Upanishads · Mahā 5.94
॥
Devanāgarī
अनया दुरहंकृत्या भावात्संत्यक्तया चिरम् शिष्टाहंकारवाञ्जन्तुः शमवान्याति मुक्तताम्
Transliteration (IAST)
anayā durahaṃkṛtyā bhāvātsaṃtyaktayā ciram śiṣṭāhaṃkāravāñjantuḥ śamavānyāti muktatām
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अनया दुर्-अहङ्कृत्याanayā dur-ahaṅkṛtyāby this evil selfhood; through this wicked self-sense
भावात् संत्यक्तया चिरम्bhāvāt saṃtyaktayā ciramlong relinquished from contemplation; long abandoned in one's musing
शिष्ट-अहङ्कार-वान् जन्तुःśiṣṭa-ahaṅkāra-vān jantuḥthe creature with the remaining selfhood; the being endowed with the residual self-sense
शमवान् याति मुक्तताम्śamavān yāti muktatāmpossessed of calm, comes to freedom; having peace, attains to liberation
Translation
“When this evil selfhood has long been relinquished in contemplation, the creature with the remaining selfhood, possessed of calm, comes to freedom.”
Version
f9bcc8d2a5dd · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse gives the method, and one expression in it deserves attention: śiṣṭa-ahaṅkāra-vān — “having the remaining selfhood”.
That is, the man is not left without an “I”. The evil one is left behind, and some remains — the one spoken of in 5.89–5.91.
This confirms once more that the matter is not the annihilation of the person.
Note the words bhāvāt saṃtyaktayā ciram — “long relinquished in contemplation”. Not by a single decision, but by long non-nurturing (cf. 4.94, abhāvana).
And the condition: śamavān — “possessed of calm”. The first gatekeeper (4.2).
The order is this: he stopped feeding the bodily selfhood — grew calm — is free. There is not one violent act in this chain.