Upanishads · Mahā 4.18
॥
Devanāgarī
आकृत्यैव विराजन्ते मैत्र्यादिगुणवृत्तिभिः समाः समरसाः सौम्य सततं साधुवृत्तयः
Transliteration (IAST)
ākṛtyaiva virājante maitryādiguṇavṛttibhiḥ samāḥ samarasāḥ saumya satataṃ sādhuvṛttayaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आकृत्या एव विराजन्तेākṛtyā eva virājanteby their very form they shine; already by their bearing they are resplendent
मैत्री-आदि-गुण-वृत्तिभिःmaitrī-ādi-guṇa-vṛttibhiḥwith the workings of friendliness and the other virtues; with the expressions of amity and the like qualities
समाः सम-रसाः सौम्यsamāḥ sama-rasāḥ saumyaeven, of one savour, O gentle one; equable, uniform in taste, O dear one
सततम् साधु-वृत्तयःsatatam sādhu-vṛttayaḥever righteous in conduct; constantly good in their dealings
Translation
“They shine by their very form, by friendliness and the other virtues: even, of one savour, O gentle one, ever righteous in conduct.”
Version
70b6bcb469a9 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first two words deserve to be taken apart: ākṛtyā eva virājante — “they shine by their very appearance”.
That is, one can tell by them. Not by speeches and not by title — by the look.
This is an observation, not a compliment. A long inner state comes through in the face; a man at peace cannot go unrecognized.
Maitrī — “friendliness” — is the first of the four well-known dispositions of which the Yoga-sūtras speak: friendliness toward the happy, compassion toward the unhappy, gladness over the good, equanimity toward the wicked. Here only the first is named, and the rest are implied by the turn “and the others”.
Sama-rasa means “of one taste”, like water, which is everywhere water. The righteous man is not different with different people.
The address saumya, “gentle, dear”, is spoken by Ṛbhu to his pupil — and it is of the same root as soma, the moon. The teacher calls Nidāgha by the very image with which he has just described the righteous.