Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 2,3.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ अमूर्तम् प्राणः च यः च अयम् अन्तः आत्मनि आकाशः एतत् अमृतम् एतत् यत् एतत् त्यत् तस्य एतस्य अमूर्तस्य एतस्य अमृतस्य एतस्य यतस्य एतस्य त्यस्य एषः रसः यः अयम् दक्षिणे अक्षन् पुरुषः त्यस्य हि एषः रसः
Transliteration (IAST)
atha amūrtam prāṇaḥ ca yaḥ ca ayam antaḥ ātmani ākāśaḥ etat amṛtam etat yat etat tyat tasya etasya amūrtasya etasya amṛtasya etasya yatasya etasya tyasya eṣaḥ rasaḥ yaḥ ayam dakṣiṇe akṣan puruṣaḥ tyasya hi eṣaḥ rasaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; further
अमूर्तम्amūrtamthe formless; the unformed
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
चcaand; as well as
यःyaḥwho; the one who
चcaand; as well as
अयम्ayamthis; he
अन्तःantaḥwithin; inner
आत्मनिātmaniin the self; in himself
आकाशःākāśaḥspace; ether
एतत्etatthis; the present
अमृतम्amṛtamimmortal; nectarean
एतत्etatthis; the present
यत्yatthat which; that which
एतत्etatthis; the present
त्यत्tyatthat; the transcendent
तस्यtasyait; his
एतस्यetasyaof this; of this
अमूर्तस्यamūrtasyaof the formless; of the unformed
एतस्यetasyaof this; of this
अमृतस्यamṛtasyathe immortal one; of the undying
एतस्यetasyaof this; of this
यतस्यyatasyaof that which moves; of the moving
एतस्यetasyaof this; of this
त्यस्यtyasyathat one; of the remote one
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
रसःrasaḥthe sap; the fluid of life
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अयम्ayamthis; he
दक्षिणेdakṣiṇein the right (dakṣiṇa, loc.); in the right one; in the right one
अक्षन्akṣanin the eye (akṣan, loc.); in the eye; in the eye
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥthe puruṣa; the person; the indweller
त्यस्यtyasyathat one; of the remote one
हिhiindeed; truly
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
रसःrasaḥthe sap; the fluid of life
Translation
And the formless is the breath and the space within the body; it is the immortal, the moving, the beyond. The essence of this formless, immortal, moving, beyond is the person in the right eye: he is the essence of the beyond.
Version
b05342851830 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:53:23 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The formless in a man is the breath and the inner ākāśa (the space of the heart), and their essence is "the person in the right eye": the Looker in the eye, the very one Prajāpati showed to Indra and Virocana (ChU 8.7.4) and whom the mirror-mistake takes for a reflection. The scheme closes in a perfect symmetry: in the world, the essence of the dense is the sun and of the subtle the Person in the sun; in the body, the essence of the dense is the eye and of the subtle the Person in the eye.
Macrocosm and microcosm turn out to be one drawing with one Dweller at two windows: look out from the sun and he is a god, look out from the eye and he is the inner witness — but the Puruṣa is one. The Upaniṣad has drawn this out in order now — the one time it does so — to describe how He looks.