Upanishads · Varāha 4.42
॥
Devanāgarī
द्वाविमावपि पन्थानौ ब्रह्मप्राप्तिकरौ शिवौ । सद्योमुक्तिप्रदश्चैकः क्रममुक्तिप्रदः परः । अत्र को मोहः कः शोक एकत्वमनुपश्यतः
Transliteration (IAST)
dvāvimāvapi panthānau brahmaprāptikarau śivau | sadyomuktipradaścaikaḥ kramamuktipradaḥ paraḥ | atra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvamanupaśyataḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
द्वौ इमौ अपि पन्थानौdvau imau api panthānauboth these paths, too
ब्रह्म-प्राप्ति-करौ शिवौbrahma-prāpti-karau śivauleading to the attainment of brahman, benign
सद्यः-मुक्ति-प्रदः च एकःsadyaḥ-mukti-pradaḥ ca ekaḥone granting liberation at once
क्रम-मुक्ति-प्रदः परःkrama-mukti-pradaḥ paraḥthe other granting liberation by stages
अत्र कः मोहः कः शोकःatra kaḥ mohaḥ kaḥ śokaḥhere what delusion, what grief is there
एकत्वम् अनुपश्यतःekatvam anupaśyataḥfor one who sees oneness?
Translation
"Both these paths lead to the attainment of brahman, and are benign: one grants liberation at once, the other liberation by stages. Here, what delusion, what grief is there for one who sees oneness?"
Version
579265af2d01 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The last half-verse is taken word for word from the Ishavasya (7): tatra ko mohah kah shoka ekatvam anupashyatah. It deserves comment, for it is one of the most-cited passages, and is usually cited apart from what precedes it. In the Ishavasya, the verse is complete: yasmin sarvani bhutani atmaivabhud vijanatah; tatra ko mohah kah shoka ekatvam anupashyatah.
Translation: "for whom all beings have become the self — for the one who has come to know — what delusion is there, what grief, for one who sees oneness?" The Vaishnava reading of this passage was cited when reading the Ishavasya, and let us briefly repeat it. It says anupashyatah, "seeing along," from anu-pash: the prefix anu means "along, in accordance with." That is, not simply "seeing oneness," but seeing in accordance with tradition; and Shankara interprets this passage differently, while Madhva and Baladeva insist on the prefix.
Second: ekatvam means "oneness," and the question is oneness of what. Its reading is this: oneness is not a merging, but an oneness of belonging: all beings are His, and hence there are neither strangers nor rivals. Read this way, the conclusion of the verse becomes intelligible: grief and delusion arise from mama and para, "mine" and "another's"; but if all is His, there is nothing to divide.
Let us add that the compiler here has attached this half-verse to the dispute over the two paths, and it fits well: what does it matter which path, if one arrives at the same place.