Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,4.17
॥
Devanāgarī
यस्मिन् पञ्च पञ्चजनाः आकाशः च प्रतिष्ठितः तम् एव मन्ये आत्मानं विद्वान् ब्रह्मामृतः अमृतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
yasmin pañca pañcajanāḥ ākāśaḥ ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ tam eva manye ātmānaṃ vidvān brahmāmṛtaḥ amṛtam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यस्मिन्yasminin which; in whom
पञ्चpañcafive; the group of five
पञ्चजनाःpañcajanāḥthe five kinds of beings (pañca-jana, pl.); the five races of beings; the five kinds
आकाशःākāśaḥspace; ether
चcaand; as well as
प्रतिष्ठितःpratiṣṭhitaḥare established (pratiṣṭhita); are founded; are established
तम्tamit; that one
एवevaindeed; only
मन्येmanyeI consider (from √man); I hold; hold
आत्मानंātmānaṃthe self; His very self
विद्वान्vidvānthe knower (vidvas); aware of; knowing
ब्रह्मामृतःbrahmāmṛtaḥthe immortal Brahman (brahma-amṛta); Brahman the immortality; the immortal Brahman
अमृतम्amṛtamimmortal; nectarean
Translation
In whom the five fivefold peoples and space are established — him I hold to be the ātman; knowing and immortal, I hold [him] to be the immortal Brahman.
Version
1528b4027963 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:17:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A verse that is a confession: "the five fivefold peoples" (pañca pañca-janāḥ — gods, men, fathers, gandharvas, asuras; or the five breaths taken fivefold) and space itself are established in Him — and the singer pronounces his creed: tam eva manya ātmānam — "Him alone I hold to be the ātman".
Note the structure of the faith: not "I am everything" but "He is the one in whom everything is"; the recognition of oneself as immortal (vidvān amṛtaḥ) does not compete with the confession of Him as immortal Brahman — the one is upheld by the other. A spark that knows itself to be of fire honours the Flame all the more warmly.