Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 6.21
॥
Devanāgarī
तपःप्रभावाद् देवप्रसादात् ब्रह्म ह श्वेताश्वतरो ऽथ विद्वान् ।
अत्याश्रमिभ्यः परमं पवित्रं प्रोवाच सम्यग् ऋषिसङ्घजुष्टम्
Transliteration (IAST)
tapaḥprabhāvād devaprasādāt brahma ha śvetāśvataro 'tha vidvān /
atyāśramibhyaḥ paramaṃ pavitraṃ provāca samyag ṛṣisaṅghajuṣṭam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तपःप्रभावात्tapaḥprabhāvātby the power of austerity; by the might of tapas
देवप्रसादात्devaprasādātby the grace of God; by the favour of the Deity
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the highest knowledge
हhaindeed; verily
श्वेताश्वतरःśvetāśvataraḥŚvetāśvatara; the sage named Śvetāśvatara
अथ विद्वान्atha vidvānthen, having known; having become a knower
अत्याश्रमिभ्यःatyāśramibhyaḥto those beyond the āśramas; to those outside the four orders of life
परमम् पवित्रम्paramam pavitramthe supreme and purifying; sovereign and cleansing
प्रोवाचprovācaproclaimed; declared
सम्यक्samyakrightly; as it should be
ऋषिसङ्घजुष्टम्ṛṣisaṅghajuṣṭamcherished by the host of seers; dear to the assembly of ṛṣis
Translation
By the power of austerity and by the grace of God, Śvetāśvatara, who had known Brahman, rightly proclaimed to those beyond the āśramas that supreme and purifying thing which is cherished by the host of seers.
Version
ec1f1650d993 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
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The book names its teacher. Śvetāśvatara is a name meaning "he who has a white horse"; it belongs to the sage whose name became the Upaniṣad's own.
It is said by what he received this knowledge, and two causes are named at once: tapaḥ-prabhāvāt and deva-prasādāt — "by the power of austerity" and "by the grace of God". Both, and in that order. Austerity by itself does not give the vision, as was said at 6.14; grace does not come to one who has not laboured, as the second adhyāya showed. Here they are named together, and the Upaniṣad has no intention of disputing which matters more.
And to whom did he proclaim it? Atyāśramibhyaḥ — "to those beyond the āśramas": to those who have gone past the four orders of life. Vedānta examines this word specially, showing that for knowledge purity suffices, not social station; and note that among the Upaniṣads' hearers there was already Gārgī, who stood outside all the orders.
The word pavitra, "pure", in the śāstras also means "purifying": this knowledge is not only pure itself but purifies the one who receives it.
And the last thing: "cherished by the host of seers". The teaching is not Śvetāśvatara's private discovery; he "rightly proclaimed", samyak provāca — that is, handed on without distortion what all the ṛṣis hold dear. He sets down his name not as an author but as a witness.