Two birds, fast bound companions, nestle together upon the self-same tree. Of these two, the one eats the sweet fig; the other, not eating, just looks on.

by the ancient seer Śvetāśvatara

First Adhyāya

1. Discoursers on Brahma (brahma-vādin) say: —

What is the cause? Brahma? Whence are we born?
Whereby do we live? And on what are we established?
Overruled by whom, in pains and pleasures,
Do we live our various conditions, O ye theologians (brahma-vid)?

2. Time (kāla), or inherent nature (sva-bhāva), or necessity,
   or chance (yadṛcchā),
   Or the elements (bhūta), or a [female] womb (yoni), or a [male]
   person (puruṣa) are to be considered [as the cause];
   Not a combination of these, because of the existence of the soul
   (ātman),
   The soul certainly is impotent over the cause of pleasure and pain.

3. Those who have followed after meditation (dhyāna) and abstraction
   (yoga)
   Saw the self-power (ātma-śakti) of God (deva) hidden in his
   own qualities (guṇa).
   He is the One who rules over all these causes,
   From 'time' to 'the soul.'

The individual soul in manifold distress

4. We understand him [as a wheel] with one felly, with a triple
   tire,
   With sixteen end-parts, fifty spokes, twenty counter-spokes,
   With six sets of eights, whose one rope is manifold,
   Which has three different paths, whose one illusion (moha)
   has two conditioning causes.

5. We understand him as a river of five streams from five sources,
   impetuous and crooked,
   Whose waves are the five vital breaths, whose original source
   is fivefold perception (buddhi),
   With five whirlpools, an impetuous flood of fivefold misery,
   Divided into five distresses, with five branches.

6. In this which vitalizes all things, which appears in all things,
   the Great —
   In this Brahma-wheel the soul (haṃsa) flutters about,
   Thinking that itself (ātmānam) and the Actuator are different.
   When favored by Him, it attains immortality.

The saving knowledge of the one inclusive Brahma

7. This has been sung as the supreme Brahma.
   In it there is a triad. It is the firm support, the Imperishable.
   By knowing what is therein, Brahma-knowers
   Become merged in Brahma, intent thereon, liberated from the
   womb [i.e. from rebirth].

8. That which is joined together as perishable and imperishable,
   As manifest and unmanifest — the Lord (Potentate) supports
   it all.
   Now, without the Lord the soul (ātman) is bound, because of
   being an enjoyer;
   By knowing God (devā) one is released from all fetters.

9. There are two unborn ones: the knowing [Lord] and the
   unknowing [individual soul], the Omnipotent and the impotent.
   She [i.e. Nature, Prakṛti], too, is unborn, who is connected
   with the enjoyer and objects of enjoyment.
   Now, the soul (ātman) is infinite, universal, inactive.
   When one finds out this triad, that is Brahma.

10. What is perishable, is Primary Matter (pradhāna). What is
    immortal and imperishable, is Hara (the 'Bearer,' the soul).
    Over both the perishable and the soul the One God (deva) rules.
    By meditation upon Him, by union with Him, and by entering
    into His being
    More and more, there is finally cessation from every illusion
    (māyā-nivṛtti).

11. By knowing God (deva) there is a falling off of all fetters;
    With distresses destroyed, there is cessation of birth and death.
    By meditating upon Him there is a third stage at the dissolution
    of the body,
    Even universal lordship; being absolute (kevala), his desire is
    satisfied.

12. That Eternal should be known as present in the self
    (ātmasaṃstha).
    Truly there is nothing higher than that to be known.
    When one recognizes the enjoyer, the object of enjoyment, and
    the universal Actuator,
    All has been said. This is the threefold Brahma.

Made manifest like latent fire, by the exercise of meditation

13. As the material form (mūrti) of fire when latent in its source
    [i.e. the fire-wood]
    Is not perceived — and yet there is no evanishment of its subtle
    form (liṅga) —
    But may be caught again by means of the drill in its source,
    So, verily, both [the universal and the individual Brahma] are
    [to be found] in the body by the use of Oṃ.

14. By making one's own body the lower friction-stick
    And the syllable Oṃ the upper friction-stick,
    By practising the friction of meditation (dhyāna),
    One may see the God (devā) who is hidden, as it were.

