Sarve kaama manogataa
This verse from the Paramhansa Upanishad offers insight into the need for an aspirant to realize, ‘I am Brahma,’ thereby forgoing attachment and desires for the evolution of the self and soul.
This passage from the Paramahansa Upanishad is the very culmination of the text’s teaching. It provides a comprehensive psychological and spiritual profile of the Paramahansa, one who has achieved the pinnacle of spiritual realization. It moves sequentially from the internal cause (the dissolution of desire) to the external effects (equanimity, sensory withdrawal) and finally to the ultimate state of identity with Brahman and the feeling of complete fulfillment.
सर्वे कामा मनोगता व्यावर्तन्ते।
दुःखे नोद्विग्नः
सुखे न स्पृहा
त्यागो रागे
सर्वत्र शुभाशुभयोरनभिस्नेहः
न द्वेष्टि न मोदते च।
सर्वेषामिन्द्रियाणां गतिरुपरमते य आत्मन्येवावस्थीयते।
यत्पूर्णानन्दैकबोधस्तदब्रह्माहमस्मीति
कृतकृत्यो भवति कृतकृत्यो भवति॥
Sarve kaamaa mano-gataa vyaa-vartante.
duhkhe nodvignah
sukhe na sprihaa
tyaago raage
Sarvatra shubha-ashubhayor-anabhi-sneho
na dveṣhṭi na modate cha
Sarveṡhaam-indriyaaṅaam gati-ruparamate
ya aatman-yeva-avastheeyate.
Yat-poorṅaanand-eka bodhas-tad-brahma-aham-asmeeti
krita-krityo bhavati krita-krityo bhavati
The aspirant who is seeking the Lord
Must free himself from selfish attachments
To people, money, and possessions.
When his mind sheds every selfish desire,
He becomes free from the duality
Of pleasure and pain and rules his senses.
No more is he capable of ill will;
No more is he subject to elation,
For his senses come to rest in the Self.
Entering into the unitive state,
He attains the goal of evolution.
Truly he attains the goal of evolution.
(Translated by Eknath Easwaran, 1987)
सर्वे कामा मनोगता All desires residing in the mind व्यावर्तन्ते turn back, cease दुःखे न उद्विग्नः In sorrow, not agitated सुखे न स्पृहा In pleasure, no craving त्यागः रागे Renunciation in (the midst of) attachment/passion सर्वत्र शुभाशुभयोः Everywhere, in both good and evil (auspicious and inauspicious)…अनभिस्नेहः …devoid of attachment/affection न द्वेष्टि He does not hate न मोदते च And he does not rejoice सर्वेषाम् इन्द्रियाणाम् Of all the senses…गतिः उपरमत …the activity ceases यः आत्मनि एव अवस्तीयते He who is established in the Self alone यत् पूर्ण-आनन्द-एक-बोधः That which is Fullness, Bliss, and Singular Consciousness…तत् ब्रह्म एव अहम् अस्मि इति …That Brahman, indeed, I am.” – with this realization…कृतकृत्यः भवति …he becomes one who has accomplished all that has to be accomplished. कृतकृत्यः भवति He becomes one who has accomplished all that has to be accomplished.
Contemplations
This passage is a masterclass in the psychology of enlightenment. It is not an abstract theory but a practical description of a transformed consciousness.
1. The Foundation: Cessation of Desire
सर्वे कामा मनोगता व्यावर्तन्ते sarve kaamaa manogataa vyaavartante As discussed before, this is the trigger. The entire state described hereafter is a consequence of desires spontaneously dissolving because their root—the mind’s sense of lack—has been healed by abiding in the Self.
2. The State of Perfect Equanimity (Samatvam)
The text then describes a profound emotional stability, a freedom from the dualities (dvandvas) that toss the ordinary person back and forth:
– दुःखे नोद्विग्नः सुखे न स्पृहा duḥkhe nodvignaḥ sukhe na spṛhaa: He is unperturbed by pain and does not crave pleasure. This is the state of a Sthitaprajña (one of steady wisdom) described in the Bhagavad Gita. He is a witness to both pain and pleasure without being identified with them.
– सर्वत्र शुभाशुभयोरनभिस्नेहः (sarvatra śhubhaaśhubhayor-anabhishnehaḥ): He is free from attachment to outcomes, whether they are conventionally seen as “good” or “bad.” The Paramahansa sees the play of the universe without imposing personal preference.
– न द्वेष्टि न मोदते च na dveṣhṭi na modate cha: “He neither hates nor rejoices.” This is the pinnacle of non-attachment. Even the subtle act of “rejoicing” in a good outcome implies a corresponding “hating” of a bad one. The sage transcends this entire spectrum, resting in a state of serene, unshakable peace (śānti).
3. The Inward Turn of Consciousness
सर्वेषामिन्द्रियाणां गतिरुपरमते य आत्मन्येवावस्थीयते (sarveṣhaam-indriyaaṇaaṁ gatir-uparamate ya aatman-yeva-avashtheeyate) This is a critical point. Why does this equanimity arise? Because the very dynamic of consciousness has shifted. For the ordinary person, the senses (indriyas) are constantly flowing outward, seeking objects to satisfy desires. But for one who is “established in the Self alone” (aatmani eva avasthīyate), the outward flow of the senses ceases (uparamate). This is not a physical failure of the senses but a psychological reorientation. The thirst for external experience is quenched by the nectar of the Self within. The entire energy of the system now flows inward, stabilizing the mind in its source.
4. The Supreme Realization
यत्पूर्णानन्दैकबोधस्तद्ब्रह्मैवाहमस्मीति (yat-poorṇaanandaika-bodhas-tad-brahmaivaaham-asmeeti) This is the heart of the realization. The sage directly experiences and affirms: “That which is Absolute Fullness (poorṇa), infinite Bliss (aananda), and one singular Consciousness (eka-bodha)—That Brahman, I am.” This is not an intellectual thought but a living, breathing reality. It is the dissolution of the individual ego into the ocean of universal consciousness. He realizes his true nature is not the limited body-mind complex but the limitless, blissful, aware reality that is Brahman.
5. The Ultimate Fulfillment
कृतकृत्यो भवति, कृतकृत्यो भवति (kṛitakṛityo bhavati, kṛitakṛityo bhavati) The passage concludes with this powerful, repeated declaration. Kṛtakṛtya means “one who has done what needed to be done.” It signifies the end of all striving. For the liberated being, there is no further spiritual duty to perform for their own salvation, no goal left to achieve, no state higher to attain. They have reached the ultimate destination of human existence. The repetition is for emphasis, like a final seal on a royal decree, underscoring the absolute finality and certainty of this state of total fulfillment. It is the declaration of ultimate freedom.
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