Upanishads · Mahā 5.158
॥
Devanāgarī
स एव भगवान्ब्रह्मा सर्वलोकपितामहः अवलोक्य वपुर्ब्रह्मा कान्तमात्मीयमुत्तमम्
Transliteration (IAST)
sa eva bhagavānbrahmā sarvalokapitāmahaḥ avalokya vapurbrahmā kāntamātmīyamuttamam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः एव भगवान् ब्रह्माsaḥ eva bhagavān brahmāhe is the lord Brahmā himself; he precisely is the venerable Brahmā
सर्व-लोक-पितामहःsarva-loka-pitāmahaḥthe grandsire of all the worlds; the forefather of every world
अवलोक्य वपुः ब्रह्माavalokya vapuḥ brahmāhaving surveyed his body, Brahmā; having looked over his frame, Brahmā
कान्तम् आत्मीयम् उत्तमम्kāntam ātmīyam uttamamlovely, his own, most excellent; charming, his very own, supreme
Translation
“He is the lord Brahmā, grandsire of all the worlds; and, surveying his own body — lovely and most excellent…”
Version
04818ca7df15 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The name is given: Brahmā, the creator, the grandsire of the worlds.
Note that the whole long chain from 5.146 has led not to man but to him. The first being composed of contemplations is Brahmā.
This agrees with the first adhyāya, where Brahmā was born of the golden egg, and with 4.49, where the universe is woven “by the self-existent mind”.
The second half paints an almost domestic scene: he looks over his body and finds it lovely.
Avalokya — “having surveyed”. The first thing the first being does is look at itself.
This is both humanly recognizable and true in substance: everything begins with self-inspection.
The next verse will tell what he fell to pondering.