Paingala Upanishad 20 — Verse 20

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

घटाकाशमिवात्मानं विलयं वेत्ति तत्त्वतः । स गच्छति निरालम्बं ज्ञानालोकं समन्ततः ॥२०॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

घट-आकाशम्-इव । आत्मानम् । विलयम् । वेत्ति । तत्त्वतः । सः । गच्छति । निरालम्बम् । ज्ञान-आलोकम् । समन्ततः ॥२०॥

IAST Transliteration

ghaṭākāśam ivātmānaṃ vilayaṃ vetti tattvataḥ | sa gacchati nirālambaṃ jñānālokaṃ samantataḥ ||20||

Translation

ആത്മാവിനെ ഘടാകാശംപോലെ കണ്ടു അതിന്റെ ലയം തത്ത്വമായി അറിയുന്നവൻ, എല്ലാടവും ജ്ഞാനത്തിന്റെ നിരാലംബപ്രകാശത്തെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Academic Translation

He who truly knows the dissolution of the self like the space in a pot—he attains the supportless (nirālamba) light of knowledge on all sides.

Verse Context

• Ātman–Brahman non-difference; upādhi-bheda (apparent limitation) and its negation; nirālamba-jñāna
• Mahavakya: Directly consonant with ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ (I am Brahman): pot-space ‘becoming’ vast space illustrates that individuality is only adjunct-based.
• Atharva
• Atharva-veda (Paippalāda tradition; commonly grouped among Atharvaṇic Sannyāsa Upaniṣads) Shakha
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)