Upanishads · Mahā 5.166
॥
Devanāgarī
कोशमाशाभुजङ्गानां संसाराडंबरं त्यज असदेतदिति ज्ञात्वा मातृभावं निवेशय
Transliteration (IAST)
kośamāśābhujaṅgānāṃ saṃsārāḍaṃbaraṃ tyaja asadetaditi jñātvā mātṛbhāvaṃ niveśaya
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कोशम् आशा-भुजङ्गानाम्kośam āśā-bhujaṅgānāmthe cocoon of the serpents of hope; the housing of the snakes of expectation
संसार-आडम्बरम् त्यजsaṃsāra-āḍambaram tyajaleave the clamour of the round; abandon the din of the whirl
असत् एतत् इति ज्ञात्वाasat etat iti jñātvāknowing “this is unreal”; having understood that this is not genuine
मातृ-भावम् निवेशयmātṛ-bhāvam niveśayaestablish the contemplation of measure; settle the contemplation of measure
Translation
“Leave the clamour of the round — the cocoon of the serpents of hope; knowing it unreal, establish the contemplation of measure.”
Version
8c03059ad0a5 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A return to that with which the whole book began: saṃsāra-āḍambara — “the clamour of the round”, the words of Śuka's question (2.15).
Five and a half chapters later the teacher bids it left.
Note the image: kośa āśā-bhujaṅgānām — “the cocoon of the serpents of hope”. Kośa occurred already in 5.128, where the worm spun itself a cocoon; here the cocoon holds snakes.
Āśā, “hope”, is not named a snake for the first time: in 5.77 the hopes were arrows.
The verse's last word is obscure: mātṛ-bhāvam. The copies diverge; I render it through “measure”, from mātrā. The sense, apparently, is that in place of the clamour a sober measure of things must be established.
I will not insist: the passage is corrupt.