Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 6.17
॥
Devanāgarī
स तन्मयो ह्य् अमृत ईशसंस्थो ज्ञः सर्वगो भुवनस्यास्य गोप्ता ।
स ईशे अस्य जगतो नित्यम् एव नान्यो हेतुर् विद्यत ईशनाय
Transliteration (IAST)
sa tanmayo hy amṛta īśasaṃstho jñaḥ sarvago bhuvanasyāsya goptā /
sa īśe asya jagato nityam eva nānyo hetur vidyata īśanāya
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः तन्मयःsaḥ tanmayaḥHe consists of that; He is that very thing
हिhiindeed; truly
अमृतःamṛtaḥimmortal; imperishable
ईशसंस्थःīśasaṃsthaḥestablished as the Lord; set up as Master
ज्ञःjñaḥthe Knower; the conscious one
सर्वगःsarvagaḥeverywhere present; reaching all
भुवनस्य अस्य गोप्ताbhuvanasya asya goptāthe protector of this world; who guards this universe
सः ईशेsaḥ īśeHe rules; He holds sway
अस्य जगतःasya jagataḥover this world; over this universe
नित्यम् एवnityam evafor ever indeed; constantly
न अन्यः हेतुःna anyaḥ hetuḥno other ground; no further reason
विद्यते ईशनायvidyate īśanāyais found for His lordship; exists for that sovereignty
Translation
He consists of that very thing, He is immortal, established as the Lord; the Knower, everywhere present, the protector of this world. He rules this universe for ever, and no other ground for that lordship is found.
Version
7b6f1ae02a0d · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first word, tanmaya, is the one by which at 5.6 the knowers were described: "made of Him". Here it is said of Him Himself, and its sense is different: He consists of what He is — not composed of anything else, homogeneous with Himself.
Then what was already heard at 4.15 is repeated: He is goptā, "the protector". In the sixth adhyāya, where so much is said of sovereignty, this word returns again and again, not letting sovereignty turn into abstract domination.
The most important thing is the last line: "no other ground for His lordship is found". That is, He rules not because He conquered, not because He was elected, and not because such is the law: His power has no external ground. It is itself the ground.
This cuts off the thought that His power might one day pass to another: what was not granted cannot be taken away.
And it says nityam eva, "for ever indeed". His rule is not an episode in the world's history; it lasts as long as the world itself and is not interrupted for a moment — unlike every power that the earth knows.