Upanishads · Praśna 5.7
॥
Devanāgarī
ऋग्भिर् एतं यजुर्भिर् अन्तरिक्षं सामभिर् यत् तत् कवयो वेदयन्ते ।
तम् ओंकारेणैवायतनेनान्वेति विद्वान् यत् तच् छान्तम् अजरम् अमृतम् अभयं परं चेति
Transliteration (IAST)
ṛgbhir etaṃ yajurbhir antarikṣaṃ sāmabhir yat tat kavayo vedayante /
tam oṃkāreṇaivāyatanenānveti vidvān yat tac chāntam ajaram amṛtam abhayaṃ paraṃ ceti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ऋग्भिःṛgbhiḥby the ṛc verses; by the hymns of the Ṛg-veda
एतम्etamthis; the present
यजुर्भिःyajurbhiḥby the yajus formulas; by the formulas of the Yajur-veda
अन्तरिक्षम्antarikṣamthe middle world; space
सामभिःsāmabhiḥby the sāmans; by the chants of the Sāma-veda
यत् तत्yat tatthat which; that reality
कवयःkavayaḥthe seer-poets (kavi); the inspired; the far-seeing
वेदयन्तेvedayantethey know; they reveal
तम्tamit; that one
ओंकारेण एवoṃkāreṇa evaby the Oṁkāra indeed; through Oṁ alone
आयतनेनāyatanenaas a support; as the means
अन्वेतिanvetiattains; follows after
विद्वान्vidvānknowing; wise
यत् तत्yat tatthat which; that reality
शान्तम्śāntamthe tranquil (śānta); the peaceful; still
अजरम्ajaramthe unaging (a-jara); the undecaying; knowing no decrepitude
अमृतम्amṛtamimmortal; the imperishable
अभयम्abhayamthe fearless (a-bhaya); free from fear; the safe
परम् च इतिparam ca iti'and the supreme', thus; and what is beyond
Translation
"By the ṛcs [one attains] this [world], by the yajus the mid-region, by the sāmans that which the sages proclaim. But by Oṁ as his support the knower attains that which is tranquil, unaging, immortal, fearless — and supreme."
Version
722d39ccb833 · published Jul 26, 2026, 8:35:21 PM UTC
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The second sealing verse draws the whole ladder of the fifth question together: ṛgbhir etam — "by the ṛcs, this [human] world"; yajurbhir antarikṣam — "by the yajus, the mid-region"; sāmabhir yat tat kavayo vedayante — "by the sāmans, that which the seers proclaim" (the world of Brahman). The three Vedas each lead honestly to their own storey — and all the storeys are within the created order.
tam oṅkāreṇaivāyatanenānveti vidvān — "but with Oṁ as his support the knower attains That" — yat tac chāntam ajaram amṛtam abhayaṁ paraṁ ca — "which is tranquil, unaging, immortal, fearless and supreme". The five epithets of the close are like five rungs of the last flight: śānta — tranquillity (no agitation of change), ajara — unaging, amṛta — immortality, abhaya — fearlessness (the very word with which Naciketas described what he sought and the Kaṭha called the far shore), param — the Highest.
The upshot of the fifth question is bright: the Vedas lead through the worlds — the Name leads to the Lord of the worlds; the hymns go along the storeys of the house, the syllable to the Master of the house. And the two ways are not at odds: Oṁ is the seed, the Vedas the crown (the Kaṭha: "the word which all the Vedas proclaim"). Satyakāma, "lover of truth", has received an answer worthy of his name: the true practice is the one that does not halt on the storeys.