Upanishads · Mahā 4.109
॥
Devanāgarī
एष एव मनोनाशस्त्वविद्यानाश एव च यत्तत्संवेद्यते किंचित्तत्रास्थापरिवर्जनम्
Transliteration (IAST)
eṣa eva manonāśastvavidyānāśa eva ca yattatsaṃvedyate kiṃcittatrāsthāparivarjanam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एषः एव मनः-नाशःeṣaḥ eva manaḥ-nāśaḥthis indeed is the death of the mind; it precisely is the perishing of consciousness
तु अविद्या-नाशः एव चtu avidyā-nāśaḥ eva caand it likewise the death of ignorance; and it too is the extermination of unknowing
यत् तत् संवेद्यते किंचित्yat tat saṃvedyate kiṃcitwhatever may be cognized; everything whatsoever that is made conscious
तत्र आस्था-परिवर्जनम्tatra āsthā-parivarjanamthe abandoning of reliance on it; the rejection of trust placed upon it
Translation
“This is the death of the mind and the death of ignorance: whatever thou mayest cognize — the abandoning of reliance upon it.”
Version
cf03f4b62d5a · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
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The definition is reduced to one word: āsthā.
It is “reliance, calculation, the investing of significance”. The same word stood in 3.11: “on the span of life no reliance can be placed”.
And now it is said: the death of the mind and of ignorance is the abandoning of āsthā toward everything that is cognized.
Note that it does not say “the abandoning of cognizing”. You go on cognizing; you only stop relying.
This is the essential difference from stupor. A man sees, hears, understands — and counts on none of it.
Why this is the very death of the mind is plain from 4.94: the mind consists of “this is mine”. Remove the reliance, and you take out what it holds by.
The next half-verse will say the same still more briefly.