Neti neti
नेति नेतिअव्यय (indeclinável) · न (na — não) + इति (iti — isto)
neti neti
Practice and Paths
AI translationNot this, not this; method of negation
Neti-neti is the method of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 2.3.6 and 4.5.15 for pointing to ātman: each thing the mind identifies as 'this' is negated — it is not ātman. Not because ātman is nothing, but because ātman is not an object. By negating all objects (body, mind, experiences, concepts), what remains is the negator — the consciousness that always says 'this is not me'. Neti-neti is not nihilism; it is a pointer to what cannot be named.
Occurrence in the corpus
समस्तव्यस्ततैवेह प्रत्यगज्ञानभूमिका ।। न त्वपास्तसमस्तान्धअये नेति नेति परात्मनि ।। २३९ ।।
samastavyastataiveha pratyagajñānabhūmikā || na tvapāstasamastāndhaaye neti neti parātmani || 239 ||
— Brihadaranyaka Bhashya Vartikam →Using this in academic work? Get formal citation
Vishva Vidya (2026). Neti neti (नेति नेति). Vishva Vidya — Vedanta. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/neti-neti
Vishva Vidya. "Neti neti (नेति नेति)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026, https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/neti-neti.
Vishva Vidya. "Neti neti (नेति नेति)." Vishva Vidya — Vedanta, January 1, 2026. https://vedanta.com.br/en/glossary/neti-neti.
Related terms
Want to study Vedānta in depth?
Learn about our study programs →