Upaniṣads · Chāndogya 8,4.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः आत्मा सः सेतुः धृतिः एषाम् लोकानाम् असंभेदाय न एतम् सेतुम् अहोरात्रे तरतः न जरा न मृत्युः न शोकः न सुकृतम् सर्वे पाप्मानः अतः निवर्तन्ते अपहतपाप्मा हि एषः ब्रह्मलोकः
Transliteración (IAST)
atha yaḥ ātmā saḥ setuḥ dhṛtiḥ eṣām lokānām asaṃbhedāya na etam setum ahorātre tarataḥ na jarā na mṛtyuḥ na śokaḥ na sukṛtam sarve pāpmānaḥ ataḥ nivartante apahatapāpmā hi eṣaḥ brahmalokaḥ
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
अथathathereupon; then
यःyaḥwho; the one who
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the inner self
सःsaḥhe; that one
सेतुःsetuḥthe dam (setu — a causeway, an embankment); the crossing and the bond; the dam
धृतिःdhṛtiḥthe holding (dhṛti — 'the sustaining'); the support; the upholding
एषाम्eṣāmfor them; of these
लोकानाम्lokānāmworlds; realms
असंभेदायasaṃbhedāyathat they may not run together (a-saṁbheda, dative — 'for the sake of non-confusion'); for the sake of keeping them apart; lest they merge
नnanot; no
एतम्etamit; of this
सेतुम्setumthe dam; the dyke
अहोरात्रेahorātreday and night (aho-rātra, dual); the round of day and night; day-and-night
तरतःtarataḥthey cross it (from √tṝ, dual); they pass over it; they get across
नnanot; no
जराjarāold age; decay
नnanot; no
मृत्युःmṛtyuḥdeath; Mṛtyu
नnanot; no
शोकःśokaḥsorrow; grief
नnanot; no
सुकृतम्sukṛtama good deed (su-kṛta); merit; a benefaction
सर्वेsarveall; all
पाप्मानःpāpmānaḥthe sins; the defilements
अतःataḥfrom here; from this
निवर्तन्तेnivartantethey turn back (ni + √vṛt); turn back; they retreat
अपहतपाप्माapahatapāpmāwith evil removed; free from sin
हिhiindeed; truly
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
ब्रह्मलोकःbrahmalokaḥthe world of Brahman (brahma-loka); the brahma-loka; the Brahman-world
Traducción
This ātman is a bridge, a dyke, so that these worlds may not be confounded. Across this bridge there pass neither day and night, nor old age, nor death, nor sorrow, nor good deed, nor evil deed: all sins turn back from it, for the world of Brahman is free from evil.
Versión
97a8331b07b8 · publicado 26 jul 2026, 23:51:21 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
A new great image: the ātman is a setu, a bridge and a dyke. An Indian setu is not only a crossing but an embankment that divides waters: the ātman holds the worlds "so that they may not be confounded" (asaṁbhedāya) — he is both the bond of everything and the keeper of distinctions; without this clamp creation would congeal into chaos. The same image is in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka (4.4.22): "He is the bridge and the support, so that these worlds may not be confounded."
And the bridge has an astonishing property: time does not cross it ("day and night"), nor old age, death, sorrow — nor, unexpectedly, "good deed or evil": sukṛta remains on the same bank as sin! No baggage is carried to the far side — neither bad nor commendable: merits, as we know (8.1.6), are the currency of this bank. The bridge is crossed light.
"All sins turn back" — darkness cannot set foot upon the dyke, as night cannot enter noon. This is not a reward for a feat but a property of the place: the brahmaloka is itself apahatapāpmā, "free from evil". Approaching the ātman is itself a purification: we do not wash ourselves in order to draw near — we are washed by drawing near.