Upanishads · Aitareya 1,3.8
॥
Devanāgarī
तत् मनसा अजिघृक्षत् तत् न अशक्नोत् मनसा ग्रहीतुम् सः यत् ह एनत् मनसा अग्रहैष्यत् ध्यात्वा हैव अन्नम् अत्रप्स्यत्
Transliteration (IAST)
tat manasā ajighṛkṣat tat na aśaknot manasā grahītum saḥ yat ha enat manasā agrahaiṣyat dhyātvā haiva annam atrapsyat
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत्tatthat; it
मनसाmanasāwith the mind; with thought
अजिघृक्षत्ajighṛkṣathe tried to seize; he wished to take
तत्tatthat; it
नnanot; no
अशक्नोत्aśaknothe was able; he had the power
मनसाmanasāwith the mind; with thought
ग्रहीतुम्grahītumto seize; to take
सःsaḥhe; that one
यत्yatwhen; that
हhaindeed; surely
एनत्enatthis; it
मनसाmanasāwith the mind; with thought
अग्रहैष्यत्agrahaiṣyatwould have seized; would have taken
ध्यात्वाdhyātvāhaving thought (from √dhyai — 'to contemplate'); having considered; having meditated
हैवhaivaprecisely then; verily
अन्नम्annamfood; nourishment
अत्रप्स्यत्atrapsyathe would have been satisfied; he would have mastered the food
Translation
He wished to seize it with the mind — and could not seize it with the mind. If he had seized it with the mind, one would be satisfied with food merely by thinking [of it].
Version
5c1dfb75bd3c · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:36:16 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The sixth attempt — manasā: with the mind. If thought could seize — dhyātvā haiva annam atrapsyat — "one would be full by thinking" (dhyātvā — from √dhyai: literally "having meditated"!).
The mind's miss is the most instructive for contemplatives: even dhyāna about food does not nourish. The mind is the greatest of graspers: it embraces worlds, builds and destroys universes of images — but its grip holds only images: mental bread has no calories. Here is the root of the Upaniṣads' sobriety towards every mentalism: a representation of reality is not reality; a concept of Brahman is not Brahman (the Kena: "not that which is thought by the mind"); and even an imagined humility is not humility.
It is telling that the mind misses after the skin: the inner faculty proved to be no nearer to food than the outer ones! Assimilation is not a matter of depth of representation but another kind of act altogether. Claimants are almost exhausted — and the parable's denouement will be pointedly "low".