उपनिषद् · Śvetāśvatara 5.1
॥
देवनागरी
द्वे अक्षरे ब्रह्मपरे त्व् अनन्ते विद्याविद्ये निहिते यत्र गूढे ।
क्षरं त्व् अविद्या ह्य् अमृतं तु विद्या विद्याविद्ये ईशते यस् तु सो ऽन्यः
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
dve akṣare brahmapare tv anante vidyāvidye nihite yatra gūḍhe /
kṣaraṃ tv avidyā hy amṛtaṃ tu vidyā vidyāvidye īśate yas tu so 'nyaḥ
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
द्वे अक्षरेdve akṣaretwo in the imperishable; two things in the undecaying
ब्रह्मपरेbrahmaparein the supreme Brahman; in the highest Brahman
तुtuindeed; precisely
अनन्तेananteinfinite; boundless
विद्याविद्येvidyāvidyeknowledge and ignorance; vidyā and avidyā
निहितेnihiteare laid; are placed
यत्रyatrawhere; in which
गूढेgūḍhehidden; concealed
क्षरम्kṣaramperishable; transient
तुtuand; while
अविद्याavidyāignorance; avidyā
हिhifor; truly
अमृतम्amṛtamimmortal; undecaying
तुtubut; whereas
विद्याvidyāknowledge; vidyā
विद्याविद्ये ईशतेvidyāvidye īśaterules knowledge and ignorance; holds sway over both
यः तुyaḥ tubut He who; and He who
सः अन्यःsaḥ anyaḥHe is other; He is a third, distinct from them
अनुवाद
In the imperishable, infinite, supreme Brahman two are hidden: knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance is perishable, knowledge immortal. But He who rules both knowledge and ignorance is other than either.
संस्करण
60ad828dddd5 · प्रकाशित 28 जुल॰ 2026, 2:13:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The fifth adhyāya begins by putting in their places three things that are usually confused: ignorance, knowledge, and the One above both.
Both vidyā and avidyā are called "hidden in the imperishable": they are not independent and are not somewhere outside Brahman. Ignorance is not a second power at war with God — it is placed within His own boundlessness.
Then each is given its measure. Avidyā is called kṣara, "perishable": it has an end, it wears out. Vidyā is amṛta, "immortal". So their contest is not an even one: one side is temporary by nature, the other is not.
And the third point is the most important: "He who rules both is other". The word anya, "other", runs through the whole Upaniṣad; it already stood at 4.7, where the one who saw "the Other" was freed from sorrow. Here it separates the Lord both from ignorance and from knowledge itself.
For Vedānta this passage is foundational. God is not knowledge in the sense of a "state of mind" and does not oppose ignorance as light opposes darkness within one series: He stands above both, and therefore liberation comes not from a change of state but from meeting Him who disposes of states.