Talk:Commentary on Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad: Fate of Materialistic People
By Vishal Agarwal
Context: This verse reinforces the ideas discussed in the first two verses. It emphatically declares that there is indeed a reality beyond the perceptible world, which alone is the source of true happiness.
Mantra 3
Kāṇva version
असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसा आवृताः । तांस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के च आत्महनो जनाः ॥ ३ ॥
Mādhyandina version
असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसावृताः । तांस्ते प्रेत्यापि गच्छन्ति ये के च आत्महनो जनाः ॥ ३ ॥
IAST Transliteration
Kāṇva version asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasā āvṛtāḥ | tāṃs te pretyābhigacchanti ye ke ca ātmahano janāḥ || 3 ||
Mādhyandina version asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ | tāṃs te pretyāpi gacchanti ye ke ca ātmahano janāḥ || 3 ||
Translation
Those worlds are called asuryāḥ, enveloped in blinding darkness. Into them indeed plunge, after death (also, according to the Mādhyandina recension), all those people who are killers of the Self. Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 3
Purport
This mantra describes the destiny of thoroughly materialistic and non-spiritual persons, who, after death, descend into demonic states of existence. The eternal and immutable ātmā constitutes the true nature of the human being, not the perishable physical body. The ātmā persists from one life to another, whereas the body undergoes constant change and ultimately perishes at death.
Materialistic individuals, however, shrouded in ignorance, vanity, or pride, deny the very existence of the ātmā. They assert: “Only that which can be perceived by the senses exists. There is nothing beyond this world; there is no life after death. Man is merely a combination of material elements, born of the lust of his parents. With physical birth we begin, and with death we end. Therefore, there is no connection between actions and their results. There is neither virtue nor vice. Hence, eat, drink, and be merry.”
By denying their own true essence, such deluded persons destroy their ātmā in this very life. Consequently, they attain neither happiness nor wisdom here, and after death they reach realms characterized by darkness, sorrow, and profound ignorance.
Notes
Almost all translations of this mantra gloss asuryā as demonic, assuming that these worlds pertain to asuras. Some interpret the term as asūryā, meaning sunless or devoid of the light of wisdom and happiness. However, in the Vedic mantras, the word asura itself signifies the life giving Lord and not the opposite of suras or devas.
This latter meaning becomes dominant in post ऋग्वेद literature and in classical Sanskrit texts, where asura is analyzed as a plus sura meaning not a deva and therefore an evil being, rather than asu plus ra meaning life giving, as in the Vedas. Therefore, in this mantra of the ईशावास्य उपनिषद् मन्त्र ३, translations of asuryā as demonic or sunless are philologically problematic. This is the view of Paṇḍit Satavakelar, who has argued convincingly by citing numerous Vedic mantras that asuryā in Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 3 refers to those who are proud of their strength, effort and energy, while failing to acknowledge the Divine basis of creation, thereby becoming egotistical and arrogant.
Against this interpretation, there exist other Vedic passages in which asuryā clearly denotes association with asuras, evil, darkness and night. Hence, it is acceptable to translate this mantra either way, since asuras are characterized by pride in strength and are enveloped in the darkness of materialism, exploitation and ignorance. In either case, the essential teaching remains unchanged.
