Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 4.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अजाम् एकां लोहितशुक्लकृष्णां बह्वीः प्रजाः सृजमानां सरूपाः ।
अजो ह्य् एको जुषमाणो ऽनुशेते जहात्य् एनां भुक्तभोगाम् अजो ऽन्यः
Transliteration (IAST)
ajām ekāṃ lohitaśuklakṛṣṇāṃ bahvīḥ prajāḥ sṛjamānāṃ sarūpāḥ /
ajo hy eko juṣamāṇo 'nuśete jahāty enāṃ bhuktabhogām ajo 'nyaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अजाम् एकाम्ajām ekāmone unborn female; the single beginningless one
लोहितशुक्लकृष्णाम्lohitaśuklakṛṣṇāmred, white and black; crimson, white and dark
बह्वीः प्रजाःbahvīḥ prajāḥmany offspring; a multitude of births
सृजमानाम्sṛjamānāmbringing forth; producing
सरूपाःsarūpāḥof her own likeness; of the same nature as herself
अजः हि एकःajaḥ hi ekaḥone unborn male; a certain beginningless one
जुषमाणःjuṣamāṇaḥtaking delight; clinging to her with pleasure
अनुशेतेanuśetelies beside her; lies down at her side
जहातिjahātihe abandons; he leaves
एनाम्enāmher; this very one
भुक्तभोगाम्bhuktabhogāmher enjoyment being spent; when the pleasure is used up
अजः अन्यःajaḥ anyaḥanother unborn one; a different beginningless one
Translation
One unborn — red, white and black — brings forth many offspring of her own likeness. One unborn lies beside her, taking delight; another unborn abandons her when the enjoyment is spent.
Version
0891e0c4f5fd · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
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The riddle of this mantra rests on the word ajā, "unborn", which sounds the same as "she-goat". Hence the double image: beginningless nature — and a goat of three colours yielding young.
The three colours are the three guṇas, the three strands of which the world is twisted: red is passion, motion; white is clarity, sattva; black is inertia, darkness. Her offspring is "of her own likeness": everything born of nature is made of those same three threads.
Next two unborn ones are named — and these are the very two of 1.9, "the knowing and the unknowing". One "lies beside her, taking delight": this is the soul clinging to nature and tasting its fruits. The word juṣamāṇaḥ comes from the same root as juṣṭaḥ, "favoured", at 1.6; the same fondness is here, but turned the wrong way.
The second "abandons her when the enjoyment is spent". This is the same soul, but liberated: having tasted, it departs. Note that it departs not in disgust but by exhaustion; and it is not said that nature is evil — it is said that she has been tasted.
Many commentators read the second unborn one as the Lord, and then the sense is sharper still: one beside nature enjoys, the Other is unattached to her. Both readings agree in the main thing: with one and the same nature, one destiny belongs to him who has clung and another to him who is free.