Upanishads · Subāla 9.15
॥
Devanāgarī
य एवं निर्बीजं वेद निर्बीज एव स भवति न जायते न म्रियते न मुह्यते न भिद्यते न दह्यते न छिद्यते न कम्पते न कुप्यते सर्वदहनोऽयमात्मेत्याचक्षते
Transliteration (IAST)
ya evaṃ nirbījaṃ veda nirbīja eva sa bhavati na jāyate na mriyate na muhyate na bhidyate na dahyate na chidyate na kampate na kupyate sarvadahano'yamātmetyācakṣate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यः एवम् निर्बीजम् वेदyaḥ evam nirbījam vedawho so knows the seedless; the one who understands this seedless
निर्बीजः एव सः भवतिnirbījaḥ eva saḥ bhavatihimself becomes seedless; he is made seedless
न जायते न म्रियतेna jāyate na mriyateis not born, does not die; neither comes to birth nor perishes
न मुह्यते न भिद्यतेna muhyate na bhidyatefalls into no delusion, is not split; is not beguiled and not broken
न दह्यते न छिद्यतेna dahyate na chidyatedoes not burn, is not cut; is not scorched and not severed
न कम्पते न कुप्यतेna kampate na kupyatedoes not tremble, does not grow angry; does not quake and is not vexed
सर्वदहनः अयम् आत्माsarvadahanaḥ ayam ātmāthis self is the all-consuming; this ātman burns up everything
इति आचक्षतेiti ācakṣateso they say; so it is told of him
Translation
Who so knows the seedless himself becomes seedless: he is not born, does not die, falls into no delusion, is not split, does not burn, is not cut, does not tremble, does not grow angry. “This self is the all-consuming,” — so they say of it.
Version
570e807b59f6 · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:12:03 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The summing-up of the whole khaṇḍa, and it is said of man.
The rule is the same as in all Upaniṣadic writing: as you know, so you become. The knower of the seedless himself becomes seedless — that is, one from whom nothing more will sprout. Neither a new life nor a new round.
Then come eight negations, and the first of them sound familiar: “is not born, does not die” — so the Gītā speaks of the indestructible. And further: “does not burn, is not cut” — there too it is said that fire does not burn it and no weapon cleaves it.
But the two last negations in this row are its own and stand apart: na kampate, “does not tremble”, and na kupyate, “does not grow angry”.
This is a remarkable addition. After invulnerability to fire and iron are named two entirely everyday things: trembling and irritation. And, it seems, not without design. A man is not so often threatened with a sword; but he trembles and gets angry daily. The sign that the knowledge has been taken in is given in a form one can test this very evening.
And the mantra's last word is unexpected: sarva-dahana, “the all-consuming”. It has just been said that the soul does not burn — and at once it is named that which burns everything. There is no contradiction: what cannot be burnt proves itself to be fire. The Gītā knows the same thought, where knowledge is called the fire that turns all works to ash.