Kenopanishad

UNIT 5 THE SVETASVATARA UPANISHAD

Contents
5.0 Objectives
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Title and the Author
5.3 Period of Composition
5.4 Commentaries
5.5 Unique Features of Svetasvatara Upanishad
5.6 Philosophical Perspectives in Svetasvatara Upanishad
5.7 Let Us Sum Up
5.8 Key Words
5.9 Further Readings and References
5.10 Answer to Check Your Progress

5.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson you will have obtained the following philosophical
knowledge and academic skills:
 To situate the Svetasvatara Upanishad in its proper setting
 To obtain the preliminary knowledge about Svetasvatara Upanishad
including the meaning of the title of the Upanishad, its author, period of
composition, commentaries on Svetasvatara Upanishad, etc.
 The features that distinguishes the Svetasvatara Upanishad from other
Upanishads.
 To familiarize yourself with the prominent philosophical perspectives of
the Svetasvatara Upanishad , such as, the Nature of the Ultimate Reality,
The role of Grace in obtaining Moksha, the concept of Moksha, the
Identification of Siva as the Ultimate, etc.
 To explore the meaning of some important original verses with select textual
exegesis.
 To get a taste of the differing scholarly opinions on the interpretation of the
philosophy of this Svestasvatara Upanishad.

5.1 INTRODUCTION
The Svetâsvatara-upanishad is held in a very high rank among the Upanishads.
It belongs to the Krishna (Black) Yajur Veda. It expounds the philosophy of
Advaita (Monism) with emphasis on Advaita Bhakti. It is one of the twelve
Upanishads chosen by Vidyâranya in his Sarvopanishad-arthânabhûitiprakâsa.
Sankara found it worthy to single it out for a special commentary. In his
commentary on Brahma sutras, Sankara calls it the “Mantra Upanishad” of the
Vedic Shvetashvatara school. This Upanishad contains 113 verses in six chapters.
The Svetasvatara Upanishad is regarded as an important source of
the Vedanta Philosophy. 53
Upanishads-II
5.2 THE TITLE AND THE AUTHOR
The Svetasvatara Upanishad derives its name from the sage Svetasvatara who
taught it. It belongs to the Taittiriya school of the Yajur Veda. It is also called
sometimes Svetâsvatarânâm Mantropanishad. There is a clue to the author of
this Upanishad in its last chapter: “The Sage Shvetashvatara got this knowledge
of Brahman, which is very sacred and revered by many great sages, through his
penance and through God’s grace, and he taught it very well to his disciples”
(6: 19).1

This verse suggests that this Upanishad was attributed to a sage called
Shvetashvatara. Shvetashvatara could also refer to a class or line of spiritual
teachers. Svetâsvatara is said to have told it to the best among the hermits. He
wanted it to be kept secret, and not be taught to anyone except to a son or a
regular pupil.

Etymologically, Svetâsvatara means a white mule. Mules were known and prized
in India from the earliest times. Svetâsvatara, as the name of a person means
someone who owns a white horse. The author reconciles in an original way those
upanishadic teachings which he considers as highly valuable, whether they had
been proclaimed at length or merely suggested or alluded to.

5.3 PERIOD OF COMPOSITION

Like most other ancient religious literature of India, there is no scholarly consensus
on the exact date of this Upanishad. However, it is admitted that Svetasvatara
Upanishad is one of the Upanishads of the latest period, perhaps of the 5th
century B.C.E. Scholars Keith and Silburn are of the opinion that its final redaction
took place around 200 B.C.E.

5.4 COMMENATARIES
There is a major commentary on Svetasvatara Upanishad attributed to Sankara.
However, on comparison with the other commentaries written by Sankara, some
scholars doubt the authorship of this commentary by Sankara. There are three
more other commentators on Svetasvatara Upanishad, namely
by Vijnanatma, Shankarananda and Narayana Tirtha.

