Upanishads · Mahā 5.46
॥
Devanāgarī
न सन्नसन्न मध्यान्तं न सर्वं सर्वमेव च मनोवचोभिरग्राह्यं पूर्णात्पूर्णं सुखात्सुखम्
Transliteration (IAST)
na sannasanna madhyāntaṃ na sarvaṃ sarvameva ca manovacobhiragrāhyaṃ pūrṇātpūrṇaṃ sukhātsukham
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
न सत् न असत्na sat na asatneither existent nor non-existent; neither being nor non-being
न मध्य-अन्तम्na madhya-antamneither middle nor end; no midpoint and no limit
न सर्वम् सर्वम् एव चna sarvam sarvam eva canot all — and yet all; not everything — and just so everything
मनः-वचोभिः अग्राह्यम्manaḥ-vacobhiḥ agrāhyamungraspable by mind and words; not seized by consciousness or speech
पूर्णात् पूर्णम् सुखात् सुखम्pūrṇāt pūrṇam sukhāt sukhamfuller than the full, gladder than gladness; fuller than the fullest, sweeter than the sweetest
Translation
“Neither existent nor non-existent, neither middle nor end; not all — and yet all; ungraspable by mind and speech, fuller than the full and gladder than gladness.”
Version
c851a80488b2 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The list of negations ends with two positive turns, and they are what matters.
Pūrṇāt pūrṇam — “fuller than the full”. The same turn as in 2.67; it belongs to the family of the Īśopaniṣad's famous opening.
Sukhāt sukham — “gladder than gladness”. The word sukha is ordinary, homely: “pleasant, good, comfortable”. Not “bliss” in a special dialect, but the same good — only more.
This deserves marking. After six lines of negation the book speaks of the goal in the words used for simple joy.
And further: na sarvaṃ sarvam eva ca — “not all, and all”. Both at once.
Recall 4.55: sarva-kṛt sarvaḥ, “all-making and all”. The book does not choose between “He is all” and “He is above all”; it holds both sides, and this is that very camatkāra of 4.14.