The all-pervading Soul

15. As oil in sesame seeds, as butter in cream,
    As water in river-beds, and as fire in the friction-sticks,
    So is the Soul (Ātman) apprehended in one's own soul,
    If one looks for Him with true austerity (tapas).

16. The Soul (Ātman), which pervades all things
    As butter is contained in cream,
    Which is rooted in self-knowledge and austerity —
    This is Brahma, the highest mystic teaching (upaniṣad)!
    This is Brahma, the highest mystic teaching!

Second Adhyāya

Invocation to the god of inspiration for inspiration and self-control

1. Savitri (the Inspirer), first controlling mind
   And thought for truth,
   Discerned the light of Agni (Fire)
   And brought it out of the earth.

2. With mind controlled, we are
   In the inspiration of the god Savitri,
   For heaven and strength.

3. With mind having controlled the powers
   That unto bright heaven through thought do go,
   May Savitri inspire them,
   That they may make a mighty light!

4. The sages of the great wise sage
   Control their mind, and control their thoughts.
   The One who knows the rules has arranged the priestly functions.
   Mighty is the chorus-praise of the god Savitri.

5. I join your ancient prayer (brahma pūrvyam) with adorations!
   My verses go forth like suns upon their course.
   All the sons of the immortal listen,
   Even those who ascended to heavenly stations!

Spiritual significance of the sacrificial worship

6. Where the fire is being kindled,
   Where the wind is applied thereto,
   Where the Soma overflows,
   There is inspiration (manas) born.

7. With Savitri as the inspirer
   One should delight in the ancient prayer (brahma pūrvyam).
   If there thou make thy source,
   The former [work] besmears thee not.

Rules and results of Yoga

8. Holding his body steady with the three [upper parts] erect,
   And causing the senses with the mind to enter into the heart,
   A wise man with the Brahma-boat should cross over
   All the fear-bringing streams.

9. Having repressed his breathings here in the body, and having
   his movements checked,
   One should breathe through his nostrils with diminished breath.
   Like that chariot yoked with vicious horses,
   His mind the wise man should restrain undistractedly.

10. In a clean level spot, free from pebbles, fire, and gravel,
    By the sound of water and other propinquities
    Favorable to thought, not offensive to the eye,
    In a hidden retreat protected from the wind, one should practise Yoga.

11. Fog, smoke, sun, fire, wind,
    Fire-flies, lightning, a crystal, a moon —
    These are the preliminary appearances,
    Which produce the manifestation of Brahma in Yoga.

12. When the fivefold quality of Yoga has been produced,
    Arising from earth, water, fire, air, and space,
    No sickness, no old age, no death has he
    Who has obtained a body made out of the fire of Yoga.

13. Lightness, healthiness, steadiness,
    Clearness of countenance and pleasantness of voice,
    Sweetness of odor, and scanty excretions —
    These, they say, are the first stage in the progress of Yoga.

The vision of God

14. Even as a mirror stained by dust
    Shines brilliantly when it has been cleansed,
    So the embodied one, on seeing the nature of the Soul (Ātman),
    Becomes unitary, his end attained, from sorrow freed.

15. When with the nature of the self, as with a lamp,
    A practiser of Yoga beholds here the nature of Brahma,
    Unborn, steadfast, from every nature free —
    By knowing God (deva) one is released from all fetters.

The pantheistic God

16. That God faces all the quarters of heaven.
    Aforetime was he born, and he it is within the womb.
    He has been born forth. He will be born.
    He stands opposite creatures, having his face in all directions.

17. The God who is in fire, who is in water, who has entered into
    the whole world, who is in plants, who is in trees —
    to that God be adoration! — yea, be adoration!

Third Adhyāya

The One God identified with Rudra

1. The One spreader of the net, who rules with his ruling powers,
   Who rules all the worlds with his ruling powers,
   The one who alone stands in their arising and in their continued
   existence —
   They who know That, become immortal.

2. For truly, Rudra (the Terrible) is the One — they stand not
   for a second —
   Who rules all the worlds with his ruling powers.
   He stands opposite creatures. He, the Protector,
   After creating all beings, merges them together at the end of time.

3. Having an eye on every side and a face on every side,
   Having an arm on every side and a foot on every side,
   The One God forges together with hands, with wings,
   Creating the heaven and the earth.