Parallel Teachings from the Bhagavad Gītā
The demonic do not know Pravṛtti, karm performed in a manner that leads to rebirth, nor Nivṛtti, karm performed in a manner that leads to mokṣa. Neither purity, nor right conduct, nor truth is found in them. Bhagavad Gītā 16.7
They declare that the universe is without truth, without foundation and without a Lord, not produced by a lawful cause and effect sequence. Lust alone is the cause. Bhagavad Gītā 16.8
Holding fast to such views, these ruined souls of little intelligence and cruel actions arise as enemies of the world, intent upon its destruction. Bhagavad Gītā 16.9
Given over to insatiable desires, full of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance, deluded by false views, they act with impure resolves. Bhagavad Gītā 16.10
Bound by countless anxieties ending only with death, taking the gratification of desires as the highest goal, convinced that this alone is everything. Bhagavad Gītā 16.11
Bound by a hundred snares of hope, devoted to desire and anger, they strive to amass wealth through unjust means for the enjoyment of their senses. Bhagavad Gītā 16.12
This has been gained by me today. This desire I shall fulfill. This is mine and that wealth also shall be mine. Bhagavad Gītā 16.13
This enemy has been slain by me and others too shall I slay. I am the lord. I am the enjoyer. I am successful, powerful and happy. Bhagavad Gītā 16.14
I am wealthy and well born. Who is equal to me. I shall perform yajñas. I shall give gifts. I shall rejoice. Thus speak those deluded by ignorance. Bhagavad Gītā 16.15
Bewildered by many thoughts, entangled in the net of delusion, addicted to sense enjoyment, they fall into foul hells. Bhagavad Gītā 16.16
Self conceited, obstinate, filled with pride and arrogance of wealth, they perform yajñas in name alone, with ostentation and without regard for Vedic injunctions. Bhagavad Gītā 16.17
Given over to egotism, power, arrogance, lust and anger, these malicious beings despise Me dwelling in their own bodies and in those of others. Bhagavad Gītā 16.18
These cruel haters, the lowest among men, I repeatedly cast into demonic wombs in the cycle of birth and death. Bhagavad Gītā 16.19
Entering demonic wombs and deluded birth after birth, they fail to attain Me, O son of Kuntī, and descend to the lowest state. Bhagavad Gītā 16.20
Notes
Interestingly, this mantra of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad is cited in certain strands of later Hindu literature as a Vedic injunction against suicide. However, as is evident from the actual meaning and context of the mantra, this interpretation is not philologically or doctrinally accurate.
Variants of Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad 3 also occur in other Vedic texts. For example, the following passage is found in the बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्.
अनन्दाः नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसाऽऽवृताः । ताँस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्त्यविद्वांसोऽबुधो जनाः ॥
The ignorant and unwise people enter after death those realms which are well known to be joyless and enveloped by blinding darkness. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.4.11
This does not imply that the physical aspect of creation is to be entirely ignored. Rather, Mantras 9 to 11 and 12 to 14 of the Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad further clarify that one must avoid complete materialism while also not rejecting the world outright. A balance is to be maintained between attention to the temporary aspects of existence such as the body, relationships and enjoyments, and attention to that which is permanent and constitutes the foundation of the temporary, namely *Brahman* and the *ātmā*.
One must therefore integrate the performance of worldly duties with the pursuit of spiritual wisdom. A person who remains devoted to the *ātmā* even while actively engaged in worldly responsibilities progresses to higher and divine realms and ultimately attains *mokṣa*, as described in the subsequent Mantras 15 to 18 of this Upaniṣad.
Story: How a Miser Became a Great Saint
This is the well known story of Purandara Dāsa, who lived between 1484 and 1564 and is traditionally regarded as the founder of Carnatic music of South India. Purandara Dāsa was born to a wealthy trader and jeweler named Varadappa Nāyaka and his wife, after the couple prayed to Lord Veṅkaṭeśvara for a child. Varadappa was extremely prosperous, yet he was also deeply compassionate and generous toward the poor and needy.
In his old age, Varadappa handed over his flourishing business of gems and pawning to his son Śrīnivāsa Nāyaka and arranged his marriage to a virtuous and pious woman named Sarasvatī. After assuming control of the business, Śrīnivāsa completely altered its nature. He became intensely profit driven and hard hearted. He cared only for maximizing wealth and refused to give even a small portion of his income in charity. He drove harsh bargains with the poor and showed no sympathy for their suffering. Owing to his miserliness combined with sharp business acumen, the family business prospered immensely.
Sarasvatī, by contrast, was kind hearted and compassionate and wished to help the poor whenever possible. Śrīnivāsa strictly forbade her from giving anything in charity. Varadappa repeatedly attempted to guide his son toward the virtues of generosity and compassion, but all such efforts failed.
