Upanishads · Gaṇapati 4.2
॥
Devanāgarī
त्वं सच्चिदानन्दाद्वितीयोऽसि । त्वं प्रत्यक्षं ब्रह्मासि । त्वं ज्ञानमयो विज्ञानमयोऽसि
Transliteration (IAST)
tvaṃ saccidānandādvitīyo'si | tvaṃ pratyakṣaṃ brahmāsi | tvaṃ jñānamayo vijñānamayo'si
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
त्वं सत्-चित्-आनन्द-अद्वितीयः असिtvaṃ sat-cit-ānanda-advitīyaḥ asiyou are being-consciousness-bliss, without a second
त्वं प्रत्यक्षं ब्रह्म असिtvaṃ pratyakṣaṃ brahma asiyou are, visibly, brahman
त्वं ज्ञानमयः विज्ञानमयः असिtvaṃ jñānamayaḥ vijñānamayaḥ asiyou consist of knowledge and of discerning knowledge
Translation
You are being-consciousness-bliss, without a second; you are, visibly, brahman; you consist of knowledge and of discerning knowledge.
Version
6e6640c38455 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here stands the word advitīya, "having no second," the very word around which the whole dispute over non-dualism turns; it must be examined carefully. Its origin is simple: a-dvitīya, "without-second," from dvitīya, "second." It goes back to the Chāndogya (6.2.1): ekam eva advitīyam, "one alone, without a second."
It is read two ways, and both must be named honestly. The non-dual reading: there is nothing besides Him; all that is seen is illusion. On this reading "without a second" means "there is nothing more."
The Vaiṣṇava reading relies on the ordinary use of the word. In Sanskrit advitīya is said of a king, a hero, a master, and means "incomparable, having no equal." We say the very same thing: "one of a kind" does not mean that no one else is around.
One cannot choose between the readings on the strength of a single word, and it would be dishonest to insist on one's own. But one can choose by the word's surroundings, and here the surroundings are telling. In the same line stands pratyakṣam, "visibly"; three lines above, "homage to you"; a little further on will come the request "protect me from every side." All these words require two, and all stand beside "having no second."
Hence the reading "incomparable" explains the book, while the reading "there is nothing more" is forced to declare the surrounding lines a concession to the weak. The Vaiṣṇava side, moreover, has its own definition, uniting both meanings, and it deserves to be known. The Bhāgavatam says: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṃ yaj jñānam advayam, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate — "those who know the truth call that non-dual knowledge the truth; and it is spoken of as brahman, as Paramātmā, and as Bhagavān" (1.2.11).
This verse deserves examination, for it is their answer in a single line. Non-duality is acknowledged — advayam; but three degrees of its manifestness are named: an impersonal radiance, an inner ruler, and a full person. One and the same thing, seen from three distances.