Upanishads · Mahā 6.21
॥
Devanāgarī
उत्थितानुत्थितानेतानिन्द्रियारीन्पुनः पुनः हन्याद्विवेकदण्डेन वज्रेणेव हरिर्गिरीन्
Transliteration (IAST)
utthitānutthitānetānindriyārīnpunaḥ punaḥ hanyādvivekadaṇḍena vajreṇeva harirgirīn
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
उत्थितान् अनुत्थितान् एतान्utthitān anutthitān etānthese, risen and unrisen; the said ones, upstanding and not yet up
इन्द्रिय-अरीन् पुनः पुनःindriya-arīn punaḥ punaḥthe enemy senses, again and again; the foes the senses, over and over
हन्यात् विवेक-दण्डेनhanyāt viveka-daṇḍenalet him smite with the staff of discernment; let him strike with the rod of discrimination
वज्रेण इव हरिः गिरीन्vajreṇa iva hariḥ girīnas Hari with the thunderbolt smote the mountains; just as Hari with the vajra smote the hills
Translation
“These enemy senses, risen and unrisen, let him smite again and again with the staff of discernment — as Hari smote the mountains with his thunderbolt.”
Version
b6b71c7e80ec · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
An image from legend: once the mountains had wings; they flew and alighted where they pleased, crushing men; and Indra — here called Hari — cut off their wings with his vajra.
Note that the order is to strike both utthitān and anutthitān — “the risen and the unrisen”.
That is, both the senses already up and those that have not yet lifted their heads.
This is the point of the repetition punaḥ punaḥ — “again and again”. The work does not end with a victory: the mountains grow back.
The weapon is named viveka-daṇḍa — “the staff of discernment”. Not a sword: a staff, the rod with which cattle are driven.
After the three verses of worship the book returns to work, and this is in its manner: prayer does not cancel labour.