Upanishads · Mahā 2.2
॥
Devanāgarī
तेनासौ स्वविवेकेन स्वयमेव महामनाः प्रविचार्य चिरं साधु स्वात्मनिश्चयमाप्तवान्
Transliteration (IAST)
tenāsau svavivekena svayameva mahāmanāḥ pravicārya ciraṃ sādhu svātmaniścayamāptavān
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेन असौ स्वविवेकेनtena asau svavivekenaby that, his own discrimination, he; with it, his own discernment, he
स्वयम् एव महामनाःsvayam eva mahāmanāḥby himself, the great-minded one; on his own, the lofty of mind
प्रविचार्य चिरम् साधुpravicārya ciram sādhuhaving pondered long and well; having investigated well and long
स्वात्मनिश्चयम् आप्तवान्svātmaniścayam āptavānattained certainty about his own Ātman; reached firm knowledge of himself
Translation
By his own discrimination, by himself, pondering long and conscientiously, this great-minded one attained firm certainty about his own Ātman.
Version
bae5f99c5e60 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here is named the way Śuka went: sva-viveka, “his own discrimination”, and svayam eva — “by himself”.
The word viveka in these books means not abstract cleverness, but the skill of separating the imperishable from the perishing. Śuka carried this out without another's help.
And carried it out conscientiously: ciraṁ sādhu — “long and properly”. Not by a flash in an instant, but by work.
Note that the outcome is named svātma-niścaya — “firm certainty about one's own Ātman”. The word niścaya is “settledness”, the end of waverings. That is, Śuka has no errors of understanding left.
But the restlessness remains. Of that, the following verses.