Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 5.8
॥
Devanāgarī
अङ्गुष्ठमात्रो रवितुल्यरूपः संकल्पाहंकारसमन्वितो यः ।
बुद्धेर् गुणेनात्मगुणेन चैव आराग्रमात्रो ह्य् अवरो ऽपि दृष्टः
Transliteration (IAST)
aṅguṣṭhamātro ravitulyarūpaḥ saṃkalpāhaṃkārasamanvito yaḥ /
buddher guṇenātmaguṇena caiva ārāgramātro hy avaro 'pi dṛṣṭaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अङ्गुष्ठमात्रःaṅguṣṭhamātraḥof the size of a thumb; a thumb's measure
रवितुल्यरूपःravitulyarūpaḥof a form like the sun; shining like a luminary
संकल्पाहंकारसमन्वितःsaṃkalpāhaṃkārasamanvitaḥendowed with will and I-sense; furnished with volition and the feeling of "I"
यःyaḥwho; he who
बुद्धेः गुणेनbuddheḥ guṇenaby the quality of the intellect; by a property of the buddhi
आत्मगुणेन च एवātmaguṇena ca evaand by his own quality; and likewise by his own property
आराग्रमात्रःārāgramātraḥof the size of an awl's point; the measure of a needle's tip
हिhiindeed; truly
अवरः अपिavaraḥ apiand even smaller; even more minute
दृष्टःdṛṣṭaḥis seen; is perceived to be
Translation
Of the size of a thumb, of a form like the sun, endowed with will and I-sense — by the quality of the intellect and by his own quality he is seen to be of the size of an awl's point and even smaller.
Version
4fab654ad1c4 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
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The mantra describes the soul, and describes it by measures that at first sight quarrel with one another: now a thumb's size, now an awl's point, now smaller still.
The resolution is simple. The measure "a thumb" is not a size but a place: so one speaks of what is contemplated in the heart, and the same was said at 3.13 of the Puruṣa. And "an awl's point" and "even smaller" are an attempt to convey that the soul has no extension at all; every measure here is conventional.
More important are the two epithets in the middle. Ravi-tulya-rūpa — "of a form like the sun": the soul shines, it is itself consciousness and not an illumined thing. And saṁkalpāhaṅkāra-samanvita — "endowed with will and I-sense": it has volition and it has a feeling of "I".
The latter is the root of all its trouble, spoken of at 1.8: ahaṅkāra, "I-making", turns into the claim to the role of enjoyer. But note: the Upaniṣad does not declare the I-sense an evil in itself; it lists it as a property of the soul alongside its light.
And it is said that the soul is seen differently "by the quality of the intellect and by its own quality". In other words, how it is seen depends both on the instrument that looks and on the soul itself. The exact measure will be given by the next mantra — and it will enter Vedānta as the classic one.