Upanishads · Muṇḍaka 2.2.11
॥
Devanāgarī
ब्रह्म एव इदम् अमृतं पुरस्तात् ब्रह्म पश्चात् ब्रह्म दक्षिणतः च उत्तरेण ।
अधः च ऊर्ध्वं च प्रसृतं ब्रह्म एव इदं विश्वम् इदं वरिष्ठम् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
brahma eva idam amṛtaṃ purastāt brahma paścāt brahma dakṣiṇataḥ ca uttareṇa |
adhaḥ ca ūrdhvaṃ ca prasṛtaṃ brahma eva idaṃ viśvam idaṃ variṣṭham ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ब्रह्म एवbrahma evaBrahman indeed; Brahman alone
इदम्idamthis; the present
अमृतम्amṛtamimmortal; the imperishable
पुरस्तात्purastātin front (purastāt); in front; before [us]
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the Absolute
पश्चात्paścātbehind (paścāt); behind; at [our] back
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the Absolute
दक्षिणतः चdakṣiṇataḥ caand on the right (dakṣiṇatas); from the south, on the right; on the right hand
उत्तरेणuttareṇaand on the left (uttareṇa); from the north, on the left; on the left hand
अधः चadhaḥ caand below; beneath
ऊर्ध्वम् चūrdhvam caand above; from above
प्रसृतम्prasṛtamis spread out (pra-√sṛ); is extended; is stretched forth
ब्रह्म एवbrahma evaBrahman indeed; Brahman alone
इदम्idamthis; the present
विश्वम्viśvamthe universe; all
इदम्idamthis; the present
वरिष्ठम्variṣṭhamthe greatest (variṣṭha); the very best; the most excellent
Translation
Brahman is this immortal: Brahman in front, Brahman behind, Brahman on the right and on the left, He is spread out below and above. Brahman is this universe, [He] is the greatest!
Version
0b2c27d0d75b · published Jul 26, 2026, 8:10:40 PM UTC
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The finale of the second muṇḍaka — an exultant litany of omnipresence. brahmaivedam amṛtaṁ purastāt — "Brahman is this immortal — in front", paścāt — behind, dakṣiṇataś cottareṇa — on the right and the left, adhaś cordhvaṁ ca prasṛtam — "spread out below and above": the six directions are told off one by one, as a man looks about him on stepping into the light: whichever way you turn — He.
brahmaivedaṁ viśvam idaṁ variṣṭham — "Brahman is this universe, [He] is the best": the world is seen from within recognition: not the pantheist's "the world is God" (the Upaniṣad has already drawn all the distinctions: the sparks are not the blaze, the sheath is not the Treasure), but "there is nothing that is outside Him or other than He": a web that has recognised the spider in each of its threads.
Such is the geography of liberated sight: before, a man lived among things; now, within a Presence; the six quarters have become six sides of the Light. The Gītā (7.19) calls one who sees so the rarest of souls: vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ — "'Vāsudeva is everything' — such a great soul is very rare". With this fullness the second muṇḍaka ends; the third will begin with the image for whose sake, it seems, the whole book has been kept — the two birds on one tree.