Upanishads · Kaivalya 17
॥
Devanāgarī
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यादिप्रपञ्चं यत् प्रकाशते तद् ब्रह्माहम् इति ज्ञात्वा सर्वबन्धैः प्रमुच्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
jāgratsvapnasuṣuptyādiprapañcaṃ yat prakāśate tad brahmāham iti jñātvā sarvabandhaiḥ pramucyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
जाग्रत् स्वप्न सुषुप्ति आदि प्रपञ्चम्jāgrat svapna suṣupti ādi prapañcamthe manifold of waking, dream, deep sleep and the rest; the spread of waking, dreaming, suṣupti and so on
यत् प्रकाशतेyat prakāśatethat which shines; that which is made manifest
तत् ब्रह्म अहम् इति ज्ञात्वाtat brahma aham iti jñātvā“that is Brahman, that am I”, having known; having realised: “this is Brahman, this am I”
सर्वबन्धैः प्रमुच्यतेsarvabandhaiḥ pramucyatefrom all bonds he is released; he is freed from every fetter
Translation
He who has known — “that by which the whole manifold of waking, dream and deep sleep is lit, that is Brahman, that am I” — is released from all bonds.
Version
cfd8b38112ad · published Jul 29, 2026, 3:04:38 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse gives that for which the three states were examined.
It says: yat prakāśate — “that which shines, that by which it is lit”.
Here is the whole thought. The three states replace one another, and each shows its own: waking shows things, dream shows images, oblivion shows nothing. But for them to show, light is needed; and that light belongs to none of the three, else it would change along with them.
What shines in all three and is itself none of them — that is the subject.
This is the oldest move of the Upaniṣads, and the most convincing. No belief in the unknown is required: it is enough to notice that the known does not light itself.
Then it is said how this is known: tad brahmāham iti — “that is Brahman, that am I”.
Again the same double saying as in the previous verse, and it is to be read the same way: the consciousness in me is of no other nature than He.
And the conclusion: sarva-bandhaiḥ pramucyate — “he is released from all bonds”.
In the plural: the bonds are many. Liberation here is not one event but an untying of everything at once.