One day, Varadappa fell gravely ill. A physician advised that medicinal ash prepared from burnt precious gems could help save his life. Śrīnivāsa outright rejected the suggestion, unwilling to spend money on procuring valuable gems. Sarasvatī pleaded with him, reminding him that his father’s life was far more precious than any jewel. Śrīnivāsa coldly replied that his father was old and destined to die anyway, and that wealth should not be wasted. Varadappa soon passed away.
Śrīnivāsa continued his merciless practices and accumulated such immense wealth that people gave him the title Navakoṭi, meaning the owner of ninety million. One day, a poor brāhmaṇa came to Śrīnivāsa’s shop seeking a small sum of money to perform the sacred thread ceremony of his son. Given Śrīnivāsa’s notorious reputation, it was surprising that anyone approached him at all. Instead of outright refusal, Śrīnivāsa asked the brāhmaṇa to return the next day. This pattern continued day after day for several months.
Eventually, while cleaning his shop, Śrīnivāsa discovered a box of counterfeit and worthless coins. When the brāhmaṇa returned again, Śrīnivāsa handed him the box, claiming it was sufficient for the ceremony. The brāhmaṇa soon discovered that the coins were fake. Distraught, he went elsewhere and by chance arrived at Śrīnivāsa’s home, unaware that it belonged to the same miser. Finding Sarasvatī alone, he narrated his suffering and begged for help.
Sarasvatī immediately realized that the brāhmaṇa was referring to her husband. She felt profound shame at Śrīnivāsa’s conduct. Since she had been forbidden to give charity from household wealth, she realized that the diamond nose ring she wore had been gifted by her own mother and therefore belonged to her alone. She gave the ornament to the brāhmaṇa.
The brāhmaṇa then went to Śrīnivāsa’s shop and requested him to pawn the ornament. On seeing it, Śrīnivāsa was stunned, for it appeared identical to his wife’s nose ring. He asked the brāhmaṇa to return the next day, claiming that he needed time to assess its value. He locked the ornament in his shop and returned home.
At home, Śrīnivāsa demanded that Sarasvatī produce her nose ring. Terrified, she went into the kitchen under the pretext of retrieving it and resolved to end her life by consuming powdered diamonds mixed with water. Just as she was about to drink the mixture, the nose ring suddenly fell into the vessel. Overcome with joy, she bowed before the image of Lord Viṣṇu, recognizing the miracle.
When Sarasvatī presented the ornament to her husband, Śrīnivāsa rushed back to his shop and discovered that the nose ring had vanished from the safe. Sarasvatī then narrated the entire truth. That night, Śrīnivāsa could not sleep. He realized that Lord Viṣṇu Himself must have appeared in the guise of the brāhmaṇa to awaken him.
The next morning, Śrīnivāsa confessed his guilt to his wife. He acknowledged that his greed had destroyed his father, insulted the Divine, and nearly cost him his virtuous wife. At the age of thirty, he underwent a complete transformation. He distributed his wealth among the poor and needy. Together with his wife and children, he began traveling from one pilgrimage center to another throughout the Vijayanagara Empire, singing the praises of God.
Ten years later, during his travels, Śrīnivāsa met the great scholar Vyāsatīrtha, a follower of the philosophy of Madhvācārya. Vyāsatīrtha initiated him into sannyāsa and gave him the name Purandara Dāsa. Purandara Dāsa composed thousands of devotional songs, nearly one thousand of which survive today. He systematized the pedagogy of Carnatic music that continues to be followed. Through his disciples, including Haridāsa and indirectly Tānsen, his influence extended across the entire Indian subcontinent.
Purandara Dāsa realized that true happiness never arises from wealth pursued as the ultimate goal of life. Such pursuit hardens the heart and destroys love and compassion even toward one’s closest family. True happiness arises only when God is pursued as the final goal. This realization transformed a heartless miser into a saint and bestowed upon him the peace he had long sought.
It is said that Purandara Dāsa and his wife became so indifferent to wealth that the king of the Vijayanagara Empire once decided to test them. Disguised as a commoner, the king mixed diamonds with rice in their begging bowl. Unaware, Purandara Dāsa brought the donation home. When his wife sifted the rice, she complained that people had mixed worthless stones with the grain and threw the diamonds outside. Witnessing this, the king was humbled, realizing that those devoted to Bhagavān have no attachment to worldly riches.
