Upanishads · Chāndogya 8,3.4
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः एषः संप्रसादः अस्मात् शरीरात् समुत्थाय परम् ज्योतिः उपसंपद्य स्वेन रूपेण अभिनिष्पद्यते एषः आत्मा इति ह उवाच एतत् अमृतम् अभयम् एतत् ब्रह्म इति तस्य ह वै एतस्य ब्रह्मणः नाम सत्यम् इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yaḥ eṣaḥ saṃprasādaḥ asmāt śarīrāt samutthāya param jyotiḥ upasaṃpadya svena rūpeṇa abhiniṣpadyate eṣaḥ ātmā iti ha uvāca etat amṛtam abhayam etat brahma iti tasya ha vai etasya brahmaṇaḥ nāma satyam iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
संप्रसादःsaṃprasādaḥthe serene one (saṁprasāda — 'the tranquillized', the soul in pure repose); serene with repose; the serene one
अस्मात्asmātfrom this; out of this
शरीरात्śarīrātfrom the body; out of the body
समुत्थायsamutthāyahaving risen up (sam-ut + √sthā); having risen; having risen
परम्paramwhat is higher; the transcendent
ज्योतिःjyotiḥlight (jyotis); the radiance; the light
उपसंपद्यupasaṃpadyahaving attained (upa-sam + √pad — 'having reached'); having obtained; having entered into
स्वेनsvenain his own (sva, instrumental); by his own; by his very own
रूपेणrūpeṇaform (rūpa, instrumental); in form; in shape
अभिनिष्पद्यतेabhiniṣpadyatehe appears (abhi-niṣ + √pad — 'he comes forth fully'); is manifested; he stands forth
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the inner self
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
एतत्etatthis; all this
अमृतम्amṛtamimmortal; nectarean
अभयम्abhayamthe fearless; free from fear
एतत्etatthis; all this
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; sacred knowledge
इतिitithus; how
तस्यtasyait; concerning this
हhaindeed; surely
वैvaiverily; indeed
एतस्यetasyaof this; from this
ब्रह्मणःbrahmaṇaḥof Brahman; of the Absolute
नामnāmathe name; appellation
सत्यम्satyamTruth (satya); the Truth; the True
इतिitithus; how
Translation
And this serene one, having risen from this body and entered the highest light, appears in his own form. "This is the ātman," he said, "this is the immortal, this is the fearless, this is Brahman." And the name of this Brahman is Truth.
Version
a1d95119c5a8 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:51:21 PM UTC
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A key verse for the whole chapter — and one of the most important in the whole Upaniṣad for the Vedānta of bhakti. The saṁprasāda, "the serene one", the soul in its pure calm, "having risen from the body and entered the highest light (paraṁ jyotiḥ), appears in his own form" (svena rūpeṇa abhiniṣpadyate). He does not lose his form on entering the light — he attains it! Liberation is described not as the dissolving of a drop but as the appearing of a face: the soul has its own native form, and the highest light is the place where it is finally visible.
The Vedānta-sūtra analyses precisely this verse in its section on the fruit of the path (4.4.1: sampadyāvirbhāvaḥ svena-śabdāt — "by the word 'own', a manifestation of one's own nature"): svarūpa, the soul's own form, is not created by liberation but disclosed by it, as a statue by the lifting of a shroud. The whole Gauḍīya siddhānta of the eternal spiritual body of the Lord's servant rests on this svena rūpeṇa: the light does not devour the one who enters — it displays him.
And a last touch: "the name of this Brahman is Truth" (satyam). The lid on the hoard was made of falsehood (anṛta) — the Hoard itself is named Truth: the way to him and he himself are of one nature, and so a liar will not find him while a truthful man is already on the path. Prajāpati, in the chapter's second half, will teach Indra this very verse — for a hundred and one years.