4. He who is the source and origin of the gods,
   The ruler of all, Rudra, the great seer,
   Who of old created the Golden Germ (Hiraṇyagarbha) —
   May He endow us with clear intellect!

Prayers from the Scriptures unto Rudra for favor

5. The form of thine, O Rudra, which is kindly (śiva),
   Unterrifying, revealing no evil —
   With that most benign form to us
   Appear, O dweller among the mountains!

6. O dweller among the mountains, the arrow
   Which thou holdest in thy hand to throw
   Make kindly (śiva), O mountain-protector!
   Injure not man or beast!

Knowing the One Supreme Person overcomes death

7. Higher than this is Brahma. The Supreme, the Great,
   Hidden in all things, body by body,
   The One embracer of the universe —
   By knowing Him as Lord (Īś) men become immortal.

8. I know this mighty Person (Puruṣa)
   Of the color of the sun, beyond darkness.
   Only by knowing Him does one pass over death.
   There is no other path for going there.

9. Than whom there is naught else higher,
   Than whom there is naught smaller, naught greater,
   The One stands like a tree established in heaven.
   By Him, the Person, this whole world is filled.

10. That which is beyond this world
    Is without form and without ill.
    They who know That, become immortal;
    But others go only to sorrow.

The cosmic Person with human and superhuman powers

11. Who is the face, the head, the neck of all,
    Who dwells in the heart of all things,
    All-pervading is He, and bountiful (maghavan);
    Therefore omnipresent, and kindly (śiva).

12. A mighty lord (prabhu) is the Person,
    The instigator of the highest being (sattva).
    Unto the purest attainment,
    The ruler, a light imperishable!

13. A Person of the measure of a thumb is the inner soul (antarātman),
    Ever seated in the heart of creatures.
    He is framed by the heart, by the thought, by the mind.
    They who know That, become immortal.

14. The Person has a thousand heads,
    A thousand eyes, a thousand feet;
    He surrounds the earth on all sides,
    And stands ten fingers' breadth beyond.

15. The Person, in truth, this whole world is,
    Whatever has been and whatever will be;
    Also ruler of immortality,
    [And] whatever grows up by food.

16. It has a hand and foot on every side,
    On every side an eye and head and face,
    It has an ear everywhere in the world.
    It stands encompassing all.

17. Seeming to possess the quality (guṇa) of all the senses,
    It is devoid of all the senses;
    The lord (prabhu), the ruler of all,
    The great shelter of all.

18. Though in the nine-gated city embodied,
    Back and forth to the external hovers the soul (haṃsa).
    The Controller of the whole world,
    Both the stationary and the moving.

19. Without foot or hand, he is swift and a seizer!
    He sees without eye; he hears without ear!
    He knows whatever is to be known; him there is none who knows!
    Men call him the Great Primeval Person.

20. More minute than the minute, greater than the great,
    Is the Soul (Ātman) that is set in the heart of a creature here.
    One beholds Him as being without the active will, and becomes
    freed from sorrow —
    When through the grace (prasāda) of the Creator he sees the
    Lord (Īś) and his greatness.

21. I know this undecaying, primeval
    Soul of all, present in everything through immanence,
    Of whose exemption from birth they speak —
    For the expounders of Brahma (brahma-vādin) speak of Him
    as eternal.

Fourth Adhyāya

1. The One who, himself without color, by the manifold application
   of his power (śakti-yogā)
   Distributes many colors in his hidden purpose,
   And into whom, its end and its beginning, the whole world
   dissolves — He is God (deva)!
   May He endow us with clear intellect!

The One God pantheistically identified

2. That surely is Agni (fire). That is Āditya (the sun).
   That is Vāyu (the wind), and That is the moon.
   That surely is the pure. That is Brahma.
   That is the waters. That is Prajāpati (Lord of Creation).

3. Thou art woman. Thou art man.
   Thou art the youth and the maiden too.
   Thou as an old man totterest with a staff.
   Being born, thou becomest facing in every direction.

4. Thou art the dark-blue bird and the green [parrot] with red eyes.
   Thou hast the lightning as thy child. Thou art the seasons and
   the seas.
   Having no beginning, thou dost abide with immanence,
   Wherefrom all beings are born.

