उपनिषद् · Śvetāśvatara 4.1
॥
देवनागरी
य एको ऽवर्णो बहुधा शक्तियोगाद् वर्णान् अनेकान् निहितार्थो दधाति ।
वि चैति चान्ते विश्वम् आदौ स देवः स नो बुद्ध्या शुभया संयुनक्तु
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
ya eko 'varṇo bahudhā śaktiyogād varṇān anekān nihitārtho dadhāti /
vi caiti cānte viśvam ādau sa devaḥ sa no buddhyā śubhayā saṃyunaktu
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
यः एकःyaḥ ekaḥwho is one; that single One
अवर्णःavarṇaḥcolourless; having no colour of His own
बहुधाbahudhāmanifoldly; in many ways
शक्तियोगात्śaktiyogātby joining with His power; through His śakti
वर्णान् अनेकान्varṇān anekānmany colours; the various hues and classes
निहितार्थःnihitārthaḥhaving a hidden purpose; with a concealed design
दधातिdadhātiHe lays down; He establishes
वि च एतिvi ca etiand He dissolves; and He draws it apart
च अन्तेca anteand at the end; and finally
विश्वम्viśvamthe universe; the whole world
आदौādauin the beginning; at the first
सः देवःsaḥ devaḥHe, God; that Deity
सः नःsaḥ naḥHe us; may He us
बुद्ध्या शुभयाbuddhyā śubhayāwith a good understanding; with luminous discernment
संयुनक्तुsaṃyunaktumay He join; let Him unite
अनुवाद
He who is one, Himself colourless, by the joining of His power lays down many colours with a hidden purpose; who in the beginning unfolds the universe and at the end folds it up — may He join us with a good understanding.
संस्करण
d168e3a8d245 · प्रकाशित 28 जुल॰ 2026, 2:13:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The fourth adhyāya begins with the same petition with which mantra 3.4 ended — "may He join us with a good understanding"; but before the petition a new definition is given, and it has three key words.
The first: avarṇa, "colourless". He Himself is tinted with none of the world's colours — that is, He belongs to none of the classes into which the world is divided. And immediately: He "lays down many colours". The word varṇa means a dye, a class and a social order alike; the sense is that all difference in the world proceeds from Him in whom differences of that sort are absent.
The second: śakti-yogāt, "by the joining of His power". He creates neither out of Himself as matter nor by another's hands, but by His own energy, spoken of at 1.3. Hence the famous teaching of Vedānta: He is the cause of the world not because He turns into it but because His śakti acts.
The third, most unexpected: nihitārthaḥ, "having a hidden purpose". There is a design — and it is concealed. The world is neither meaningless nor self-evident; it has a purpose, but the purpose belongs to Him and is not to be deduced by us from observation.
And again the plea for a good understanding. After the definition about the hidden purpose it sounds apt: if His design is hidden, then the mind able to receive it can only be given by Him.