Upanishads · Mahā 5.95
॥
Devanāgarī
प्रथमौ द्वावहंकारावङ्गीकृत्य त्वलौकिकौ तृतीयाहंकृतिस्त्याज्या लौकिकी दुःखदायिनी
Transliteration (IAST)
prathamau dvāvahaṃkārāvaṅgīkṛtya tvalaukikau tṛtīyāhaṃkṛtistyājyā laukikī duḥkhadāyinī
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
प्रथमौ द्वौ अहङ्कारौprathamau dvau ahaṅkārauthe first two selfhoods; the two foremost self-senses
अङ्गीकृत्य तु अलौकिकौaṅgīkṛtya tu alaukikauhaving accepted — the unworldly ones; having received, the ones not of this world
तृतीया अहङ्कृतिः त्याज्याtṛtīyā ahaṅkṛtiḥ tyājyāthe third selfhood must be abandoned; the third self-sense is to be discarded
लौकिकी दुःख-दायिनीlaukikī duḥkha-dāyinīthe worldly one, the giver of suffering; the commonplace one, which deals out pain
Translation
“Having accepted the first two, unworldly selfhoods, one must abandon the third — the worldly one, the giver of suffering.”
Version
72ba0399869b · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The rule is stated without circumlocution: accept two, leave the third.
Note the verb aṅgīkṛtya — “having accepted, assimilated, owned”. Not “tolerated” and not “allowed”: precisely accepted.
This directly contradicts the current notion that the spiritual path is the destruction of every “I”.
Alaukika — “unworldly, not of the world”. So the first two are named.
And once more of the third: duḥkha-dāyinī — “the giver of suffering”. Not “sinful” and not “impure”; it is bad in that it hurts.
This is the most practical measure the book gives. What causes suffering — that discard.