Atma Upanishad 5 — Verse 5

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

असत्यत्वेन भानं तु संसारस्य निवर्तकम् । घटोऽयमिति विज्ञातुं नियमः कोऽन्वपेक्षते॥५॥

विना प्रमाणसुष्ठुत्वं यस्मिन् सति पदार्थधीः । अयमात्मा नित्यसिद्धः प्रमाणे सति भासते॥६॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

असत्यत्वेन । भानम् । तु । संसारस्य । निवर्तकम् । घटः । अयम् । इति । विज्ञातुम् । नियमः । कः । अन्व्-अपेक्षते ॥ ५ ॥

विना । प्रमाण-सुष्ठुत्वम् । यस्मिन् । सति । पदार्थ-धीः । अयम् । आत्मा । नित्य-सिद्धः । प्रमाणे । सति । भासते ॥ ६ ॥

IAST Transliteration

asatyatvena bhānaṃ tu saṃsārasya nivartakam | ghaṭo 'yam iti vijñātuṃ niyamaḥ ko 'nvapekṣate ||5||

vinā pramāṇasuṣṭhutvaṃ yasmin sati padārthadhīḥ | ayam ātmā nityasiddhaḥ pramāṇe sati bhāsate ||6||

Translation

എന്നാൽ ജഗത്തിന്റെ ഭാസം അസത്യമെന്നായി ഗ്രഹിക്കപ്പെടുന്നതാണ് സംസാരനിവൃത്തിക്ക് കാരണമാകുന്നത്. ‘ഇത് ഘടം’ എന്നു അറിയാൻ ഏത് നിയമത്തെയാണ് ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നത്? യഥാർത്ഥ പ്രമാണപ്രവർത്തനം ഇല്ലാതെ വസ്തുബോധം സംഭവിക്കുമ്പോഴും—ഈ ആത്മാവ് നിത്യസിദ്ധൻ; പ്രമാണം ഉണ്ടായാൽ അവൻ പ്രകാശിക്കുന്നു॥५-६॥

Academic Translation

But the appearance (of the world) as unreal is what brings saṃsāra to cessation. To know ‘this is a pot’, what rule does one depend upon? Without the proper functioning of a means of knowledge, when cognition of an object occurs—this Self is ever-accomplished; it shines when a means of knowledge is present.

Verse Context

• Pramāṇa and self-revelation; cessation of saṃsāra through asatya-darśana of appearances; nitya-siddha ātman
• Mahavakya: Connects to mahāvākya methodology: Upaniṣadic sentences function as pramāṇa revealing identity (e.g., ‘ayam ātmā brahma’, ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’)—Self is not produced, only recognized
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)