Upanishads · Jābāladarśana 9.3
॥
Devanāgarī
अथवा सत्यमीशानं ज्ञानमानन्दमद्वयम् । अत्यर्थमचलं नित्यमादिमध्यान्तवर्जितम्
Transliteration (IAST)
athavā satyamīśānaṃ jñānamānandamadvayam | atyarthamacalaṃ nityamādimadhyāntavarjitam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथवा सत्यम् ईशानंathavā satyam īśānaṃor else, the true Lord
ज्ञानम् आनन्दम् अ-द्वयम्jñānam ānandam a-dvayamknowledge, bliss, non-dual
अत्यर्थम् अ-चलं नित्यम्atyartham a-calaṃ nityamexceedingly unmoving, eternal
आदि-मध्य-अन्त-वर्जितम्ādi-madhya-anta-varjitamfree of beginning, middle, and end
Translation
"Or else — the true Lord, knowledge, bliss, non-dual, exceedingly unmoving, eternal, free of beginning, middle, and end…"
Version
c9ca45cf0512 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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Again athava, "or else": the fifth fork in the book. Now a contemplation not of a form, but of attributes is proposed. Worth noting is that even in this abstract list stands the word ishana, "Lord," from ish, "to rule, to possess."
This neighboring is constant in such lists and deserves attention. Abstract things are listed — "knowledge, bliss, non-dual, without beginning" — and in the middle a word denoting rule is placed. And rule is a relation: one rules over someone.
The Vaishnava side builds one of its arguments on this, and it deserves stating. All negative definitions — "unmoving," "beginningless," "incomprehensible" — say what the Highest is not; and none of them communicates anything positive. But words like ishana, ishvara, pati, "Lord," are positive and communicate action.
The rule it draws from this is this: negative definitions cut away the false, positive ones point to the deed; and where they stand side by side, the second must not be swallowed by the first. The Vedanta-sutra states the same thought in its very first definition: janmady asya yatah, "that from which the birth and so on of this [world proceeds]" (1.1.2). This definition is positive and points to an act; and commentators of every school agree it is a definition by substance, not by negation.