Upanishads · Kauṣītaki 4.16
॥
Devanāgarī
स होवाच बालाकिर्य एवैष दक्षिणेऽक्षन्पुरुषस्तमेवाहमुपास इति तं होवाचाजातशत्रुर्मा मैतस्मिन्समवादयिष्ठा नाम्न आत्माऽग्नेरात्मा ज्योतिष आत्मेति वा अहमेतमुपास इति स यो हैतमेवमुपास्त एतेषां सर्वेषामात्मा भवति
Transliteration (IAST)
sa hovāca bālākirya evaiṣa dakṣiṇe'kṣanpuruṣastamevāhamupāsa iti taṃ hovācājātaśatrurmā maitasminsamavādayiṣṭhā nāmna ātmā'gnerātmā jyotiṣa ātmeti vā ahametamupāsa iti sa yo haitamevamupāsta eteṣāṃ sarveṣāmātmā bhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः ह उवाच बालाकिःsaḥ ha uvāca bālākiḥBālāki said; spoke Bālāki
यः एव एषः दक्षिणे अक्षन्yaḥ eva eṣaḥ dakṣiṇe akṣan“the one who is in the right eye”; “the one who is in the right orb”
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥ“the puruṣa”; “the person”
तम् एव अहम् उपासे इतिtam eva aham upāse iti“him I revere”; “precisely him I worship”
तम् ह उवाच अजातशत्रुःtam ha uvāca ajātaśatruḥAjātaśatru said to him; that Ajātaśatru replied
मा मा एतस्मिन् समवादयिष्ठाःmā mā etasmin samavādayiṣṭhāḥ“do not draw me into talk of him”; “do not make me discourse of him”
नाम्नः आत्मा अग्नेः आत्माnāmnaḥ ātmā agneḥ ātmā“the self of name, the self of fire”; “the essence of the name and the essence of the flame”
ज्योतिषः आत्मा इतिjyotiṣaḥ ātmā iti“the self of light”; “the essence of radiance”
वै अहम् एतम् उपासे इतिvai aham etam upāse iti“so do I revere him”; “thus I worship him”
सः यः ह एतम्saḥ yaḥ ha etamand he who him; the one who him
एवम् उपास्तेevam upāsteso reveres; worships thus
एतेषाम् सर्वेषाम् आत्मा भवतिeteṣām sarveṣām ātmā bhavatibecomes the self of all this; is made the essence of all that is named
Translation
Bālāki said: “The puruṣa who is in the right eye — him I revere.” Ajātaśatru said to him: “Do not draw me into talk of him! I revere him as the self of name, the self of fire, the self of light.” And he who so reveres him becomes the self of all this.
Version
3f6b136e2b6f · published Jul 29, 2026, 3:43:45 AM UTC
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Seventh in the inner series is the puruṣa in the right eye; and the correction now gives him not one name but three: the self of name, the self of fire, the self of light.
The reverence of the reflection in the right and left eye is known to other Upaniṣads too: in the pupil a tiny figure of the beholder is seen, and from of old it was taken for an image of the one dwelling within. The right eye is linked with fire and speech, the left with the waters and the lightning.
The three names are bound to one another: a name is uttered, a fire burns, a light shines — and all this is one act, parted among three domains. Speech is a manifestation of heat; heat is seen as light; light is recognised and named. Therefore they are spoken of together.
The fruit is, as usual, commensurate: the reverer of the self of all this himself becomes “the self of all this”.
The last two corrections — on the right and the left eye — stand in the chapter not by chance. Bālāki, having passed through the whole world outside and everything about the man outside, has reached at last the gaze itself. Nearer to what is sought he will not come; and on this his list will break off.