Upanishads · Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 4.5
॥
Devanāgarī
स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः प्रविविक्तभुक्तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः
Transliteration (IAST)
svapnasthāno'ntaḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ praviviktabhuktaijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स्वप्नस्थानः अन्तःप्रज्ञःsvapnasthānaḥ antaḥprajñaḥabiding in dream, cognising the inner; stationed in dreaming, aware of the internal
सप्ताङ्गः एकोनविंशतिमुखःsaptāṅgaḥ ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥseven-limbed, nineteen-mouthed; of seven members, of nineteen gates
प्रविविक्तभुक् तैजसःpraviviktabhuk taijasaḥenjoying the subtle, Taijasa; eater of the refined, Taijasa
द्वितीयः पादःdvitīyaḥ pādaḥthe second foot; the second quarter
Translation
Abiding in dream, cognising the inner, seven-limbed, with nineteen gates, enjoying the subtle — Taijasa: this is the second foot.
Version
ec088dbfa2d9 · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second foot: sleep with dreams.
The description is almost the same as the first's, and deliberately so: the same seven limbs, the same nineteen gates. The difference is in two words.
Instead of “cognising the outer” — antaḥ-prajña, “cognising the inner”. Instead of “enjoying the gross” — pravivikta-bhuk, “enjoying the separated, the refined”.
The instruments are the same and work the same; what has changed is only that from which they take their stuff. Awake — from the world; in dream — from memory.
The name Taijasa is “the luminous”, from tejas, “light”. It is so called because in dream a man shines for himself: there is no sun there, yet one sees.
This argument is adduced constantly in the Upaniṣads and serves what the whole Māṇḍūkya moves toward: if a man can see without light, the light in him is his own.