Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 2,5.15
॥
Devanāgarī
सः वा अयम् आत्मा सर्वेषाम् अधिपतिः सर्वेषाम् भूतानाम् राजा तद् यथा रथनाभौ च रथनेमौ च अराः सर्वे समर्पिताः एवम् एव अस्मिन्न् आत्मनि सर्वाणि भूतानि सर्वे देवाः सर्वे लोकाः सर्वे प्राणाः सर्वे एत आत्मानः समर्पिताः
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ vā ayam ātmā sarveṣām adhipatiḥ sarveṣām bhūtānām rājā tad yathā rathanābhau ca rathanemau ca arāḥ sarve samarpitāḥ evam eva asminn ātmani sarvāṇi bhūtāni sarve devāḥ sarve lokāḥ sarve prāṇāḥ sarve eta ātmānaḥ samarpitāḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
वाvātruly; surely
अयम्ayamthis; he
आत्माātmāthe self; the ātman
सर्वेषाम्sarveṣāmall; of every one of all
अधिपतिःadhipatiḥthe overlord (adhipati); the supreme master; the lord
सर्वेषाम्sarveṣāmall; of every one of all
भूतानाम्bhūtānāmof beings; of living beings
राजाrājāthe king (rājan); the sovereign; the king
तद्tadthat; this
यथाyathāhow; as far as
रथनाभौrathanābhauin the nave of a chariot wheel (ratha-nābhi, loc.); in the hub of a chariot wheel; in the nave
चcaand; as well as
रथनेमौrathanemauin the felly of a chariot wheel (ratha-nemi, loc.); in the rim of the wheel; in the felly
चcaand; as well as
अराःarāḥthe spokes (ara, pl.); the spokes; the spokes
सर्वेsarveall; the whole aggregate
समर्पिताःsamarpitāḥare set in (sam-arpita); they are set; are inserted
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एवevaindeed; only
अस्मिन्न्asminnin this; here
आत्मनिātmaniin the self; in himself
सर्वाणिsarvāṇiall; every kind of
भूतानिbhūtānibeings; living beings
सर्वेsarveall; the whole aggregate
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
सर्वेsarveall; the whole aggregate
लोकाःlokāḥworlds; the regions
सर्वेsarveall; the whole aggregate
प्राणाःprāṇāḥof the prāṇa; the vital breaths
सर्वेsarveall; the whole aggregate
एतetathese; these very ones
आत्मानःātmānaḥof the self; the inner selves
समर्पिताःsamarpitāḥare set in (sam-arpita); they are set; are inserted
Translation
This ātman is the overlord of all, the king of all beings. As all the spokes are set between the nave and the felly of a wheel, so in this ātman are set all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breaths, all these selves.
Version
e4faeb30b806 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:57:10 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The seal of the madhu-vidyā is the image of a wheel: nave, felly and spokes. All beings, gods, worlds, breaths, the selves themselves are spokes set between the nave and the felly of the one ātman: He is both the centre (the nave) and the circumference (the felly), and everything that is, is a ray joining Him to Himself.
And His position is named — for the first time in this vidyā, outright: adhipati, overlord, rājā, king of all beings. The honey of reciprocity does not abolish hierarchy — it sweetens it: the universal sweetness is held by a King as a wheel is by its nave. A spoke envies neither the centre nor its neighbour: its dignity is its place on a living wheel; so too a soul among souls — a ray between the Core and the Rim, set in by love and holding its own sector of the sky.