Upanishads · Mahā 5.48
॥
Devanāgarī
संबन्धे द्रष्टृदृश्यानां मध्ये दृष्टिर्हि यद्वपुः द्रष्टृदर्शनदृश्यादिवर्जितं तदिदं पदम्
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃbandhe draṣṭṛdṛśyānāṃ madhye dṛṣṭirhi yadvapuḥ draṣṭṛdarśanadṛśyādivarjitaṃ tadidaṃ padam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सम्बन्धे द्रष्टृ-दृश्यानाम्sambandhe draṣṭṛ-dṛśyānāmin the joining of seer and seen; in the conjunction of the looker and the looked-upon
मध्ये दृष्टिः हि यत् वपुःmadhye dṛṣṭiḥ hi yat vapuḥthe body in the middle is sight itself; the essence that lies between is precisely seeing
द्रष्टृ-दर्शन-दृश्य-आदिdraṣṭṛ-darśana-dṛśya-ādiof seer, seeing, seen and the rest; of the looker, the looking, the looked-upon and so on
वर्जितम् तत् इदम् पदम्varjitam tat idam padamdevoid — such is this state; bereft — that is this station
Translation
“In the joining of seer and seen, what lies in the middle is sight itself; but this state is devoid of seer, seeing and seen alike.”
Version
a607627bf250 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse repeats 2.69 and makes to it an addition that changes everything.
There it was said: of the triad, point to the middle one, to darśana.
Here it is said: this state is devoid even of the middle — draṣṭṛ-darśana-dṛśya-ādi-varjitam.
There is no contradiction; there is a gradation. Pointing to the “seeing” between seer and seen is a way of leading away from the extremes; but it too remains part of the triad, and there the triad is not at all.
This is Vedānta's usual move: first give a handhold, then remove that too.
Note the word vapus — “body, substance, form”. Seeing is called the “body” of what lies between. A material word where the speech is of the most immaterial.
The next verse will return us to the same interval, but now as an exercise.