Upaniṣads · Chāndogya 4,15.1
॥
Devanāgarī
यः एषः अक्षिणि पुरुषः दृश्यते एषः आत्मा इति ह उवाच एतत् अमृतम् अभयम् एतत् ब्रह्म इति तत् यदि अपि अस्मिन् सर्पिः वा उदकम् वा सिञ्चति वर्त्मनी एव गच्छति
Transliteración (IAST)
yaḥ eṣaḥ akṣiṇi puruṣaḥ dṛśyate eṣaḥ ātmā iti ha uvāca etat amṛtam abhayam etat brahma iti tat yadi api asmin sarpiḥ vā udakam vā siñcati vartmanī eva gacchati
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
अक्षिणिakṣiṇiin the eye (akṣi — 'the eye'); in the eye; within the eye
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥman; Puruṣa
दृश्यतेdṛśyateis seen; is beheld
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
आत्माātmāthe Ātman (ātman — 'the self', the soul and the Soul of souls); the Spirit; the Self
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
एतत्etatthis; all this
अमृतम्amṛtamthe immortal (a-mṛta — 'not subject to death'); the imperishable; immortality
अभयम्abhayamthe fearless (a-bhaya — 'free from fear'); the undaunted; the safe
एतत्etatthis; all this
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; sacred knowledge
इतिitithus; how
तत्tatthat; this
यदिyadiif; but if
अपिapieven; also
अस्मिन्asminupon It; in this
सर्पिःsarpiḥclarified butter (sarpis — ghee); ghee; the sacrificial butter
वाvāverily; surely
उदकम्udakamwater; the liquid
वाvāverily; surely
सिञ्चतिsiñcatiit drips (from √sic — 'to pour'); it pours; it sprinkles
वर्त्मनीvartmanīalong the edges (the two vartman — 'ruts', the rims of the eyelids); along the eyelids; along the lids' channels
एवevaindeed; surely
गच्छतिgacchatigoes; comes
Traducción
He said: "The puruṣa who is seen in the eye — that is the ātman. He is the immortal, the fearless; he is Brahman. Therefore, if one drops clarified butter or water into the eye, it runs off to the edges.
Versión
7a2f72004a65 · publicado 26 jul 2026, 23:22:39 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The fires showed the Puruṣa in the sun, the moon and the lightning — the teacher shows him nearer than any luminary: in the eye itself. He who looks out from the eye of a living being, "the Man in the eye", is the ātman, and three great words are said of him: amṛtam, the immortal; abhayam, the fearless; brahma, Brahman. Fearlessness is a sure sign: fear is born only of a "second", of something alien (Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1.4.2), and he is alien to no one — he is nearer than the pupil of the eye.
And at once, an almost laboratory proof: drop butter or water into an eye and the drop will not stay, it runs off along the edges (vartmanī — "along the eyelid-verges"). The eye is the one moist surface of the body to which nothing sticks: a living illustration of the lotus-leaf image just given. The Puruṣa's dwelling is stained by nothing — and so is everyone who has recognised him within: the world touches him but does not cling.
This "Puruṣa in the eye" will return in the eighth chapter (8.7–12): with him Prajāpati will begin teaching Indra, and the road from a reflection in the pupil to the Lord in the heart will take a hundred and eleven years of discipleship. Here one thing is enough: the One who looks from within is immortal, fearless, and he is your Lord, not your invention.