Upanishads · Mahā 5.18
॥
Devanāgarī
स्वप्नजाग्रदिति प्रोक्तं जाग्रत्यपि परिस्फुरत् षडवस्था परित्यागो जडा जीवस्य या स्थितिः
Transliteration (IAST)
svapnajāgraditi proktaṃ jāgratyapi parisphurat ṣaḍavasthā parityāgo jaḍā jīvasya yā sthitiḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स्वप्न-जाग्रत् इति प्रोक्तम्svapna-jāgrat iti proktamnamed “waking within the dream”; styled “waking-in-dream”
जाग्रति अपि परिस्फुरत्jāgrati api parisphuratshowing through even in waking; manifesting even in wakefulness
षट्-अवस्था-परित्यागःṣaṭ-avasthā-parityāgaḥthe abandonment of the six states; the quitting of the six conditions
जडा जीवस्य या स्थितिःjaḍā jīvasya yā sthitiḥis that inert station of the jīva; is the said torpid position of the soul
Translation
“What is named ‘waking within the dream’ shows through even in waking. And the abandonment of the six states is the inert station of the jīva…”
Version
66a8e3b2e603 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse does two things at once.
First: it confirms that “waking within the dream” occurs in wakefulness too. A man with open eyes lives in what has long lasted within him and is no longer checked.
Second: it begins the description of the seventh step, to be finished in the next verse.
Note the word jaḍā — “inert”. It has occurred before: jaḍa is the inanimate, the stone-like (2.48, 4.130).
The seventh, last step of ignorance is named neither the strongest blinding nor the most evil, but the most inert. At the ladder's bottom is not frenzy but torpor.
This follows naturally. The deeper ignorance is, the less it moves; its last step is oblivion.