Upanishads · Jābāladarśana 8.7
॥
Devanāgarī
अथवा तव वक्ष्यामि धारणां मुनिपुङ्गव । पुरुषे सर्वशास्तारं बोधानन्दमयं शिवम्
Transliteration (IAST)
athavā tava vakṣyāmi dhāraṇāṃ munipuṅgava | puruṣe sarvaśāstāraṃ bodhānandamayaṃ śivam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथवा तव वक्ष्यामिathavā tava vakṣyāmior else, to you I shall tell
धारणां मुनि-पुङ्गवdhāraṇāṃ muni-puṅgavaa concentration, O bull among sages
पुरुषे सर्व-शास्तारंpuruṣe sarva-śāstāraṃin the Person — the ruler of all
बोध-आनन्द-मयं शिवम्bodha-ānanda-mayaṃ śivamconsisting of consciousness and bliss, benign
Translation
"Or else, I shall tell you a concentration, O bull among sages: in the Person — the ruler of all, consisting of consciousness and bliss, benign…"
Version
3d897ba873af · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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Again athava, "or else": for the fourth time the book gives a fork, offering another exercise in place of the one set out. Worth noting is the word sarva-shastaram, "the ruler of all," from shas, "to rule, to instruct." From the same root comes shastra, "instruction, book of law," and shasana, "command." That is, the one named here is one who rules and instructs, not an impersonal first principle.
Added is bodha-ananda-maya, "consisting of consciousness and bliss"; and of the suffix maya, indicating composition, it was discussed when reading the Ganapati (4.1). This combination — a ruler consisting of consciousness and bliss, dwelling in a Person — is, in substance, a precise description of what the Vaishnava side calls Paramatma. Worth comparing to the Gita, where the same is said in the same words: upadrashtanumanta cha bharta bhokta maheshvarah, paramatmeti chapy ukto dehe'smin purushah parah — "Witness, Consenter, Sustainer, Enjoyer, great Lord, also called the Highest Self — the highest Person in this body" (13.23).
The list there is curious, and deserves examination. Upadrashta, "witness": He watches. Anumanta, "consenter": nothing is done without His assent. Bharta, "sustainer": He nourishes. Bhokta, "enjoyer." Maheshvara, "great lord."
All five are acts of a Person; and not one applies to a property or a state. Hence the phrase here, "the ruler of all in the Person," should be read the same way.