Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,3.12
॥
Devanāgarī
सा वै वाचम् एव प्रथमाम् अत्यवहत् सा यदा मृत्युम् अत्यमुच्यत सः अग्निः अभवत् सः अयम् अग्निः परेण मृत्युम् अतिक्रान्तः दीप्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
sā vai vācam eva prathamām atyavahat sā yadā mṛtyum atyamucyata saḥ agniḥ abhavat saḥ ayam agniḥ pareṇa mṛtyum atikrāntaḥ dīpyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
साsāshe; that one
वैvaitruly; indeed
वाचम्vācamspeech; the word
एवevaindeed; only
प्रथमाम्prathamāmthe first (prathamā); as the first; first
अत्यवहत्atyavahathe carried beyond; he led across
साsāshe; that one
यदाyadāwhen; at the moment when
मृत्युम्mṛtyumdeath; dying
अत्यमुच्यतatyamucyatashe was set free (ati + √muc, pass. — 'released beyond'); she was released; she was freed
सःsaḥhe; that one
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
अभवत्abhavatshe became; arose
सःsaḥhe; that one
अयम्ayamthis; he
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
परेणpareṇaon the far side; beyond
मृत्युम्mṛtyumdeath; dying
अतिक्रान्तःatikrāntaḥone who has passed over (ati-krānta — 'having stepped beyond'); having stepped beyond; one who has passed over
दीप्यतेdīpyatehe shines (from √dīp); blazes; shines
Translation
First it carried speech beyond. When speech was released from death, it became fire. This fire, having passed beyond death, shines.
Version
e7236805933a · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:40:48 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here begins a series of transfigurations: each of the wounded senses, entrusted to the prāṇa, is carried "beyond death" and becomes a cosmic luminary. The first is speech, and it becomes Agni: an ancient connection (speech is fire, Agni is the mouth of the gods), but here it is given as a biography: earthly fire is our speech, which has passed through death and been saved.
The verb is exactly chosen: dīpyate — "it shines": on the far side of death a sense neither vanishes nor falls dumb — it gives light. Everything a man gives up to the disinterested Life is not taken from him but raised into light; the fire on every altar is an everlasting reminder of what a word becomes when it is freed from self-interest.