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

সেৱেই জগতৰ সাক্ষী, সৰ্বাত্মা, নিৰ্মল আকৃতি; সৰ্বভূতৰ প্ৰতিষ্ঠা, প্ৰজ্ঞানঘন (চেতনাঘন) লক্ষণযুক্ত। কৰ্মেৰে নহয়, প্ৰজাৰে নহয়, আন কোনো উপায়েৰেও কোনোবাই তেওঁক লাভ নকৰে; কেৱল ব্ৰহ্মজ্ঞান-মাত্ৰে মানৱ ব্ৰহ্মকেই প্ৰাপ্ত কৰে।

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)