ईशावास्योपनिषद्

Isha Upanishadश्लोक 2/1811%

Isha Upanishad 1.2

मूल पाठSource scriptureOriginal Sanskritमूल संस्कृत

कुर्वन्नेवेह कर्माणि जिजीविषेच्छतं समाः ।एवं त्वयि नान्यथेतोऽस्ति न कर्म लिप्यते नरे

मर्मThe Core Shift· Editorial, not scripture
Perform your duties faithfully and wish to live a full hundred years; action done without selfish clinging leaves no karmic stain.
अर्थMeaning
अनुवादTranslationLiteral Hindi Translationमूल हिन्दी अनुवाद (अक्षरशः)मूलानुवाद · Literal

यहाँ कर्म करते हुए ही व्यक्ति सौ वर्ष जीने की इच्छा करे। तेरे लिये इसके अतिरिक्त कोई और मार्ग नहीं है; ऐसे जीने वाले मनुष्य को कर्म लिप्त नहीं करते।

अक्षरशः अनुवाद — मूल संस्कृत श्लोक के प्रत्येक पद का प्रत्यक्ष अर्थ।

अनुवादTranslationLiteral English TranslationLiteral Text

Performing actions here, one should desire to live a hundred years. There is no other way — action does not bind a man who lives thus.

Direct literal rendering preserving Sanskrit philosophical terminology.

व्याख्याVyakhya
संपादकीय व्याख्याEditorial explanationVyakhya (व्याख्या)व्याख्या

संसार-विरक्ति की प्रवृत्तियों का मूलभूत खण्डन: उपनिषद् स्पष्ट रूप से सौ वर्ष के सक्रिय जीवन का अनुमोदन करता है। रहस्य कर्म से भागने में नहीं, बल्कि अहं-आसक्ति के बिना कर्म करने में है। तब कर्म बन्धनकारी नहीं रहता।

विज्ञान एवं आधुनिक उपयोगScience & Modern Application
आधुनिक चिंतनModern reflection · not scriptureContemplative Reflection & Actionआधुनिक चिंतन
कर्म से मत भागो। लम्बा जीवन चाहो और उसमें स्वयं को पूरी तरह झोंक दो — पर उद्देश्य देखो। यदि तुम कर्तव्य और प्रेम से कर्म करते हो, ममत्व से नहीं, तो कोई भी कर्म अवशेष नहीं छोड़ेगा। यही सक्रियता में स्वतन्त्रता है।
शोध संदर्भResearch context · not scriptureComparative Research Noteशोध टिप्पणी

आधुनिक सकारात्मक मनोविज्ञान (Seligman, Csikszentmihalyi) इसकी पुष्टि करता है: दीर्घ, सार्थक जीवन त्याग से नहीं, बल्कि संलग्न, उद्देश्यपूर्ण कर्म से सम्बद्ध है — जिसे वे 'Flow' कहते हैं। उपनिषद् इसे तीन हजार वर्ष पहले जान चुका था।

A modern parallel offered for reflection. It is not part of the scripture, and it has not been checked against the original sources it may allude to.

स्रोतSources and editionSources and editionस्रोत एवं संस्करण

Content status

  • Original text
  • Translation · from the source archive
  • Editorial explanation · draft, awaiting scholarly review

No independent human review is recorded for this verse yet. How this site is made.

Sanskrit edition
Kanva Recension, Shukla Yajurveda Samhita Ch. 40. Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages (GRETIL)
Translation
Gita Press Gorakhpur & Swami Nikhilananda
Last updated
2026-10-23
Licence note (as recorded)
Sanskrit mūla — public domain (2500+ years old). sanskritdocuments.org publishes digitized text under permissive terms.
पाठ-भेद · Variant readings
Madhyandina recension transposes mantras 5 and 6 and alters initial phrasing in mantra 16.

Found a mistake?

Explanation: simple

Where this verse sits प्रसंग

Editorial learning aid · not scriptureसंपादकीय अध्ययन-सहायक
Who is speaking?
Vedic Rishi (Yajurveda)
Who is listening?
Seeker of Truth
What is happening?
Lest the seeker mistake renunciation in Mantra 1 for gloomy laziness, the Rishi immediately commands vigorous, century-long action.
What is being answered?
Does realizing the divine unity of life mean abandoning worldly duties and sitting idle?

