Upanishads · Mahā 5.181
॥
Devanāgarī
संकल्पनं हि संकल्पः स्वयमेव प्रजायते वर्धते स्वयमेवाशु दुःखाय न सुखाय यत्
Transliteration (IAST)
saṃkalpanaṃ hi saṃkalpaḥ svayameva prajāyate vardhate svayamevāśu duḥkhāya na sukhāya yat
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सङ्कल्पनम् हि सङ्कल्पःsaṅkalpanam hi saṅkalpaḥfor design is designing itself; since intent is the very act of intending
स्वयम् एव प्रजायतेsvayam eva prajāyateit is born all of itself; it springs up of its own accord
वर्धते स्वयम् एव आशुvardhate svayam eva āśuand grows swiftly of itself; and increases quickly of its own accord
दुःखाय न सुखाय यत्duḥkhāya na sukhāya yatto suffering, not to joy; unto pain and not unto delight
Translation
“For design is designing itself: it is born of itself and grows swiftly of itself — to suffering, not to joy.”
Version
9adac2efbe99 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse underlines two things, both unpleasant.
First: design is born svayam eva — “of itself”. No one starts it; it starts.
Second: it also grows by itself, and grows āśu — “swiftly”.
That is, the work to be done on oneself is not a battle with something foreign, but the stopping of the self-propelled.
This is harder than warring with an enemy. An enemy can be seen; one's own self-propelled cannot.
Note the first line: saṅkalpanaṃ hi saṅkalpaḥ. The tautology is deliberate: design is the designing, and there is no thing behind it.
This repeats 4.51: the mind is designing.
And the sober conclusion: duḥkhāya na sukhāya — “to suffering, not to joy”. Always.