Apaani paado
God Almighty has no hands or other physical organs, but his work in the world is obvious. This verse from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad provides the basis for contemplation that while the Almighty builds and creates for us all, he has no physical attributes. However, we who have hands, eyes, ears, and other physical attributes – what do we use these organs for? Our organs can be thought of as the hands, feet, and minds that are an extension of the Almighty. Our work in the world ought to be divine and good, that is, Godly. Let us make Godly use of what we have.
अपाणिपादो जवनो ग्रहीता पश्यत्यचक्षुः स शृणोत्यकर्णः।
स वेत्ति वेद्यं न च तस्यास्ति वेत्ता तमाहुरग्र्यं पुरुषं महान्तम्॥
श्वेताश्वतरोपनिशद ३.१९
Apaaṇi-paado javano graheetaa
pashyatya-chakshuh sa sṛiṇotya-karṇah.
Sa vetti vedyam na cha tasyaasti vettaa
tamaahur-grayam puruṣham mahaantam.
Shvetaashvatara Upanishad 3.19
The great God has no hands but builds and moulds the universe. He has no feet but transcends all in speed. He has no eyes but sees all perfectly, no ears but hears all and no internal organ of thought but knows all by virtue of his Omnipotence. He is eternal and bound by no limits. He is the Supreme One that pervades all.
अपाणिपादः Without hands and feet जवनः speed, velocity, swift ग्रहीता goes fast and grasps पश्यति sees अचक्षुः without eyes स is शृणोति hears अकर्णः without ears वेत्ति knows वेद्यं whatever is to be known न no, not तस्य वेत्ता a knower, who knows Him नास्ति there is none तम् He (him) अग्र्यम् the foremost आहुः They say, it is said, it is known पुरुषम् the great Infinite Being महान्तम् the great
Contemplations – Shvetaashvatara Upanishad 3.19
The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, a significant Upanishad, explores the metaphysical nature of ultimate reality, Brahman. Verse 3.19, in particular, offers a profound and paradoxical description of the Absolute, transcending the limitations of physical senses and actions. This verse challenges our conventional understanding of existence and perception, pointing towards a reality that is both immanent and transcendent.
This verse encapsulates a central tenet of Upanishadic philosophy: the paradoxical nature of Brahman. It describes a being that is devoid of physical limbs and sensory organs yet possesses the faculties associated with them in a supreme and unlimited capacity.
The philosophical implications can be understood through several key themes:
Transcendence of Physicality: The verse emphatically states that the ultimate reality is “without hands and feet” and “without eyes and ears.” This is a direct refutation of any anthropomorphic conception of God limited to a physical form. The divine is not bound by the biological and material constraints that define our existence.
The Nature of Divine Action: Despite the absence of physical attributes, this being is “swift” and a “grasper.” This signifies that the power and reach of the Absolute are instantaneous and all-encompassing. Its ability to “grasp” or hold the universe is not a physical act but a metaphysical one, indicating its supreme control and sustenance of all creation.
The Nature of Divine Perception: Similarly, the Absolute “sees without eyes” and “hears without ears.” This points to a form of direct, intuitive knowledge and awareness that is not mediated by sensory organs. Our senses are limited and can be deceptive. The perception of Brahman, however, is immediate, complete, and infallible. It is pure consciousness that is simultaneously the seer, the seeing, and the seen.
Omniscience: The verse continues, “He knows whatever is to be known.” This asserts the omniscience of the ultimate reality. There is nothing that falls outside its purview of knowledge. This is not a discursive knowledge acquired through learning but an inherent and total understanding of all existence.
The Unknowable Knower: A crucial philosophical point is made in the line, “and of Him, there is no knower.” While the Absolute knows all, it cannot be fully comprehended or objectified by any other being. The finite mind cannot grasp the infinite. Any attempt to fully define or understand Brahman through intellectual means is bound to fall short. The ultimate reality is the eternal subject, the ultimate knower, and can never become an object of limited knowledge.
The Primeval and Great Purusha: The verse concludes by identifying this being as “the first, the only, the great Purusha.” The term “Purusha” signifies the Cosmic Being, the indwelling spirit in all. By calling it “agryam” (first or primeval), the Upanishad establishes it as the origin and source of all that exists. It is the uncaused cause, the ultimate ground of being.
In essence, Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3.19 employs paradoxical language to guide the spiritual seeker away from a materialistic and limited understanding of the divine. It portrays a reality that is beyond the grasp of the senses and the intellect, a formless yet all-powerful, all-perceiving, and all-knowing consciousness that is the very foundation of the cosmos. The verse encourages a shift in perspective from the external and physical to the internal and metaphysical in the quest to understand the nature of the Absolute.
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