Upanishads · Kaṭha 6.7
॥
Devanāgarī
इन्द्रियेभ्यः परं मनो मनसः सत्त्वम् उत्तमम् ।
सत्त्वाद् अधि महानात्मा महतो ऽव्यक्तम् उत्तमम्
Transliteration (IAST)
indriyebhyaḥ paraṃ mano manasaḥ sattvam uttamam /
sattvād adhi mahānātmā mahato 'vyaktam uttamam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इन्द्रियेभ्यःindriyebhyaḥhigher than the senses; beyond the senses
परम्paramhigher; surpassing
मनःmanaḥthe mind; manas
मनसःmanasaḥhigher than the mind; beyond the mind
सत्त्वम्sattvamthe luminous essence, sattva (sattva — 'pure being and clarity'); transparent intelligence; the light-bearing nature
उत्तमम्uttamamthe highest (uttama); the most excellent; the sovereign
सत्त्वात्sattvāthigher than sattva; beyond intelligence
अधिadhihigher; beyond; above
महान्mahāngreat; the mahat
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the great self
महतःmahataḥhigher than the great; beyond the mahat
अव्यक्तम्avyaktamthe unmanifest; the avyakta
उत्तमम्uttamamthe highest (uttama); the most excellent; the sovereign
Translation
Higher than the senses is the mind, higher than the mind is the luminous essence [of the intellect], higher than that essence is the great Ātman, higher than the great is the unmanifest.
Version
cabc595e04be · published Jul 26, 2026, 9:13:03 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The ladder of the third vallī (verses 64–65) is built up anew — with one important refinement of vocabulary: manasaḥ sattvam uttamam — "higher than the mind is sattva", the luminous essence, the pure discriminating faculty (there it was called buddhi): the intellect is named here by its best quality — transparency. Then along the familiar rungs: sattvād adhi mahān ātmā — the great Ātman, mahato 'vyaktam uttamam — the unmanifest.
Why the repetition? By the law of all real teaching: a map shown in the middle of the road is read again at its end with different eyes. Then the ladder was a promise — now it is a summing-up: behind lie the subdued horse-senses, the bridled mind, the clarified sattva; the hearer stands on the upper rungs, and the drawing shown a second time is like a climber's glance back from the ridge at the slope he has passed.
And again the ladder does not end with the unmanifest: the next verse will raise the gaze one last time to Him who is higher — and will name the fruit of that final look. The Upaniṣad never tires of repeating just this link — so that no depth of peace, no subtlety of the unmanifest, may be taken for the end of the road.