Upanishads · Mahā 5.171
॥
Devanāgarī
अनागतानां भोगानामवाञ्छनमकृत्रिमम् आगतानां च संभोग इति पण्डितलक्षणम्
Transliteration (IAST)
anāgatānāṃ bhogānāmavāñchanamakṛtrimam āgatānāṃ ca saṃbhoga iti paṇḍitalakṣaṇam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अनागतानाम् भोगानाम्anāgatānām bhogānāmtoward enjoyments not yet come; toward delights that have not yet arrived
अवाञ्छनम् अकृत्रिमम्avāñchanam akṛtrimaman unfeigned non-desiring; a wanting-not that is not artificial
आगतानाम् च सम्भोगःāgatānām ca sambhogaḥand the enjoying of those arrived; and the partaking of those that have come
इति पण्डित-लक्षणम्iti paṇḍita-lakṣaṇamsuch is the mark of the learned; that is the token of the wise man
Translation
“An unfeigned non-desiring of enjoyments yet to come, and the enjoying of those arrived — such is the mark of the wise.”
Version
4ca787c9aa6d · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A repetition of the preceding rule with one important word: akṛtrima — “unfeigned, not manufactured”.
The word kṛtrima means “artificial, counterfeit, made on purpose”.
That is, the non-desiring must be real, not performed.
This distinguishes the wise man from the ascetic for show. The latter also takes no more than his due — but takes himself by the wrist. The former simply does not reach out.
Recall 2.42, where the first mark of the liberated is indifference to delights “without any cause”.
Note also the second half: āgatānāṃ sambhogaḥ — “the enjoying of those arrived”. Not “endurance”, but precisely enjoying.
A show of squeamishness toward what is given is as much a counterfeit as greed.