Before this verse

  1. The sage establishes that the entire cosmos is enveloped by the Divine (Mantra 1).

This verse

  1. The sage mandates a full lifetime of dedicated action without karmic stain (Mantra 2).

After this verse

  1. The sage warns that denying the conscious Self leads to sunless worlds of darkness (Mantra 3).
  2. The sage describes the swift, unmoving nature of Consciousness (Mantra 4).
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In one lineएक पंक्ति में

Simple explanationसरल व्याख्या

यहाँ कर्म करते हुए ही सौ वर्ष जीने की इच्छा करे; ऐसे जीने वाले मनुष्य में कर्म लिप्त नहीं होते, इसके अतिरिक्त कोई अन्य मार्ग नहीं।

Doing work here, one should desire to live a hundred years; action does not cling to a person who lives thus.

Simple meaningसरल अर्थ

Simple explanationसरल व्याख्या

यह मंत्र पलायनवाद और काम से भागने की वृत्ति का सशक्त खंडन करता है। उपनिषद कहता है कि मनुष्य को उत्साह से कर्तव्य निभाते हुए सौ वर्ष जीने की अभिलाषा रखनी चाहिए। जब कर्म अनासक्ति और ईश्वरीय समर्पण से किए जाते हैं, तो वे कभी बंधन नहीं बनते। कर्म करते हुए भी बंधनमुक्त रहने का यही एकमात्र उपाय है।

A radical Vedic correction to escapism: the Upanishad explicitly endorses a vigorous, full-length life of active responsibility. The secret of non-binding action is not idling away from work, but acting without possessive ego. When duty is performed with the vision of Mantra 1 (everything belongs to God), work purifies the soul and leaves zero psychological burden.

Sanskrit Word Explorer मुख्य पद-विभाजन

Tap any word to inspect its root (dhatu), grammar, context, and philosophical nuances.

Teaching flow शिक्षा का क्रम

Teaching flow in order. Honest Action (Kurvanneva Karmāṇi) Commitment to continuous, dedicated activity in alignment with cosmic harmony. Then: Long Life with Purpose (Jījīviṣecchataṁ Samāḥ) Embracing a full, century-long human span with vitality, cheer, and dignity. Then: The Only Royal Path (Evaṁ Tvayi Nānyathā) For embodied human life, active ethical engagement is the only durable spiritual path. Then: Unclinging Freedom (Na Karma Lipyate) Action performed without selfish clinging leaves no psychological scar or karmic bondage.

Why it matters todayआज इसका महत्त्व

Modern example · not scriptureआधुनिक उदाहरण

  • पलायनवाद और जीवन से विरक्ति का समाधान

    Spirituality is often misunderstood as lazy withdrawal from responsibilities. The Upanishad demands a full century of engaged service.

  • मानसिक तनाव और पश्चाताप से मुक्ति

    When we work without selfish demands for applause, failures don’t crush us and successes don’t inflate our ego.

Modern exampleआधुनिक उदाहरण

Modern example · not scriptureआधुनिक उदाहरण

A veteran surgeon in their sixties continues performing lifesaving operations with joyful vigor, finding renewal in serving patients rather than yearning for idle retirement.

An illustration written to explain the teaching. No outcome is promised.

A shift in understanding

Editorial learning aid · not scriptureसंपादकीय अध्ययन-सहायक
A common first thought
“Life is a prison of endless chores, and the sooner I escape from working, the more peaceful I will be.”
With this teaching
“Work is the vibrant pulse of life; when I act with clean motives, a hundred years of labor will never stain my peace.”

Common misunderstandingआम भ्रांति

Editorial learning aid · not scriptureसंपादकीय अध्ययन-सहायक

Some readers take it to mean

“Karma yoga is an inferior path and real sages only sit in caves doing nothing.”

A fuller reading

The Shukla Yajurveda proclaims that active ethical engagement (Kurvanneva) is the essential foundation for human dignity and spiritual realization.

What it does not meanयह क्या नहीं कहता

Editorial learning aid · not scriptureसंपादकीय अध्ययन-सहायक

  • Not blind, frenetic workaholism

    The verse insists on action guided by Mantra 1 (divine detachment), not compulsive work addiction driven by anxiety.

  • Not worldly obsession

    Living a hundred years is desirable only when work is purified of selfish grasping.

Try this todayआज आज़माएँ

Practical reflection · optionalव्यावहारिक चिंतन

The Vitality Affirmation · Throughout the workday

आज अपने काम को बोझ न मानकर आनंद से पूरा करें। मन में दोहराएं: "निःस्वार्थ भाव से किया गया कर्म पूजा है, यह मुझे बांध नहीं सकता।"

Commit to finishing your daily tasks with cheerful vigor. Say to yourself: "Work done selflessly is worship; action does not bind me when ego is absent."

