Upanishads · Praśna 4.9
॥
Devanāgarī
एष हि द्रष्टा स्प्रष्टा श्रोता घ्राता रसयिता मन्ता बोद्धा कर्ता विज्ञानात्मा पुरुषः ।
स परे ऽक्षर आत्मनि संप्रतिष्ठते
Transliteration (IAST)
eṣa hi draṣṭā spraṣṭā śrotā ghrātā rasayitā mantā boddhā kartā vijñānātmā puruṣaḥ |
sa pare 'kṣara ātmani saṃpratiṣṭhate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एषः हिeṣaḥ hithis one indeed; it is he who
द्रष्टाdraṣṭāthe seer (draṣṭṛ); the beholder; the beholder
स्प्रष्टाspraṣṭāthe toucher (spraṣṭṛ); the one who touches; the feeler
श्रोताśrotāthe hearer; the listener
घ्राताghrātāthe smeller; the one who smells
रसयिताrasayitāthe taster; the discerner of flavour
मन्ताmantāthe thinker (mantṛ); the one who conceives; the one who thinks
बोद्धाboddhāthe understander (boddhṛ); the one who comprehends; the knower
कर्ताkartāthe doer (kartṛ); acting; the performer
विज्ञानात्माvijñānātmāthe knowing soul (vijñāna-ātman); the conscious self; the jīva as knower
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥPuruṣa; the person
सःsaḥhe; it is he who
परे अक्षरेpare akṣarein the supreme imperishable (para akṣara); in the sovereign unaging; in the everlasting Highest
आत्मनिātmaniin the Ātman; of the self
संप्रतिष्ठतेsaṃpratiṣṭhateis established; rests
Translation
"For he is the seer, the toucher, the hearer, the smeller, the taster, the thinker, the understander, the doer — the knowing soul, the puruṣa. And he is established in the supreme, unaging Ātman."
Version
8352d64e13e3 · published Jul 26, 2026, 8:35:21 PM UTC
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Here at last is the owner of all the instruments in the census: eṣa hi draṣṭā spraṣṭā śrotā… — "he is the seer, the toucher, the hearer, the smeller, the taster, the thinker, the understander, the doer": behind the pairs of "organ — object" stands a Third — the one who uses the instruments: vijñānātmā puruṣaḥ — "the knowing soul, the puruṣa", the jīva, the kernel of personhood that passes through waking, dream and deep sleep.
And the decisive line: sa pare 'kṣara ātmani sampratiṣṭhate — "he is established in the supreme, imperishable (akṣara) Ātman". Even the seer himself is not the last instance: he too, the subject of all experiences, finds his support in the Highest. The two levels are distinguished flawlessly: the soul sees, but is not self-existent; the Ātman is akṣara, unaging — her eternal ground. The soul-bird also flies to the Tree.
Here the Praśna holds strictly to the line of the Kaṭha ("two in the cave": the soul that eats, and the Lord) and of the Gītā (15.16–17): kṣara is the perishable beings, akṣara the unchanging [soul], but uttamaḥ puruṣas tv anyaḥ — "yet the Supreme Puruṣa is other, called the Paramātmā". The answer to Gārgya is exhausted on all five points: the senses sleep, the fires of the prāṇas keep awake, the mind sees dreams, the happiness comes from the nearness of the Ground, and everything — up to the knowing soul herself — is established in the imperishable Highest.