Upanishads · Mahā 6.3
॥
Devanāgarī
खेदोल्लासविलासेषु स्वात्मकर्तृतयैकया स्वसंकल्पे क्षयं याते समतैवावशिष्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
khedollāsavilāseṣu svātmakartṛtayaikayā svasaṃkalpe kṣayaṃ yāte samataivāvaśiṣyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
खेद-उल्लास-विलासेषुkheda-ullāsa-vilāseṣuin the plays of dejection and elation; amid the sports of gloom and exultation
स्व-आत्म-कर्तृतया एकयाsva-ātma-kartṛtayā ekayāby the single agency of one's own Ātman; through the one sole doing of one's own self
स्व-सङ्कल्पे क्षयम् यातेsva-saṅkalpe kṣayam yātewhen one's own design has come to its end; upon the exhaustion of one's own intent
समता एव अवशिष्यतेsamatā eva avaśiṣyateevenness alone remains; there remains nothing but equalness
Translation
“In the plays of dejection and elation, by the single agency of one's own Ātman, when one's own design has perished — evenness alone remains.”
Version
289365273bdb · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second verse in a row with the same ending.
Note the expression kheda-ullāsa-vilāseṣu — “in the plays of dejection and elation”. The word vilāsa, “sport”, occurred already in 4.67 and 4.86: saṁsāra is the play of the mind, the mind is the play of the Lord.
Here dejection and elation are named not calamities but sports.
This is the tone of the whole chapter: what before was described as woe is now called play.
Sva-ātma-kartṛtayā ekayā — “by the single agency of one's own Ātman”. A difficult turn; the sense, it seems, is that through all changes of mood one and the same thing acts.
And again: sva-saṅkalpe kṣayaṃ yāte — “when one's own design has run out”. What perishes is neither the world nor the feelings, but the design.