Ishavashya

Ishavashya

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते |
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ||

The hymn is a Shanti Path, appears in two main Upanishads - Ishavasyam and BrihadaaraNyakam. Both these are part of Shukla-Yajurveda. It is to attain Peace that everyone is searching for by understanding the true meaning of Jeeva, Jagata and God. A journey from Avidhya (ignorance) to Vidhya (knowledge).

The word used by the Rishi in the hymn is Purna, referring the Brahman and His manifests the material Universe. Purnam adaha (that/unmanifested), Purnam idam (this/manifested). It may be translated as infinite, but in numerical terms it kills the essence of the hymn.

"Brahman is one, not numerically, but in essence. Numerical oneness would either exclude multiplicity or would be a plural- istic and divisible oneness with the Many as its parts. That is not the unity of Brahman, which can neither be diminished nor increased, nor divided." - Maharshi Arbindo

Isha Upanishad is a koh-I-noor of the Upanishads. It is the smallest Upanishads of 18 hymns only, but sums up the Ocean of wisdom in few lines, the Spirituality of Hinduism, the purpose of life, the brotherhood of all living beings.

The first hymn of the Isha Upnishad starts with Ishavasya idam sarvam. Isha-Ishwar (the Lord of Universe) is enveloped/covered/inhabited in everything of this world of movement universe. Divinity is attached to the visible world with the word, ishavasya idam sarvam, the divine consciousness in space and time. Therefore, it allows the use of worldly matters without claiming ownership (ten tyakten bhunjitha, ma kashya sviddhanam)

HE is everywhere and present in everyone, exists by movement and would be dissolved by cessation of movement. The visible world is material one but the base of the material world is not material. The visible world founded on the unfounded HE. The motion of the visible world creates opposition of unity and multiplicity, division of time and space, ignorance of the real foundation of the unity in the Brahman. The movement of the world divides us in finiteness but the Lord (Isha) unites us in oneness of the world of infinity, the Purna.

This world, the visible, the manifestation of the Brahman, exists and ceased with movement is Purna because it is founded on the infinite Brahman. That world, the invisible, unmanifested, the foundation of the visible world is also Purna, the infinite Brahman. If this visible infinite world is taken away from the invisible infinite, infinite remains. Infinity, unbroken status is not disturbed in either of the situation. Everywhere and in everyone, HE, the Almighty, the Brahman, the infinite exists.

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते |
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ||

Therefore, enjoy this world with detachment.

ॐ ईशा वास्यमिदँ सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्यस्विद्धनम् ।।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ||

Punamchand
पूर्णानंद ।
18 October 2017