5.5 UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE SVETASVATARA

UPANISHAD
Although the fundamental teachings Svetasvatara Upanishad are identical
with those of the other Upanishads, it differs with them in some significant
manners. There are many unique properties to this particular Upanishad.Although
the unique features of this Upanishad could be identified in the central tenets of
its philosophical perspectives, it is worth listing them at the outset.
1) Emphasis on Bhakti (devotion), which is not usually found in Upanishadic
literature, is one of its special features. There are beautiful imageries
regarding the Ultimate Reality or Godhead, which form very appropriate
themes for meditation. The Svetasvatara Upanishad contains several
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 directives and instructions for practicing the presence of God. Bhakti is The Svetasvatara
Upanishad
only indirectly voiced in the form of Upasana in other Upanishads, but
here, leaving no room for doubt, it is explicitly mentioned. There is a clear
mention of the word para-bhakti at the end of the sixth chapter. Use of
words such as Sharanam, Prapadye, etc., clearly voice submission to God
or Brahman.
2) Along the same line, being an Upanishad of the latest period, there is a
vigorous endevour of synthesis, centred on definite monotheism. Belgian
scholar, Richard Desmet, observes that “It is a sort of prefiguration of the
Bhagavad-Gita but the Bhagavan it exalts is not Krishna, but the Siva or
Rudra and it still ignores the conception of avatara (descent of the Godhead
and its apparent embodiment in a finite form.”2 Svetasvatara Upanishad
tries to reconcile the different philosophical and religious views of its time
and advocates the unity of the souls and world in the one Supreme Reality.
3) Unlike the emphasis on the Supreme Absolute or Brahman in other
Upanishads, this Upanishad identifies Rudra or Lord Siva as the creator of
the world, its protector and guide.
4) There is the emphasis on a personal ‘Isvara’ who is the omniscient and
omnipotent, the manifested Brahman, than Brahman theAbsolute, advocated
other Upanishads whose complete perfection does not admit of any change.
While major Upanishads like Brihadaranyaka Upanishad deals with the
unquanlified and unchanging nature of the Brahman, this Upanishad deals
with the manifest, creative, nurturing, the omniscient, and omnipotent Isvara
or Rudra who causes the energy of the world to flow and bear life. Where
Brahman is often described as formless in other important Upanishads, this
Upanishad gives the form (fullness or murtitva) of God. The reason for
attributing form to God may be the anthropological difficulty in concentrating
the mind on or showing devotion to a formless Brahman, especially since
devotion emphasized in it. While describing various powers of God, it uses
similes such as God having thousands of heads Sahasra-sheersha - to denote
God’s endless knowledge, thousands of eyes - to denote God as the universal
witness for everything going on in the universe and God’s having thousands
of feet - to indicate his omnipresence. This Upanishad mentions that God
or Parama Purusha is shining in its glory beyond the darkness of ignorance
or Tamas.
5) It is a devotional and a kind of theistic work distinct from the other leading
Upanishads which are more abstract and philosophical.
6) While other Upanishads are concerned with presenting their own
philosophical perspectives, this Upanishad was written in an attempt to
unite the disparate religious and philosophical viewpoints of its time. Its
focus on the unity of souls and nature and God are to be appropriated in this
setting.
7) The style of composition of this Upanishad deserves special mention here.
Normally, Upanishads contain serious philosophical thought, but this
Upanishad explains the same principles in a simple, lucid and poetic way.
The original and independent hymns of the sage Shvetasvatara are presented
in a beautiful poetic style. Svetasvatara is both a seer and a poet. For example,
while trying to describe the omnipresence of Brahman, hymn 4.2 says, “You
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Upanishads-II are woman; you are man; you are boy and you are girl; you are the shivering
old man helped by a stick; you are born in the form of this world.” Hymn
4.4 reads, “You are the blue butterfly, the green-eyed parrot and the lightning
cloud. You are the seasons and the seas. You are the one without any
beginning; you are omnipresent; all the worlds are born out of you.”

