Upanishads · Mahā 6.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथवा सर्वकर्तृत्वमकर्तृत्वं च वै मुने सर्वं त्यक्त्वा मनः पीत्वा योऽसि सोऽसि स्थिरो भव
Transliteration (IAST)
athavā sarvakartṛtvamakartṛtvaṃ ca vai mune sarvaṃ tyaktvā manaḥ pītvā yo'si so'si sthiro bhava
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथवा सर्व-कर्तृत्वम्athavā sarva-kartṛtvamor else all doership; or otherwise every agency
अकर्तृत्वम् च वै मुनेakartṛtvam ca vai muneand non-doership too, O sage; and non-agency as well, O silent one
सर्वम् त्यक्त्वा मनः पीत्वाsarvam tyaktvā manaḥ pītvāleaving all, having drunk up the mind; abandoning everything, having drunk the consciousness
यः असि सः असिyaḥ asi saḥ asiwho thou art, that thou art; who thou art, that very one thou art
स्थिरः भवsthiraḥ bhavabe firm; be unshakable
Translation
“Or else, leaving everything — all doership and non-doership alike, O sage — and having drunk up the mind: who thou art, that thou art. Be firm.”
Version
8d6a7fd9a2f6 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse gives a second way, and it is shorter than the first: not to sort, but to leave everything at once.
Note that akartṛtva too is left — “non-doership”. That is, even the thought “I am no doer”, of which 6.2 spoke, is also released.
This is consistent. Every support, including the true one, is released at the last step (cf. 5.96, where even the two good selfhoods are left).
The image in the third line is remarkable: manaḥ pītvā — “having drunk up the mind”.
Not slain and not severed. Drunk — as one drinks water, and it ceases to be separate from you.
This is perhaps the gentlest of all the book's expressions for the mind's end (cf. māraya in 4.93).
And again yo'si so'si.