Atma Upanishad: 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 ॥

Recitation with translationAtma Upanishad 4

IAST Transliteration

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

Translation

വിദ്യയും ഇല്ല, അവിദ്യയും ഇല്ല; ജഗത്തും ഇല്ല, മറ്റൊന്നും ഇല്ല. ജഗത്തെ സത്യമെന്നു കരുതി തോന്നുന്ന ഭാസം തന്നെയാണ് സംസാരത്തെ പ്രവർത്തിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്।

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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)