ॐ

ईशावास्यं इदम् सवं यत्किञ्च जगत्ां जगत् ।

ते न त्क्ते न भु ञ्जीथा मा गृ धः कस्यत्किद्धनम् ॥

Om
IshAvAsyaM idaM sarvaM yatki~jcha jagatyAM jagat |
tena tyaktena bhu~jjIthA mA gRudhaH kasyasviddhanam ||

Isha, the Lord, resides in all in this ever-changing world.

The only way to live one’s life is by renunciation of the gifts of the action and not desire anything
that does belong to us.

One who does not listen to this direction of the soul, finds oneself in a dark world.

Isha has been described to have contradictory properties to express that this universal principle is
beyond space, time and causality. Some examples of this description are – it is moving and it is still,
pointing to it beyond time. Isha is far and is near, indicating it to be beyond space.

Isha is inside all and it is outside all.

Isha is faster than the mind and has the ability to outrun anything and yet stay at the space place.

Isha is the force that supports and governs all activity in this ever-changing world.

The assertion of Isha residing everywhere, within and without, implies that Isha is everyone and
everyone is Isha. The Upanishad describes this experience as the ultimate experience for the seeker
and when the seeker experiences this oneness, in that state there is no cause for hatred, shrinking,
grief, pride or delusion.

The experience of oneness of the Isha principle is the essence of the Upanishad.

The Upanishad also understands the reality of the multiplicity and the inherent duality in everything.

It extolls Isha as the all-pervasive, super bright, bodiless, pure and sin free principle that is also the
seer, the thinker and the self-expressed / self-manifested Being that has appropriately distributed
the roles of every other being for eternity.

Based on this division, through two examples, the Upanishad brings to light that the pursuit of any
one dimension of a duality will lead to darkness and it is only through the harmony of the duality and
the unified knowledge of both the sides of the coin, will be able to achieve our goal of immortality
through transcending death.

One of the dualities used as an illustration is the duality of Vidya (Knowledge) and Avidya
(Ignorance). Commentators have differed on translation of the phrases (Vidya and Avidya). However,
the Upanishad says that it is only through the understanding of both together that we can live fully
as the gifts of each one of them is unique and distinct and to some extent irreplaceable.

The second illustration used by the Upanishad is that of Sambhootim (Manifested or Born) and
Asambhootim (Unmanifested or Death). The pursuit of either one alone leads us to darkness one
greater than the other and it is harmonised knowing of both together that can complete us and take
us to the experience of completeness and wholeness (Purnam) that we inherently are.

At this stage, the philosophical and knowledge part of the Upanishad stops and it shifts gear to
practical application of this principle.

The Upanishad describes and gives practices to experience the oneness, Isha, that the Upanishad is
about. The Upanishad has used light and darkness as a way to describe the ultimate truth and the
degree on numerous occasions. Hence, in the practical application also, it suggests activities in
visualisation largely based on light. The Upanishad describes 4 practices in succession, starting from
abstract and subtle to more real and gross.

Exercise 1: As a seeker of Satya (Truth), visualise “Truth” as being behind a golden lid and then
request Isha, the Nourisher, to reveal the Truth by opening the lid

Exercise 2: Visualise Isha, the golden being as the Nourisher, as Single Sighted, as the Controller of
the Universe, as the force that drives activity of everything, as the Originator. Ask this Being to
gather it’s rays and hold the heat to enable me to see the beautiful Rupa (Form) of the Satya
(Truth). We can use the Sun from our daily life as a Sambhootim (Manifested) visualisation of the
above described glorious form. Once, we see the form, the Upanishad advises us to say and
experience the oneness with this form, this Sun, by saying –

योऽसावसौ पुरुषः सोऽहमत्कि (Yo asAvaso purushah sah aham asmi)

“The Being that is in him, is also in Me”

This exercise / activity can be practiced on a daily / regular basis and helps us apply the learnings of
the Upanishad and experience Isha.

Exercise 3: The next exercise the Upanishad potentially suggests is to focus on our less subtle layers
of our being – Manomaya Kosha (Mind Body), Pranamaya Kosha (Energy Body) and Annamaya
Kosha (Food / Physical Body) – and experience the oneness of these layers –

- The Annamaya Body with the Earth

- The Prana Body with the Immortal Prana of the Universe

- The Manomaya Body with “Om”, the Universal sound

Exercise 4: With these exercises, the Upanishad could have ended. However to some, these
exercises may feel very lofty and unrealistic, impractical or illogical. This meta-physical knowledge is
beyond space, time and causality. However, in the last mantra, the Upanishad give a very practical
exercise, which requires only a little Shraddha (Faith) to start practicing. This exercise is to light a
simple fire (Diya / Lamp, Havan, etc) and request it with earnest words to lead us on the path of
knowledge and protect us from the crooked paths on sin.

Starting with this simple practical and realistic practice, we can start our journey towards
experiencing the One Universal Principle, Isha, that resides us in all.

ईशावास्यं इदम् सवं

ॐ तत् सत्