Upanishads · Aitareya 3.1
॥
Devanāgarī
कः अयम् आत्मा इति वयम् उपास्महे कतरः सः आत्मा येन वा पश्यति येन वा शृणोति येन वा गन्धान् जिघ्रति येन वा वाचम् व्याकरोति येन वा स्वादु च अस्वादु च विजानाति
Transliteration (IAST)
kaḥ ayam ātmā iti vayam upāsmahe kataraḥ saḥ ātmā yena vā paśyati yena vā śṛṇoti yena vā gandhān jighrati yena vā vācam vyākaroti yena vā svādu ca asvādu ca vijānāti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कःkaḥwho; which
अयम्ayamthis; the present
आत्माātmāĀtman; Self
इतिitithus; so saying
वयम्vayamwe; by us
उपास्महेupāsmahewe worship (upa-√ās); we revere [by asking]; we adore
कतरःkataraḥwhich of the two (katara); which of the pair; which one
सःsaḥhe; that
आत्माātmāĀtman; Self
येनyenaby which; by means of which
वाvāindeed; or
पश्यतिpaśyatione sees; one looks
येनyenaby which; by means of which
वाvāindeed; or
शृणोतिśṛṇotione hears; one listens
येनyenaby which; by means of which
वाvāindeed; or
गन्धान्gandhānodours; scents
जिघ्रतिjighratione smells (from √ghrā); one scents; one breathes in an odour
येनyenaby which; by means of which
वाvāindeed; or
वाचम्vācamspeech; the word
व्याकरोतिvyākarotione articulates (vi-ā-√kṛ — 'to divide [sound into words]'); one parses [speech]; one articulates
येनyenaby which; by means of which
वाvāindeed; or
स्वादुsvāduthe sweet (svādu); the tasty; the pleasant to taste
चcaand; as well as
अस्वादुasvāduthe not-sweet; the unpleasant
चcaand; as well as
विजानातिvijānātione distinguishes; one knows apart
Translation
"Who is this Ātman?" — [thus] do we worship. Which of the two is that Ātman? Is it that by which one sees, or by which one hears, or by which one smells odours, or by which one articulates speech, or by which one distinguishes the sweet from the not-sweet?
Version
9b80bb855c2e · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:36:16 PM UTC
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The third chapter opens with a question that gathers up both the earlier ones: ko 'yam ātmeti vayam upāsmahe — "'who is this Ātman?' — thus do we worship": an astonishing grammar of piety: the question itself is worshipped! The community that reveres the Ātman reveres Him by asking — "who is He?" is itself a form of adoration (the Praśna comes from the same root: worship as inquiry).
kataraḥ sa ātmā — "which of the two is the Ātman?": katara — "which of a pair": the Upaniṣad knows that there are two candidates: the apparatus and the Master; and it lists the faculties with a deceptive simplicity: is it that by which one sees? hears? smells? articulates speech (vācaṁ vyākaroti — divides sound into words!)? distinguishes tastes? The list is a trap for the hasty: all these "by which" are instruments; the question is about the One who wields them.
This is the Upaniṣad's last approach to its running theme: the first chapter showed how the god-functions entered the body and how afterwards He Himself entered ("who am I?"); now the same thing from the other side, from the seeking man: among all that works within me, who am I? The answer will be given as an avalanche of names of consciousness — and resolved in the two words of the final mahāvākya.