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Text and translation by Jayaram V
Synopsis: wheel of creation, Purusha, Prakriti,
origin of individual beings, glory of Brahman, Brahman is like a
spider, achieving salvation without knowing Brahman is not possible,
reference to sage Svetasvatara and his declaration,
1. The wise men speak of the inherent nature, others
who are deluded in their minds attribute it to time. But it is because
of the divine miracle that the wheel of creation (Brahma wheel)
is made to rotate.
The Upanishadic seers always referred to creation as
cyclical both in structure and in process. The very existence of
creation, manifested through the creative act of God, is
symbolized as a wheel, the hub as well as the circumference standing
for the unity and the upholding aspect of God, while the spokes
represent the multiplicity or the diversity as well as the
illusory nature of creation. Many are perhaps not aware that the
Brahma Wheel (Brahma Chakra) described in the Upanishads is a
precursor to the Dharma Wheel (Dharma Chakra) of the Buddhists.
2. He by whom this whole world remains enveloped, the
knower, the creator of time, the possessor of qualities and all
knowledge, in his control this work of creation becomes manifested as
earth, water, fire, air and ether.
3. Having done His work, and rested again, He became
united with the essence of self, by one, two, three or eight, or by
time also, and the subtle qualities of the self.
The one is Purusha, the two are both Purusha and
Prakriti, the three are the sattva, rajas and tamas, the eight are the
five great elements, (earth, water, fire, air and ether), the
mind, buddhi or intelligence and the ego-sense. The subtle qualities
of the self are the subtle parts of the living-self, the jiva.
4. Initiating work that are fused with the three
qualities, He brings out all states of existences. When the whole
creation comes to an end, His work also comes to an end. But He
continues in Truth even after all His work has perished.
5. He is the beginning, the one who joins or unites
(the cause of all unions), beyond the three forms of time (the past,
the present and the future), perceived as without parts, who has many
forms, who is the cause of all existence. He should be worshipped
first in ones own thoughts.
6. He is higher and other than the various forms of the
world tree (the tree of life), and time. From Him revolves the world
and it is He who establishes righteousness and removes evil. The Lord
of creation, by knowing Him as ones own self, the immortal and the
upholder of all, one attains Brahman.
7. He who has contained in Himself the highest
divinity, the great Lord, the highest God among the gods, the supreme
master of masters, let us know that God as the most adorable Lord of
the world.
8. Neither His actions nor His organs of action
are visible. There is nothing that can be seen which is better than or
equal to him. His supreme powers are heard to be numerous. By their
own inherent nature, His knowledge and energy work.
9. He has no master in this world, no ruler, nor is
there any symbol for Him. He is the cause, the cause of all the
causes. He has no father or controller above Him.
10. The one God who, propelled by His own nature,
spreads around Himself, like a spider, the manifestations
of the primordial matter. May He grant us entrance into the world of
Brahman.
The sensory reality like the virtual reality of the
internet is also a giant web, created by God using the primordial
matter (mula prakriti) as His resource. Every thing else is caught in
this gigantic net, but He moves freely in it, like a giant spider
without getting caught in its own net.
11. One God is hidden in all beings. He is all
pervading, the inner self of all, who presides over all actions,
dwells in all beings, the witness, the only one, without any
qualities.
12. The one who is alone, inactive, makes one seed into
many. Those who perceive Him as situated in the self, attains
happiness, not others.
13. Eternal among the eternals, intelligent among the
intelligences, one in many, the fulfiller of desires, the cause that
can be known only through Samkhya (knowledge) and yoga (union). By
knowing Him one is freed from all bonds.
14. There shines neither the sun nor the moon, nor the
stars, nor the lightning, what to speak of fire ! Only after He
shines, all else shines. All this is illuminated by His radiance.
15. The one bird in the midst of the world. That indeed
is the fire that has entered into the ocean. By knowing Him alone one
can overcome death. There is no other way to achieve it.
16. He is the creator of all, knower of all,
self-existing, the knower, the author of time, possessor of qualities,
knower of all knowledge, ruler of the nature and indwelling spirit,
Lord of qualities, the cause of worldly existence, liberation,
stability and bondage.
17. Having become, that immortal, acting as the Lord,
the knower, the pervader of all, the keeper of the universe, alone, is
the eternal ruler of this world.
18. To Him who in the past created Brahma, and who
verily imparts to Him the knowledge of the Vedas, to that God who
illuminates Himself by His own intelligence, I look for refuge,
eager to achieve liberation.
19. Without parts, without activity, peaceful, without
sound, without impurities, the supreme bridge to immortality, like a
fire that burns without fuel, is He.
20. When man rolls up space as if it were a piece of
leather, only then perhaps he can put an end to his sorrows, other
than by not knowing Brahman.
The only way to end sorrow is to realize God. This is
the best and the easiest way to achieve sorrow less state. Any other
way is as impossible and absurd as the rolling of heavens, as if
it were a piece of leather.
21. By the power of austerity, and the grace of God,
the wise Svetasvatara has spoken appropriately about Brahman to the
ascetics of the highest order, that which is transcendental, pure and
pleasing to the company of seers.
22. The Vedanta which has been declared in the past as
the most hidden (esoteric), should not be declared to those who do not
have control of their passions, nor again to one who is not a son or a
pupil.
In the ancient gurukula system of education, the
students who were admitted into the studentship were entitled to
receive the secret knowledge of Brahman. The admission was not easy as
it involved a series of tests by the master .
The student had to do a number of menial jobs in the
ashram, some times for years, during which period his master would
observe him carefully and would admit him into the secrets of Brahman
only if he was found qualified. The master's son had a definite
advantage, because it was the general belief that a person would take
birth in the family of seers only after he gains immense merit through
his good deeds in the previous births.
However even the sons were not freely admitted, unless
they qualified themselves for the austere life. Many Upanishadic seers
like Satyakama Jabala came from families without any background. But
they were freely admitted into the gurukulas and were imparted the
secret knowledge because they were found to be highly qualified.
unfortunately the system degenerated into rigid caste rules in the
post Rigvedic period leading to a number of unhappy consequences in
Hindu society.
23. These subject, which have been declared so far
illuminate the great souls, who have the highest devotion to God as
well as to the teacher who is as God is. Yes they illuminate the great
souls, yes they illuminate the great souls.
End of Chapter VI
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