Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 12-14: Becoming and Passing Away

Becoming and passing away are shown as limited paths; only their connection opens the way beyond death.

Dr. Ronald Steiner 17.07.2023

Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 12

अन्धं तमः प्रविशन्ति ये ऽसम्भूतिमुपासते |

andhaṃ tamaḥ praviśanti; ye 'sambhūtim upāsate | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

andham accusative singular neuter	andha adjective	blind
tamas accusative singular	tamas substantive neuter	darkness
praviśanti 3rd person plural aktive present	pra previx viś verbal root	enter
ye nominative plural masculine	yad pronoun rel	who
asambhūtim accusative singular	asambhūti substantive feminine	non-becoming, non-arising
upāsate 3rd person plural medial present	upa previx ās verbal root	worship, devote themselves to

ततो भूय इव ते तमो य उ सम्भूतियां रताः ||12||

tato bhūya iva te tamo; ya u sambhūti*yāṃ ratāḥ ||12|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

tataḥ	tatas adverb	from that, thereafter
bhūyaḥ accusative singular neuter comperative	bhūyas adjective	greater
iva	iva particle	as if
te nominative plural masculine	tad pronoun dem	they
tamas accusative singular	tamas substantive neuter	darkness
ye nominative plural masculine	yad pronoun rel	who
u	u particle	indeed, but
sambhūtyām lokative singular	sambhūti substantive feminine	in becoming, in arising
ratāḥ nominative plural masculine past participle passive	ram verbal root	delighting, devoted

Metre: Anuṣṭubh

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Those who worship non-arising enter blind darkness. Into still deeper darkness, it seems, go those who lose themselves in becoming.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

Śaṅkara interprets asambhūti (non-arising, the unmanifest) as prakṛti/avyākṛta (primordial nature, the not-yet-unfolded), the seed-form of desire and action. Sambhūti (arising, becoming) is for him the arisen kārya-brahman (active, produced Brahman), that is Hiraṇyagarbha (the golden germ, cosmic creator-form). The warning is directed against one-sided worship of either pole.

Īśā-Upaniṣad Śaṅkara-Bhāṣya

sambhūti*yāṃ conj. ed. ] sambhūtyāṃ GRETIL2018, LV1958

Critical Apparatus

Into blind darkness enter they
Who worship non-becoming (a-sambhūti);
Into darkness greater than that, as it were, they
Who delight in becoming (sambhūti).

Robert Hume - 1921

In blinde Finsternis eingeht,
Wer ein Werden zu Nichts geglaubt,
In blindere wohl noch jener,
Der ein Werden zu Etwas glaubt.

Paul Deussen - 1897

All who worship what is not the true cause, enter into blind darkness: those who delight in the true cause, enter, as it were, into greater darkness.

Max Müller - 1879

Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 13

अन्यदेवाहुः संभवादन्यदाहुरसंभवात् |

anyad evāhuḥ saṃbhavād; anyad āhur asaṃbhavāt | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

anyat nominative singular neuter	anya adjective	different, other
eva	eva particle	indeed, precisely
āhuḥ 3rd person plural aktive perfekte	ah verbal root	they say
sambhavāt ablative singular	sambhava substantive masculine	from becoming, from origin
anyat nominative singular neuter	anya adjective	different, other
āhuḥ 3rd person plural aktive perfekte	ah verbal root	they say
asambhavāt ablative singular	asambhava substantive masculine	from non-becoming

इति शुश्रुम धीराणाम् ये नस्तद्विचचक्षिरे ||13||

iti śuśruma dhīrāṇām; ye nas tad vicacakṣire ||13|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

iti	iti particle	thus
śuśruma 1st person plural aktive perfekte	śru verbal root	we have heard
dhīrāṇām genitive plural	dhīra substantive masculine	of the wise
ye nominative plural masculine	yad pronoun rel	who
naḥ dative plural	asmad pronoun pers 1p	to us
tat accusative singular neuter	tad pronoun dem	this
vicacakṣire 3rd person plural medial perfekte	vi previx cakṣ verbal root	explained, taught

Metre: Anuṣṭubh

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

One result, the wise say, comes from becoming; another comes from non-becoming. So we have heard from those who explained this to us.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

As in verse 10, Śaṅkara stresses the difference of fruits. Worship of sambhūti (arising, produced reality) leads to powers such as aṇimā (becoming minute); worship of the unmanifest leads to prakṛti-laya (dissolution into primordial nature). The teacher tradition distinguishes both so that their connection can be grounded properly.

