Neti-Neti | Not This, Not This

Neti-Neti

Neti-Neti (IAST)
Translation: "not this, not this"

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: नेति नेति
Transliteration: Neti-Neti
Translation: "not this, not this" (not such, not such) (from na = "not" + iti = "thus")
Definition:

1. Yājñavalkya said, "The Self (Ātman) is not this, not this" (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, 5.5.15).
2. The ultimate Reality cannot be described by any positive means, according to Advaita Vedānta, because conceptual thought is always limited to the finite. Thus, the most appropriate way to indicate it is to say, "not this, not this."

Reference:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press