5.6 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES IN

SVETASVATARA UPANISHAD
THE NATURE OF THE ULTIMATE REALITY
As mentioned above, rather than conducting a philosophical inquiry on its own,
the thrust of the Svetasvatara Upanishad on systematisation and harmonisation
of diverse ideas. Originating in the setting of various schools of thought that
were prevalent at the time of its composition, it tries to harmonise the
ideas scattered among them.However, the central vision of the entire Upanishads
concerning the God as the One in-dwelling presence has been kept intact by
Svetasvatara Upanishad too. God has become more personal in Svetasvatara
Upanishad. The term Deva is used frequently in reference to the Ultimate. Other
terms like Rudra and Hara which became prominent only later on in the Hindu
thought were used in this Upanishad and are not found in the other Upanishads.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad declares the unity and oneness of the Ultimate
Reality behind the universe with great emphasis. In 3.2 we read,

For there is one Rudra only, they do not allow a second, who rules all the worlds
by his powers. He stands behind all persons, and after having created all worlds
he, the protector, rolls it up at the end of time.”

This one Ultimate Reality is the in-dwelling spirit pervading the entire universe.
The god who is in the fire, the god who is in the water, the god who has entered
into the whole world, the god who is in plants, the god who is in trees, adoration
be to that god, adoration! (2.17).
Chapter 1, verse 3 states forth the overall teaching of this Upanishad:
The sages, devoted to meditation and concentration, have seen the power
belonging to God himself hidden in its own qualities (guna).
He, being one, superintends all those causes, time, self, and the rest.
It states that there is one God, who will soon be identified as Rudra, and the
cosmic power (sakti), whose diversity of qualities (guna) should not hide the
singleness, which is His. He rules over all other causes. In Svetasvatara
Upanishad, creation is the casting of a net by the creator. The net of creation
could be called as the maya. However, maya here is the Sakti, power, by which
the ultimate creates the universe and upholds it.
As in later Saivism, the ontological distinction between the individual atman
and his inciter or Mover is clearly professed in 1.6.
In that vast Brahma-wheel, in which all things live and rest, the bird flutters
about, so long as he thinks that the self (in him) is different from the mover (the
god, the lord). When he has been blessed by him, then he gains immortality.
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In verse 1.7, the author integrates the unpanishadic teaching on Brahman, as the The Svetasvatara
Upanishad
world basis, on Akshara, on Samsara, the world of rebirth and moksha,
deliverance through a merging in Brahman by exclusive intervention upon it.

But what is praised (in the Upanishads) is the Highest Brahman, and in it there
is the triad. The Highest Brahman is the safe support, it is imperishable. The
Brahma-students, when they have known what is within this (world), are devoted
and merged in the Brahman. free from birth.

It is agreed by many that what is really peculiar in the Svetâsvatara Upanishad is

the strong stress which it lays on the personality of the Lord, the Îsvara, Deva.
The Isvara here is God as creator and ruler of the world, and not as Paramâtman,
or the Highest Self. In Svetasvatara Upanishad, Îsvara is the creator. The concept
of Isvara, unique to Svetasvatara Upanishad is identical with Brahman and at
the same time it differs from the popular conceptions of Brahman. “This God,”
says Pramâda Dâsa Mitra, “is the spirit conscious of the universe. Whilst an
extremely limited portion, and that only of the material universe, enters into my
consciousness, the whole of the conscious universe, together, of course, with the
material one that hangs upon it, enters into the consciousness of God. . . . And
again, “Whilst we (the jîvâtmans) are subject to Mâyâ, Mâyâ is subject to Îsvara.
If we truly know Îsvara, we know him as Brahman; if we truly know ourselves,
we know ourselves as Brahman. This being so, we must not be surprised if
sometimes we find Îsvara sharply distinguished from Brahman, whilst at other
times Îsvara, and Brahman are interchanged.”3

God’s transcendence and spirituality are again inculcated in chapter 4, verses 19

and 20. No one can see Him with the eye for He is not situated in space and
nothing is fully like Him. He can be known only through heart and mind.

