Sacred texts · Hinduism
60 quotes from the Upanishads, the Rig Veda and the Yoga Sutras
The Upanishads are the philosophical texts that close the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. In dialogues between teachers and students, kings and sages, a boy and Death himself, they ask what the Self is and how it relates to Brahman, the reality behind all things. This page gathers passages from five of them, the Isha, Kena, Katha, Mundaka and Chandogya, each with its reference.
They are quoted in Friedrich Max Müller’s translation, published in the Sacred Books of the East (1879 and 1884). The page adds hymns from the Rig Veda in Ralph T. H. Griffith’s translation (1896) and aphorisms from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali in Charles Johnston’s version (1912). All are in the public domain, and every passage was checked word for word against its source. There is no free French translation of these texts, so this page exists in English only. See also the Bhagavad Gita quotes.
Upanishad quotes on the Self (Atman)
The Upanishads keep returning to one discovery: the Self within is one with the reality behind all things. The Chandogya gives its most famous form, “thou art it,” tat tvam asi (6.8.7); the Katha describes the Self as smaller than small and greater than great, hidden in the heart.
And he who beholds all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, he never turns away from it.
When to a man who understands, the Self has become all things, what sorrow, what trouble can there be to him who once beheld that unity?
The Self, smaller than small, greater than great, is hidden in the heart of that creature. A man who is free from desires and free from grief, sees the majesty of the Self by the grace of the Creator.
The wise who knows the Self as bodiless within the bodies, as unchanging among changing things, as great and omnipresent, does never grieve.
That Self is hidden in all beings and does not shine forth, but it is seen by subtle seers through their sharp and subtle intellect.
As pure water poured into pure water remains the same, thus, O Gautama, is the Self of a thinker who knows.
As the sun, the eye of the whole world, is not contaminated by the external impurities seen by the eyes, thus the one Self within all things is never contaminated by the misery of the world, being himself without.
There is one ruler, the Self within all things, who makes the one form manifold. The wise who perceive him within their Self, to them belongs eternal happiness, not to others.
There is one eternal thinker, thinking non-eternal thoughts, who, though one, fulfils the desires of many. The wise who perceive him within their Self, to them belongs eternal peace, not to others.
He is my self within the heart, smaller than a corn of rice, smaller than a corn of barley, smaller than a mustard seed, smaller than a canary seed or the kernel of a canary seed. He also is my self within the heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than heaven, greater than all these worlds.
Now that which is that subtile essence (the root of all), in it all that exists has its self. It is the True. It is the Self, and thou, O Svetaketu, art it.
By the old age of the body, that (the ether, or Brahman within it) does not age; by the death of the body, that (the ether, or Brahman within it) is not killed.
The wise, when he knows that that by which he perceives all objects in sleep or in waking is the great omnipresent Self, grieves no more.
The Self-existent pierced the openings (of the senses) so that they turn forward; therefore man looks forward, not backward into himself. Some wise man, however, with his eyes closed and wishing for immortality, saw the Self behind.
The good and the pleasant
In the Katha Upanishad, the boy Nachiketas questions Death himself, who offers him wealth and pleasures instead of an answer. He refuses: “No man can be made happy by wealth.” Death then teaches him to tell the good from the pleasant, and gives the image of the chariot, with the mind as reins.
All this, whatsoever moves on earth, is to be hidden in the Lord (the Self). When thou hast surrendered all this, then thou mayest enjoy. Do not covet the wealth of any man!
Though a man may wish to live a hundred years, performing works, it will be thus with him; but not in any other way: work will thus not cling to a man.
Look back how it was with those who came before, look forward how it will be with those who come hereafter. A mortal ripens like corn, like corn he springs up again.
No man can be made happy by wealth.
The good is one thing, the pleasant another; these two, having different objects, chain a man. It is well with him who clings to the good; he who chooses the pleasant, misses his end.
The good and the pleasant approach man: the wise goes round about them and distinguishes them. Yea, the wise prefers the good to the pleasant, but the fool chooses the pleasant through greed and avarice.
Know the Self to be sitting in the chariot, the body to be the chariot, the intellect (buddhi) the charioteer, and the mind the reins.
But he who has understanding and whose mind is always firmly held, his senses are under control, like good horses of a charioteer.
Rise, awake! having obtained your boons, understand them! The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say the path (to the Self) is hard.
Children follow after outward pleasures, and fall into the snare of wide-spread death. Wise men only, knowing the nature of what is immortal, do not look for anything stable here among things unstable.
When all desires that dwell in his heart cease, then the mortal becomes immortal, and obtains Brahman.
That which is not expressed by speech and by which speech is expressed, that alone know as Brahman.
By the Self we obtain strength, by knowledge we obtain immortality.
Beyond grief and fear
Several Upanishads describe a knowledge that frees from sorrow: the fetter of the heart is broken, all doubts are solved, the wise one goes beyond grief. The Mundaka gives the image of two birds on one tree, one eating, one watching; the Katha closes with a prayer for peace that is still recited today.
May He protect us both! May He enjoy us both! May we acquire strength together! May our knowledge become bright! May we never quarrel! Om! Peace! peace! peace! Harih, Om!
The fetter of the heart is broken, all doubts are solved, all his works (and their effects) perish when He has been beheld who is high and low (cause and effect).
The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, and much less this fire. When he shines, everything shines after him; by his light all this is lighted.
