The Mukhya Upaniṣads

Aitareya · Adhyāya 1 · Khaṇḍa 3 · The Search for Food, and the Discovery of Who Asks

Passage 11

स ईक्षत कथं न्विदं मदृते स्यादिति स ईक्षत कतरेण प्रपद्या इति ।स ईक्षत यदि वाचाभिव्याहृतं यदि प्राणेनाभिप्राणितं यदि चक्षुषा दृष्टं यदि श्रोत्रेण श्रुतं यदि त्वचा स्पृष्टं यदि मनसा ध्यातं यद्यपानेनाभ्यपानितं यदि शिश्नेन विसृष्टमथ कोऽहमिति ॥ ११ ॥

In plain words

He considered: 'How indeed could this exist without me?' He considered: 'By which of the two [paths] should I enter?' He considered: 'If it is uttered by speech, breathed by breath, seen by the eye, heard by the ear, touched by the skin, thought by the mind, breathed out by apāna, emitted by the generative organ — then who am I?'