No one has grasped him above, or across, or in the middle. There is no image of
him whose name is Great Glory. His form cannot be seen, no one perceives him
with the eye. Those who through heart and mind know him thus abiding in the
heart, become immortal” (4, 19-20).

THE EMPHASIS ON GRACE

While other Upanishads are concerned with presenting their own philosophical
perspectives, this Upanishad was written in an attempt to unite the
disparate religious and philosophical viewpoints of its time.In 1.6, “When he
has been blessed by him,” is said to be an allusion to the saving grace which is a
specific feature of this Upanishad. Chapter 6 is expanding the idea that God is
the One Cause and Mover of all things and that through love inspired by His
grace humans can find moksha in his knowledge. The concept of devotion later
found profound expression in the Bhakti Sutras and other treatises on Bhakti.

Let us love the old Brahman by the grace of Savitri; if thou make thy
dwelling there, the path will not hurt thee. (2.7)

The Self, smaller than small, greater than great, is hidden in the heart
of the creature. A man who has left all grief behind, sees the majesty,
the Lord, the passionless, by the grace of the creator (the Lord) (3.20)

Interestingly, Even the composition of the very Upanishad is said to be realized

through the grace of the Lord. 57
Upanishads-II Through the power of his penance and through the grace of God has
the wise Svetasvatara truly, proclaimed Brahman, the highest and
holiest, to the best of ascetics, as approved by the company of Rishis
(6.19)

Indirect allusions to grace and devotion could be found in the

following verses:

Some wise men, deluded, speak of Nature, and others of Time (as
the cause of everything); but it is the greatness of God by which this
Brahma-wheel is made to turn.

It is at the command of him who always covers this world, the knower,
the time of time, who assumes qualities and all knowledge, it is at
his command that this work (creation) unfolds itself, which is called
earth, water, fire, air, and ether;

He is the eternal among eternals, the thinker among thinkers, who,

though one, fulfils the desires of many. He who has known that cause
which is to be apprehended by Sankhya (philosophy)
and Yoga (religious discipline), he is freed from all fetters.

Seeking for freedom I go for refuge to that God who is the light of his
own thoughts, he who first creates Brahman (m.) and delivers
the Vedas to him;

If these truths have been told to a high-minded man, who feels the
highest devotion for God, and for his Guru as for God, then they
will shine forth, - then they will shine forth indeed. (6.1, 2,13, 18,
23).

While Chapter 2 verse 15 stresses God’s transcendence, 16 emphasizes His

immanence though not forgetting His transcendence. He indeed is the God who
pervades all regions: he is the first-born (as Hiranyagarbha), and he is in
the womb. He has been born, and he will be born. He stands behind all persons,
looking everywhere. Belgian scholar Richard Desmet observes that the
formulation of the verse 16 favours the later theory of avatara.

He indeed is the god who pervades all regions: he is the first-born

(as Hiranyagarbha), and he is in the womb. He has been born, and he will be
born. He stands behind all persons, looking everywhere (2.16).
Check Your Progress I
Note: a) Use the space provided for your answer
b) Check your answers with those provided at the end of the unit
1) How does Svetasvatara Upanishad differ from other major Upanishads?
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 The Svetasvatara
2) Why Svetasvatara Upanishad is called the Upanishad of grace and Upanishad
love?
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THE CONCEPT OF SOUL AND MOKSHA

The Svetasvatara Upanishad is said to be the only Upanishad among major
Upanishads to discuss concept of soul exclusively. The soul here is not the Spirit
or the Atman which the Upanishads have declared as Brahman. “… this
Upanishad describes Ataman as anisha or powerless, subject to the influence of
pleasure and pain. It is quite evident that the Atman of this Upanishad is not the
same Atman about which all Upanishads have declared in such glorious terms.
With the introduction of this new term, we have to postulate three entities:
Brahman, the Atman or the Self and the Soul. The Soul—that Entity which is
anisha or powerless because of being affected by pleasure and pain—is obviously
the Ego.”4 The ego is the greatest impediment to moksha or salvation. This
Upanishad says that Brahman is to be realized in His immanent nature. When a
human person discovers the undistorted self in the world, he can be said to have
realized the Brahman.

