Upanishads · Aitareya 1,3.6
॥
Devanāgarī
तत् श्रोत्रेण अजिघृक्षत् तत् न अशक्नोत् श्रोत्रेण ग्रहीतुम् सः यत् ह एनत् श्रोत्रेण अग्रहैष्यत् श्रुत्वा हैव अन्नम् अत्रप्स्यत्
Transliteration (IAST)
tat śrotreṇa ajighṛkṣat tat na aśaknot śrotreṇa grahītum saḥ yat ha enat śrotreṇa agrahaiṣyat śrutvā haiva annam atrapsyat
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत्tatthat; it
श्रोत्रेणśrotreṇawith hearing; with the ear
अजिघृक्षत्ajighṛkṣathe tried to seize; he wished to take
तत्tatthat; it
नnanot; no
अशक्नोत्aśaknothe was able; he had the power
श्रोत्रेणśrotreṇawith hearing; with the ear
ग्रहीतुम्grahītumto seize; to take
सःsaḥhe; that one
यत्yatwhen; that
हhaindeed; surely
एनत्enatthis; it
श्रोत्रेणśrotreṇawith hearing; with the ear
अग्रहैष्यत्agrahaiṣyatwould have seized; would have taken
श्रुत्वाśrutvāhaving heard (from √śru); having listened; hearkening
हैवhaivaprecisely then; verily
अन्नम्annamfood; nourishment
अत्रप्स्यत्atrapsyathe would have been satisfied; he would have mastered the food
Translation
He wished to seize it with hearing — and could not seize it with hearing. If he had seized it with hearing, one would be satisfied with food merely by hearing [of it].
Version
98b76f97ed70 · published Jul 26, 2026, 7:36:16 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fourth attempt — śrotreṇa: with the ear. If hearing could seize — śrutvā haiva annam atrapsyat — "one would be full by listening".
The miss of hearing is about listeners: one may listen about bread, about life, about truth — and not taste a crumb. For a spiritual culture in which hearing (śravaṇa) is the first practice, this verse is an inoculation against self-deception: listening begins the path but does not replace the eating; to attend for years to the science of nectar and never lift the spoon to one's lips is a fate familiar to every school (the Upaniṣads call such people those who "hearing, do not understand" — Kaṭha 2.7).
Hearing is a gate, not a dining hall: through it come the call and the recipe, but not the food itself. Three claimants remain — and each nearer to the body: touch, mind, and the generative power.