उपनिषद् · Kaṭharudra 8
॥
देवनागरी
स एव जगतः साक्षी सर्वात्मा विमलाकृतिः । प्रतिष्ठा सर्वभूतानां प्रज्ञानघनलक्षणः
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
sa eva jagataḥ sākṣī sarvātmā vimalākṛtiḥ | pratiṣṭhā sarvabhūtānāṃ prajñānaghanalakṣaṇaḥ
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
सः एव जगतः साक्षीsaḥ eva jagataḥ sākṣīhe indeed is the witness of the world
सर्व-आत्मा विमल-आकृतिःsarva-ātmā vimala-ākṛtiḥthe universal self, of pure form
प्रतिष्ठा सर्व-भूतानांpratiṣṭhā sarva-bhūtānāṃthe support of all beings
प्रज्ञान-घन-लक्षणःprajñāna-ghana-lakṣaṇaḥhaving as his mark a mass of discernment
अनुवाद
He indeed is the witness of the world, the universal self, of pure form, the support of all beings, having as his mark a mass of discernment.
संस्करण
a0a415ceaf86 · प्रकाशित 7 अग॰ 2026, 1:56:05 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Four definitions, and the first of them settles more than the rest: sākṣī, "witness." This word has been examined more than once, and the argument from it is always the same, because it is irrefutable. A witness is one who looks at something else; one cannot bear witness to oneself — that is called not testimony, but assertion. Wherever "witness" stands, two stand.
The second definition — vimala-ākṛti, "of pure form." Ākṛti means "appearance, outline, shape"; and this word is unexpected in a description of the qualityless. It is not said "formless," but "of pure form" — that is, having a form, but unclouded.
The third — pratiṣṭhā sarva-bhūtānām, "the support of all beings." Of support it was discussed when reading the Annapūrṇā (4.27) and the Tripurā-tāpanī (22): a support is a support of something; the word is not used without a second. The fourth — prajñāna-ghana, "a mass of discernment," the famous phrase of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka (2.4.12). Ghana means "dense, thick, a mass"; and it is said that there is not diffuse consciousness in general, but consciousness condensed, that is, gathered.
Four definitions, and three of the four require a second: a witness looks at something, a support holds something, a form is seen by someone. One abstraction across four concepts — and even that with the qualification "of pure form."