Pause and think रुकें और सोचें

Do you view your daily responsibilities as an annoying trap to escape from, or as the sacred field of your life’s fulfillment?

क्या आप अपने कर्तव्यों को बंधन मानकर भागना चाहते हैं, या उन्हें अपनी आत्मिक उन्नति का पवित्र माध्यम मानते हैं?

Was this explanation clear? · क्या यह स्पष्ट था?

Visual demonstration · चित्र द्वारा समझें

Vigorous Duty and Freedom from Karmic Clinging

Editorial diagram · not scripture

Mantra 2 presents the harmony between continuous active participation in life and complete freedom from karmic stain.

In words

Mantra 2 establishes that one should perform duty faithfully, desiring a long life with purpose for a hundred years. When actions are done with selfless dedication, there is no clinging residue of karma and one attains total freedom from entanglement.

Kind:
Cause and consequence
Based on:
Bhagavad Gita 1.2
Review:
Approved
Motion:
none; the diagram is static

The teaching in everyday life

Editorial contentReviewed by Editorial Scripture Team (V. S. Sharma & S. Shastri), 2026-10-09

Illustrations written by the editors to help you think about the verse. They are not part of the scripture, and they are not the only way to read it.

Student life
Feeling overwhelmed by demanding coursework and daydreaming of dropping out to live an irresponsible, idle life.
Vigorous, disciplined effort is the glorious purpose of human youth. Engage with your education energetically; honest labor without anxiety builds strong character.
Professional life
Yearning for early retirement at 35 because daily work feels like a meaningless treadmill of chores.
Retirement from purpose leads to cognitive and physical decline. Reconnect with the noble contribution your skills provide, and embrace lifelong, joyful industry.
Creative work
Feeling exhausted after completing a major project and wanting to permanently abandon the craft.
Rest is necessary, but purposeful creative work is your life’s oxygen. Keep practicing and creating; when done without clinging, art sustains the spirit for a lifetime.
Family responsibility
Feeling weighed down by the relentless daily duties of parenting, elder care, and household management.
Daily domestic service is sacred Karma Yoga. Carrying family duties with cheerfulness and love transforms everyday chores into the bedrock of spiritual peace.
Interactive Verse Knowledge Graph · ज्ञान जाल

श्लोक सम्बन्ध एवं पार-ग्रंथ संदर्भ

Reviewed links only. A line here is a stored connection, not a guess from the neighboring verse.

Isha Upanishad 1.2Current VerseBhagavadBhagavad Gita Bh…BhagavadBhagavad Gita Bh…
🟣Cross-Scriptural Linkपार-ग्रंथ सम्बन्ध (गीता ↔ उपनिषद् ↔ रामायण)

Bhagavad Gita 2.47

Bhagavad Gita (श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता)

Read Verse

Sanskrit Text (मूल श्लोक / मंत्र)

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन

Translation / Meaning (भावार्थ)

You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but never to the fruits of action.

Why This is Connected (सम्बन्ध का आधार)

Listed beside Karma in this library. The link does not say the passages teach the same thing.

आगे क्या · What next

संबंधित दार्शनिक अवधारणाएं (Philosophical Concepts)

ज्ञान ग्राफ

Karma

कर्म

कर्म का सार्वत्रिक नियम — कार्य और उसके परिणाम जन्मों-जन्मों तक।

अवधारणा विस्तार से जानें

Samsara

संसार

जन्म, मृत्यु और पुनर्जन्म का अंतहीन चक्र, कर्म द्वारा चालित।

अवधारणा विस्तार से जानें

Vasana

वासना

सूक्ष्म इच्छाएं और प्रवृत्तियां — गहरे संस्कार जो जन्मों-जन्मों तक व्यवहार को चलाते हैं।

अवधारणा सूची में देखें

समानांतर संदर्भ व श्लोक (Cross-Scriptural Parallels)

इसी दार्शनिक तत्त्व पर अन्य वैदिक ग्रंथों और उपनिषदों के प्रेरक संदर्भ

KarmaBhagavad Gita 2.47
श्लोक देखें

"You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but never to the fruits of action."

KarmaBhagavad Gita 4.17
श्लोक देखें

"The nature of action is difficult to understand. One must discern what action is, what wrong action is, and what inaction is."

KarmaBhagavad Gita 8.3
श्लोक देखें

"Know that action arises from Brahman, and Brahman arises from the Imperishable."