Upanishads · Mahā 4.1
॥
Devanāgarī
निदाघ तव नास्तन्यज्ज्ञेयं ज्ञानवतां वर प्रज्ञया त्वं विजानासि ईश्वरानुगृहीतया चित्तमालिन्यसंजातं मार्जयामि भ्रमं मुने
Transliteration (IAST)
nidāgha tava nāstanyajjñeyaṃ jñānavatāṃ vara prajñayā tvaṃ vijānāsi īśvarānugṛhītayā cittamālinyasaṃjātaṃ mārjayāmi bhramaṃ mune
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
निदाघ तव न अस्ति अन्यत्nidāgha tava na asti anyatNidāgha, thou hast nothing else; Nidāgha, there is nothing further for thee
ज्ञेयम् ज्ञानवताम् वरjñeyam jñānavatām varato be known, O best of the knowing; that should be learnt, O first among the wise
प्रज्ञया त्वम् विजानासिprajñayā tvam vijānāsiby insight thou dost understand; by wisdom thou comprehendest
ईश्वर-अनुगृहीतयाīśvara-anugṛhītayāgranted by the Lord's grace; bestowed through the Master's favour
चित्त-मालिन्य-संजातम्citta-mālinya-saṃjātamborn of the mind's defilement; arisen from the sullying of consciousness
मार्जयामि भ्रमम् मुनेmārjayāmi bhramam muneI shall wash away the delusion, O sage; I will cleanse the error, O silent one
Translation
“Nidāgha, there is nothing else for thee to know, O best of the knowing: thou understandest by an insight granted through the Lord's grace. And the delusion born of the mind's defilement I shall wash away.”
Version
c6e9c687c12e · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
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The teacher's first word is neither correction nor reproach, but acknowledgment: “there is nothing that thou dost not know”.
This repeats what was in the second chapter: Janaka told Śuka the very thing his father had said. The pupil has the knowledge; something else is lacking.
Note how Ṛbhu accounts for this knowledge: prajñayā īśvara-anugṛhītayā — “by an insight granted through the Lord's grace”.
An important word stands here — anugraha, “grace”. It is not said “thou art clever” or “thou hast laboured”. It is said: thy insight is from Him.
This is the first thing the fourth chapter brings into a conversation that till now was of one's own efforts. The reason with which Nidāgha took the whole world apart was given to him.
And now what is subject to work is named: not ignorance, but citta-mālinya — “the defilement of the mind”. Not “I will explain”, but mārjayāmi — “I will wash”. The task is not to add information, but to clean the glass.