Upanishads · Mantrikā 7
॥
Devanāgarī
ध्यानक्रियाभ्यां भगवान्भुङ्क्तेऽसौ प्रसहद्विभुः । सर्वसाधारणीं दोग्ध्रीं पीयमानां तु यज्वभिः
Transliteration (IAST)
dhyānakriyābhyāṃ bhagavānbhuṅkte'sau prasahadvibhuḥ | sarvasādhāraṇīṃ dogdhrīṃ pīyamānāṃ tu yajvabhiḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ध्यानक्रियाभ्याम् भगवान्dhyānakriyābhyām bhagavānby contemplation and action the Sovereign; through dhyāna and kriyā the Bhagavān
भुङ्क्ते असौ प्रसहत् विभुःbhuṅkte asau prasahat vibhuḥenjoys her, the prevailing, all-pervading one; this mighty all-pervader partakes
सर्वसाधारणीम् दोग्ध्रीम्sarvasādhāraṇīm dogdhrīmthe milch-cow common to all; the one milked, open to all
पीयमानाम् तु यज्वभिःpīyamānām tu yajvabhiḥbeing drunk by the sacrificers; imbibed by those who offer sacrifice
Translation
By contemplation and action the Sovereign enjoys her — the prevailing, all-pervading one — the milch-cow common to all, drunk by the sacrificers.
Version
dd1a116c29f9 · published Jul 29, 2026, 3:00:17 AM UTC
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The verse completes the account of how He drinks who drinks freely.
Dhyāna-kriyābhyām — “by contemplation and action”. The pair covers everything: what is done within and what is done without.
Then it is said of her: sarva-sādhāraṇī — “common to all”. Not a separate one for each: one and the same cow is milked both for the Sovereign and for those who offer sacrifice.
Here a precision is worth keeping. The book does not split nature in two — a higher one for Him and a lower for us. She is one; the drinkers differ.
The word prasahat — “prevailing, overmastering”. It is set against what was said of the striplings: they drink the unknown and fall under its power; He overmasters.
Note also yajvabhiḥ, “by the sacrificers”. Named are neither ascetics nor knowers, but those who perform the rite.
Ordinary piety, that is, also drinks from this cow — and receives its due. The dispute is not over whether it will be given; the dispute is over who remains free in the drinking.