Upanishads · Kena 1.5
॥
Devanāgarī
यद् वाचानभ्युदितं येन वाग् अभ्युद्यते ।
तद् एव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यद् इदम् उपासते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
yad vācānabhyuditaṃ yena vāg abhyudyate |
tad eva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yad idam upāsate ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatwhat; that which
वाचाvācāby speech; by the word
अनभ्युदितम्anabhyuditamnot uttered (an-abhi-ud-√i — 'not coming forth [as a word]'); inexpressible by speech; not to be pronounced
येनyenaby which; thanks to which
वाक्vākspeech; the word
अभ्युद्यतेabhyudyateis uttered; is brought forth [as a word]; receives its power of expression
तत्tatthat; precisely this
एवevaindeed; truly
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the Absolute
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
विद्धिviddhiknow (imperative of √vid — 'to know'); understand; be aware
नnanot; no
इदम्idamthis; this here
यत्yatwhich; that which
इदम्idamthis; here
उपासतेupāsatethey worship (upa-√ās — 'to sit near, to revere'); they adore; they venerate
Translation
That which is not uttered by speech, but by which speech itself is uttered — know that alone to be Brahman, and not what men here worship [as an object].
Version
15d484b94a8d · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:28:41 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first of five refrain-mantras — on speech. yad vācānabhyuditam — "what is not uttered by speech"; yena vāg abhyudyate — "but by whom speech itself is uttered". A word can name any thing in the world, but He who gives the tongue its power to mean does not fit into meanings, as a voice does not fit into the word it speaks.
The refrain nedaṁ yad idam upāsate — "not this, which men here worship" — cuts off every substitution: any "this" (idam) that can be pointed at — an image of the mind, an idol of a concept, a limited power — is not He. The Upaniṣad does not forbid worship; it purifies its object: one should worship not "this" but Him.
There is a reverse side here, which it is important not to lose: unattainable to mortal speech, He Himself commands speech — it is "uttered by Him". Therefore the name by which He names Himself is not a product of human language but the voice of the very Source of speech, extended to us; prayer and the hearing of revelation do not violate this mantra — they live by it.