Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,3.35
॥
Devanāgarī
तद् यथा अनः सुसमाहितम् उत्सर्जम् यायात् एवम् एव अयं शारीरः आत्मा प्राज्ञेन आत्मना अन्वारूढः उत्सर्जम् याति यत्र एतद् ऊर्ध्वोच्छ्वासी भवति
Transliteration (IAST)
tad yathā anaḥ susamāhitam utsarjam yāyāt evam eva ayaṃ śārīraḥ ātmā prājñena ātmanā anvārūḍhaḥ utsarjam yāti yatra etad ūrdhvocchvāsī bhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तद्tadthat; this
यथाyathāhow; as far as
अनःanaḥa cart (anas); a wagon; the cart
सुसमाहितम्susamāhitamheavily laden (su-samāhita — 'well loaded'); well loaded; laden
उत्सर्जम्utsarjamcreaking (utsarjam — 'with a grinding sound'); with a creak; creaking
यायात्yāyātit would go (from √yā, optative); it would move; it would travel
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एवevaindeed; only
अयंayaṃthis; this man
शारीरःśārīraḥbodily (śārīra); embodied; bodily
आत्माātmāthe self; the ātman
प्राज्ञेनprājñenawise; conscious
आत्मनाātmanāSelf; as the inner Self
अन्वारूढःanvārūḍhaḥmounted upon (anu-ārūḍha); ridden; mounted upon
उत्सर्जम्utsarjamcreaking (utsarjam — 'with a grinding sound'); with a creak; creaking
यातिyātigoes; moves
यत्रyatrawhere; when
एतद्etadthis; the present
ऊर्ध्वोच्छ्वासीūrdhvocchvāsībreathing upward (ūrdhva-ucchvāsin — 'breathing up'); with the breath going upward; the breath on its way out
भवतिbhavatibecomes; he presents himself
Translation
As a heavily loaded cart goes creaking, so the bodily self, ridden by the ātman-of-knowledge, goes creaking when the breath is on its way out.
Version
363e1233ea04 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:13:54 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The analysis of death begins, and the first image aches: the bodily frame, a "heavily loaded cart", "goes creaking" (utsarjaṁ yāti — with the grinding of unloading) as the end draws near. An old man's dying breath is the creak of an old wagon on its last stage.
But in the cart there is a Rider: prājñenātmanā anvārūḍhaḥ — "ridden by the ātman-of-knowledge". It is the cart that creaks, not the Rider; what dies is the vehicle, not the traveller. The whole scene of death will be kept in this double vision: an honest pity for the creaking wagon — and a calm knowledge of the One who is simply arriving at a station.