The author of this is careful to avoid a monisitic interpretation of moksha. Moksha

is obtained by the knowledge of God (jnana). Following upon meditation one
attains moksha which has three aspects: breaking of fetters; freedom from birth
and death; universal lordship. The latter implies fulfillment of all desires and
isolation:

When that god is known, all fetters fall off, sufferings are destroyed,
and birth and death cease. From meditating on him there arises, on
the dissolution of the body, the third state, that of universal lordship;
but he only who is alone, is satisfied” (1:11).

In chapter one, the author integrates the ascetic practice and brahmanic meditation
as a means to moksha, although grace is not mentioned here as a condition for
success. The beholding in one’s finite atman of the very Brahman-Atman is
proposed here as possible through austerity (tapas) and the meditation on Aum.
By making his body the under-wood, and the syllable Om the upper-
wood, man, after repeating the drill of meditation, will perceive the
bright god, like the spark hidden in the wood.
As oil in seeds, as butter in cream, as water in (dry) river-beds, as fire
in wood, so is the Self seized within the self, if man looks for him by
truthfulness and penance;
(If he looks) for the Self that pervades everything, as butter is contained
in milk, and the roots whereof are self-knowledge and penance. That
is the Brahman taught by the Upanishad. (1:14-16.)
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Upanishads-II The main thrust of the chapter two is the glorification of the practice of yoga
which is also presented as the means of attaining God:

If a wise man hold his body with its three erect parts (chest, neck, and
head) even, and turn his senses with the mind towards the heart, he
will then in the boat of Brahman cross all the torrents which cause
fear.

Compressing his breathings let him, who has subdued all motions,
breathe forth through the nose with gentle breath. Let the wise man
without fail restrain his mind, that chariot yoked with vicious horses.

Let him perform his exercises in a place level, pure, free from pebbles,
fire, and dust, delightful by its sounds, its water, and bowers, not painful
to the eye, and full of shelters and caves. (2.8-10).

The Svetasvatara Upanishad contains several ideas in germinal form out of

which the later speculations in the systems of Sankhya and Yoga would emerge.
The word Yoga and its derivatives are frequently used in the Upanishad.
However, the description of Svetasvatara Upanishad by some commentators as
closer to the dualist Sankhya system as opposed to the monistic advaita may not
hold true. For, Svetasvatara Upanishad stands undisputedly for the advaitic
approach which is central to the other major Upanishads. “The followers of
Sankhya, yoga and saivism… feel that their respective schools originated here
(in Svetasvatara Upanishad verse 2). But the spirit of the Upanishad does not
seem to go in their favour. The Upanishad overcomes all types of duality and
preaches non-dualistic Vedanta.”5

Verse 2.15 implies that the freedom from the finite self consists in the real vision
of the pure nature of Brahman.

And when by means of the real nature of his self he sees, as by a lamp,
the real nature of Brahman, then having known the unborn, eternal
God, who is beyond all natures, he is freed from all fetters.

Moksha from the world of sorrow can be had only by reaching Him who is
beyond the reach of forms and sorrow “which is beyond this world is without
form and without suffering. They who know it, become immortal, but others
suffer pain indeed” (3.10).

In chapter 5, verse 9, this Upanishad uses the term Jiva for the first time to
signify the individual atman. In an effort to express the spiritual nature of the
jiva, it is said to be the most minute and yet conformed to Infinity. This Jiva
could be saved only the knowledge of God. Knowledge frees the human from all
fetters: avidya, the various gunas and karman, which bind him to rebirth.

That living soul (jiva) is to be known as part of the hundredth part of

the point of a hair, divided a hundred times, and yet it is to be infinite….
He who knows him who has no beginning and no end, in the midst of
chaos, creating all things, having many forms, alone enveloping
everything, is freed from all fetters. (5.9,13).

