Upanishads · Mahā 5.41
॥
Devanāgarī
मृगतृष्णाम्बुबुद्ध्य्यादिशान्तिमात्रात्मकस्त्वसौ ये तु मोहार्णवात्तीर्णास्तैः प्राप्तं परमं पदम्
Transliteration (IAST)
mṛgatṛṣṇāmbubuddhyyādiśāntimātrātmakastvasau ye tu mohārṇavāttīrṇāstaiḥ prāptaṃ paramaṃ padam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
मृग-तृष्णा-अम्बु-बुद्धि-आदिmṛga-tṛṣṇā-ambu-buddhi-ādithe thought of water in the mirage and the like; the notion of moisture in the haze and suchlike
शान्ति-मात्र-आत्मकः तु असौśānti-mātra-ātmakaḥ tu asauit consists in the mere quieting of that; it lies solely in the stilling of that
ये तु मोह-अर्णवात् तीर्णाःye tu moha-arṇavāt tīrṇāḥbut they who have crossed the ocean of delusion; those, though, who have traversed the sea of blinding
तैः प्राप्तम् परमम् पदम्taiḥ prāptam paramam padamby them the supreme state is attained; by them the highest station is obtained
Translation
“It consists merely in the quieting of the thought of water in the mirage and the like; and they who have crossed the ocean of delusion have attained the supreme state.”
Version
8fd1a4dbc40e · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse recalls what liberation is made of, and the reminder is sobering.
It is śānti-mātra-ātmaka — “consisting merely in the quieting” of the thought that there is water in the mirage.
That is, nothing is added. One simply ceases to see what is not there.
This agrees with 4.26: the confusion about the quarters passed, the quarters remained.
Note that the mirage image runs through this book constantly (3.56, 4.83, 5.15). It is chosen because in it not the thing is false but only the identification: the sand is there, the heat is there, the water is not.
The second half brings in the image of the crossing: moha-arṇavāt tīrṇāḥ — “those who have crossed the ocean of delusion”.
The word tīrṇa is of the same root as tīrtha, “a ford”. The true tīrtha is this one.