The Upanishads grew up towards the end of the Vedic era by basing on the notion entailed in the Vedas. It emerged in  the Samhita part and it was nourished in the Aranyak part. The Upanishad was separated from the practice part of devotion where worshipping and making jajna were included for compliance.  So the Upanishad was called  to be knowledge part. So the Vedas had two distinct parts— one dealing with the practicable works to satisfy different gods for successfully passing the days. Some of these gods/goddesses , such as  Saraswati for learning, Laxmi for wealth, Ganga for water, Indra for checking clouds and storms, etc came into the idea. The second one, knowledge part (Upanishad), deals with the unfolding of the  philosophical ideas.

This has a scientific reason why the Vedas opened twofold doors. Firstly the practice part involved direct actions for redress and welfare of the persons concerned. Storm hits, fire burns and causes harm .The sun emits hot rays, the floods wash away . So it warrants the immediate need for redressal  .  That is why these incidents call for immediate results ( at least attempts should be made). So the hand-in-hand  practices or trials in the name of appointed worships were done  for a particular benefit. I like to analyze that it is the outcome of contradictions between immediate gains and final gains, visible and realizable. These patterns of reactions arise out of the feelings  perceivable. So the understanding about the worships is the direct assumption of gods in particular.

Why did the question of final achievement arise?

          It is fact that the worships and  offerings to the gods pertaining to immediate results do not at all solve the problems. So what to do then? It necessitates further quest for remedies. It pushes man to move further to know the root cause. This search for knowledge in the ancient days  enabled  those sages to grasp the idea of single God above all, or almighty as the supreme of gods. Thus the gods got categorically divided into two sects— gods placed at the higher level  and gods treated at the lower level  in those days.  It has been told that all these hymns  had been heard from God himself  by the saints. The rain- god was to stop rain or pour it, as the case may be. The hails- god would save men from  nonsense hails. Then what was the action to be done by the God as the supreme. All these questions and  answers were thought of by the sages in deep meditation. The ideas resulting from  sufferings to create  senses to inflict a rebound or to seek remedy was the practice of devoting to multiple gods for the respective purposes. The experience of worshiping these gods evolved the idea of superior God who was all- pervading one  and who was the creator and controller of the universe . The development of this upanishad is, according to me, was a great achievement in the idealist  discovery of  the cosmos . When I would go to explanations of  the hymns in the Upanishads, I feel amazed of the richness of their height of thinking in those dark days. They, in my opinion , tried to stretch out the infinite character of nature , the limitless expansion of knowledge in time to come and the role of man in this vast material world. Upanishad happens to be somewhat source of knowledge that our modern science is engaged in excavation.  The Upanishad should be considered in the realm of environment in those circumstances.

          The high philosophical thought enshrined in the upanishads  had cast a great influence on important personalities the world over. Very interesting  is the fact that Dara  Shiko , the eldest son of Shah Jahan, the mughal emperor, translated it into French language, though he happened to be a Muslim. Upanishad could break through the religious dogma and got recognition all over the world. The laureates of literature,  journalists,  historians all over the world took great care in honoring the ethics laid down  in the Upanishads. The verses of the Upanishads  have been developing philosophical ideas. We must not regard the Upanishads as religious entity. 

The essence of the Isha  Upanishad  lies in the fact that it gives equal weightage to the two opposite entities ‘ sacrifice` and ‘ consumption`. It emphasizes that life is not negligible. One should go on working selflessly. In this Upanishad the way the nature of Brahma , God the supreme, has been explained in an abstract stature, is highly philosophical. . Let us now make references to some of the verses.(I shall make reference to some selected verses to apprise of the wholesome significance) :

 Verse No. 1   “ Isha basyamidang sarbang jat kincha jagtyang jagat .

                            Tena tyaktyena  hunjitha ma gridha kasyasbid dhanam..”

The meaning in brief is that one should consider  whatever moving matter is there in the universe , is meant for the god to live in. i.e, God is said to be omnipresent every where. You should enjoy while making sacrifice but do not hanker after the others’ property.

No. 4

 Anejadekang manaso jabiyo nainandeba apnouben purbamarsat.

Tatdhabatohanyanatyeti tishthat tasminnapo matarishwa dadhati..

No.5

Tadejati tannaijati taddure tadbantike..

Tadantarasya srbasya tadusarbasyasya bahyataah..

The meaning  of the verses 4 and 5 in brief is apparently abstract and have dialectical implications. Here it is stated that Brahma is one. It is motionless, at the same time it is  speedier than mind, The sense organs cannot reach at  Him for He runs ahead of every thing. He is the container of life.

