Upanishads · Varāha 2.20
॥
Devanāgarī
तद्ब्रह्मानन्दमद्वन्द्वं निर्गुणं सत्यचिद्घनम् । विदित्वा स्वात्मनो रूपं न बिभेति कुतश्चन
Transliteration (IAST)
tadbrahmānandamadvandvaṃ nirguṇaṃ satyacidghanam | viditvā svātmano rūpaṃ na bibheti kutaścana
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत् ब्रह्म-आनन्दम् अ-द्वन्द्वंtat brahma-ānandam a-dvandvaṃthat bliss of brahman, beyond duality
निर्गुणं सत्य-चित्-घनम्nirguṇaṃ satya-cit-ghanambeyond qualities, a mass of truth and consciousness
विदित्वा स्व-आत्मनः रूपंviditvā sva-ātmanaḥ rūpaṃhaving known as the form of one's own self
न बिभेति कुतः चनna bibheti kutaḥ canaone fears nothing from anywhere
Translation
"Having known that bliss of brahman — beyond duality, beyond qualities, a mass of truth and consciousness — as the form of one's own self, one fears nothing from anywhere."
Version
c85e1abf3b2e · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Fearlessness is promised, and worth noting is the phrase kutash chana, "from anywhere." Of fearlessness in the Upanishads it was discussed when reading the Jabala-darshana (12.2), where the Taittiriya was cited: fear arises from antara, "a rift," which a person makes himself (2.7). There is no need to repeat the examination; let us add something else.
The word nirguna, "beyond qualities," stands here next to ananda, "bliss." This neighboring is, on reflection, a difficulty: bliss is a quality; and what is beyond qualities cannot be blissful. This difficulty is known in Vedanta and resolved differently in different schools.
The nondualist solution: bliss is not a quality, but the very nature; brahman does not "have" bliss, but "is" bliss. The Vaishnava solution is different, discussed when reading the Jabala-darshana (6.1): nirguna means "beyond the three gunas," that is, beyond matter, not beyond every property. With this reading no difficulty arises: He is beyond material qualities, and at the same time has non-material qualities, of which bliss is one.
Confirmation is found in the Gita, where both are said of the Highest in a single verse: sarva-indriya-guna-abhasam sarva-indriya-vivarjitam, "appears to have the qualities of every sense, and is devoid of the senses" (13.15); this verse was cited there too.