ABSTRACT
The Upanisad, whose name is derived from the first word of the text is the shortest one of the classical Upanisads. The text consists of a mere eighteen stanzas, but nevertheless adds some intriguing ideas to the Upanisadic corpus. In this Upanisad, the highest being is described through a series of paradoxes: He does not move, but is swifter than the mind and outruns those who run, he is far and near, he is inside and outside. The Isa Upanisad suggests that the "Lord" who pervades the whole world is identical to the inner atman. The idea that a divine being is immanent in the universe and in human beings provides an ethical imperative, since this divine presence in every being leads to respect for all life. The Lord who permeates the world is further described as its creator in stanza eight: Self-existent and all-pervading, the wise poet has dispensed objects through endless years.
