Skanda Upanishad: Verse 4
चिज्जडानां तु यो द्रष्टा सोऽच्युतो ज्ञानविग्रहः । स एव हि महादेवः स एव हि महाहरिः ॥४॥
चित्-जडानाम् तु यः द्रष्टा सः अच्युतः ज्ञान-विग्रहः । सः एव हि महा-देवः सः एव हि महा-हरिः ॥४॥
cijjaḍānāṃ tu yo draṣṭā so 'cyuto jñānavigrahaḥ | sa eva hi mahādevaḥ sa eva hi mahāhariḥ ||4||
চেতন ও জড়—উভয়ের যে সাক্ষী-দ্রষ্টা, তিনিই অচ্যুত, যাঁর স্বরূপই জ্ঞান। তিনিই নিশ্চয় মহাদেব; তিনিই নিশ্চয় মহাহরি।
But he who is the seer (witness) of the conscious and the inert—he is the imperishable (Acyuta), whose very form is knowledge. He alone indeed is Mahādeva; he alone indeed is Mahāhari.
- cijjaḍānāṃ → cit + jaḍānām (व्यञ्जन-सन्धि: त् + ज् → ज्ज)
- so’cyuto → saḥ + acyutaḥ (विसर्ग-लोप/अवग्रह)
- अन्यत्र पदच्छेदः स्पष्टः।
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Sākṣī-caitanya (witness-consciousness) and non-dual identity of Īśvara/Brahman beyond sectarian forms
- The mahavakyas
- Supports the purport of ‘aham brahmāsmi’ and ‘tat tvam asi’ by identifying the witnessing Self as the one reality appearing as Śiva/Viṣṇu.
- Veda
- Krishna Yajur Veda
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (śloka)
Yoga and practice
Practice sākṣī-bhāva: observe thoughts (cit) and objects/body (jaḍa) as witnessed; meditate on the witness as unchanging; reduce deity-form conflict by contemplating one Consciousness behind all iṣṭa-devatā forms.
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