The universal and the individual soul

5. With the one unborn female, red, white, and black,
   Who produces many creatures like herself,
   There lies the one unborn male taking his delight.
   Another unborn male leaves her with whom he has had his
   delight.

6. Two birds, fast bound companions,
   Clasp close the self-same tree.
   Of these two, the one eats sweet fruit;
   The other looks on without eating.

7. On the self-same tree a person, sunken,
   Grieves for his impotence, deluded;
   When he sees the other, the Lord (Īś), contented,
   And his greatness, he becomes freed from sorrow.

The ignorant soul in the illusion of a manifold universe

8. That syllable of the sacred hymn (ṛc, Rig-Veda) whereon, in
   highest heaven,
   All the gods are seated —
   Of what avail is the sacred hymn (ṛc, Rig-Veda) to him who
   knows not That?
   They, indeed, who know That, are here assembled.

9. Sacred poetry (chandas), the sacrifices, the ceremonies, the
   ordinances,
   The past, the future, and what the Vedas declare —
   This whole world the illusion-maker (māyin) projects out of
   this [Brahma].
   And in it by illusion (māyā) the other [individual soul] is
   confined.

10. Now, one should know that Nature (Prakṛti) is illusion
    (māyā),
    And that the Mighty Lord (Maheśvara) is the illusion-maker
    (māyin).
    This whole world is pervaded
    With beings that are parts of Him.

The saving knowledge of the one, kindly, immanent supreme God of the universe

11. The One who rules over every single source,
    In whom this whole world comes together and dissolves,
    The Lord (Īśāna), the blessing-giver, God (deva) adorable —
    By revering Him one goes for ever to this peace (śānti).

12. He who is the source and origin of the gods,
    The ruler of all, Rudra (the Terrible), the great seer,
    Who beheld the Golden Germ (Hiraṇyagarbha) when he was
    born —
    May He endow us with clear intellect!

13. Who is the overlord of the gods,
    On whom the worlds do rest,
    Who is lord of biped and quadruped here —
    To what god will we give reverence with oblations?

14. More minute than the minute, in the midst of confusion,
    The Creator of all, of manifold forms,
    The One embracer of the universe —
    By knowing Him as kindly (śiva) one attains peace forever.

15. He indeed is the protector of the world in time.
    The overlord of all, hidden in all things,
    With whom the seers of Brahma and the divinities are joined
    in union.
    By knowing Him thus, one cuts the cords of death.

16. By knowing as kindly (śiva) Him who is hidden in all things,
    Exceedingly fine, like the cream that is finer than butter,
    The One embracer of the universe —
    By knowing God (deva) one is released from all fetters.

17. That God, the All-worker, the Great Soul (mahātman),
    Ever seated in the heart of creatures,
    Is framed by the heart, by the thought, by the mind —
    They who know That, become immortal.

18. When there is no darkness, then there is no day or night,
    Nor being, nor non-being, only the Kindly One (śiva) alone.
    That is the Imperishable. That [is the] desirable [splendor]
    of Savitri (the Sun).
    And from that was primeval Intelligence (prajñā) created.

19. Not above, not across,
    Nor in the middle has one grasped Him.
    There is no likeness of Him
    Whose name is Great Glory (mahad yaśas).

20. His form is not to be beheld.
    No one soever sees Him with the eye.
    They who thus know Him with heart and mind
    As abiding in the heart, become immortal.

Supplications to Rudra for favor

21. With the thought 'He is eternal!'
    A certain one in fear approaches.
    O Rudra, that face of thine which is propitious —
    With that do thou protect me ever!

22. Injure us not in child or grandchild, nor in life!
    Injure us not in cattle! Injure us not in horses!
    Slay not our strong men in anger, O Rudra!
    With oblations ever we call upon thee.

Fifth Adhyāya

Brahma, the One God of the manifold world

1. In the imperishable, infinite, supreme Brahma are two things;
   For therein are knowledge and ignorance placed hidden.
   Now, ignorance is a thing perishable, but knowledge is a
   thing immortal.
   And He who rules the ignorance and the knowledge is another.

2. [Even] the One who rules over every single source,
   All forms and all sources;
   Who bears in his thoughts, and beholds when born,
   That red (kapila) seer who was engendered in the beginning.