Story: No One Ever Gets Satisfied with Pleasures
Many people often say, “There is only one life. Therefore let us enjoy it fully. Who knows whether there will be a tomorrow.” Hindu scriptures narrate the story of Emperor Yayāti to illustrate the fallacy of this belief and to teach that indulgence in pleasures can never bring lasting satisfaction.
Emperor Yayāti was a mighty ruler belonging to the Lunar dynasty. He possessed great power, wealth, and prosperity, and was blessed with two wives and many sons. Yayāti was excessively devoted to the enjoyment of sense pleasures and delighted in living a luxurious and indulgent life. He believed that happiness lay in constant gratification of the senses and therefore immersed himself in worldly enjoyments.
As time passed, Yayāti grew old. His body became weak and incapable of enjoying the pleasures to which he had become accustomed. However, his mind remained intensely attached to them and continued to crave sensory enjoyment. Unable to reconcile his aging body with his burning desires, Yayāti approached his sons and asked them to exchange their youth for his old age so that he could once again enjoy life.
His elder sons refused, explaining that youth is precious and that each individual must bear the consequences of his own actions. Enraged by their refusal, Yayāti cursed them. His youngest son Pūru, however, was devoted, obedient, and selfless. Out of filial duty and reverence for his father, Pūru willingly exchanged his youth for Yayāti’s old age.
Regaining youth, Yayāti once again indulged fully in pleasures of the senses. He lived for many more years, immersing himself in enjoyment as before. Yet when this second youth eventually came to an end and old age returned, Yayāti realized a profound truth. Even after experiencing pleasures through two lifetimes of youth, his desires had not diminished in the slightest. Instead of satisfaction, he felt emptiness and remorse.
Yayāti was overcome with guilt. He realized that he had wronged his sons by cursing them and had deprived Pūru of his rightful youth. Reflecting deeply on his life, he understood that desire can never be quenched by indulgence. From this realization arose a series of verses, which are preserved in several Purāṇic texts.
He who withdraws all pleasures into himself, just as a tortoise draws its limbs inward, alone attains the state of yog. Desire for pleasure never subsides through indulgence. Just as fire blazes more fiercely when clarified butter is poured into it, so too desire grows with every act of enjoyment. Matsya Purāṇa
Even if one were to possess all the grains on earth, all gold, all cattle wealth, or even all women, one would still find this insufficient to quench desire. Matsya Purāṇa
Therefore one should not be deluded by such things. Only when one bears no ill will toward any living being in thought, word, or deed does one attain Brahman. Matsya Purāṇa
When one is not afraid of others, when none is afraid of him, and when one neither excessively likes nor dislikes others, then alone does one attain Brahman. Matsya Purāṇa
True happiness comes to one who abandons greed and covetousness, evils that never grow old even when the body becomes aged and frail, evils that depart only when life itself departs. Matsya Purāṇa
Though hair grows old and teeth decay, alas, greed for wealth and longing for long life never grow old. Matsya Purāṇa
The happiness obtained from sense pleasures or even the great happiness of heaven is not equal to even one sixteenth part of the happiness that arises when greed is extinguished. Matsya Purāṇa
Having realized this eternal truth, Emperor Yayāti returned his youth to Pūru and restored him to his rightful position. Yayāti renounced his attachment to pleasures and devoted the remainder of his life to worship of the Divine Lord, practice of yog, and contemplation of ultimate reality. After his death, he attained heavenly realms.
This story demonstrates that blind pursuit of sensory pleasures makes a person selfish and insensitive, causing him to neglect even those closest to him. It leads one to forget the Divine and to falsely believe that wealth and pleasure are earned solely through personal effort and therefore rightfully owned. Such delusion results in suffering during life and greater sorrow after death. Therefore, one must recognize that there are higher aims in life than pleasure alone, namely dharm and devotion to God.