उपनिषद् · Tripurātāpinī 107
॥
देवनागरी
एक एवात्मा मन्तव्यो जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु । स्थानत्रयव्यतीतस्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥ 12॥ एक एव हि भूतात्मा भूतेभूते व्यवस्थितः । एकधा बहुधा चैव दृश्यते जलचन्द्रवत् ॥ 12
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
eka evātmā mantavyo jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu | sthānatrayavyatītasya punarjanma na vidyate || 12|| eka eva hi bhūtātmā bhūtebhūte vyavasthitaḥ | ekadhā bahudhā caiva dṛśyate jalacandravat || 12
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
एकः एव आत्मा मन्तव्यःekaḥ eva ātmā mantavyaḥonly the one Ātman is to be thought
जाग्रत्-स्वप्न-सुषुप्तिषुjāgrat-svapna-suṣuptiṣuin waking, dream, and deep sleep
स्थान-त्रय-व्यतीतस्यsthāna-traya-vyatītasyafor one who has surpassed the three states
पुनः जन्म न विद्यतेpunaḥ janma na vidyatethere is no new birth
दृश्यते जल-चन्द्र-वत्dṛśyate jala-candra-vatit is seen as the moon in water
अनुवाद
«Only the one Ātman is to be thought, in waking, dream, and deep sleep; for one who has surpassed the three states, there is no new birth. Only the one being-Ātman is established in every being; seen singly and manifoldly — as the moon in water».
संस्करण
a65279e89a3e · प्रकाशित 12 अग॰ 2026, 5:00:00 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
A famous likeness is cited: jala-candra-vat, «as the moon in water». The moon is one, and there are as many reflections as there are vessels of water; so too, it is said, the Ātman is one, and souls are many only in appearance. The likeness is beautiful and weak, and its weakness deserves demonstrating, not waving away.
A reflection has no experience. The moon in a bucket does not shine of itself, does not know it is reflected, and does not suffer when the water is spilled. But the soul in question knows and suffers; and this whole teaching is undertaken for the sake of ending that suffering.
Hence a direct difficulty follows. If I am only a reflection, then it is not I who suffer, and there is no one to liberate; but if it is truly I who suffer, then I am not a reflection. The likeness gives no third option.
The next difficulty is the water. There are many reflections because there are many vessels; the vessels, then, are real and are not the moon. The likeness cited to prove oneness itself requires a multiplicity of something else, and this teaching cannot explain that other thing.
The Vaishnava answer to the same observation is simpler and requires no extra entities. Souls truly are many, and all are of one nature — like sparks of one fire (an image these same books gladly use). The spark is small, the fire is great, and both are fire; but the spark is not the bonfire, and it is the spark, not the fire, that can go out.