Upanishads · Mahā 5.69
॥
Devanāgarī
नाहं न चान्यदस्तीह ब्रह्मैवास्मि निरामयम् इत्थं सदस्तोर्मध्याद्यः पश्यति स पश्यति
Transliteration (IAST)
nāhaṃ na cānyadastīha brahmaivāsmi nirāmayam itthaṃ sadastormadhyādyaḥ paśyati sa paśyati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
न अहम् न च अन्यत्na aham na ca anyatneither I nor another; neither me nor an other
अस्ति इहasti ihais here; exists in this place
ब्रह्म एव अस्मि निरामयम्brahma eva asmi nirāmayamI am indeed the flawless Brahman; it is precisely Brahman, free of blemish, that I am
इत्थम् सत्-अस्तोः मध्यात् यःittham sat-astoḥ madhyāt yaḥthus, who from the midst of being and non-being; so, whoever from the middle of the existent and non-existent
पश्यति सः पश्यतिpaśyati saḥ paśyatisees — he truly sees; beholds — that one verily sees
Translation
“‘Neither I nor another is here; I am the flawless Brahman’ — who sees thus, from the midst of being and non-being, he truly sees.”
Version
ff4565000104 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse is remarkable for its last line: yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati — “who sees, he sees”.
The turn seems a tautology, but it is strict: there is looking and there is seeing, and they do not always coincide.
Note that the formula “I am Brahman” is given here paired with the negation “there is no me”. Both halves together.
This is what removes the crude reading spoken of in 2.11 and 4.24. He who asserts “I am Brahman” says at the same time “I am not”. If he says only the first — he is not the man of this verse.
Sad-asator madhyāt — “from the midst of being and non-being”. Again the pointing to the interval (5.5, 5.49), but now not between two thoughts — between being and non-being.
One must look from where one stands neither on “is” nor on “is not”.