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SIVA AS THE ULTIMATE The Svetasvatara
Upanishad
Some commentators of the Svetasvatara Upanishad have suggested a sectarian
element in Svetasvatara Upanishad as advocating the germinal forms of Saivist
thinking. For instance, when speaking of the Highest Self or the Highest Brahman,
it applies such names to him as Hara (1.10), Rudra (2.17; 3. 2, 4; 4. 12, 21, 22),
Siva (3.14; 4.10). “It is interesting to note that while other Upanishads have
described Brahman by the pronoun IT, this Upanishad speaks of Brahman as
He. This is because of the name given to Brahman as Siva.”6 The Shvetasvatara
Upanishad is said to be the earliest textual exposition of a systematic philosophy
of Shaivism.7 As explained by Gavin Flood, the text proposes: “... a theology
which elevates Rudra to the status of supreme being, the Lord (Īśa) who is
transcendent yet also has cosmological functions, as does Śiva in later traditions.”8
Chapter three exalts the one God as Rudra, integrating many earlier teachings.
Rudra, who in Rigveda personified the destructive powers of nature, is now
given the triple divine function of creation, protection and dissolution.

The snarer who rules alone by his powers, who rules all the worlds by his powers,
who is one and the same, while things arise and exists, - they who know this are
immortal.

For there is one Rudra only, they do not allow a second, who rules all the worlds
by his powers. He stands behind all persons, and after having created all worlds
he, the protector, rolls it up at the end of time.

That one god, having his eyes, his face, his arms, and his feet in every place,
when producing heaven and earth, forges them together with his arms and his
Wings.(3:1-3).

Here the verse 3 is borrowed from the hymn to Visva-karman in Rigveda, 10.81,3.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad describes Rudra, a term originally used for Siva, as
the very Brahman. According to this Upanishad the Highest Reality is verily
Rudra who is without a second. According to the Upanishad, Siva rules (isata)
these worlds with His enormous powers (isanibhi). He is independent from all
creatures (pratyan janan) and He is the protector of all the worlds (visvabhuvana
gopa). At the end of creation He withdraws these worlds into Himself. He is the
source and origin of all gods. As the ruler of all gods and as Iswara he gives birth
to Hiranyagarbha, the golden germ (3.4). He alone can liberate us beyond the
cycle of birth and death. No other path could save us (3.8). There is nothing
higher or smaller than Him. He alone pervades the whole universe. (3.9). “ He
is the Lord and He, Siva, is therefore found everywhere” (3.11).

The identification of Siva as the ultimate is said to be one of the most significant
contributions of Svetasvatara Upanishad. “It is most significant that the
Svetasvatara Upanishad describes Siva as the symbol of the Ultimate. In other
Upanishads the Sacred word, OM has been stated as the symbol of Brahman.
Here Siva is equated with Brahman. Now Siva is indeed the expression of Ananda.
In this Upanishad we see almost a devotional outburst to Siva in his aspect as
Ananda.”9

It is possible that the Svetasvatara Upanishad reflected the sentiments and the
spirit of the age in which it was composed. Saivism might have already been a
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Upanishads-II popular cult and the author of Svetasvatara Upanishad in his synthesizing mission
must have been influenced by it. However there are differing scholarly opinions
which argue that the Svetasvatara Upanishad contains no clear evidence for any
sectarian thinking like that of Saivism or the bhakti tradition. They hold that that
the idea of the Highest Self was developed first, and, after it had reached its
highest purity, was lowered again by an identification with mythological and
personal deities. Some commentators do not think that the attribution of
Supremacy to Siva does not make this Upanishad a theistic work. They say that
the distinguishing feature of this Upanishad is that it calls the absolute by a
name and that naming alone does not make it anything theistic.10

