Upanishads · Mahā 4.112
॥
Devanāgarī
तावत्संसारभृगुषु स्वात्मना सह देहिनम् आन्दोलयति नीरन्ध्रं दुःखकण्टकशालिषु
Transliteration (IAST)
tāvatsaṃsārabhṛguṣu svātmanā saha dehinam āndolayati nīrandhraṃ duḥkhakaṇṭakaśāliṣu
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तावत् संसार-भृगुषुtāvat saṃsāra-bhṛguṣuso long, on the cliffs of the round; meanwhile, upon the precipices of the whirl
स्व-आत्मना सह देहिनम्sva-ātmanā saha dehinamthe embodied one together with itself; the possessor of a body along with its very self
आन्दोलयति नीरन्ध्रम्āndolayati nīrandhramit swings without respite; it rocks without a chink of pause
दुःख-कण्टक-शालिषुduḥkha-kaṇṭaka-śāliṣustudded with the thorns of suffering; abounding in the briars of misery
Translation
“So long it swings the embodied one, together with itself — without respite, on the cliffs of the round, studded with the thorns of suffering…”
Version
de906450fade · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse paints what ignorance does while it is not dispelled, and paints it with motion.
Āndolayati — “it rocks, it swings”, as one swings a swing. Not “torments” and not “binds”: swings.
This is more exact. The round does not press evenly; it precisely swings — up and down, toward hope and toward despair.
The scene of action is bhṛgu, “a cliff, a precipice”, and these cliffs are studded with thorns.
The word nīrandhram — “without a chink, without a gap”. No respite, no crack.
Note the turn svātmanā saha — “together with itself”. It swings not only the body and circumstances; it swings along with him who counts himself the one being swung.
The thought is finished in the next verse.