Aitareya Upanishad
ऐतरेयोपनिषद्
One of the ten principal Upanishads, from the Aitareya Aranyaka of the Rigveda. In three chapters, it describes the cosmic creation, the emergence of Consciousness, and the identity of individual self with Brahman. Contains the Mahavakya: Prajnanam Brahma — Consciousness is Brahman.
Read Overview →Shlokas (19)
+ Add ShlokaWho Is He Whom We Worship as the Self?
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 3 · Verse 1
को न्वेष आत्मेति वयमुपास्महे । कतरः स आत्मा — येन वा पश्यति येन वा शृणोति येन वा गन्धानाजिघ्रति ॥ १ ॥
ko nv eṣa ātmeti vayam upāsmahe | kataraḥ sa ātmā — yena vā paśyati yena vā śṛṇoti yena vā gandhān ājighrati || 1 ||
Who is this Self that we worship? Which is the Self? — He by whom one sees, or by whom one hears, or by whom one smells?
In the Beginning — Atman Alone Existed
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 1
आत्मा वा इदमेक एवाग्र आसीत् । नान्यत्किञ्चन मिषत् । स ईक्षत लोकान्नु सृजा इति ॥ १ ॥
ātmā vā idam eka evāgra āsīt | nānyat kiñcana miṣat | sa īkṣata lokān nu sṛjā iti || 1 ||
In the beginning, the Self alone existed here — nothing else whatsoever stirred. He thought: "Let me now create the worlds."
Food — The Lord Created It for All Beings
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 2 · Verse 1
सोऽकामयत — द्वितीयो म आत्मा जायेतेति । स मनसा वाचं मिथुनम् समभवत् । तदरेतोऽभवत् ॥ १ ॥
so'kāmayata — dvitīyo ma ātmā jāyeteti | sa manasā vācaṃ mithunam samabhavat | tad areto'bhavat || 1 ||
He desired: "Let a second self be born of me." He united mind with speech. That became the seed (retas).
The Creator Creates the Worlds
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 2
स इमाँल्लोकानसृजत — अम्भो मरीचीर्मरमापः ॥ २ ॥
sa imāml lokān asṛjata — ambho marīcīr maram āpaḥ || 2 ||
He created these worlds: the waters (ambhas), the rays of light (marichi), death (mara), and the waters below.
The Three Births of the Self
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 2 · Verse 2
तमु हैतमेके आत्मानमनुप्रविशन्ति । स जायमानो लोकान्भूनत्यग्र एव । तं यदन्नमदन्ति तेनातिष्ठति ॥ २ ॥
tam u haitam eke ātmānam anuprabhiśanti | sa jāyamāno lokān bhūnaty agra eva | taṃ yad annam adanti tenātiṣṭhati || 2 ||
Some enter this Self. When born, he fills the worlds from the very beginning. When they eat the food, by that he endures.
He Who Is the Heart — He Is Brahman
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 3 · Verse 2
येन वा मनुते येनाध्येति अपि यच्चान्यत्किञ्च जानाति । सर्वे एते सन्निपतन्ति एकस्मिन्नाकाशे हृदयम् ॥ २ ॥
yena vā manute yenādhyeti api yac cānyat kiñca jānāti | sarve ete sannipātanti ekasmin ākāśe hṛdayam || 2 ||
He by whom one thinks, by whom one knows, he by whom one knows anything else — all these come together in one space: the heart.
Prajnanam Brahma — Consciousness Is Brahman
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 3 · Verse 3
प्रज्ञेन सर्वानाप्नोति — प्रज्ञाने हि सर्वाणि भूतानि एकतां यान्ति । प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म ॥ ३ ॥
prajñena sarvān āpnoti — prajñāne hi sarvāṇi bhūtāni ekatāṃ yānti | prajñānaṃ brahma || 3 ||
Through consciousness (prajna) one attains everything; in consciousness all beings become one. Consciousness is Brahman.
The Self Departs and Is Reborn
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 2 · Verse 3
स जातो भूतान्यभिव्यैख्यत् किमिहान्यं वावदिषदिति । स एतमेव पुरुषं ब्रह्म ततममपश्यत् ॥ ३ ॥
sa jāto bhūtāny abhivyaikṣat kim ihānyaṃ vāvadiṣad iti | sa etam eva puruṣaṃ brahma tatamam apaśyat || 3 ||
Being born, he looked upon all beings and said: "What else would I wish to speak?" He saw this very Person pervaded everywhere as Brahman.
He Creates a Primordial Person from the Waters
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 3
स ईक्षत इमे नु लोका लोकपालान्नु सृजा इति । सोऽद्भ्य एव पुरुषमुद्धृत्य अमूर्छयत् ॥ ३ ॥
sa īkṣata ime nu lokā lokapālān nu sṛjā iti | so'dbhya eva puruṣam uddhrty amūrcchayat || 3 ||
He thought: "These are the worlds. Let me now create guardians of the worlds." From the waters He drew out and shaped a person (Purusha).
He Ascended to Brahmaloka — Knowing Brahman
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 3 · Verse 4
स एतद्ब्रह्मैव जानाति — ब्रह्मलोकमभिसम्भवति । य एवं वेद ॥ ४ ॥
sa etad brahmaiva jānāti — brahmalokam abhisambhavati | ya evaṃ veda || 4 ||
He who knows this — knows Brahman alone. He attains the world of Brahman. So knows he who knows this.
