The Isha Upanishad is one of the shortest of the principal Upanishads, forming the fortieth and final chapter of the Shukla Yajurveda. Its 18 mantras address the relationship between the individual, the world, and the supreme reality, opening with the declaration that the Lord pervades all that moves, and closing with a prayer to Agni for guidance along a good path. The text holds together renunciation and action, knowledge and good works, presenting both as necessary for the person seeking liberation.
Even if a man wishes to live for a hundred years doing his works, this is the way it must be for him — no other way exists. Done in this spirit, work does not stick to him.
The Self never moves, yet it is swifter than thought. The senses cannot catch it — it was already there before them. Standing still, it outruns all who are running. Mātariśvan, the wind, sets everything in motion within it.
The Self pervades everything: radiant, bodiless, without wound or sinew, pure, untouched by sin. A seer, all-knowing, self-existent, it has rightly ordered all things across eternal time.
अ॒न्धं तमः॒ प्र वि॑शन्ति॒ येऽवि॑द्यामु॒पास॑ते । ततो॒ भूय॑ इव॒ ते तमो॒ य उ॑ वि॒द्याया॑ र॒ताः ॥ ९ ॥
andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti ye 'vidyām upāsate | tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyāṃ ratāḥ || 9 ||
Simple English
Primary Translation
Those who follow only good works without knowledge enter into blind darkness. Those who delight only in knowledge, as if that alone were enough, enter into an even greater darkness.
अ॒न्यदे॒वाहुः सं॑भ॒वाद॒न्यदा॑हु॒रसं॑भवात् । इति॑ शुश्रुम॒ धीरा॑णां॒ ये न॒स्तद्वि॑चचक्षि॒रे ॥ १३ ॥
anyad evāhuḥ saṃbhavād anyad āhur asaṃbhavāt | iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṃ ye nas tad vicacakṣire || 13 ||
Simple English
Primary Translation
The wise say that knowing the true cause leads to one result, and knowing what is not the true cause leads to another. This is what our teachers taught us.
संभू॑तिं च विना॒शं च॒ यस्तद्वेदो॒भय॑ँ स॒ह । वि॒ना॒शेन॑ मृ॒त्युं ती॒र्त्वा संभू॑त्या॒मृत॑मश्नुते ॥ १४ ॥
saṃbhūtiṃ ca vināśaṃ ca yas tad vedobhayaṃ saha | vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā saṃbhūtyāmṛtam aśnute || 14 ||
Simple English
Primary Translation
Whoever knows both the true cause and what is perishable together crosses over death through the perishable, and reaches immortality through knowledge of the true cause.
पूषन्नेकर्षे यम सूर्य प्राजापत्य व्यूह रश्मीन्समूह । तेजो॒ यत्ते॑ रू॒पं कल्या॑णतमं॒ तत्ते॑ पश्यामि॒ योऽसावसौ पुरु॑षः॒ सो॒ऽहम॑स्मि ॥ १६ ॥
pūṣann ekarṣe yama sūrya prājāpatya vyūha raśmīn samūha tejaḥ | yat te rūpaṃ kalyāṇatamaṃ tat te paśyāmi yo 'sāv asau puruṣaḥ so 'ham asmi || 16 ||
Simple English
Primary Translation
O Pushan, sole seer, Yama, Sun, child of Prajāpati — spread your rays and draw in your radiance. That most beautiful form of yours, I behold it. That person who is there in the sun — I am He.
May this breath return to the immortal air. May this body end in ashes. Om. O mind, remember. Remember what was done. Mind, remember. Remember what was done.