Īśā-Upaniṣad Śaṅkara-Bhāṣya

Other, indeed—they say—than origin (sambhava)!
Other—they say—than non-origin (a-sambhava)!
—Thus have we heard from the wise
Who to us have explained It.

Robert Hume - 1921

Verschieden ist es von Werdung,
Von Nichtswerdung verschieden auch,
So haben von den Altmeistern
Die Lehre überkommen wir.

Paul Deussen - 1897

One thing, they say, is obtained from (knowledge of) the cause; another, they say, from (knowledge of) what is not the cause. Thus we have heard from the wise who taught us this.

Max Müller - 1879

Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 14

संभूतिं च विनाशं च यस्तद्वेदोभयं सह |

saṃbhūtiṃ ca vināśaṃ ca; yas tad vedobhayaṃ saha | Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

sambhūtim accusative singular	sambhūti substantive feminine	becoming, arising
ca	ca particle	and
vināśam accusative singular	vināśa substantive masculine	destruction, dissolution
ca	ca particle	and
yaḥ nominative singular masculine	yad pronoun rel	who
tat accusative singular neuter	tad pronoun dem	this
veda 3rd person singular aktive perfekte	vid verbal root	knows
ubhayam accusative singular neuter	ubhaya adjective	both
saha	saha particle	together

विनाशेन मृत्युं तीर्त्वा संभूत्यामृतमश्नुते ||14||

vināśena mṛtyuṃ tīrtvā; saṃbhūtyāmṛtam aśnute ||14|| Analysis ▾ Analysis ▴

vināśena instrumental case singular	vināśa substantive masculine	through destruction, through dissolution
mṛtyum accusative singular	mṛtyu substantive masculine	death
tīrtvā absolutus	tṛ verbal root	having crossed
sambhūtyā instrumental case singular	sambhūti substantive feminine	through becoming, through arising
amṛtam accusative singular	amṛta substantive neuter	immortality
aśnute 3rd person singular medial present	aś verbal root	attains, enjoys

Metre: Anuṣṭubh

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - historically literal

Whoever recognizes becoming and passing away together crosses death through passing away and attains immortality through becoming.

Dr. Ronald Steiner - 2026 - modern transfer

Śaṅkara explains vināśa (perishing, destruction) as the produced sphere and connects it with Hiraṇyagarbha-upāsanā (worship or meditation on Hiraṇyagarbha, the cosmic creator-form). Through this, lack of power, wrongdoing, and desire-born faults are crossed as mṛtyu (death). Through worship of the unmanifest, a relative amṛta (immortality) is reached: prakṛti-laya (dissolution into primordial nature), not highest Self-knowledge.

Īśā-Upaniṣad Śaṅkara-Bhāṣya

Becoming (sambhūti) and destruction (vināśa)—
He who this pair conjointly (saha) knows,
With destruction passing over death,
With becoming wins the immortal.

Robert Hume - 1921

Wer Werden und Zunichtwerden
Beide [als nicht vorhanden] weiß,
Der überschreitet durch beides
Den Tod und hat Unsterblichkeit.

Paul Deussen - 1897

He who knows at the same time both the cause and the destruction (the perishable body), overcomes death by destruction (the perishable body), and obtains immortality through (knowledge of ) the true cause.

Max Müller - 1879

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Dr. Ronald Steiner

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The "Yoga Doc" - Dr. Ronald Steiner is the founder of the AYI method. This method links traditional Ashtanga Yoga with innovative Yogatherapy and living Philosophy. This forms a practice that is personal for each and... more ›

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17.07.2023

Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 12-14: Becoming and Passing Away

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