Upanishads · Varāha 5.25
॥
Devanāgarī
तदन्तरारयोः पूषा वर्तते च पयस्विनी । सुषुम्ना पश्चिमे चारे स्थिता नाडी सरस्वती
Transliteration (IAST)
tadantarārayoḥ pūṣā vartate ca payasvinī | suṣumnā paścime cāre sthitā nāḍī sarasvatī
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत्-अन्तर-अरयोः पूषाtat-antara-arayoḥ pūṣāon the spokes between them — pusha
वर्तते च पयस्विनीvartate ca payasvinīand payasvini dwell
सुषुम्ना-पश्चिमे चारेsuṣumnā-paścime cāreon the western spoke of sushumna
स्थिता नाडी सरस्वतीsthitā nāḍī sarasvatīstands the passage sarasvati
Translation
"On the spokes between them dwell pusha and payasvini; on the western spoke of sushumna stands the passage sarasvati."
Version
a0af14efdbfd · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Worth noting are the names, for they are no accident and deserve examination. Pusha is the name of a Vedic deity, patron of roads and herdsmen; discussed when reading the Ishavasya (16), where the plea to open the face of truth is addressed to him. Sarasvati is the name of a river and the goddess of speech.
Varuna is the name of the lord of the waters; yashasvini means "glorious"; payasvini — "milky." That is, the passages are named after deities and rivers. This detail shows the origin of this teaching: it was built on the model of the earth, where rivers flow from a single source and bear names.
The body was conceived as a region through which streams flow, and the word nadi literally means "river, stream," from nad, "to sound." This correspondence is carried far in Indian literature: of the fact that all the sacred rivers also flow within the body, discussed when reading the Jabala-darshana (4.32), where the usual verse was cited that bathing in them inwardly is better than the outward bathing. The Vaishnava side does not object to such a correspondence, and uses it itself; but its rule was cited there too, and deserves repeating.
An inward interpretation does not cancel the outward: one who says "my Ganga is within me" and hence does not go to the Ganga interprets in his own favor. Both meanings stand together; and hence, for it, pilgrimage is not cancelled, but explained.