Mantras of IshaVasya Upanishad

Exploring the Sacred Wisdom of the Final Verses

The sacred echoes of the Mantras of IshaVasya Upanishad  continue to resound—timeless, weightless, infinite. Having already shared the introduction and Part 1 of this profound Upanishad—along with the Sanskrit ślokas, transliterations, English translations, and reflective insights—I now humbly present Part 2, the concluding segment that spans the rest of the 18 mantras of the IshaVasya Upanishad with slokas in Sanskrit, transliteration, translation, and insightful commentary.

In this sacred continuation, we delve into the heart of Vedantic wisdom—where renunciation is not denial but transcendence, where knowledge is both a means and a mystery. The mantras of the IshaVasya Upanishad are not mere verses; they are luminous revelations pointing to the eternal, all-pervading Self (Ātman), untouched by time and form.

Each mantra is a step inward, leading the seeker beyond ignorance (avidyā) and knowledge (vidyā), beyond karma and renunciation, toward the realization of Brahman, the indivisible Whole. All this is pervaded by That—by Ishavasya Upanishad. Let us sit close, in silence and surrender, and listen.

Introduction:

Mantras of IshaVasya Upanishad appear in the Samhita portion of Shukla Yajur Veda. It is one of the ten principal Upanishads. Isha Upanishad has eighteen mantras. Among the Ten Principal Upanishads, this comes at the beginning of the list. Isha means “Lord of the Universe.” In my previous post,  Part-1 of this Upanishad, I discussed Mantra No. 01 to Mantra No. 07.

Link of the previous post: The Essence of IshaVasya Upanishad—Part 1

In this part we will discuss Mantras of IshaVasya Upanishad, Mantra No. 08 to Mantra No. 13.

Eighth Mantra—The Path of Renunciation

सः पर्यगात् शुक्रम् अकाशायम् अवर्णम् अस्नाविरम् शुद्धम् अपापविद्धम् |
कविः मनीषी परिभूः स्वयंभूः याथातथ्यतः अर्थान् व्यदधात् शाश्वतीभ्यः समाभ्यः ॥ ८ ॥
saḥ paryagāt śukram akāśāyam avarṇam asnāvīraṃ śuddham apāpaviddham |
kaviḥ manīṣī paribhūḥ svayaṃbhūḥ yāthātathyataḥ arthān vyadadhāt śāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ || 8 ||

The Self, the Atman, pervades all—formless, bodiless, stainless, and untouched by sin. He is pure awareness, all-seeing, all-knowing, transcendent, and self-born. Just as things are, so does He know them. He is the eternal distributor of duties to the Creator Himself.

Mantras of IshaVasya Upanishad, the seer sings of the Supreme Reality that knows no boundaries. There is no place where He is not, no form that binds Him, no color, no sinew. He is without a shadow and yet the light behind all shadows.

This Self is not a product of creation but Swayambhū—Self-existent, the primordial Reality. He acts not from desire nor for fulfillment, for He is Pūrṇa—complete in Himself, untouched by pāpa (sin) or puṇya (merit), uninfluenced by pleasure or sorrow. This is the true path of renunciation (sannyāsa)—not a withdrawal from the world, but the profound recognition that Brahman pervades all; nothing belongs to us, for all is already That.

He is the cosmic poet (kaviḥ), the seer beyond thought (manīṣī), the one who sees all with piercing clarity. And yet He is also the Paribhūḥ—the one beyond all that He pervades. Time itself takes instruction from Him.

This mantra points to the ineffable nature of the Self: beyond birth, body, and bondage. It urges the seeker to let go—not out of loss, but in the light of knowing that there was never any separation.

Ninth Mantra—Avidya & Vidya:

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति ये अविद्याम् उपासते ।
ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ विद्यायां रताः ॥ ९ ॥
andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye avidyām upāsate |
tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ || 9 ||

They enter into blinding darkness, those who worship Avidya (ignorance). Yet, into greater darkness still go those who are engaged only in Vidya (knowledge).

Commentary & Analysis:

This Ishavasya Upanishad mantra challenges the very foundation of what we usually consider “knowledge.” The Rishi declares that ignorance (Avidya)—when worshipped or clung to—leads to spiritual blindness. But even Vidya, when held as an end in itself, traps the seeker in a deeper, subtler darkness.

Here, Avidya refers to empirical or material knowledge—the world of appearances, technology, and sciences that bind us to the sensory. Vidya, in contrast, refers to the spiritual knowledge that transcends the senses. Yet, the Upanishad warns, both paths, if pursued in isolation, are incomplete.

The mantra is not anti-knowledge. It is a call to integral wisdom—to go beyond mere learning or mere ritual. One who clings blindly to material knowledge forgets the eternal. One who clings only to the spiritual may reject the very world that is the divine’s play. Both are needed, but neither should be idolized.

In its subtle poetry, this verse shines light on a timeless truth: knowledge that does not end in realization is another veil. The true path is not Avidya or Vidya alone—but their transcendence and synthesis.

