उपनिषद् · Kaivalya 17
॥
देवनागरी
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यादिप्रपञ्चं यत् प्रकाशते तद् ब्रह्माहम् इति ज्ञात्वा सर्वबन्धैः प्रमुच्यते
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
jāgratsvapnasuṣuptyādiprapañcaṃ yat prakāśate tad brahmāham iti jñātvā sarvabandhaiḥ pramucyate
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
जाग्रत् स्वप्न सुषुप्ति आदि प्रपञ्चम्jāgrat svapna suṣupti ādi prapañcamthe manifold of waking, dream, deep sleep and the rest; the spread of waking, dreaming, suṣupti and so on
यत् प्रकाशतेyat prakāśatethat which shines; that which is made manifest
तत् ब्रह्म अहम् इति ज्ञात्वाtat brahma aham iti jñātvā“that is Brahman, that am I”, having known; having realised: “this is Brahman, this am I”
सर्वबन्धैः प्रमुच्यतेsarvabandhaiḥ pramucyatefrom all bonds he is released; he is freed from every fetter
अनुवाद
He who has known — “that by which the whole manifold of waking, dream and deep sleep is lit, that is Brahman, that am I” — is released from all bonds.
संस्करण
cfd8b38112ad · प्रकाशित 29 जुल॰ 2026, 3:04:38 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The verse gives that for which the three states were examined.
It says: yat prakāśate — “that which shines, that by which it is lit”.
Here is the whole thought. The three states replace one another, and each shows its own: waking shows things, dream shows images, oblivion shows nothing. But for them to show, light is needed; and that light belongs to none of the three, else it would change along with them.
What shines in all three and is itself none of them — that is the subject.
This is the oldest move of the Upaniṣads, and the most convincing. No belief in the unknown is required: it is enough to notice that the known does not light itself.
Then it is said how this is known: tad brahmāham iti — “that is Brahman, that am I”.
Again the same double saying as in the previous verse, and it is to be read the same way: the consciousness in me is of no other nature than He.
And the conclusion: sarva-bandhaiḥ pramucyate — “he is released from all bonds”.
In the plural: the bonds are many. Liberation here is not one event but an untying of everything at once.