Chandogya Upanishad 8.10.1

Chandogya Upanishad – Verse 8.10.1 « »

य एष स्वप्ने महीयमानश्चरत्येष आत्मेति होवाचैतदमृतमभयमेतद्ब्रह्मेति स ह शान्तहृदयः प्रवव्राज स हाप्राप्यैव देवानेतद्भयं ददर्श तद्यद्यपीदं शरीरमन्धं भवत्यनन्धः स भवति यदि स्राममस्रामो नैवैषोऽस्य दोषेण दुष्यति ॥ ८.१०.१ ॥

ya eṣa svapne mahīyamānaścaratyeṣa ātmeti hovācaitadamṛtamabhayametadbrahmeti sa ha śāntahṛdayaḥ pravavrāja sa hāprāpyaiva devānetadbhayaṃ dadarśa tadyadyapīdaṃ śarīramandhaṃ bhavatyanandhaḥ sa bhavati yadi srāmamasrāmo naivaiṣo’sya doṣeṇa duṣyati || 8.10.1 ||

1. ‘That person who goes about being worshipped in dreams is the Self. It is immortal and fearless. It is Brahman .’ Indra then left happy in mind. But even before he returned to the gods, a doubt arose in his mind: ‘A person may be blind, but when he is dreaming he is not blind. He may be lame, but when he is dreaming he is not lame. There may be some defects in his body, but his dream body is not affected by them’.

Word Meaning

Yaḥ eṣaḥ, this [person] who; svapne mahīyamānaḥ, [appearing to be] worshipped in dreams; carati, goes about; eṣaḥ ātmā, this is the Self; iti ha uvāca, [Prajāpati] said; etat amṛtam abhayam, it is immortal and fearless; etat brahma iti, it is Brahman; saḥ ha śāntahṛdayaḥ pravavrāja, he left happy in mind; ha aprāpya eva, even before getting back; devān, to the gods; etat bhayam dadarśa, saw this fear [i.e., doubt]; yadi api, even if; tat idam śarīram, this body; andham bhavati, is blind; saḥ anandhaḥ bhavati, this [dream body] is not blind; yadi srāmam asrāmaḥ, if [the body] is lame, the [dream body] is not lame; na eva eṣaḥ asya doṣena duṣyati, nor is this [dream body] affected by the defects [of the body].

Table of Contents

Then after thirty-two years, Prajāpati said to Indra, ‘When you are asleep you have dreams and you find yourself moving about, as if you are the ruler of all, as if you are very great and powerful. That

Indra left satisfied, but on the way back home he began to think about what Prajāpati had said: ‘When I saw the reflection in the water, it was just as my body was. If the body was decorated, the reflection also was decorated. That means if the body is blind, the reflection shows a blind body. But suppose I am blind and I am dreaming. At that time I can see so many things. So it is true, the condition of the body does not affect the Self. The Self is something different.’

Links
Chandogya Upanishad Chapters 6-7-8 Commentary by Swami Paramarthananda
Chandogya Upanishad Chapters 5-6-7 Commentary by Swami Krishananda

Chandogya Upanishad – Verse 8.10.1 – Chandogya Upanishad 8.10.1 – In Sanskrit with English Transliteration, Meaning, Audio and Commentary – Chandogya-8-10-1