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Tenth mantra: The fruits of Avidya & Vidya

अन्यद् एवाहुः विद्यया अन्यत् आहुः अविद्यया।
इति शुश्रुम धीरा नाम ये नः तत् विचचक्षिरे॥
Anyad eva āhuḥ vidyayā anyat āhuḥ avidyayā
iti śuśruma dhīrāṇām ye naḥ tat vicacakṣire

They speak of one result arising from vidyā (knowledge) and quite another from avidyā (ignorance). Thus have we heard from the wise who explained it to us clearly.

Vedantic Analysis:

This mantra serves as a subtle continuation of the previous verse, sharpening the philosophical distinction between vidyā and avidyā—commonly misinterpreted as merely education and ignorance. However, within the Upanishadic context:

• Avidyā refers to empirical or worldly knowledge—knowledge of multiplicity, action, and manifestation.

• Vidyā implies higher wisdom—knowledge of the Self (Ātman), the undivided Reality beyond forms and names.

The wise sages declare that the fruits (results) of these two are not only different but fundamentally opposite in nature. Avidyā binds us to the world, perpetuating cycles of birth and death. Vidyā, on the other hand, is liberating—revealing the changeless substratum beneath all change.

The mantra also implies that true wisdom does not discard one in favor of the other. Both must be understood and integrated. Without grounding in empirical life (through karma and dharma), the seeker cannot ascend to the plane of spiritual knowledge.

Thus, this verse affirms the two-fold path of the seeker—one foot in the world of action, the other in the realm of inner realization.

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§ Eleventh mantra: Combination of Avidya & Vidya:

Vidyaam cha avidyaam yah, tatvedaubhayam saha; avidya mrityumteettvaa, mashnute vidyayaamrita.

They that know and distinguish between natural knowledge and supernatural knowledge shall, by the first, cross the perishable in safety and shall, passing beyond the second, attain immortal life. 

Vidya (Knowledge) and Avidya (Ignorance: he who knows them both together, overcomes death [darkness] through Avidya and obtains immortality through Vidya.

The above three mantras are very important. We must understand the essence of the mantras. The essence is that we should equalize jnana (vidya) and ajnana (avidya) and should not adhere to either the one or the other alone. According to the scholars, knowledge of Ishwara cannot be obtained by karma alone nor by knowledge alone. Avidya = Karma and Vidya = Knowledge. Avidya yields fruits of karma, which has a time-bound existence. Hence, attainment of Moksha [liberation] is not possible, since several births are required to enjoy the fruits of Karma. This is called falling into utter darkness, which is nothing but SAMSARA. The mantra further says that if Upasana of Vidya, meaning devotion, is offered alone, it is still worse, because it will lead to greater darkness. He who understands the correct meaning of this avidya and vidya and maintains balance between them and does upasana accordingly can cross the world of death and attain immortality.

Different scholars of different darshanas have given different opinions on vidya and avidya. Let us look into Shankaracharya’s commentary. His method of analysis is on the basis of the subtle meaning of both the words. He always considered Advaita philosophy to explain these two words: avidya and vidya. The knowledge of the world is Avidya, and the knowledge of Ishwara is Vidya. The world of objects is presented to us by our senses, and we see the world [jagat] as real. We are ignorant about the thread of consciousness running through each and every object. There is certainly a connection between the visible world and the unseen Ishwara. In general, we believe that we, the jivas, are a separate entity and Ishwara is a separate entity. The cause of the existence and experience of the world is due to the presence of Ishwara. So long as we are in the world with a sense of separate existence as the Jiva, the world has to be accepted as though it is real.

§ Twelfth mantra: Worshipping Unmanifest and Manifest:

1) Andham tamah pravishanti; ye asambhootim-upaasate; 2) tato bhooya iva te tamo; ya u sambhootyaagm ratah.

Pin your faith to the seed of nature, stumble through the darkness of the blind; pin your faith to the shapes of  nature, stumble through a darkness deeper still.

They enter into blinding darkness who aim to conquer the Unmanifest cause of creation; but they enter into even greater darkness.

§ Thirteenth mantra: Fruits of Unmanifest and Manifest:

1) Anyat evaaahuh sambhavaat, anyat aahuh asambhavaat; 2) iti shushruma dheeraanaam, ye nah tatvicha-chakshire.

The seed of nature brings one result; the shapes of nature, another. We have heard it from the wise, who have clearly explained it.

Readers are requested to read the Sanskrit version of this Upanishad from the site whose link is here:

Karma is to be performed without expecting the fruits of karma: Niskama Karma.

Jnana: Knowledge: The Truth

The nature of the Oneness: One Unity is the Ultimate Jnana: True knowledge.

Oneness: It is that when 

• A person does not see it as mine or not mine.
• No more love and hate for objects.
• No more likes and dislikes.
• One transcends all pleasure and pain.
• There is no more duality of subject and object.
• The waves and ocean are both seen as water alone.
• The blazing sparks are not different from the fire producing them.

Rebirth continues until realization.

Katha Upanishad Mantra-2.3.4 says, If one does not succeed in realizing Him (The Self) before the fall of the Body, then in the worlds of created things, a rebirth for the Body is ordained.

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