Upanishads · Pañcabrahma 18
॥
Devanāgarī
आदावन्ते च मध्ये च भाससे नान्यहेतुना । मायया मोहिताः शम्भोर्महादेवं जगद्गुरुम्
Transliteration (IAST)
ādāvante ca madhye ca bhāsase nānyahetunā | māyayā mohitāḥ śambhormahādevaṃ jagadgurum
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आदौ अन्ते च मध्ये चādau ante ca madhye cain the beginning, at the end, and in the middle
भाससे न अन्य-हेतुनाbhāsase na anya-hetunāYou shine, for no other reason
मायया मोहिताः शम्भोःmāyayā mohitāḥ śambhoḥdeluded by Śambhu's māyā
महा-देवं जगत्-गुरुम्mahā-devaṃ jagat-gurumthe great god, teacher of the world
Translation
"In the beginning, at the end, and in the middle You shine, for no other reason; deluded by Śambhu's māyā, [they do not know] the great god, teacher of the world …"
Version
9f9c063bc214 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The line shifts into the second person: bhāsase, "You shine." This shift deserves attention, and we have noted the like before. The book, having spoken of Him in the third person for seventeen verses and mapped Him out by columns, suddenly turns to address Him.
The occasion, apparently, is simple: it has come to wonder, and wonder does not address the abstract. It is worth noting the content too: na anya-hetunā, "for no other reason," that is, He shines from nothing else. This definition is technical in Vedānta and means self-existence: what has no cause outside itself. Of the impossibility of seeking a support for the support it was said when reading the Bhasma-jābāla (2.38).
The second half of the line speaks of deception: the gods, deluded by māyā, do not know Him. It is worth noting who is deceived: not people, not the ignorant, but sūrāḥ sarve, "all the gods," as the next verse will say. This position is constant in Indian books and worth voicing, for it is uncomfortable for anyone who relies on ability.
If the gods are deceived — beings who surpass us in everything — then superior ability does not protect against deception. The Vaiṣṇava side draws from this her usual conclusion: since ability does not decide, orientation decides; and the Gītā says: "this divine māyā of Mine, consisting of the guṇas, is hard to overcome; those who come to Me for refuge cross over it" (7.14).