Shvetashvatara Upanishad

The emphasis in the Shvetahvatara Upanishad is not on Brahman, the Absolute, which never changes, but on the personal Ishvara.

There are ideas that later develop as Samkhya, but there is no separation into two entities, puruùa and prakçti. This Upanishad is an attempt to harmonise different philosophical ideas.

It is sometimes referred to as the Shaivite Bhagavad Gita because of its similar content (its synthesis of different philosophical ideas and its emphasis on bhakti and jnàna) and its references to Shiva.

 

Chapter 1

What is the cause of everything? Is it Brahman? What is our ultimate destination?

Through meditation one can realise that the self-power of the Divine (devatma -Shakti) resides deep in the heart of everything.

§§4-5 Two metaphors, the wheel and the river:

Wheel: dynamic nature of the universe, perpetually moving; cyclical nature of all phenomena.

River: perpetual change within a constant unity; all things returning to their source in God.

§9 Three elements of thought: conscious subject;

object of perception;

maya, which creates the illusion of separateness.

§§13-16 When all three are recognised as one (Brahman), the Self becomes free. This truth is hidden inside us, but can be drawn out, like fire from a firestick, or oil from sesame seeds, or butter from cream.

Chapter 2: The Practice of Yoga

The practice of meditation is the way to achieve Brahman realisation.

§§8-113 Detailed instructions for meditation. (Compare BG 6)

§15 Ultimately realisation comes that the Divine exists in all persons as the Self.

 

Chapter 3: The Nature of Brahman

This chapter examines Saguna Brahman – Brahman with forms/qualities/attributes – and Nirguna Brahman – Brahman without qualities.

"In doing so it reconciles the rival philosophies of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism and Dvaita Vedànta (dualism, or conceiving the Ultimate Truth to be a Reality or Supreme Person separate from the individual). For the Ultimate Truth to be truly unlimited and all-encompassing, It must necessarily include both conceptions." (Powell, p.156)

§§1-6 Brahman described as a personal God.

§§7-10 Brahman "without form".

§§11-19 Brahman as the indwelling Self in all things.

 

Chapter 4: Purusha and Prakriti and their Ultimate Oneness

§§2-5 Brahman is all things

§6 Two birds on the same tree – compare Mundaka U. The eating bird is the consciousness attached to the pleasures of the world. The watching bird is the âtman, unchanging and unattached.

§9-14 The Scriptures alone can’t grant realisation of Brahman. You have to look beyond maya and see that maya is in fact an aspect of Brahman, for all things are Brahman.

 

Chapter 5

Brahman is manifested in all dualities, yet paradoxically transcends all dualities.

"This is the profound Vedantic paradox, the paradox that allows the jnana yogi to approach Brahman either through the mental discipline of neti, neti, ‘not this, not this’ or iti, iti, ‘this, this’. In other words one can view the world with the constant thought in mind, ‘This is not Brahman. None of this is the Reality. The multiplicity is an illusion because everything is but the Oneness of Brahman.’ In either case the result is the same, entering into a realisation of Brahman.

§2-5 The aspect of Brahman which presides over Nature. Brahman is both Nature and the controller of Nature.

§7-12 The Self – it can’t be perceived by the senses, but it is also infinite.

 

Chapter 6: The Greatness of Brahman

Brahman in this chapter is saguna Brahman – the Divine with attributes.