Upanishads · Pañcabrahma 20
॥
Devanāgarī
येन प्रकाशते विश्वं यत्रैव प्रविलीयते । तद्ब्रह्म परमं शान्तं तद्ब्रह्मास्मि परमं पदम्
Transliteration (IAST)
yena prakāśate viśvaṃ yatraiva pravilīyate | tadbrahma paramaṃ śāntaṃ tadbrahmāsmi paramaṃ padam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
येन प्रकाशते विश्वंyena prakāśate viśvaṃby whom the universe is illumined
यत्र एव प्रविलीयतेyatra eva pravilīyateand in whom it dissolves
तत् ब्रह्म परमं शान्तंtat brahma paramaṃ śāntaṃthat brahman, supreme, peaceful
तत् ब्रह्म अस्मि परमं पदम्tat brahma asmi paramaṃ padamthat brahman am I, the supreme place
Translation
"By whom the universe is illumined, and in whom it dissolves — that brahman, supreme, peaceful; that brahman am I, the supreme place."
Version
c6069e660f97 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The saying tad brahmāsmi, "that brahman am I," is cited, and it must be examined the same way as similar sayings before it. That way is to look at what stands beside it; and beside it here stands paramaṃ padam, "the supreme place." The word pada means "foot, footprint, place"; and it was discussed when reading the Tārasāra (1.11), where it was noted that a place is attained, not an essence.
There too a confirmation from the same book was cited: nārāyaṇa-padam avāpnoti, "attains the state of Nārāyaṇa" (3.12), and the Ṛgveda's concluding verse about tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam, "that supreme place of Viṣṇu" (3.13). Let us add here a second way of examining, relevant to this verse. Two actions are listed: yena prakāśate, "by whom it is illumined," and yatra pravilīyate, "in whom it dissolves."
Both stand in the third person: the universe is illumined, the universe dissolves. And then it is said "I am." That is, the speaker, having just described the universe as illumined and dissolved by another, declares himself to be that other.
Read as an assertion of fact, this would mean the speaker illumines the universe and dissolves it; yet he sits and speaks. The Vaiṣṇava side therefore reads such sayings as upāsanā, "reverent contemplation," as was discussed when reading the Jābāla-darśana (4.61) and the Tārasāra (3.10): a person places himself in the position of the one revered, to train the mind — and all the ritual books prescribe this openly, without passing it off as description. Let us add what settles the matter within this very book. Fifteen verses further on it will say that He is sākṣī, "witness," dwelling in the heart of all (36); and a witness of all cannot be one of those whose witness he is.