it by illusion (māyā) the other2 is confined.

10. Now, one should know that Nature (Prakṛiti) is illusion (māyā).

And that the Mighty Lord (maheśvara) is the illusionmaker (māyin).

This whole world is pervaded

With beings that are parts of Him.

The saving knowledge of the one, kindly, immanent supreme God of the universe

11. The One who rules over every single source,

In whom this whole world comes together and dissolves,

The Lord (īśāna), the blessing-giver, God (deva) adorable—

By revering Him one goes for ever to this peace (śānti).

12. He who is the source and origin of the gods,

The ruler of all, Rudra (the Terrible), the great seer,

Who beheld the Golden Germ (Hiraṇyagarbha) when he was born—

May He endow us with clear intellect!3

13. Who is the overlord of the gods,

On whom the worlds do rest,

Who is lord of biped and quadruped here—

To what god will we give reverence with oblations?4

14. More minute than the minute, in the midst of confusion

The Creator of all, of manifold forms,

The One embracer of the universe—5

By knowing Him as kindly (śiva) one attains peace forever.

15. He indeed is the protector of the world in time,

The overlord of all, hidden in all things,

With whom the seers of Brahma and the divinities are joined in union.

By knowing Him thus, one cuts the cords of death.

16. By knowing as kindly (śiva) Him who is hidden in all things,

Exceedingly fine, like the cream that is finer than butter,

The One embracer of the universe—

By knowing God (deva) one is released from all fetters.

17. That God, the All-worker, the Great Soul (mahātman),

Ever seated in the heart of creatures,

Is framed by the heart, by the thought, by the mind—

They who know That, become immortal.1

18. When there is no darkness,2 then there is no day or night,

Nor being, nor non-being, only the Kindly One (śiva) alone.

That is the Imperishable. ‘That [is the] desirable [splendor] of Savitṛi (the Sun).’3

And from that was primeval Intelligence (prajñā) created.

• 19.

  Not above, not across,
• Nor in the middle has one grasped Him.
• There is no likeness of Him
• Whose name is Great Glory (mahad yaśas).4

20. His form is not to be beheld.

No one soever sees Him with the eye.

They who thus know Him with heart and mind

As abiding in the heart, become immortal.5

Supplications to Rudra for favor

• 21.

  With the thought ‘He is eternal!’
• A certain one in fear approaches.
• O Rudra, that face of thine which is propitious—
• With that do thou protect me ever!

22. Injure us not in child or grandchild, nor in life!

Injure us not in cattle! Injure us not in horses!

Slay not our strong men in anger, O Rudra!

With oblations ever we call upon thee.1

[2 ]This stanza = AV. 10. 8. 27.

[3 ]That is, Nature, Prakṛiti, with three constituent Qualities (guṇa), namely Pureness (sattva), Passion (rajas), and Darkness (tamas).

[4 ]The cosmic Person, father of all being.

[5 ]The individual soul, or experiencer.

[6 ]That is, the individual person.

[7 ]That is, the universal Brahma.

[8 ]This stanza = RV. 1. 164. 20 and Muṇḍ. 3. 1. 1.

[9 ]This stanza = Muṇḍ. 3. 1. 2.

[1 ]This stanza = VS. 32. 1.

[1 ]This stanza = RV. 1. 164. 39.

[2 ]That is, the individual soul.

[3 ]This stanza = 3. 4 and Mahānār. 10. 19 with variants.

[4 ]The last two lines = RV. 10. 121. 3 c, d.

[5 ]The third line = 3. 7 c and 4. 16 c. The whole stanza recurs, with modifications, as 5. 13.

[1 ]Lines b, c, d=3. 13 b, c, d. Lines c and d also = Katha 6. 9 c, d.

[2 ]tamas, perhaps metaphorically as well as literally. That is: when the darkness of ignorance and illusion has been removed, then all fluctuations and distinctions are also overpassed. Undifferenced bliss only remains. Compare the similar descriptions at Chānd. 3 11. 3 and 8. 4. 1-2.

[3 ]The first phrase of the famous Gāyatrī Prayer, RV. 3. 62. 10.

[4 ]This stanza = VS. 32. 2 c, d + 32. 3 a, b; TA. 10. 1. 2; Mahānār. 1. 10.

[5 ]This stanza = Kaṭha 6. 9 and Mahānār. 1. 11 with slight variation.

[1 ]This stanza = RV. 1. 114. 8; TS. 4. 5 10. 3; and VS. 16. 16 with variations.