3. That God spreads out each single net [of illusion] manifoldly
   And draws it together here in the world.
   Thus again, having created his Yatis, the Lord (Īśa),
   The Great Soul (mahātman), exercises universal overlordship.

4. As the illumining sun shines upon
   All regions, above, below, and across,
   So that One God, glorious, adorable,
   Rules over whatever creatures are born from a womb.

5. The source of all, who develops his own nature,
   Who brings to maturity whatever can be ripened,
   And who distributes all qualities (guṇā) —
   Over this whole world rules the One.

6. That which is hidden in the secret of the Vedas, even the
   Upanishads —
   Brahma knows That as the source of the sacred word (brahman).
   The gods and seers of old who knew That,
   They, [coming to be] of Its nature, verily, have become immortal.

The reincarnating individual soul

7. Whoever has qualities (guṇa, distinctions) is the doer of deeds
   that bring recompense;
   And of such action surely he experiences the consequence.
   Undergoing all forms, characterized by the three Qualities,
   treading the three paths,
   The individual self roams about according to its deeds (karman).

8. He is of the measure of a thumb, of sun-like appearance,
   When coupled with conception (saṃkalpa) and egoism (ahaṃkāra),
   But with only the qualities of intellect and of self,
   The lower [self] appears of the size of the point of an awl.

9. This living [self] is to be known as a part
   Of the hundredth part of the point of a hair
   Subdivided a hundredfold;
   And yet it partakes of infinity.

10. Not female, nor yet male is it;
    Nor yet is this neuter.
    Whatever body he takes to himself,
    With that he becomes connected.

11. By the delusions (moha) of imagination, touch, and sight,
    And by eating, drinking, and impregnation there is a birth
    and development of the self (ātman).
    According unto his deeds (karman) the embodied one successively
    Assumes forms in various conditions.

12. Coarse and fine, many in number,
    The embodied one chooses forms according to his own qualities.
    [Each] subsequent cause of his union with them is seen to be
    Because of the quality of his acts and of himself.

Liberation through knowledge of the One God

13. Him who is without beginning and without end, in the midst
    of confusion,
    The Creator of all, of manifold form,
    The One embracer of the universe —
    By knowing God (deva) one is released from all fetters.

14. Him who is to be apprehended in existence, who is called
    'incorporeal,'
    The maker of existence (bhāva) and non-existence, the
    kindly one (śiva),
    God (deva), the maker of the creation and its parts —
    They who know Him, have left the body behind.

Sixth Adhyāya

The One God, Creator and Lord, in and over the world

1. Some sages discourse of inherent nature (sva-bhāva);
   Others likewise, of time. Deluded men!
   It is the greatness of God in the world
   By which this Brahma-wheel is caused to revolve.

2. He by whom this whole world is constantly enveloped
   Is intelligent, the author of time, possessor of qualities (guṇin),
   omniscient.
   Ruled over by Him, [his] work (karman) revolves —
   This which is regarded as earth, water, fire, air, and space.

3. He creates this work, and rests again.
   Having entered into union (yoga) with principle (tattva) after
   principle,
   With one, with two, with three, or with eight,
   With time, too, and the subtle qualities of a self.

4. He begins with works which are connected with qualities (guṇā),
   And distributes all existences (bhāva).
   In the absence of these [qualities] there is a disappearance of
   the work that has been done.
   [Yet] in the destruction of the work he continues essentially
   other [than it].

5. The beginning, the efficient cause of combinations,
   He is to be seen as beyond the three times (kāla), without
   parts (a-kāla) too!
   Worship Him as the manifold, the origin of all being,
   The adorable God who abides in one's own thoughts, the
   primeval.

6. Higher and other than the world-tree, time, and forms
   Is He from whom this expanse proceeds.
   The bringer of right (dharma), the remover of evil (pāpa),
   the lord of prosperity —
   Know Him as in one's own self (ātma-stha), as the immortal
   abode of all.

7. Him who is the supreme Mighty Lord (Maheśvara) of lords,
   The supreme Divinity of divinities,
   The supreme Ruler of rulers, paramount,
   Him let us know as the adorable God, the Lord (Īś) of the world.

8. No action or organ of his is found;
   There is not seen his equal, nor a superior.
   His high power (śakti) is revealed to be various indeed;
   And innate is the working of his intelligence and strength.

