उपनिषद् · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,4.3
॥
देवनागरी
तद् यथा तृणजलायुका तृणस्य अन्तं गत्वा अन्यम् आक्रमम् आक्रम्य आत्मानम् उपसंहरति एवम् एव अयम् आत्मा इदम् शरीरम् निहत्य अविद्याम् गमयित्वा अन्यम् आक्रमम् आक्रम्य आत्मानम् उपसंहरति
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
tad yathā tṛṇajalāyukā tṛṇasya antaṃ gatvā anyam ākramam ākramya ātmānam upasaṃharati evam eva ayam ātmā idam śarīram nihatya avidyām gamayitvā anyam ākramam ākramya ātmānam upasaṃharati
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
तद्tadthat; this
यथाyathāhow; as far as
तृणजलायुकाtṛṇajalāyukāa measuring caterpillar (tṛṇa-jalāyukā); the grass-leech caterpillar; the looper
तृणस्यtṛṇasyaof a blade of grass (tṛṇa, gen.); of the stalk; of the grass-blade
अन्तंantaṃto the end (anta, acc.); to the tip; to the very end
गत्वाgatvāhaving come (from √gam); having reached; having come
अन्यम्anyamanother; other
आक्रमम्ākramama footing (ākrama, acc.); an approach and footing; a support
आक्रम्यākramyahaving taken hold and drawn itself up (ā + √kram); having taken hold; having taken hold
आत्मानम्ātmānamthe self; the inner Self
उपसंहरतिupasaṃharatiit draws itself together (upa-sam + √hṛ); it gathers itself in; it draws itself up
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एवevaindeed; only
अयम्ayamthis; he
आत्माātmāthe self; the ātman
इदम्idamthis; this world
शरीरम्śarīrambody; the bodily frame
निहत्यnihatyahaving struck down (ni + √han); having laid low; having cast off
अविद्याम्avidyāmignorance; non-knowledge
गमयित्वाgamayitvāhaving transferred; having brought over
अन्यम्anyamanother; other
आक्रमम्ākramama footing (ākrama, acc.); an approach and footing; a support
आक्रम्यākramyahaving taken hold and drawn itself up (ā + √kram); having taken hold; having taken hold
आत्मानम्ātmānamthe self; the inner Self
उपसंहरतिupasaṃharatiit draws itself together (upa-sam + √hṛ); it gathers itself in; it draws itself up
अनुवाद
As a caterpillar, having come to the end of a blade of grass, draws itself over to another support and pulls itself across, so this self, having cast off this body and let go of ignorance, draws itself over to another support and pulls itself across.
संस्करण
cb9c7a29594b · प्रकाशित 27 जुल॰ 2026, 1:15:25 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The first of the two great images of the transition: the tṛṇajalāyukā, the looper caterpillar at the edge of a blade of grass. It does not leap into emptiness: first it feels out a new support, takes hold — and only then draws itself over from the old one. So the self in death: "having drawn itself over to another support" — a new body, world or state — it "pulls itself across" from the outworn blade.
Death with no gap of emptiness: the soul never hangs in nothing — the passage is made from support to support, as with the looper. The fear of a "fall between lives" is cancelled by entomology; and note the marvellous aside: avidyāṁ gamayitvā — "having let go of ignorance" (by another reading, "having carried ignorance to its end"): together with the body is left the blindness that had grown onto it. The transition is also a moulting of unknowing.