Purnamadah Purnamidam Mantra
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇātpurṇamudacyate ।
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate ॥
That is Wholeness, this is Wholeness. From Wholeness emerges Wholeness.
When Wholeness is taken from Wholeness, what remains is ever Wholeness.
Audio Recording of the Mantra Chanting
Commentary
This profound verse from the Īśopaniṣad reveals the fundamental nature of ultimate Reality as indivisible completeness. Here, pūrṇa denotes not mathematical infinity but the absolute fullness of consciousness-existence-bliss (saccidānanda) that lacks nothing and contains everything.
The mantra establishes that both the transcendent (adaḥ - "that") and the immanent (idam - "this") are equally whole. The phenomenal universe emerges from Wholeness not as a separate creation but as the spontaneous expression of divine fullness - like waves arising from the ocean while remaining essentially oceanic.
The profound paradox presented here - that taking wholeness from wholeness leaves wholeness intact - points to the non-dual nature of Reality. In the supreme recognition, creation does not diminish the creator, manifestation does not fragment the absolute, and multiplicity does not compromise unity. This is the heart of divine play (līlā) where infinite consciousness appears as infinite forms while never departing from its essential nature.
The verse thus serves as both philosophical declaration and meditative contemplation, inviting the practitioner to recognize their own inherent wholeness as non-separate from the cosmic Wholeness itself.
Scriptural Sources
- This mantra appears in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (5.1.1), which is part of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa of the Śukla Yajurveda.
- It is also found at the start of the Īśā Upaniṣad in many recensions — sometimes as an invocation (śānti-mantra) before the main text.
- Because both the Bṛhadāraṇyaka and the Īśā are among the most ancient Upaniṣads (likely pre-Buddhist, over 2500 years old), the mantra has deep Vedic antiquity.
Liturgical Usage
- Recited at the beginning and end of Upaniṣad study sessions as a śānti-mantra (invocation for peace and completeness).
- Often chanted at the start of spiritual discourses, rituals, and meditation, invoking the recognition of the completeness of both teacher and student.
- Also used in philosophical debates to remind that realization, not acquisition, is the essence of knowledge — because the Self is already complete.
Books
Commentary on Purnamadah Purnamidam by Swami Dayananda Saraswati