उपनिषद् · Aitareya 1,3.5
॥
देवनागरी
तत् चक्षुषा अजिघृक्षत् तत् न अशक्नोत् चक्षुषा ग्रहीतुम् सः यत् ह एनत् चक्षुषा अग्रहैष्यत् दृष्ट्वा हैव अन्नम् अत्रप्स्यत्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
tat cakṣuṣā ajighṛkṣat tat na aśaknot cakṣuṣā grahītum saḥ yat ha enat cakṣuṣā agrahaiṣyat dṛṣṭvā haiva annam atrapsyat
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
तत्tatthat; it
चक्षुषाcakṣuṣāwith the eye; with sight
अजिघृक्षत्ajighṛkṣathe tried to seize; he wished to take
तत्tatthat; it
नnanot; no
अशक्नोत्aśaknothe was able; he had the power
चक्षुषाcakṣuṣāwith the eye; with sight
ग्रहीतुम्grahītumto seize; to take
सःsaḥhe; that one
यत्yatwhen; that
हhaindeed; surely
एनत्enatthis; it
चक्षुषाcakṣuṣāwith the eye; with sight
अग्रहैष्यत्agrahaiṣyatwould have seized; would have taken
दृष्ट्वाdṛṣṭvāhaving seen (from √dṛś); having looked; having glanced
हैवhaivaprecisely then; verily
अन्नम्annamfood; nourishment
अत्रप्स्यत्atrapsyathe would have been satisfied; he would have mastered the food
अनुवाद
He wished to seize it with sight — and could not seize it with sight. If he had seized it with sight, one would be satisfied with food merely by seeing [it].
संस्करण
92a86de4f409 · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 7:36:16 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The third attempt — cakṣuṣā: with the eye. If sight could seize — dṛṣṭvā haiva annam atrapsyat — "one would be full by looking".
Of all the misses this is the most recognisable: to "eat with the eyes" is an eternal temptation: shop windows, feasts in pictures, other people's lives on screens — whole epochs learn to look instead of living. At the very dawn of time the Upaniṣad delivered its verdict: a glance does not nourish; you will not be fed with the eyes — hunger is only inflamed by staring (food, note, is running away — and the glance merely sees it go).
And again the same gesture outlines the organ's true service: sight is to find and to guide, not to consume: the eye is the scout of the meal, not the eater. Blessed are the organs that know their place; the ladder of misses descends further — to hearing.