Upanishads · Kaṭha 2.23
॥
Devanāgarī
नायम् आत्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो न मेधया न बहुना श्रुतेन ।
यम् एवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यस् तस्यैष आत्मा विवृणुते तनूं स्वाम्
Transliteration (IAST)
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena /
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṃ svām
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नnanot; no
अयम्ayamthis; the present
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the spiritual essence
प्रवचनेनpravacanenaby exposition (pra-√vac — 'to preach'); by eloquence; by learned speech
लभ्यःlabhyaḥis attainable; we obtain
नnanot; no
मेधयाmedhayāby intellect (medhā — 'mental power'); by understanding; by keenness of thought
नnanot; no
बहुनाbahunāby much; abundant
श्रुतेनśrutenaby hearing (śruta — 'what is heard'); by learning; by wide reading of scripture
यम्yamwhom; that one
एवevaindeed; only
एषःeṣaḥthis; the Ātman Himself
वृणुतेvṛṇutehe chooses (from √vṛ — 'to choose'); Himself elects; calls
तेनtenaby that; for him
लभ्यःlabhyaḥis attainable; is obtained
तस्यtasyato him; for him
एषःeṣaḥthis; Himself
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the spiritual essence
विवृणुतेvivṛṇutehe reveals (vi-√vṛ — 'to uncover'); reveals; makes manifest
तनूम्tanūmthe form (tanū — 'body, own self'); his own image; His very self
स्वाम्svāmhis own; his very own
Translation
This Ātman is not attained by exposition, nor by intellect, nor by much hearing. Whom He Himself chooses — by him is He attained: to him the Ātman reveals His own form.
Version
e022912df9ab · published Jul 26, 2026, 9:13:03 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The climax of the vallī — and one of the boldest verses in the whole corpus of the Upaniṣads. Three means are set aside — the entire toolkit of religious culture: pravacanena — by exposition (learned eloquence), medhayā — by intellect (mental power), bahunā śrutena — by much hearing (erudition in the sacred). All of it prepares — and none of it attains: yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ — "whom He chooses, by him is He attained".
vṛṇute — "chooses": the very root √vṛ by which the boons were chosen (vara). The turn is reversed: through the whole Upaniṣad Naciketas was choosing — now it is disclosed that the real choosing was coming to meet him: the truth itself chooses its man. tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām — "to him He reveals his own body (tanū — form, his very self)": the knowledge of the Highest is in the last account not an ascent but a self-disclosure: He lifts the veil, as the Īśa Upaniṣad (mantra 15) prayed: "draw aside the covering".
This verse is the watershed of two spiritualities. One believes that God can be reached by effort — by knowledge, technique, merit; the other knows that effort only prepares the vessel, and grace fills it. And whom does He choose? The Upaniṣad has answered with the whole story of Naciketas: the one who chose Him against everything else. Election answers election; grace is no arbitrary act — it is a meeting of two freedoms.