Atharvasiras
Upanishad
Om ! O Devas, may we hear with our ears
what is auspicious;
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship !
May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas,
Praising them with our body and limbs steady !
May the glorious Indra bless us !
May the all-knowing Sun bless us !
May Garuda, the thunderbolt for evil, bless us !
May Brihaspati grant us well-being !
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
[In the Atharvasiras Upanishad, the three syllable letter, which has
meaning and also does not have meaning and which is perennial stands
alone. It is told that it is the basis of everything and there is no
basis for it.]
The devas with their upturned hands extended upwards pray to Rudra. 1
Om!
He who is Rudra, he alone is god. He is Brahma and we salute him again
and again.
He who is Rudra, he alone is god. He is Vishnu and we salute him again
and again.
He who is Rudra, he alone is God. He is truth and we salute him again
and again.
He who is Rudra, he alone is God. He is everything and we salute him
again and again.
Earth is your feet. The Bhuvar Loka (one of the seven worlds above
earth) is your middle. And the Suvar Loka (another world above earth) is
your head. You are of the form of the universe. You who are Brahma
appear united also divided in to two, and divided in to three and appear
as if you are beyond all relations (attachments). You are peace. You are
vigour. You are that which is offered in fire and that which is not
offered in fire. You are that which is given in charity and that which
is not given. You are everything and also nothing. You are the entire
universe and you are not. You are that which is done and that which is
not done. You are that which is at the top and that which is at the
bottom. And you are the home for all beings. 3-1
Deeply drinking the somapana (a holy drink) of your grace we have become
deathless. We have reached the ultimate. We have seen the devas. Who can
cause any harm to us? We humans do not have any shortage of that nectar
(your grace). 3-2
You who are primeval are older than the sun and the moon. 3-3
For the sake of this world, this deathless primeval being, catches hold
of this world which is created by Prajapathi and which is minute and
peaceful, without touching it and attracts its shape of things by shape,
peacefulness by peace, minuteness by minuteness and airy nature by its
airy nature and swallows it. Salutations and salutations to that great
swallower. 3-4
Those gods who reside in the heart reside in the soul of the heart. And
you who live in that heart are beyond the triad nature. [The three
letters Aa, Uu and ma or three states viz. wakefulness, sleep and state
of dream.] 3-5
The head of “the sound of Om” is on your left side. Its feet are on your
right side. That “Sound of Om” is the Pranava(primeval sound). That
Pranava is spread everywhere. That which is everywhere is the greatest.
That which is limitless, shines like a white star. That which is also
called Shuklam (seminal fluid- the basic unit of life) is very very
minute. That which is minute is like a lightning power. That which is
like lightning power is the ultimate Brahman. That Brahman is one and
only one. That one and only one is Rudra (loosely translated angry one),
it is also Eeshana (the form of Lord Shiva with tuft and riding on a
bull), it is also the ultimate God and it is also the lord of all
things. 3-6
Rudra is called the personification of Pranva because he sends the souls
towards heaven, at the time of death (dissolution).
He is called the “one who has the shape of Pranava “, because the
Brahmins read and propagate the Rik, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas only
after reading “om”.
He is called “all pervading “ because like oil in gingili (Til), he
peacefully pervades all over the world and its beings, from top to
bottom and from right to left.
He is called “Anantha (endless)”, because his end is neither at the top
nor bottom, nor right nor left.
He is called “thara (protector)” because he protects one from the fear
of life which consists of the fear of staying in the womb, fear at time
of birth, fear from diseases, fear from old age and fear from death.
He is called “Shukla (white/ seminal fluid) because by pronouncing his
name we get rid of all pains.
He is called “sookshma (minute)”, because he pervades in a minute form
all over the body without touching any of the organs.
He is called “vaidhyutha (electric)” because as soon as his name is
pronounced , in the state of darkness where nothing is visible, the holy
knowledge comes like a ray of lightning.
He is called “Para Brahmam (the ultimate reality)", because though he is
inside every thing, he is in and out of everything, he is the refuge of
every thing and bigger than the big, he is inside every thing.
He is called “Eka (single)” because he singly destroys everything and
recreates everything.
He is called “theertha (sacred water)” because he is the ultimate
mingling of all sacred waters which are sought after, in the east,
south, north ad west.
He is “Eka (loner)” because he creates all beings and travels within
them alone without any one realizing where he comes from and where he
goes.
He is “Rudra” because he is fast moving form is not understood by all
but only by great sages and devotees.
He is “Eeshana” because by his power for creation and upkeep and also
because he rules over all devas (gods).
Like approaching a cow for getting milk, we come to you. You are
“Eeshana’ because Veda points you out as one who shows the heaven and
one who rules over other Gods.
You are also called “Maheswara (great lord)” because you bless your
devotees by giving them knowledge, because you created words and brought
out knowledge, and because you have forsaken everything and reached a
highest state of existence through yoga and your grace.
This is the story of Rudra. 4
This god is the one who pervades in all directions. He is the one who
came earlier than every thing. He is the one who is in the womb. He is
the one who is in all the creatures which have come out till now and all
those who are going to be created in future. He is also the one who sees
the inside but the one who has a face which looks outside. 5.1
Rudra is one and only one. There is none second to him. He rules all
worlds by his power. He pervades fully in all beings. He is the one who,
at the time of deluge, absorbs all beings. He is the one who creates all
beings and upkeeps them. 5.2
He alone exists, in all organs where birth takes place. He travels among
all beings and is the reason for their existence. The seeker would get
immeasurable peace by searching and surrendering to this god, who gives
everything to the one who asks and who is praiseworthy. 5.3
He converts fire, air, water, earth, ether and everything that exists
here in to ash. He who sees this and mentally realizes it and observes
the “penance to Pasupathi (Lord of all beings)” and who coats ash all
over his body with this ash attains the state of Brahman. By worshipping
“Pasupathi (lord of all beings)” like this, the ties of bondage of all
beings get cut and they attain salvation. 5.4
There is none greater than him, on whom all the worlds are strung like
beads. Over ages, nothing so far where greater than him and nothing is
going to be greater than him. He has thousands of legs but one and only
one head. He pervades every where.
From “Akshara (letter/language/ the deathless being)” time is created.
From “time (ages) the “all pervasiveness” is created. This “all
pervasiveness" is Rudra. Rudra destroys beings even when he is sleeping.
From his “breath” is produced the “power of Thamas (darkness)”. From
Thamas is created water. Mixing this water with finger makes it cold. By
mixing the coolness the “foam” is produced. From that foam, the galaxy
is produced. From the galaxy, Brahmam is produced. From Brahmam, air is
produced. From air, “the sound of Om” is produced. From “the sound of Om”,
Savithri is produced. From Savithri, Gayathri is produced and from
Gayathri, all the worlds are produced. They who worship “penance” and
“truth”, get permanent happiness. Worshipping that Brahmam, which is the
mixture of light, water, essence and nectar, by chanting “om Bhoor bhuva
swarom” is the greatest penance.
Om ! O Devas, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious;
May we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O ye worthy of worship !
May we enjoy the term of life allotted by the Devas,
Praising them with our body and limbs steady !
May the glorious Indra bless us !
May the all-knowing Sun bless us !
May Garuda, the thunderbolt for evil, bless us !
May Brihaspati grant us well-being !
Om ! Let there be Peace in me !
Let there be Peace in my environment !
Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me !
Here ends the Atharvasiras Upanishad, as contained in the Atharva-Veda |