9. Of Him there is no ruler in the world,
   Nor lord; nor is there any mark (liṅga) of Him.
   He is the Cause (kāraṇa), lord of the lords of sense-organs.
   Of Him there is no progenitor, nor lord.

10. The one God who covers himself,
    Like a spider, with threads
    Produced from Primary Matter (pradhāna), according to his
    own nature (svabhāvatas) —
    May He grant us entrance into Brahma!

11. The one God, hidden in all things,
    All-pervading, the Inner Soul of all things,
    The overseer of deeds (karman), in all things abiding,
    The witness, the sole thinker, devoid of qualities (nirguṇa).

12. The one controller of the inactive many,
    Who makes the one seed manifold —
    The wise who perceive Him as standing in one's self —
    They, and no others, have eternal happiness.

13. Him who is the constant among the inconstant, the intelligent
    among intelligences,
    The One among many, who grants desires,
    That Cause, attainable by discrimination and abstraction
    (sāṃkhya-yoga) —
    By knowing God, one is released from all fetters.

14. The sun shines not there, nor the moon and stars;
    These lightnings shine not, much less this [earthly] fire!
    After Him, as He shines, doth everything shine.
    This whole world is illumined with his light.

15. The one soul (haṃsa) in the midst of this world —
    This indeed is the fire which has entered into the ocean.
    Only by knowing Him does one pass over death.
    There is no other path for going there.

16. He who is the maker of all, the all-knower, self-sourced,
    Intelligent, the author of time, possessor of qualities, omniscient,
    Is the ruler of Primary Matter (pradhāna) and of the spirit
    (kṣetrajña), the lord of qualities (guṇa).
    The cause of transmigration (saṃsāra) and of liberation (mokṣa),
    of continuance and of bondage.

17. Consisting of That, immortal, existing as the Lord,
    Intelligent, omnipresent, the guardian of this world,
    Is He who constantly rules this world.
    There is no other cause found for the ruling.

18. To Him who of old creates Brahma,
    And who, verily, delivers to him the Vedas —
    To that God, who is lighted by his own intellect,
    Do I, being desirous of liberation, resort as a shelter.

19. To Him who is without parts, without activity, tranquil
    (śānta),
    Irreproachable, spotless,
    The highest bridge of immortality,
    Like a fire with fuel burned.

20. When men shall roll up space
    As it were a piece of leather,
    Then will there be an end of evil
    Apart from knowing God!

Epilogue

21. By the efficacy of his austerity and by the grace of God
    (deva-prasāda)
    The wise Śvetāśvatara in proper manner declared Brahma
    Unto the ascetics of the most advanced stage as the supreme
    means of purification —
    This which is well pleasing to the company of seers.

The conditions for receiving this knowledge

22. The supreme mystery in the Veda's End (Vedānta),
    Which has been declared in former time,
    Should not be given to one not tranquil,
    Nor again to one who is not a son or a pupil.

23. To him who has the highest devotion (bhakti) for God,
    And for his spiritual teacher (guru) even as for God,
    To him these matters which have been declared
    Become manifest [if he be] a great soul (mahātman) —
    Yea, become manifest [if he be] a great soul!

Colophon

Source: Sanskrit (Vedic tradition; early Upanishadic period, approximately 400–200 BCE). The Śvetāśvatara is named for its sage-author, who reveals the teaching in the Epilogue. It holds a unique place among the Upanishads: where most tend either toward non-dualism (the identity of Ātman and Brahma) or toward devotional theism, the Śvetāśvatara holds both simultaneously — Rudra/Śiva is presented as the supreme personal God, yet also as the Brahma that pervades and underlies all things. This philosophical synthesis anticipates the Shaiva Vedānta schools of later centuries.

Translator: Hume, Robert Ernest. The Thirteen Principal Upanishads Translated from the Sanskrit. Oxford University Press, 1921. (Public domain)

Scribal Formatting: Transcribed and formatted by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, April 2026, from the Internet Archive DjVu OCR of Hume's 1921 edition (IA identifier in.ernet.dli.2015.88708). OCR artifacts corrected; running headers, page numbers, and footnotes stripped. Hume's parenthetical Sanskrit glosses in roman transliteration preserved throughout. Chapter subheadings are Hume's own organizational headings, preserved as italicized section markers.

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