The Creator Warms the Primordial Person
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 4
तमभ्यतपत् तस्याभितप्तस्य मुखं निरभिद्यत यथाऽण्डम् । मुखाद्वाग्वाचोऽग्निः ॥ ४ ॥
tam abhyatat tasya abhitaptasya mukhaṃ nirbhidyata yathāṇḍam | mukādvāg vāco'gniḥ || 4 ||
He heated him. From the one being heated, the mouth burst open like an egg. From the mouth came speech; from speech, fire.
From Below, From Womb, and From Death — Three Births
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 2 · Verse 4
इदमग्रे पुरुष आसीत् — ब्रह्म विदात् । स विदाञ्चकार — अहं ब्रह्मास्मीति । तस्मात्तत्सर्वमभवत् ॥ ४ ॥
idam agre puruṣa āsīt — brahma vidāt | sa vidāñcakāra — ahaṃ brahmāsmīti | tasmāt tat sarvam abhavat || 4 ||
In the beginning this Person was Brahman — he knew Brahman. He declared: "I am Brahman!" From that, all this became.
From Nostrils — Breath and Vayu; From Eyes — Sight and Sun
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 5
नासिके निरभिद्येतां नासिकाभ्यां प्राणः प्राणाद्वायुः । अक्षिणी निरभिद्येतामक्षिभ्यां चक्षुश्चक्षुष आदित्यः । कर्णौ निरभिद्येतां कर्णाभ्यां श्रोत्रं श्रोत्राद्दिशः ॥ ५ ॥
nāsike nirabhidyetāṃ nāsikābhyāṃ prāṇaḥ prāṇād vāyuḥ | akṣiṇī nirabhidyetām akṣibhyāṃ cakṣuś cakṣuṣa ādityaḥ | karṇau nirabhidyetāṃ karṇābhyāṃ śrotraṃ śrotrād diśaḥ || 5 ||
The nostrils burst open; from the nostrils came prana; from prana, Vayu. The eyes burst open; from the eyes came sight; from sight, Aditya (the Sun). The ears burst open; from the ears came hearing; from hearing, the Directions.
Skin, Hair, Plants; Heart, Mind, Moon
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 6
त्वचो लोमानि लोमभ्य ओषधिवनस्पतयः । हृदयं निरभिद्यत हृदयान्मनो मनसश्चन्द्रमाः । नाभिर्निरभिद्यत नाभ्या अपानोऽपानाद्मृत्युः ॥ ६ ॥
tvaco lomāni lomabhya oṣadhivanaspatayaḥ | hṛdayaṃ nirabhidyata hṛdayān mano manasaś candramāḥ | nābhir nirabhidyata nābhyā apāno'pānād mṛtyuḥ || 6 ||
From the skin came hair; from the hair, plants and trees. The heart burst open; from the heart came mind; from mind, the Moon. The navel burst open; from the navel came the downward breath (apana); from apana, Death.
The Gods Could Not Enter the Body — It Was Just Earth
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 7
ता एताः सृष्टा देवता अस्मिन्महत्यर्णवे प्रापतन् । तं क्षुत्पिपासाभ्यामन्ववार्जत् ॥ ७ ॥
tā etāḥ sṛṣṭā devatā asmin mahaty arṇave prāpatan | taṃ kṣutpipāsābhyām anvavārjat || 7 ||
These created deities fell into the great ocean of existence. Hunger and thirst assailed him (the body).
The Gods Ask for an Abode
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 8
ता अब्रुवन्नायतनं नः प्रजानीहि यस्मिन्प्रतिष्ठिता अन्नमदामेति ॥ ८ ॥
tā abruvan nāyatanaṃ naḥ prajānīhi yasmin pratiṣṭhitā annam adāmeti || 8 ||
They said: "Show us an abode in which, being established, we may eat food."
The Creator Brings a Cow and Horse — Gods Reject Them
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 9
तेभ्यो गामानयत् ता अब्रुवन्न वा इयमलमिति । तेभ्योऽश्वमानयत् ता अब्रुवन्न वा इयमलमिति ॥ ९ ॥
tebhyo gām ānayt tā abruvan na vā iyam alam iti | tebhyo'śvam ānayt tā abruvan na vā iyam alam iti || 9 ||
He brought a cow to them. They said: "This is not enough." He brought a horse to them. They said: "This is not enough."
The Creator Brings the Human Body — Sufficient!
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 10
तेभ्यः पुरुषमानयत् ता अब्रुवन्सुकृतं बताय सुकृतं बतेति । पुरुषो वाव सुकृततमः ॥ १० ॥
tebhyaḥ puruṣam ānayt tā abruvan sukṛtaṃ batāya sukṛtaṃ bateti | puruṣo vāva sukṛtatamaḥ || 10 ||
He brought a human person to them. They said: "Well made! Indeed, well made!" The human is truly the most well-made.
The Gods Enter the Body Through Their Respective Openings
Aitareya Upanishad · Chapter Adhyaya 1 · Verse 11
ता एता देवताः पुरुषं प्राविशन् । अग्निर्मुखमभिप्रविश्य वाग्भूत्वा मुखमाविवेश । वायुर्नासिके अभिप्रविश्य प्राणो भूत्वा नासिके आविवेश ॥ ११ ॥
tā etā devatāḥ puruṣaṃ prāviśan | agnir mukham abhipraviśya vāg bhūtvā mukham āviveśa | vāyur nāsike abhipraviśya prāṇo bhūtvā nāsike āviveśa || 11 ||
These deities entered the person. Agni, entering the mouth, became speech and entered the mouth. Vayu, entering the nostrils, became prana and entered the nostrils.