Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,3.23
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् वै तत् न पश्यति पश्यन् वै तत् न पश्यति न हि द्रष्टुः दृष्टेर् विपरिलोपो विद्यते अविनाशित्वान् न तु तत् द्वितीयम् अस्ति ततो अन्यद् विभक्तं यत् पश्येत्
Transliteration (IAST)
yat vai tat na paśyati paśyan vai tat na paśyati na hi draṣṭuḥ dṛṣṭer viparilopo vidyate avināśitvān na tu tat dvitīyam asti tato anyad vibhaktaṃ yat paśyet
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatthat which; that which
वैvaitruly; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
नnanot; no
पश्यतिpaśyatisees; beholds
पश्यन्paśyanseeing (from √paś, participle); the beholder; seeing
वैvaitruly; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
नnanot; no
पश्यतिpaśyatisees; beholds
नnanot; no
हिhiindeed; truly
द्रष्टुःdraṣṭuḥof the seer (draṣṭṛ, gen.); the beholder; of the seer
दृष्टेर्dṛṣṭerof seeing (dṛṣṭi, gen.); of the eye; of sight
विपरिलोपोviparilopocessation (viparilopa — 'a cutting off'); destruction; perishing
विद्यतेvidyateexists; is to be found
अविनाशित्वान्avināśitvānbecause he is indestructible (a-vināśitva, abl.); by reason of indestructibility; for he is indestructible
नnanot; no
तुtusurely; but
तत्tatthat; this
द्वितीयम्dvitīyama second (dvitīya); another; of the second
अस्तिastiam; exists
ततोtatofor that reason; from him
अन्यद्anyadanother; other
विभक्तंvibhaktaṃseparate (vibhakta); distinct; separated
यत्yatthat which; that which
पश्येत्paśyethe might see; he would see
Translation
If [there] he does not see — then, seeing, he does not see: for there is no destruction of the seeing of the seer, since he is indestructible; but there is no second, nothing else, separate, that he might see.
Version
8fc94a5f0b80 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:12:39 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
An eight-beat masterpiece of dialectic begins: paśyan vai tan na paśyati — "seeing, he does not see". The apparent contradiction is resolved once and for all: in the deep repose there are no spectacles — but not because the seer has gone out: na hi draṣṭur dṛṣṭer viparilopo vidyate — "there is no destruction of the seeing of the seer, for he is indestructible"; it is simply that "there is no second, nothing separate, that he might see".
The light is burning — there is nothing to light: the room is empty not of light but of objects. With this formula the Upaniṣad answers the fear of Maitreyī and of Indra ("after departing there is no awareness" — annihilation?): consciousness never perishes; what disappears is only the duality of its objects. Eight times over, faculty by faculty, this decisive difference will be struck out — between the death of the light and the absence of things to see.