Atma Upanishad 4 — Verse 4

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

न च विद्या न चाविद्या न जगच्च न चापरम् । सत्यत्वेन जगद्भानं संसारस्य प्रवर्तकम्॥४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

न । च । विद्या । न । च । अविद्या । न । जगत् । च । न । च । अपरम् । सत्यत्वेन । जगत्-भानम् । संसारस्य । प्रवर्तकम् ॥ ४ ॥

IAST Transliteration

na ca vidyā na cāvidyā na jagac ca na cāparam | satyatvena jagadbhānaṃ saṃsārasya pravartakam ||4||

Translation

না বিদ্যা আছে, না অবিদ্যা; না জগৎ আছে, না অন্য কিছু। জগৎকে সত্য বলে ধরে যে প্রতিভাস—সেটাই সংসারকে প্রবাহিত করে॥৪॥

Academic Translation

There is neither knowledge nor ignorance, neither the world nor anything other. The appearance of the world taken as real is what sets saṃsāra in motion.

Verse Context

• Saṃsāra driven by satya-buddhi (taking appearance as absolute); ultimate negation (paramārtha) of dual categories
• Mahavakya: Supports mahāvākya purport by denying any second reality besides Brahman; complements ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ as freedom from saṃsāra through right knowledge
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)