Isvayasa 15 Translation Fantasia

hiranmayena pātreņa satyasyāpihitam mukham, 

tattvam pūşannapāvṛņu satyadharmāya dıştaye. (15)

हिरण्मयेन - golden; पात्रेण by the vessel (which acts like a lid); सत्यस्य - of Truth; अपिहितम् covered; मुखम् face; तत् - that; त्वम् you; पूषन् O Sun; अपावृणु - do open; सत्यधर्माय - the practitioner of Truth; दृष्टये for beholding

The face of Truth is covered by a golden lid; remove, O Sun that (covering) for me, the practitioner of Truth, so that I may behold It.

It is interesting to note that there are two recensions for this Upaniṣad; the Kāṇva and Mādhyandina. According to the latter this is the last mantra, while the Upaniṣad, as it stands, full with its 18 mantras, is acceptable in the Kāṇva reading.

Prayer in Vedānta is only an attempt of the ego centre to attune itself to the supreme Consciousness in the individual. Addressing the supreme Consciousness, the ego centre in the individual is chanting this mantra. 

The Sun is the centre of the entire universe, itself motionless and inactive and yet by its very presence, it balances the entire movement of the universe around it. Being the nourisher and the source of all energy in the cosmos, it represents in the seeker's inner world - the nourisher and illuminator - the Atman.

As Śrī Śańkara says, it is certainly the last prayer of the dying individual but the individual meant here is the ego centre. We are not to understand it, that it is literally a prayer of the dying old man on his death bed. It is the last prayer of the active spiritual seeker in his meditation seat when he, in his divine effort, is shaking off the last vestige of ego which is lingering to veil the Self in him.

~Chinmayananda

The door of the Truth is covered by a golden disc. Open it, O Nourisher! Remove it so that I who have been worshipping the Truth may behold It.

Referring to the manifestation of Brahman in the sun. The sun is often used as a symbol of Brahman. "That which is Truth is that sun." (Br. Up. V. v. 1-4.) Here the sun includes earth, heaven, and the interspace and is known also by the name of Vyariti. The sun is personified, with earth, heaven, and the interspace as its head, two arms, and two feet. The worship prescribed in this and the following verses is the symbolic worship of Brahman through the sun.

~Nikhilananda

The face of the Supreme Truth is covered by a golden disc. O Pushann, O Surya, O controller of everything, remove this golden disc that covers your face, so that I, who love the Truth, may perceive It!

This ‘golden disc’ that covers the face of Truth is the captivating glamour and glitter of the world. Often, most of us are carried away by the shining ‘golden disc.’ So this prayer is, ‘I can do nothing about this golden-disc except plead; please remove it O Pushann, O Controller, so that I may see you as you are, as the Real Truth!’ 

Since Pushann also means Surya, the Sun-God, the ‘golden disc’ could also figuratively refer to the golden color of the sun when it rises in the morning and sets in the evening. ‘Remove that golden disc so that I may see your face.’ It also means, ‘Remove all the attributes so that I may see you as the Attributeless Supreme Being.’ This is the second interpretation.

The second part of this prayer, which is, ‘I, who am the lover of Truth,’ is important. If one is not the lover of ‘Truth’ then one can be happy with that golden disc alone. One does not want to look beyond it.

~Sri M