Upanishads · Mahā 5.111
॥
Devanāgarī
शमं विषं विषेणैति रिपुणा हन्यते रिपुः ईदृशी भूतमायेयं या स्वनाशेन हर्षदा
Transliteration (IAST)
śamaṃ viṣaṃ viṣeṇaiti ripuṇā hanyate ripuḥ īdṛśī bhūtamāyeyaṃ yā svanāśena harṣadā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
शमम् विषम् विषेण एतिśamam viṣam viṣeṇa etipoison is stilled by poison; venom is quieted by venom
रिपुणा हन्यते रिपुःripuṇā hanyate ripuḥan enemy is slain by an enemy; a foe is destroyed by a foe
ईदृशी भूत-माया इयम्īdṛśī bhūta-māyā iyamsuch is this delusion of beings; of this kind is the said beguilement of creatures
या स्व-नाशेन हर्ष-दाyā sva-nāśena harṣa-dāwhich by its own death gives joy; which through its own perishing bestows delight
Translation
“Poison is stilled by poison, and an enemy is slain by an enemy; such is this delusion of beings, which gives joy by its own death.”
Version
be3164b981db · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Two more examples, both martial or medical: poison against poison, foe against foe.
The first is especially apt: in Indian medicine poison has from of old served as a remedy in small dose.
And the last line deserves writing out: yā sva-nāśena harṣa-dā — “which gives joy by its own perishing”.
Delusion is the only thing in the world whose death is pure joy and nobody's loss.
Note the word bhūta-māyā — “the delusion of beings, the deceit of the living”. Not “māyā” as a cosmic force, but precisely that with which beings befool themselves.
This agrees with 4.111: it has no nature of its own; it exists only by name.
And further: three verses in a row (5.109–5.111) explain why the teaching works, though itself made of the same stuff as the disease.