Upaniṣads · Śvetāśvatara 3.20
॥
Devanāgarī
अणोर् अणीयान् महतो महीयान् आत्मा गुहायां निहितो ऽस्य जन्तोः ।
तम् अक्रतुं पश्यति वीतशोको धातुप्रसादान् महिमानम् ईशम्
Transliteración (IAST)
aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān ātmā guhāyāṃ nihito 'sya jantoḥ /
tam akratuṃ paśyati vītaśoko dhātuprasādān mahimānam īśam
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
अणोः अणीयान्aṇoḥ aṇīyānsmaller than the small; finer than the finest
महतः महीयान्mahataḥ mahīyāngreater than the great; vaster than the vast
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; He, the Soul
गुहायाम्guhāyāmin the cave; in the secret place of the heart
निहितःnihitaḥis laid; is hidden
अस्य जन्तोःasya jantoḥof this creature; of every being
तम् अक्रतुम्tam akratumHim, free of striving; Him who is without desire or toil
पश्यतिpaśyatisees; beholds
वीतशोकःvītaśokaḥone freed from sorrow; he whose grief has passed
धातुप्रसादात्dhātuprasādātby the grace of the Creator; by the favour of the Ordainer
महिमानम्mahimānamthe majesty; the greatness
ईशम्īśamof the Lord; of the Master
Traducción
Smaller than the small and greater than the great is the Ātman, laid in the cave of the heart of every creature. Freed from sorrow, one sees Him by the grace of the Creator — the majesty of the Lord, which knows no striving.
Versión
a3b226f13a4a · publicado 28 jul 2026, 14:13:46 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The opening words are the same formula as in the Kaṭha: "smaller than the small and greater than the great". By it is said that He is measured by nothing; and, into the bargain, that there is no place too narrow for Him and no expanse that could contain Him.
The place indicated is again the same: guhā, the cave of the heart. The Upaniṣad repeats this insistently, as if knowing how much we want to look for Him far away.
The word akratu means "having no design-effort": He does not fuss, does not strain, does not contrive. What for us requires exertion is for Him simply being. Hence "the majesty that knows no striving".
But everything is decided by the expression dhātu-prasādāt. It is read in two ways. If dhātu means "constitution, faculties", the sense is "through the settling of the faculties", that is, when senses and mind have grown quiet. If dhātṛ — "the Ordainer, the Creator" — then: "by the grace of the Creator". The Vaiṣṇava tradition holds to the second, and it agrees with the whole cast of this Upaniṣad: at 1.6 immortality was given to one who was "favoured", at 6.21 knowledge will be given "by the grace of God", and at 3.19 it has just been said that no one knows Him of himself.
The two readings do not quarrel: the faculties grow quiet in one whom grace has touched, and grace touches one who has grown quiet. But the first cause is named as grace — and therefore the seer is called vīta-śoka, "freed from sorrow", before it is said that he has seen.