Upanishads · Mahā 5.81
॥
Devanāgarī
स्वालोकतः शास्त्रदृशा स्वबुद्ध्या स्वानुभावतः प्रयच्छति परां सिद्धिं त्यक्त्वात्मानं मनःपिता
Transliteration (IAST)
svālokataḥ śāstradṛśā svabuddhyā svānubhāvataḥ prayacchati parāṃ siddhiṃ tyaktvātmānaṃ manaḥpitā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स्व-आलोकतः शास्त्र-दृशाsva-ālokataḥ śāstra-dṛśāwith its own gaze, with the eye of scripture; by its proper look, through the eyes of the writing
स्व-बुद्ध्या स्व-अनुभावतःsva-buddhyā sva-anubhāvataḥwith its own reason, from its own experience; by its own understanding, from personal realisation
प्रयच्छति पराम् सिद्धिम्prayacchati parām siddhimit bestows the highest perfection; it grants the supreme accomplishment
त्यक्त्वा आत्मानम् मनः-पिताtyaktvā ātmānam manaḥ-pitāhaving given itself up — the father-mind; having offered itself — consciousness the parent
Translation
“With its own gaze, with the eye of scripture, with its own reason and its own experience, the father-mind bestows the highest perfection — having given itself up.”
Version
6cdc24d5ea76 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse completes the image of the father, and completes it powerfully: tyaktvā ātmānam — “having left itself, given itself up”.
The mind bestows the highest perfection at the price of its own perishing.
This is the solution of all the stern words about the “death of the mind”. The mind is not killed — it offers itself, like a father giving his last to his son.
Note the list of instruments: its own gaze, the eye of scripture, its own reason, its own experience. Three of them are the same three witnesses as in 4.5 and 4.24.
That is, the work by which the mind wears itself out is precisely the checking of knowledge against the three testimonies.
It examines, collates, tests — and in the end abolishes itself, because there is nothing left to examine.
A better description of how honest reflection ends I do not know in these books.