Isha Upanishad 65

65

mānuṣadaivavittasādhyaṃ phalaṃ śāstralakṣaṇaṃ prakṛtilayāntam /
etāvatī saṃsāragatiḥ /
ataḥ paraṃ pūrvoktamātmaivābhūdvijānata iti sarvātmabhāva eva sarveṣaṇāsaṃnyāsajñānaniṣṭhāphalam /
evaṃ dviprakāraḥ pravṛttinivṛttilakṣaṇo vedārtho 'tra prakāśitaḥ /
tatra pravṛttilakṣaṇasya vedārthasya vidhipratiṣedhalakṣaṇasya vedārthasya vidhipratiṣedhalakṣaṇasya kṛtsnasya prakāśane pravargyāntaṃ brāhmaṇamupayuktam /
nivṛttilakṣaṇasya vedārthasya prakāśane 'ta ūrdhvaṃ bṛhadāraṇyakamupayuktam /

Since this is so, and since both are meant for the same human goal, it is proper to combine the worship of the Manifested and the Unmanifested. This is being said by the verse:

He who knows these two—the Unmanifested and Destruction—together; vināśena, through Destruction; though vināśa (destruction) is an attribute of the evolutes of its substantive, it is spoken of as identical with the substantive itself (i.e. manifested Brahman or Hiraṇyagarbha), of which, too, it (vināśa or destruction) is a characteristic; by that, by the worship of that (vināśa); mṛtyum tīrtvā, crossing over death—the bundle of faults such as absence of supernormal faculty, and demerit, desire, etc.; for through the worship of Hiraṇyagarbha is obtained such results as powers of becoming subtle; mṛtyum tīrtvā, crossing over death, consisting in the non-possession of supernormal faculties; asambhūtyā, through the worship of the Unmanifested; amṛtam aśnute, (he) attains immortality—characterised as absorption in Prakṛti. It is to be noted that in sambhūtim ca vināśaṁ ca there is a presentation by omission of the letter a (before sambhūti) which should be asambhūti in conformity with the mention of the fruit, viz absorption in Prakṛti (i.e. asambhūti).

It is indicated by the scriptures that absorption into Prakṛti is the highest result attainable through human and divine wealth.footnote{"Cattle, land, gold, etc, are human wealth; meditation on gods is divine wealth."—A.G.} Up to this is the course of worldly existence. Beyond this is the identification with the Self in all, as indicated earlier in the verse: "When to the man of realisation all beings become the very Self" (Īś. 7), which is the result of devotion to knowledge after renouncing all desires. Thus has been revealed the twofold purport of the Vedas consisting in desire for and desisting from activity. As to this, the (Śatapatha) Brāhmaṇa, ending with the Pravargya ritual, is devoted to the revelation as a whole of the Vedic purport indicated through injunction and prohibition of activity. And the Bṛhadāraṇyaka thereafter is devoted to the revelation of the Vedic purport characterised by desisting from activity. In this connection, the verse, "He who knows these two—vidyā and avidyā—together, attains immortality through vidyā, by crossing over death through avidyā" (Īś. 11), has been cited for the person who wants to live by doing rites—beginning from conception and ending in death—in conjunction with meditation on the lower Brahman. Now, then, the question, "By what route will he achieve immortality?" is being answered. "Now, That which is the Truth (Brahman), is the Sun—who is the Person in the solar orb, as also the Person in the right eye" (Bṛ. V. v. 2)—he who has meditated on both these (Persons) as the Truth (Brahman) and performed the rites as mentioned (in the scriptures), prays at the time of death, to the Self, for the door leading to the Self, in the verse: "The face of Truth is concealed with a golden vessel" etc.

It is indicated by the scriptures that absorption into Prakṛti is the highest result attainable through human and divine wealth.footnote{"Cattle, land, gold, etc, are human wealth; meditation on gods is divine wealth."—A.G.} Up to this is the course of worldly existence. Beyond this is the identification with the Self in all, as indicated earlier in the verse: "When to the man of realisation all beings become the very Self" (Īś. 7), which is the result of devotion to knowledge after renouncing all desires. Thus has been revealed the twofold purport of the Vedas consisting in desire for and desisting from activity. As to this, the (Śatapatha) Brāhmaṇa, ending with the Pravargya ritual, is devoted to the revelation as a whole of the Vedic purport indicated through injunction and prohibition of activity. And the Bṛhadāraṇyaka thereafter is devoted to the revelation of the Vedic purport characterised by desisting from activity. In this connection, the verse, "He who knows these two—vidyā and avidyā—together, attains immortality through vidyā, by crossing over death through avidyā" (Īś. 11), has been cited for the person who wants to live by doing rites—beginning from conception and ending in death—in conjunction with meditation on the lower Brahman. Now, then, the question, "By what route will he achieve immortality?" is being answered. "Now, That which is the Truth (Brahman), is the Sun—who is the Person in the solar orb, as also the Person in the right eye" (Bṛ. V. v. 2)—he who has meditated on both these (Persons) as the Truth (Brahman) and performed the rites as mentioned (in the scriptures), prays at the time of death, to the Self, for the door leading to the Self, in the verse: "The face of Truth is concealed with a golden vessel" etc.