Upanishads · Mahā 6.55
॥
Devanāgarī
आपादमस्तकमहं मातापितृविनिर्मितः इत्येको निश्चयो ब्रह्मन्बन्धायासविलोकनात्
Transliteration (IAST)
āpādamastakamahaṃ mātāpitṛvinirmitaḥ ityeko niścayo brahmanbandhāyāsavilokanāt
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आ-पाद-मस्तकम् अहम्ā-pāda-mastakam aham“I am, from feet to head”; “I am, from sole to crown”
माता-पितृ-विनिर्मितःmātā-pitṛ-vinirmitaḥ“made by mother and father”; “produced by mother and father”
इति एकः निश्चयः ब्रह्मन्iti ekaḥ niścayaḥ brahmansuch is one conviction, O brāhmaṇa; such is the first resolve, O brāhmaṇa
बन्धाय आस-विलोकनात्bandhāya āsa-vilokanātleading to bondage, from short-sighted looking; toward fetters, out of nearsighted viewing
Translation
“‘I am this, from feet to head, produced by mother and father’ — such is the first conviction, O brāhmaṇa, leading to bondage, born of short-sighted looking.”
Version
cb669a4237f6 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first conviction is the bodily one, the same as the third selfhood of 5.92.
Note the detail: mātā-pitṛ-vinirmita — “made by mother and father”.
This is the ordinary human self-awareness: I am what my parents produced, from heels to crown.
It is named as leading to bondage, and the cause is given: āsa-vilokana — “short-sighted looking”, from āsanna, “near”.
That is, it is neither malice nor sin. It is short-sightedness: a man sees what is at hand and does not see beyond.
The remaining three convictions will all be toward liberation.