उपनिषद् · Mahā 5.54
॥
देवनागरी
अकर्तृकमरङ्गं च गगने चित्रमुत्थितम् अद्रष्टृकं स्वानुभवमनिद्रस्वप्नदर्शनम्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
akartṛkamaraṅgaṃ ca gagane citramutthitam adraṣṭṛkaṃ svānubhavamanidrasvapnadarśanam
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
अकर्तृकम् अरङ्गम् चakartṛkam araṅgam cawithout a maker and without a canvas; having no artist and no undercoat
गगने चित्रम् उत्थितम्gagane citram utthitama picture has risen in the sky; in the heavens an image has appeared
अद्रष्टृकम् स्व-अनुभवम्adraṣṭṛkam sva-anubhavamwithout a viewer, its own experiencing; with no beholder, its own undergoing
अनिद्र-स्वप्न-दर्शनम्anidra-svapna-darśanamthe seeing of a dream without sleep; a dream-spectacle without slumber
अनुवाद
“A picture has risen in the sky — without maker and without canvas, without viewer, its own experiencing, the seeing of a dream without sleep.”
संस्करण
d8a7ae8127c7 · प्रकाशित 29 जुल॰ 2026, 6:29:20 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Four negations in a row, and each removes one of the parts without which a picture would seem impossible.
There is no painter — akartṛka. No canvas — araṅga (the word means both “without undercoat” and “without a stage”). No viewer — adraṣṭṛka.
And yet the picture is.
The image returns to 2.6, where it is said: He paints the picture of the world upon Himself.
The last line — anidra-svapna-darśana, “the seeing of a dream without sleep” — is the best description of our situation the book has given. We see a dream without being asleep.
Note sva-anubhavam — “its own experiencing”. A picture with no viewer is nevertheless experienced.
The contradiction here is deliberate. It points out that “viewer” and “experiencing” are not one: the experiencing is there; a separate viewer at it is not.