Isha Upanishad - Super school - Auroville - Isha Upanishad 304

Amrita is a very important word in the Upanishad, sambhuti means birth, the process of becoming, the process of taking birth is sambhuti. We all are born therefore we are the products of sambhuti. Then there is the word asambhuti, can anybody tell me the meaning of asambhuti? Unborn, non-birth, sambhuti is birth, asambhuti is non-birth. The meaning is that the concept of birth does not apply; there is absence of the concept of birth, asambhuti. Then there is the word pushan, it means the sun in the process of becoming bigger and bigger. You know when the sun rises in the east then what happens, is gradually grows little by little, it rises, the rising Sun is called pushan, until it becomes golden complete disk in the sky. So, the sun which is rising is called in the Upanishad, pushan. Then there is the word agni, fire. In English you have got  ignition, agni and ignition are very similar; both have the same root in Sanskrit, Latin, Greek and English that which is fire, that which ignites, that which gives illumination is Agni. Satya is another word which means truth. Apihita, ‘a’ you take out, you are left with pahita, if you know Tamil, what does it mean, − to see. So apihitam that which is not seen that which is still veiled, you can see the Sanskrit word ‘pa’ and Tamil word ‘pa’ is the same, to see, apihita is not seen, veiled, covered. That which is covered that which is veiled is apihitam.

I shall give one sentence which is one of the most important sentences in the Isha Upanishad, but before telling you the sentence I will give you one more word mukham, in Sanskrit it means face and in Tamil also it means face.  

 Now I shall read out the sentence satayasyāpihitam, mukham means the face, apahitam means covered, not seen, the face which is not seen, but whose face, satasya of the satya, satya means the Truth. The face of the truth is covered, is veiled, this is one of the most important phrases of the Ishopanishad. And it is very easy from the point of your Sanskrit − satayasyāpihitam, mukham, the face of the truth is covered, is veiled, it's a very important conception in the Isha Upanishad.

Bhuyishthā is another word, you have the word station in English, station means the place where things are arrested, stable; even the word table is also the same kind of word. Now bhuya is becoming, so bhuyishthā, where the becoming becomes so perfect, it becomes stabilised. So bhuyishthā means the best the highest, something that becomes stationed after becoming, you grow, grow  and grow and become so perfect that now nothing more, nothing less, bhuyishthā that which becomes highest. Vidhi, you got the word dharma already, ‘dha’ in Sanskrit always means established, dharma is that which stabilises. You remember I've spoken of that which is stabilised or that which stabilises you, so here also dhi, vidhi there are two words ‘vi’ and ‘dhi’, vidhi means that which stabilises. In Sanskrit ‘vi’ always means that which is special that which vibrates, even the word vibrate come from ‘vi’, it has got this word vi in it. So ‘vi’ in Sanskrit, always means special vibration, peculiar in various, different manners. So vidhi means to establish something by a special manner. There are many ways for example of salutation that there are salutations which are not according to vidhi, special manner, you can salute and also bow in a special manner. When in the Army you are asked to salute, you can't salute and say hello, hello, − there has to be vidhi, a special manner of salute, its called vidhi. To do anything by a special manner is called vidhi. In India for example the real manner or vidhi of salutation is when you fold your hands and then you have another special manner of bowing down, you not only fold your hands but also lower your neck. It is further special manner of bowing and then there is also another special manner in which you prostrate at the feet of whomever you want to salute is also another way.

So ultimately this Upanishad ends with these words, bhuyishtām te nama-uktim vidhema. It's a long sentence; I don't want you to remember it. I am just saying for the sake of giving you the meaning, in which he says, I prostrate, I offer my salutations in the most special manner, − bhuyishtām te nama-uktim vidhema.