Upanishads · Pañcabrahma 19
॥
Devanāgarī
न जानन्ति सुराः सर्वे सर्वकारणकारणम् । न सन्दृशे तिष्ठति रूपमस्य परात्परं पुरुषं विश्वधाम
Transliteration (IAST)
na jānanti surāḥ sarve sarvakāraṇakāraṇam | na sandṛśe tiṣṭhati rūpamasya parātparaṃ puruṣaṃ viśvadhāma
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
न जानन्ति सुराः सर्वेna jānanti surāḥ sarveall the gods do not know
सर्व-कारण-कारणम्sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇamthe cause of all causes
न सन्दृशे तिष्ठति रूपम् अस्यna sandṛśe tiṣṭhati rūpam asyaHis form does not stand within sight
परात् परं पुरुषं विश्व-धामparāt paraṃ puruṣaṃ viśva-dhāmathe Man supreme above the supreme, the abode of the world
Translation
"All the gods do not know the cause of all causes. His form does not stand within sight — the Man supreme above the supreme, the abode of the world."
Version
929cf334ec9c · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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The verse of the Śvetāśvatara (4.20) is cited, and it is worth citing it in full, for its second half, omitted here, is the one that settles the matter. Here it is: na sandṛśe tiṣṭhati rūpam asya na cakṣuṣā paśyati kaścanainam, hṛdā manīṣā manasābhiklṛpto ya etad vidur amṛtās te bhavanti — "His form does not stand within sight; no one sees Him with the eye. He is grasped by the heart, by understanding, by the mind; those who know this become immortal."
Let us examine the second half, for it lists three instruments, and their order is no accident. Named first is hṛdā, "by the heart." Not by the mind, not by reasoning — by the heart.
Named second is manīṣā, "by understanding," third manasā, "by the mind." That is, the order proceeds from heart to mind, not the reverse. The Vaiṣṇava side stands on this verse and points out that it directly rejects the primacy of reasoning. First disposition, then understanding; and the same was discussed when reading the Tārasāra (3.1), where the Gītā's verse 18.55 was cited: first devotion, then knowledge.
Let us add the word abhiklṛpta, "grasped," literally "fitted, arranged": from abhi-klṛp, "to be attuned to." This nuance is worth keeping. Not "seized" and not "taken," but attuned: a concord is established between Him and the one who grasps. The word puruṣa, "Man," standing in this line, is the very one discussed when reading the Mahāvākya (p14); no need to repeat the discussion. Let us add only this: this line, having begun by saying that He is not seen, ends by indicating by what He is seen. The negation here is half, not the whole.