अथ यत् अतः परः दिवः ज्योतिः दीप्यते विश्वतःपृष्ठेषु सर्वतःपृष्ठेषु अनुत्तमेषु उत्तमेषु लोकेषु इदम् वाव तत् यत् इदम् अस्मिन् अन्तः पुरुषे ज्योतिः तस्य एषा दृष्टिः यत्र एतत् अस्मिन् शरीरे संस्पर्शेन उष्णिमानम् विजानाति तस्य एषा श्रुतिः यत्र एतत् कर्णौ अपिगृह्य निनदम् इव नदथुः इव अग्नेः इव ज्वलतः उपशृणोति तत् एतत् दृष्टम् च श्रुतम् च इति उपासीत चक्षुष्यः श्रुतः भवति यः एवम् वेद यः एवम् वेद
atha yat ataḥ paraḥ divaḥ jyotiḥ dīpyate viśvataḥpṛṣṭheṣu sarvataḥpṛṣṭheṣu anuttameṣu uttameṣu lokeṣu idam vāva tat yat idam asmin antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ tasya eṣā dṛṣṭiḥ yatra etat asmin śarīre saṃsparśena uṣṇimānam vijānāti tasya eṣā śrutiḥ yatra etat karṇau apigṛhya ninadam iva nadathuḥ iva agneḥ iva jvalataḥ upaśṛṇoti tat etat dṛṣṭam ca śrutam ca iti upāsīta cakṣuṣyaḥ śrutaḥ bhavati yaḥ evam veda yaḥ evam veda
And that light which shines above this heaven — above all, above everything, in the highest worlds, than which there are none higher — that is indeed the very light which is within a man. Here is the seeing of it: when by touch one perceives warmth in this body. Here is the hearing of it: when, stopping the ears, one hears as it were a humming, as it were a roar, as it were a blazing fire. One should venerate it as "the seen and the heard". Conspicuous and renowned becomes he who knows thus, who knows thus.
129dfea7a3d2 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:04:47 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
One of the most astonishing verses in the Upaniṣads — the transcendent light, given in sensation: atha yad ataḥ paro divo jyotir dīpyate — "the light that shines above heaven, in the highest worlds" — idaṁ vāva tad yad idam asminn antaḥ puruṣe jyotiḥ — "it is this very light within a man"! The highest radiance of the worlds and the inward light are one (Gītā 13.17: "the Light of lights, beyond the darkness… in the heart of each").
And two testimonies, available to anyone: tasyaiṣā dṛṣṭiḥ — "here is the seeing of it": yatraitad asmin śarīre saṁsparśenoṣṇimānaṁ vijānāti — "when by touch you perceive warmth in the body": the living warmth of the body is a tangible ray of the transcendent light! tasyaiṣā śrutiḥ — "here is the hearing of it": stop your ears and you will hear "as it were a humming, as it were a roar, as it were a blazing fire": the inward noise of life is the audible echo of that same light!
A theology of dizzying simplicity: the proofs of the highest Light are carried about on one's person: everyone who is warm is warmed by it, everyone who has heard the hum in stopped ears has heard it: the transcendent testifies of itself by a temperature and a ringing in the blood. He who venerates that warmth and that hum as "the seen and the heard" of the Light becomes himself "seen and heard" — conspicuous and renowned: in whom the inward light is honoured, he shines outwardly.