Atma Upanishad 21 — Verse 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

उपाधिनाशाद् ब्रह्मैव सद् ब्रह्माप्येति निर्द्वयम् । शैलूषो वेषसद्भावाभावयोश्च यथा पुमान् ॥२१॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

उपाधि-नाशात् । ब्रह्म । एव । सत् । ब्रह्म । अप्येति । निर्द्वयम् । शैलूषः । वेष-सद्भाव-अभावयोः । च । यथा । पुमान् ॥२१॥

IAST Transliteration

upādhināśād brahmaiva sad brahmāpyeti nirdvayam | śailūṣo veṣasadbhāvābhāvayoś ca yathā pumān ||21||

Translation

بفناء القيود العارضة (الأوبادهيات) لا يبقى الحقّ إلا برهمن وحده؛ ويبلغ العارف برهمنَ غيرَ الثنائي، كما أنّ الممثّل هو هو، سواء حضر الزيّ أم غاب.

Academic Translation

By the destruction of limiting adjuncts (upādhis), the real (sat) is Brahman alone; (the knower) attains Brahman—non-dual—just as a man who is an actor (is the same) in the presence or absence of costume.

Verse Context

• Upādhi-nāśa (negation of limiting adjuncts) and non-duality (advaita)
• Mahavakya: Supports ‘अहं ब्रह्मास्मि’ (Aham brahmāsmi) by removing upādhis that obscure identity with Brahman.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)