उपनिषद् · Śvetāśvatara 6.2
॥
देवनागरी
येनावृतं नित्यम् इदं हि सर्वं ज्ञः कालकालो गुणी सर्वविद्यः ।
तेनेशितं कर्म विवर्तते ह पृथिव्याप्तेजोऽनिलखानि चिन्त्यम्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
yenāvṛtaṃ nityam idaṃ hi sarvaṃ jñaḥ kālakālo guṇī sarvavidyaḥ /
teneśitaṃ karma vivartate ha pṛthivyāptejo'nilakhāni cintyam
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
येनyenaby whom; by Him by whom
आवृतम्āvṛtamis covered; is embraced
नित्यम्nityamalways; constantly
इदम् हि सर्वम्idam hi sarvamall this; everything indeed
ज्ञःjñaḥthe Knower; the conscious one
कालकालःkālakālaḥthe Time of time; He who is the time of time itself
गुणीguṇīpossessor of qualities; having excellences
सर्वविद्यःsarvavidyaḥall-knowing; knowing everything
तेन ईशितम्tena īśitamgoverned by Him; under His rule
कर्म विवर्ततेkarma vivartatethe work unfolds; the action is played out
पृथिव्याप्तेजोऽनिलखानिpṛthivyāptejo'nilakhāniearth, water, fire, wind and ether; the five elements
चिन्त्यम्cintyamis to be pondered; must be considered
अनुवाद
By whom all this is always embraced — the Knower, the Time of time, possessor of qualities, all-knowing — governed by Him the work unfolds; and earth, water, fire, wind and ether are to be pondered as His.
संस्करण
bf9463396307 · प्रकाशित 28 जुल॰ 2026, 2:13:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The mantra gives Him a name worth remembering: kāla-kāla, "the Time of time". It answers directly those who in the previous mantra declared time the cause: time has its own time, its own master and its own term.
Beside it stands the word guṇī — "possessor of qualities". It matters, because there is an endless dispute over whether Brahman has qualities or not. The Śvetāśvatara, having said at 6.11 that He is nirguṇa — "without guṇas" — here calls Him guṇī, "having qualities". There is no contradiction: without the guṇas of nature — and with infinite excellences of His own. This is exactly how Vaiṣṇava Vedānta reads the passage: "nirguṇa" denies the guṇas of prakṛti, not the perfections.
The second half says that karma, the work of the world, unfolds "governed by Him". The law of deeds, of which so much was said in the fifth adhyāya, does not run automatically — it is under government.
And the last line sets the mind a task: the five elements "are to be pondered" — pondered as His. This is not a call to deify matter but an indication of what all contemplation is built from: begin with what is before your eyes and see His power in it. The same was said at 2.17, where He was bowed to in fire, in the waters, in the herbs and in the trees.