Upanishads · Kena 3.5
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्मिंस् त्वयि किं वीर्यम् इत्य् अपीदं सर्वं दहेयं यद् इदं पृथिव्याम् इति ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmiṃs tvayi kiṃ vīryam ity apīdaṃ sarvaṃ daheyaṃ yad idaṃ pṛthivyām iti ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्मिन्tasminin such a one; in this
त्वयिtvayiin you; with you
किम्kimwhat; what kind of
वीर्यम्vīryampower; might, valour (vīrya); strength
इतिitithus; he asked
अपिapieven; and
इदम्idamthis; all this
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
दहेयम्daheyamI could burn (optative of √dah — 'to burn'); I would burn up; I am able to consume
यत् इदम्yat idamwhat is here; all that
पृथिव्याम्pṛthivyāmon the earth; in the earthly world
इतिitithus; he said
Translation
"What power is in you?" — "I can burn everything there is on earth."
Version
c517a608b116 · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:28:41 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
kiṁ vīryam — "what is your power?" The Lord's second question: he who has named himself is invited to declare his measure. Agni's answer is in the superlative: apīdaṁ sarvaṁ daheyam — "I could burn up even all this that is on earth". Pride speaks in totals and in the word "everything"; it does not lie about the capacity — it lies about its source, saying "I can" where the truth is "it is given me".
The yakṣa does not argue and does not moralise. To "everything" he will answer with the smallest thing in the world — a blade of grass. The Lord's pedagogy is wordless and faultless: boasting is refuted not by a counter-statement but by a tiny fact.