Isha Upanishad 26

26

anejat na ejat /
ejṛ kampane, kampanaṃ calanaṃ svāvasthāpracyutistadvarjitaṃ sarvadaikarūpamityarthaḥ /
taccaikaṃ sarvabhūteṣu manasaḥ saṅkalpādilakṣaṇād javīyo javavattaram /

What is the nature of the Self by slaying which the ignorant people transmigrate, and contrariwise, the men of knowledge, the non-killers of the Self, become freed? This is being answered now:

Anejat, unmoving. The root ejṛ implies shaking. Shaking is motion, deviation from one's own condition. It is devoid of this, i.e. It is ever of the same form. And It is ekam, one, in all beings. It is javīyaḥ, faster, manasaḥ, than the mind, characterised by volition etc.

Objection: How can there be such contradictory statements that It is constant and motionless, and yet faster than the mind?

Answer: There is no inconsistency, for this is possible from the standpoint of the conditioned and the unconditioned. As such, It is spoken of as "unmoving, one", in respect of Its own unconditioned aspect. And by reason of Its following the limiting adjunct, the mind, the internal organ characterised by volition and doubt, (It appears to be subject to modifications). The mind though encased in the body in this world, is able to reach such distances as the world of Brahmā in a single moment, at one volition; and hence the mind is well known as the fastest thing in the world. When that (speedy) mind travels fast to the world of Brahmā etc., the reflection of the conscious Self is perceived to have reached there, as it were, even earlier; and hence It is said to be (manaso javīyaḥ) faster than the mind. Devāḥ, the gods—the senses, the organs of knowledge such as eyes etc., are the devas because of illuminating (dyotana) their objects, na āpnuvan, could not overtake; enat, It, the reality of the Self that is under discussion. The mind is faster than these (senses). Because of the interposition of the activity of the mind, (between the Self and the senses), even a semblance of the Self does not become an object of perception to the senses; since, being all-pervasive like space, It pūrvam arṣat, ran ahead—reached the goal even before the swift mind. Though the all-pervasive entity of the Self, in Its real unconditioned state, is devoid of all worldly attributes and is subject to no mutation, yet (by reason of following the limiting adjunct, the mind), it appears, in the eyes of the non-discriminating people, to experience all empirical modifications brought about by the limiting adjuncts, and It also appears to be diverse in relation to the individual bodies. Hence the verse said so. Tat, That; atyeti, outruns—as it were; dhāvataḥ anyān, all other fast moving ones (runners), viz the mind, speech, the senses, etc., which are distinct from the Self. The sense “as it were” is suggested by the verse itself by the use of (the expression) tiṣṭhat, remaining stationary, which implies, "Itself remain-ing unchanged". Tasmin, It being there—while the entity of the Self endures, which by Its nature is everlasting consciousness; mātariśvā, Air—so called because it moves (śvayati) in space (mātari)—which sustains all life, which is of the nature of activity, on which depend all bodies and senses, in which all inhere, which is called Sutrafootnote{Hiraṇyagarbha, who is possessed of the twofold power of action and knowledge, is called Sūtra when conceived of as the principle of action.} (thread), and which holds together the whole world. That Mātariśvā, dadhāti, allots; apaḥ, the activitiesfootnote{Since all Vedic sacrifices are performed with liquids like soma, ghee, milk, etc., and life, too, is dependent on liquids, āpaḥ (water) is figuratively used for action—the cause for the effect, i.e. activities of life.}—consisting in the efforts of creatures, as well as flaming, burning, shining, raining, etc. in the case of fire, sun, cloud, etc. Or dadhāti many mean supports, in accordance with such Vedic texts as "From His fear the wind blows" (Tai. II. viii. 1). The meaning is that all these modifications of causes and effects occur so long as the eternally conscious reality of the Self, the source of everthing, endures.

Anejat, unmoving. The root ejṛ implies shaking. Shaking is motion, deviation from one's own condition. It is devoid of this, i.e. It is ever of the same form. And It is ekam, one, in all beings. It is javīyaḥ, faster, manasaḥ, than the mind, characterised by volition etc.