Two birds, inseparable friends, cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit, the other looks on without eating. On the same tree man sits grieving, immersed, bewildered by his own impotence (an-îsâ). But when he sees the other lord (îsa) contented and knows his glory, then his grief passes away.
The true prevails, not the untrue.
As the flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their name and their form, thus a wise man, freed from name and form, goes to the divine Person, who is greater than the great.
He who knows that highest Brahman, becomes even Brahman. In his race no one is born ignorant of Brahman. He overcomes grief, he overcomes evil; free from the fetters of the heart, he becomes immortal.
Therefore he who has crossed that bank, if blind, ceases to be blind; if wounded, ceases to be wounded; if afflicted, ceases to be afflicted.
The door of the True is covered with a golden disk. Open that, O Pûshan, that we may see the nature of the True.
Verses from the Rig Veda
The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas, a collection of hymns in ancient Sanskrit, arranged in ten books. The verses here, in Ralph Griffith’s 1896 translation, include a prayer for “powers auspicious,” the line on the One that sages call by many names (1.164.46), and the closing hymn of concord (10.191).
May powers auspicious come to us from every side, never deceived, unhindered, and victorious, That the Gods ever may be with us for our gain, our guardians day by day unceasing in their care.
May the auspicious favour of the Gods be ours, on us descend the bounty of the righteous Gods. The friendship of the Gods have we devoutly sought: so may the Gods extend our life that we may live.
The winds waft sweets, the rivers pour sweets for the man who keeps the Law / So may the plants be sweet for us.
Sweet be the night and sweet the dawns, sweet the terrestrial atmosphere; Sweet be our Father Heaven to us.
May the tall tree be full of sweets for us, and full of sweets the Sun: May our milch-kine be sweet for us.
To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.
Make me immortal in that realm where dwells the King, Vivasvan’s Son, Where is the secret shrine of heaven, where are those waters young and fresh.
The Gods have not ordained hunger to be our death: even to the well-fed man comes death in varied shape. The riches of the liberal never waste away, while he who will not give finds none to comfort him.
Let the rich satisfy the poor implorer, and bend his eye upon a longer pathway. Riches come now to one, now to another, and like the wheels of cars are ever rolling.
Assemble, speak together: let your minds be all of one accord, As ancient Gods unanimous sit down to their appointed share.
One and the same be your resolve, and be your minds of one accord. United be the thoughts of all that all may happily agree.
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
The Yoga Sutras, attributed to Patanjali, are a set of short aphorisms on yoga as a discipline of the mind. Charles Johnston’s 1912 version, which he called an interpretation, renders them in plain English: on compassion and kindness, steady practice, non-injury, and right poise “firm and without strain.”
Spiritual consciousness is nearest to those of keen, intense will.
By sympathy with the happy, compassion for the sorrowful, delight in the holy, disregard of the unholy, the psychic nature moves to gracious peace.
Faithful, persistent application to any object, if completely attained, will bind the mind to steadiness.
When pure perception without judicial action of the mind is reached, there follows the gracious peace of the inner self.
A discerning which is carried on without wavering is the means of liberation.
From steadfastly following after the means of Yoga, until impurity is worn away, there comes the illumination of thought up to full discernment.
Where non-injury is perfected, all enmity ceases in the presence of him who possesses it.
To the pure of heart come also a quiet spirit, one-pointed thought, the victory over sensuality, and fitness to behold the Soul.
From acceptance, the disciple gains happiness supreme.
Right poise must be firm and without strain.
Right poise is to be gained by steady and temperate effort, and by setting the heart upon the everlasting.
The fruit of right poise is the strength to resist the shocks of infatuation or sorrow.
By perfectly concentrated Meditation on sympathy, compassion and kindness, is gained the power of interior union with others.
How to read these texts
The Upanishads are dense and often written as riddles. Take one passage, read it slowly two or three times, and leave the rest for another day. Müller’s parentheses mark his own additions or explanations; reading a line with and without them shows how much the translator had to supply.
The Rig Veda hymns are prayers for daily life, sweetness of the dawn, concord in an assembly, generosity toward the poor, and can be read aloud. The Yoga Sutras work best one at a time, as a thought to carry into practice: 1.33 on compassion, or 2.46 on poise.
In the Selfia app, the Hinduism path (Settings › Spirituality) adds passages from Hindu texts in a separate section, always with the translation named.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Upanishads?
They are the last part of the Vedic literature, which is why they are also called Vedanta, “the end of the Veda.” Over a hundred texts bear the name, but tradition treats about a dozen as the principal Upanishads. They explore the relation between Atman, the Self, and Brahman, the ultimate reality, through dialogues and images.
What does tat tvam asi mean?
Tat tvam asi, “thou art that,” is one of the great sayings of the Upanishads. It comes from the Chandogya Upanishad (6.8.7), where the sage Uddalaka teaches his son Svetaketu that the subtle essence of all things is his own Self. Müller translates the end of the passage: “It is the Self, and thou, O Svetaketu, art it.”
Who wrote the Yoga Sutras?
Tradition attributes them to Patanjali, about whom almost nothing is known; scholars usually date the text to the first centuries of the common era. It contains about two hundred short sutras in four books, on concentration, practice, powers and liberation. Charles Johnston called his 1912 version an interpretation rather than a literal translation.