5.7 LET US SUM UP

The Upanishadic teachers were earnest in their search for truth and ever ready to
advance from inadequate to more adequate considerations. Their main conclusion
is that in both the universe at large and in the individual human being there is a
Ground which is pure Being, unyielding to change. To realize this Being in oneself
means salvation. Once this is done, re-birth and redeath are done away, and
humans realize themselves as at least participating in eternal being. This
conclusion takes on a more religious shape in the later Upanishads, especially,
in the Svetasvatara, where that Being is seen to be the One Benign God, extending
His merciful grace to humans whom He fills with devotion (bhakti) towards
Him and leads to the beatific vision. As Rohit Meta comments: “The Svetasvatara
Upanishad is indeed the culminating point of the whole process of knowledge
which the other Upanishads have indicated. The Upanishadic teachers were not
engaged in dry, metaphysical speculations—they were sages who spoke the
language of experience. . . . It is to this experience of devotion that the Svetasvatara
Upanishad leads the students to the Divine Wisdom.”11
Check Your Progress II
1) What is the nature of the Ultimate reality according to Svetasvatara
Upanishad?
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2) What are the means towards moksha outlined in Svetasvatara
Upanishad ?
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 The Svetasvatara
3) Critically evaluate the association of Svetasvatara Upanishad with Upanishad
Saivism and Sankhya system.
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5.8 KEY WORDS

Godhead : The term “Godhead” is sometimes used to refer to the
unknowable aspect of God which lies beyond His actions
or emanations (as it were).

Beatific Vision : Beatific vision is the eternal and direct perception of God
enjoyed by those who are in Heaven.

5.9 FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES

Chakravati, Mahadev. The Concept of Rudra-Œiva Through The AgeS. Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1994; Second Revised Edition; Reprint, Delhi: 2002.

Desmet, Richard. Guidelines in Indian Philosophy. Pune: Jnana Deepa

Vidyapeeth, 1980.

Deussen, Paul. Sixty Upanishads of the Veda. Vol. I&II, 1980.

Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 1996.

Jacob, Colonel G. A. Principal Upanisads and Bhagavadgita.

Kappoor, Subodh, ed. Encyclopedia of Indian Heritage-The Upanisad and Its

Philosophy, 2002.

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5. 10 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

Answers to Check Your Progress I
1) Upanishads like Brihadaranyaka Upanishad deals with the unquanlified
and unchanging nature of the Brahman, this Upanishad deals with the
manifest, creative, nurturing, the omniscient, and omnipotent Isvara or
Rudra who causes the energy of the world to flow and bear life. Where
Brahman is often described as formless in other important Upanishads, this
Upanishad gives the form (fullness or murtitva) of God. While other
Upanishads are concerned with presenting their own philosophical
perspectives, this Upanishad was written in an attempt to unite the
disparate religious and philosophical viewpoints of its time.]
2) While other Upanishads are concerned with presenting their own
philosophical perspectives, this Upanishad was written in an attempt to
unite the disparate religious and philosophical viewpoints of its time.
Answers to Check Your Progress II
1) The central vision of the entire Upanishads concerning the God as the
One in-dwelling presence has been kept intact by Svetasvatara Upanishad
too. God has become more personal in Svetasvatara Upanishad. The
term Deva is used frequently in reference to the Ultimate. Other
terms like Rudra and Hara which became prominent only later on in
the Hindu thought were used in this Upanishad and are not found in the
other Upanishads.
2) Moksha is obtained by the knowledge of God (jnana). Following upon
meditation one attains moksha which has three aspects: breaking of fetters;
freedom from birth and death; universal lordship. In chapter one, the author
integrates the ascetic practice and brahmanic meditation as a means to
moksha.
3) Some commentators of the Svetasvatara Upanishad have suggested a
sectarian element in Svetasvatara Upanishad as advocating the germinal
forms of Saivist thinking. For instance, when speaking of the Highest Self
or the Highest Brahman, it applies such names to him as Hara, Rudra and
Siva. The Shvetasvatara Upanishad is said to be the earliest textual
exposition of a systematic philosophy of Shaivism. It is possible that the
Svetasvatara Upanishad reflected the sentiments and the spirit of the age in
which it was composed. Saivism might have already been a popular cult
and the author of Svetasvatara Upanishad in his synthesizing mission must
64 have been influenced by it.