Upanishads · Kena 3.6
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्मै तृणं निदधाव् एतद् दहेति ।
तद् उपप्रेयाय सर्वजवेन तन् न शशाक दग्धुं स तत एव निववृते नैतद् अशकं विज्ञातुं यद् एतद् यक्षम् इति ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmai tṛṇaṃ nidadhāv etad daheti |
tad upapreyāya sarvajavena tan na śaśāka dagdhuṃ sa tata eva nivavṛte naitad aśakaṃ vijñātuṃ yad etad yakṣam iti ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्मैtasmaito him; before him
तृणम्tṛṇama blade of grass; a straw; a stalk
निदधौnidadhaulaid down (perfect of ni-√dhā — 'to place'); set; placed before
एतत्etatthis; it
दहdahaburn; consume
इतिitithus; saying
तत्tatto it; towards this
उपप्रेयायupapreyāyarushed towards (upa-pra-√i); made for; approached
सर्वजवेनsarvajavenawith all speed (sarva-java); with all his might; at full velocity
तत्tatit; the blade
नnanot; no
शशाकśaśākahe was able (perfect of √śak — 'to be able'); he had the power; he managed
दग्धुम्dagdhumto burn (infinitive of √dah); to consume; to reduce to ashes
सःsaḥhe; Agni
ततः एवtataḥ evafrom there itself; straight from that place
निववृतेnivavṛtereturned (perfect of ni-√vṛt — 'to turn back'); withdrew; came back
नnanot; no
एतत्etatthis; him
अशकम्aśakamI was able; I had the power
विज्ञातुम्vijñātumto find out; to identify
यत्yatwhat; which
एतत्etatthis; here
यक्षम्yakṣammysterious being; wondrous apparition
इतिitithus; saying
Translation
He laid a blade of grass before him: "Burn this." Agni made for it with all his speed — and could not burn it. He returned [empty-handed]: "I could not find out what this yakṣa is."
Version
3b833025c876 · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:28:41 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
tṛṇam — a blade of grass, the smallest and most defenceless of creatures. sarvajavena — "with all his speed": Agni put out his whole strength, the Upaniṣad stresses it — and na śaśāka dagdhum, "he could not burn it". Total effort, nil result: without the Lord's leave a power capable of reducing the earth to ashes cannot deal with a straw, and by His leave a straw halts the fire of the world.
Here is a vivid demonstration of what the Gītā (9.10) puts as a formula: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram — "under My supervision nature brings forth all moving and unmoving things". Every energy — fire, wind, intelligence — acts under a warrant; the parable simply shows the moment when the warrant is revoked.
Agni's conclusion is honest: "I could not find out" — a power has run up against its limit and admitted it. That is already the beginning of knowledge: the awareness of impotence is the first step towards recognising Him by whose power one is powerful. But only the first: Agni returns with nothing, never guessing that he should bow and ask.