Verse 13

Katharudra

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

स एव जगतः साक्षी सर्वात्मा विमलाकृतिः । प्रतिष्ठा सर्वभूतानां प्रज्ञानघनलक्षणः ॥

न कर्मणा न प्रजया न चान्येनापि केचित् ।

ब्रह्मवेदनमात्रेण ब्रह्माप्नोत्येव मानवः ॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

सः एव । जगतः । साक्षी । सर्व-आत्मा । विमल-आकृतिः । प्रतिष्ठा । सर्व-भूतानाम् । प्रज्ञान-घन-लक्षणः ॥

न । कर्मणा । न । प्रजया । न । च । अन्येन । अपि । केचित् ॥

ब्रह्म-वेदन-मात्रेण । ब्रह्म । आप्नोति । एव । मानवः ॥

IAST Transliteration

sa eva jagataḥ sākṣī sarvātmā vimalākṛtiḥ | pratiṣṭhā sarvabhūtānāṃ prajñānaghana-lakṣaṇaḥ ||

na karmaṇā na prajayā na cānyenāpi kecit |

brahmavedanamātreṇa brahmāpnoty eva mānavaḥ ||

Translation

هو وحده شاهدُ العالم، وهو الذاتُ الكلّية، ذو صورةٍ طاهرةٍ لا دنس فيها؛ هو سندُ جميع الكائنات، وعلامتُه أنه كتلةٌ من الوعي الخالص. لا بالعمل، ولا بالذرية، ولا بأيّ شيءٍ آخر على الإطلاق ينال أحدٌ ذلك؛ وإنما بمعرفةِ برهمن وحدها يبلغ الإنسانُ برهمن ذاته.

Academic Translation

He alone is the witness of the world, the Self of all, of stainless form; the support of all beings, characterized as a mass (ghana) of consciousness. Not by action, not by progeny, nor indeed by anything else whatsoever does anyone (attain Him); by the mere knowing of Brahman a human being attains Brahman alone.

Verse Context

• Brahman-Atman as sākṣin (witness) and jñāna as the sole means to mokṣa
• Mahavakya: Supports Advaitic import of ‘Aham Brahmāsmi’/‘Tat tvam asi’ by asserting identity with Brahman through knowledge (jñāna) rather than karma; echoes Muṇḍaka 3.2.3 ‘nāyam ātmā…’ and Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4.4.22 ‘na karmaṇā…’.
• Krishna Yajurveda
• Chandas: Mixed/Anuṣṭubh-like śloka (post-Vedic metrical style)