I find, the properties of matter are only described here. We may try to understand what actually is. Be it a great thing in the realization  by the thinker, we should neither discard the great feelings that our predecessor sages perceived nor take up anything as a blind faith. My submission is that matter exists and it was and is always existing. The nature appears to be static and also to be in motion. Getting up from bed in the morning we open our eyes and see the world remains as it was yesterday. All our neighbors found unchanged. I talk to my relative at far over telephone. He replies  as before. But even then changes in nature are going on irrespective of we like or not. River flows, baby grows, old man dies, new constructions are erected, people are rearing their pet animals, students are going to schools and the like. The system is found to run usual without change.   Comprising every thing, the nature remains a nature and its material and  energy-sourcing reserves remain in tact. But enormous   changes are taking place across the universe, its stars and planets , infinite in number,  are in motion. The changes had been occurring even when man did not appear to exist. It is fact that the life emerged out of matter through the process of quantitative and qualitative changes, which tends to equal the sense of  Brahma as the container of life, though He stands as an idea.

The idea reflected in these two verses and the truth lying underneath  have been elaborated.  The virtues, motion and motionlessness, are described to be co-existing . Brahma is stated to be at far and at  the same time very near. Matter exists everywhere in the universe, very near and also very far. It remains unchanged in totality,  since matter cannot be created and cannot not be destroyed, except changing its feature. As for example, the atoms  are in constant movement inside a body of matter with the electrons incessantly moving round the centre by the attraction of protons. We are entirely unable to read the pulses of this movement. The nature has twofold character. The motionlessness is comparative state of matter, because ultimately everything is subjected to change.  In the verse it is stated that Brahma stands in a position where it both moves and keeps fixed,  He is said to reside in all human beings. Here is nicely applied the theory of unity and struggle of two opposites. Among incessant motion equilibrium is maintained, which imbibe motionlessness. Material entity of any thing is in a state of equilibrium, though its tendency to remain static is getting disturbed constantly by its environmental forces. Ultimately the structure of one entity undergoes changes , but totality of matter does not change.

Verse No. 6

Jastu sarbani bhutani atmanyeba anupshyati.

Sarbabhutesu chatmanang tato na bijugupsate..

  Verse  No. 7

Jasmin sarbani bhutani atmaibabhud bijnanatah.

Tatra ko mohah kah shoka ekatwamanupshyatah.

 What is indicated in the verses No. 6 and 7 gives a preliminary idea of Brahma who remains embedded in every creature and  sees every creature in Himself.This reminds us of the fact that nature signifies a man’s stature and again nature includes man. It gives an idea of oneness in the nature. That is, all the varieties of matter constitute the single entity `nature’. This is a stage beyond change or a stage where the changes in  nature ultimately tend to lead to a state of no change. Scientifically it may be imagined to have the appearance of a stage where all masses are converted into a form of energy, a stage without mass,even when the mass-energy  equation will hold. It only endorses that something will exist in nothingness also. This phenomenon refers to the position of  matter with existence  sometimes as concrete and sometimes as changed to be abstract. By combustion of fire-wood we get fire as something concrete and from fire emerges light which is something abstract. The appearance of a thing with mass and again something without  mass  underlines the similarity of being life as concrete and imagination of soul as abstract. The idea from god to Brahma is the result of action of the brain in a given situation.      

Verse No,8

Sa  parjagat shukramkayamabranamasnabirang shuddhamapapabiddham.

Kabirmanishi paribhuh swayambhurjathatathyatorthan byadhat

Shashwatibhyah samabhyah .

The meaning of the verse in brief is that He( Brahma) has gone everywhere, he is luminous,   The sum and substance of the contents of these verses is that Brahma(God) is as good as the soul. It illustrates that soul is Brahma and Brahma is soul. That means   Brahma is omnipresent in atma and He can be felt in anybody’s atma. Here we see analogy that exists between magnet and magnetic force. One who sees this atma everywhere,  should have no temptation for anything. He will be above all miseries. Brahma is said to exist every where, He is luminous, without body, devoid of nerves.  He knows everything , no sin can penetrate it. In one word he is perfect in all respects and does not get affected by any of material entities. Actually the state of infinitesimally abstract entity is referred here to. 

