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Cover photo: Nagaraj Ananthashesha (banagaraj@yahoo.com)

Cover Design, Typesetting: Good Books Publishing

Published by
Stanley Stephen
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Foreword
A life-giving tree bears fruit in every age; its seeds spread its
sweetness across generations. If one of the seeds of the Isha Vasya
Upanishad were to sprout in the 21st century, this is the fruit that tree
would bear.

Stanley
Sept 1, 2008
 Prayer for Peace
OM

This is wholesome and complete.

That is wholesome and complete.
Completeness can only be created from completeness.
If completeness is removed from completeness,
What remains is also complete.
 THE ISHA UPANISHAD
AN INTERPRETATION

1
God inhabits and surrounds everything in the universe. Everything in
His universe is for us to use and enjoy because we are the most loved
guests of God; but nothing belongs to us. Understand this and enjoy
everything. Banish the urge to grab and own it. Whose wealth is it
really?

2
In the awareness of being alive, we act ceaselessly. Immersed in our
actions and enjoying them, we hope to live for a hundred years. In
truth, we have no other option but to act. We can only hope to choose
actions that do not cling to us.

3
The darkness in world of demons is caused by blindness, and not
because the sun has stopped shining. In this darkness, the sunless ones
kill the soul and wander in circles. Knowing nothing else, they keep
returning to this world to die.

What is Brahman?
4
As if incapable of movement, Brahman stands transfixed. Yet it is
faster than the mind and the senses. It outruns even the Gods. It is a
vibration that eludes understanding. It fills the mold of the universe
like water in the womb.

5
It moves and yet it does not move. It is far and yet it is near. It is found
inside everything and yet, simultaneously surrounds everything from
the outside.
 6
If we can see this and understand that ABOUT THE SELF
the Self is within everything and The Self is is often used in a
different context in the
surrounds everything then we cease to English language. In Vedic
feel repulsed. We will cease to hate. texts, the Self or Brahman
refers to the divine substance
that is the essence of all
7 creation. It is the substance
that pervades the infinite
When we understand that the Self expanse of the universe.
constitutes all things that exist, we
shall have perfect knowledge. How Being a part of the universe,
the human being also
can we be deluded then? How can we contains the Atman. It is in
grieve when we see oneness this order of priority that the
Self is to be understood. The
everywhere? opposite idea – that the
Atman that is contained in us
also constitutes the universe
8 – is misleading as it instills a
God, therefore, is everywhere. He is false sense of ownership.
bright, bodiless, without scars, without We did not create the
sinews. He is pure and immune to universe, the universe
evil. Being the only one who can created us. Yet, the two are
identical in substance.
create Himself, He has always existed
and will never cease to exist. He
pervades and transcends everything. It is He who instructed Eternity
to create and arrange all creations according to their nature.

Ignorance and Knowledge

9
Those who find comfort in ignorance cause the universe to be covered
with darkness that comes from blindness. An even greater darkness is
caused to appear by those who intend to conquer knowledge.

10
It has so been revealed to us by the wise, who understood this before
us, that the results of ignorance and knowledge are very different from
each other.
 11
If we can understand that ignorance and knowledge are states that can
be attained simultaneously, then by ignorance we cross beyond death
and by knowledge we will enjoy immortality.

The Principle of Manifestation

12
Those who worship the idea that the universe is unmanifested (not
born) cause the universe to be filled with a darkness that is brought
about by blindness. An even greater darkness is brought about by
those who worship the idea that the universe can only be manifested
(born).

13
It has so been revealed to us by the wise, who have gone before us,
that the results of believing only in the unmanifested are very different
from the results of believing only in the manifested.

14
If we can understand that the universe is simultaneously manifested
and unmanifested, that the universe is simultaneously born and
unborn, then we overcome death through the unmanifested and enjoy
immortality through the manifested.

Prayer for Truth

15
Truth’s face is covered by a sparkling shield (vessel) of gold. O Lord
of Light, please remove this shield that we may see Truth.

16
O Lord, you nourish us, you alone are the One, the controller, the
creator and sun of the universe; your brilliant light prevents me from
seeing your graceful form. I pray, remove your rays, lower the flames
of your dazzling fire so that I may come closer and behold you. The
Divinity (God) that blazes in front of me – that am I as well.
 17
Now as I am ending, let the life and breath within me become
immortal. Let my body be turned to ash.

OM

O Consciousness, remember what has transpired. Remember, O

Consciousness, remember what has transpired. Remember.

18
O Lord Agni, God of Fire, lead us along the good path to our good
fortune. You know all that we have intended and have done. Burn
away the wicked tendency to sin that exists within us. To you we offer
(with gratitude) many salutations.

May peace be with us.

May peace be with us.
May peace be with us.
About the Author
Born in India in 1974, Stanley Stephen trained to be a software
engineer. After 10 years of getting bits and bytes to do his
bidding in Germany and USA, Stanley returned to India to
study philosophy and child psychology.

He has developed many personality development workshops

based on music.

He lives and works in Gudalur, a buzzing small town in the

Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu, India.

Contact: Stanley.Stephen@gmail.com