Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 3.12
॥
Devanāgarī
महान् प्रभुर् वै पुरुषः सत्त्वस्यैष प्रवर्तकः ।
सुनिर्मलाम् इमां प्राप्तिम् ईशानो ज्योतिर् अव्ययः
Transliteration (IAST)
mahān prabhur vai puruṣaḥ sattvasyaiṣa pravartakaḥ /
sunirmalām imāṃ prāptim īśāno jyotir avyayaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
महान् प्रभुः वैmahān prabhuḥ vaitruly the great Lord; verily the mighty Master
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥthe Puruṣa; the Person
सत्त्वस्यsattvasyaof sattva; of purity, of lucid being
एषः प्रवर्तकःeṣaḥ pravartakaḥHe is the setter in motion; He brings it into play
सुनिर्मलाम्sunirmalāmmost stainless; wholly unblemished
इमाम् प्राप्तिम्imām prāptimthis attainment; this achievement
ईशानःīśānaḥthe Ruler; He who governs
ज्योतिःjyotiḥlight; radiance
अव्ययःavyayaḥundiminishing; inexhaustible
Translation
Truly the great Lord is the Puruṣa, the setter of sattva in motion; He leads to this most stainless attainment; He is the Ruler, the undiminishing light.
Version
fa510cb5e7a0 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
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The mantra calls the Puruṣa "the setter of sattva in motion". Sattva is the clear, luminous side of nature, that in a man which is capable of calm and knowledge. And it is said that it does not come into motion by itself: He sets it going.
This is an important qualification to everything said about yoga in the second adhyāya. Purification, clarity of mind, quiet gladness are not spontaneous states and not our achievements: behind them stands the Impeller. The same move of thought was at 2.2, where our effort turned out to be inside His urging.
The goal is called sunirmalā prāpti, "the most stainless attainment". The word nirmala means "without stain"; the prefix intensifies it: wholly unblemished. Purity here is neither a means nor a condition but the fruit itself: what is obtained is a state in which there is no longer any admixture.
And two last names: īśāna, "He who governs", and jyotir avyayam, "undiminishing light". A light that does not diminish — unlike the sun, which sets, and the lamp, which burns out. The sixth adhyāya will return to this image, saying that by His light everything shines.