Now the issue is how to establish it. Heat is energy out of fire and light is the resultant of its application beyond a certain point. Light has no mass.  Hence it is a developed stage of matter when it becomes mass less. The soul is another name for the sense fostered by the life cell . When there was no cell, there was no life. Now there are enumerable number of stars and planets where no life exists. What is the use of speaking of soul there? In the nature which is infinite in terms of volume,  matter is also infinite there in quantity. Matter is changing and getting transformed. So the stage of matter to the extent ‘absolute` is imagined to be a term never to come. That  stage is imagined in the verses to assert oneness of soul and Brahma and it is such a case as to represent an absolute stage. This is an entity akin to establishment of eternal order and  discipline . In mathematics problems in progression ( sums and processes) tend to infinity and results are obtained. But infinity does not have to occur physically, though it occurs in operation. (The numbers 1.9, 1.99, 1.999,……, tend to the number 2, but actually all the fractions cannot be collected). Such a lesson has been approached in the Isha upanishad. It is amazing to think that in those days the sages could meditate the presence of something abstract to such a height and could grasp the sense of infinities.         

All the three verses No 9,10,11  deal with vidya( knowledge without having link with practicability) and avidya ( work without having knowledge). Both of them mean keeping in the dark. The question is how to combine the two. If these two qualities get combined in an individual , it is said, he would become immortal. What has been advisable here is that one should devote oneself to acquire a pattern of life as to how to link a personal life to divinity. Here divinity means the status of a life to elevate it to a unique stage of peace and harmony. Actually the existence of  opposite qualities is a natural phenomenon. Their mutual interaction generates the appearance of something new and uncommon. It tentamounts to the process thesis-antithesis synthesis. 

   At that time the patterns of education were not like that of to day. So, meditation was the process for concentration of mind. At present, there is no need of the process of meditation of those old days. Systems have changed. More scientific methods have come in place to day. Man is now evolving his strength scientifically in the more effective manner as a process of continuity. The equipment of memorization has been discovered and is being delicate day by day to the maximum possible extent. This is also progressing continually.      

Verse No.12

Andha tamah prabishyanti shehsmbhutimupasate
Tato bhuya iba te tamo ja u sambhutyang ratah..

No,13
Anyavebahuh sambhabadanyadahurasambhabat,

Iti shushruma dhirananng Je nastadwichchakshire..

Verse No. 14

Sambhutincha binashancha Jastadwedobhayang saha.

Binashena mrityung tirtwa sambhutyahmritamashnute..

The verses from 12 to 14 apprise us of the values earned through  worshiping the nature(having no birth) and of worshiping those which grow from the nature. If one chooses to worship these two separately , it will be of no avail. One should start from the produce out of the root source before creation and then proceed to the root or the real source of creation. Here an attempt is made to  reach a stage where one can win death and become immortal.  The curiosity is ended in a stage of satisfaction after trying both the produce of nature and the nature not being created. This gives us advice how to try to know every thing that ends and that  is unending. In the verse No. 14, it is illustrated that the two opposite positions like vidya and avidya and like  asambhuti and sambhuti, ie, to get achieved both unborn  and got born, are held essential for acquiring true knowledge. To attain the stage of  immortality, it  refers to a state where  the occurrences of  birth and death can both be by passed. Scientifically, it refers to the stage where the whole process culminates into the usual courses of nature and where the life process terminates. In divinity it means reaching paradise and in science it means reaching a stage which is void of changes. But such a stage is conceived of as an infinite stage , practically unattainable. 

Idealistically, the main aim of life is to rest in paradise as imagined to be free from coming to the troublesome world . The sages  hankered after such a life where there will be all pleasure, no sorrow and no rebirth for facing sufferings in the world again and again. The verses were oriented to  help man to lead life in that direction, though the urge of the present day life  is oriented  to live as long a period as possible. The verses bring to us a sense of totality of nature,  if attainable. It carries our desire to reach a stage where every thing is omnipresent. It bears a sense to go beyond dialect. It remains an imagination to pull the human being indefinitely and to be existing without incurring an end.

We see and understand that there can be no end to the volume of space. Where there is space, there is matter, of whatever form, it may be. So there is no limit to know the unknown. Almost every year the scientists discover newer forms of stars. It is known , up till now, the existence of 4000 crores of heavenly bodies which have come to the primary knowledge of man, though every bit of information about their behavior has not been grasped. It is in the process and will remain in the process. So we are in the continually changing process, never to end, with an alternative that human being will also undergo evolution. This is a negation to  the attainment of absolute stage, though we advance towards it without minimizing the gap to reach it. Our sages during the period of the Vedas thought of this absolute stage and the stage of perfection as something to be aim of life. It generates energy, it encourages the generation of ability of so many discoveries and inventions. The outcome is great, invaluable and splendid.This is a phenomenon to be in a process of continuation with the operational method evolved in nature as known to be thesis-antithesis and synthesis.