Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 6.13
॥
Devanāgarī
नित्यो नित्यानां चेतनश् चेतनानाम् एको बहूनां यो विदधाति कामान् ।
तत् कारणं सांख्ययोगाधिगम्यं ज्ञात्वा देवं मुच्यते सर्वपाशैः
Transliteration (IAST)
nityo nityānāṃ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṃ yo vidadhāti kāmān /
tat kāraṇaṃ sāṃkhyayogādhigamyaṃ jñātvā devaṃ mucyate sarvapāśaiḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नित्यः नित्यानाम्nityaḥ nityānāmthe eternal among the eternals; the imperishable among the imperishable
चेतनः चेतनानाम्cetanaḥ cetanānāmthe conscious among the conscious; the thinking among the thinking
एकः बहूनाम्ekaḥ bahūnāmthe one among the many; the single one among a multitude
यः विदधाति कामान्yaḥ vidadhāti kāmānwho dispenses desires; He who apportions what is wished for
तत् कारणम्tat kāraṇamthat Cause; this principle
सांख्ययोगाधिगम्यम्sāṃkhyayogādhigamyamattainable by Sāṅkhya and yoga; reached by reasoning and by yoking
ज्ञात्वा देवम्jñātvā devamhaving known God; on knowing the Deity
मुच्यते सर्वपाशैःmucyate sarvapāśaiḥone is freed from all bonds; he is released from every fetter
Translation
The eternal among eternals, the conscious among the conscious, the one among many, He dispenses desires. That Cause, attainable by Sāṅkhya and yoga — knowing God, one is freed from all bonds.
Version
460440c27e00 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
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One of the most famous mantras of Indian thought — and perhaps the most exact formula of the relation between God and the souls.
Three lines are built alike, and each states both a likeness and a difference. "The eternal among eternals": the souls too are eternal — otherwise there would be no "eternals" among whom He is. "The conscious among the conscious": the souls too are conscious. "The one among many": He is one, they are a multitude.
From this it is plain that what distinguishes Him from us is not nature — we are of the same nature, eternal and conscious — but position: He is one and He gives. The fourth line completes it: "who dispenses desires", yo vidadhāti kāmān. The relation between Him and us is described as that of a giver and receivers.
On this mantra rests the whole Vaiṣṇava teaching of eternal difference within a unity of nature: the souls are like Him and therefore able to know Him; the souls are distinct from Him and therefore able to love Him. Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa cites it constantly — both as proof of the eternity of the plurality of souls and as a refutation of the notion that difference vanishes in liberation: it speaks, after all, of eternals, not of temporaries.
"Attainable by Sāṅkhya and yoga" means: by reasoning about principles and by the yoking of the mind. Both paths are mentioned with respect — the Upaniṣad rejects neither, but, as always, puts first the words jñātvā devam, "having known God": not a principle, not a cause, but a Person.