Sacred Learning

Devī Upaniṣad 17 (Sanskrit Documents numbering)

Canonical source text

यस्याः स्वरूपं ब्रह्मादयो न जानन्ति तस्मादुच्यतेऽज्ञेया । यस्या अन्तो न विद्यते तस्मादुच्यतेऽनन्ता । यस्या ग्रहणं नोपलभ्यते तस्मादुच्यतेऽलक्ष्या । यस्या जननं नोपलभ्यते तस्मादुच्यतेऽजा । एकैव सर्वत्र वर्तते तस्मादुच्यत एका । एकैव विश्वरूपिणी तस्मादुच्यते नैका ।

IAST transliteration

yasyāḥ svarūpaṃ brahmādayo na jānanti tasmād ucyate ’jñeyā | yasyā anto na vidyate tasmād ucyate ’nantā | yasyā grahaṇaṃ nopalabhyate tasmād ucyate ’lakṣyā | yasyā jananaṃ nopalabhyate tasmād ucyate ’jā | ekaiva sarvatra vartate tasmād ucyata ekā | ekaiva viśvarūpiṇī tasmād ucyate naikā |

Close translation

Her own form even Brahmā and the rest do not know — therefore She is called unknowable. She has no end — therefore endless. She cannot be grasped — therefore unmarkable. Her birth is not found — therefore unborn. She alone is everywhere — therefore One. She alone is world-formed — therefore also not-one.

Reader-friendly meaning

Names of the Goddess as the Upanishad’s own negative and positive theology: one, and world-formed.

Meenananda editorial explanation

The Ashram hears this as the same Mother who is close in Kali puja and vast as Brahman.

Devī Upaniṣad 17, Sanskrit Documents recension. Sanskrit: public-domain Devanagari as encoded at Sanskrit Documents (sanskritdocuments.org). Foundation translations: CC BY-SA 4.0.

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English

বাংলা

তাঁর স্বরূপ ব্রহ্মাও জানেন না — তাই অজ্ঞেয়া। অন্ত নেই — তাই অনন্তা। গ্রহণ মেলে না — তাই অলক্ষ্যা। জন্ম মেলে না — তাই অজা। তিনিই সর্বত্র — তাই একা। তিনিই বিশ্বরূপিণী — তাই নৈকা।

हिन्दी

उनका स्वरूप ब्रह्मा आदि नहीं जानते — अतः अज्ञेया। अन्त नहीं — अतः अनन्ता। ग्रहण नहीं मिलता — अतः अलक्ष्या। जन्म नहीं मिलता — अतः अजा। वही सर्वत्र — अतः एका। वही विश्वरूपिणी — अतः नैका।