Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,4.2
॥
Devanāgarī
सः अबिभेत् तस्मात् एकाकी बिभेति सः ह अयम् ईक्षाम् चक्रे यत् मद् अन्यन् न अस्ति कस्मात् नु बिभेमि इति ततः एव अस्य भयम् वीयाय कस्मात् हि अभेष्यत् द्वितीयात् वै भयम् भवति
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ abibhet tasmāt ekākī bibheti saḥ ha ayam īkṣām cakre yat mad anyan na asti kasmāt nu bibhemi iti tataḥ eva asya bhayam vīyāya kasmāt hi abheṣyat dvitīyāt vai bhayam bhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
अबिभेत्abibhethe was afraid (from √bhī, imperfect); he took fright; he was afraid
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
एकाकीekākīalone (ekākin); all alone; solitary
बिभेतिbibhetifears (from √bhī); is afraid; fears
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhasurely; as is known
अयम्ayamthis; he
ईक्षाम्īkṣāma reflection (īkṣā — 'a looking-and-considering'); consideration; a consideration
चक्रेcakreHe made; has ordered
यत्yatthat which; that which
मद्madbesides me; from me
अन्यन्anyananother; other
नnanot; no
अस्तिastiam; exists
कस्मात्kasmātout of which; whence
नुnusurely; is it that
बिभेमिbibhemiI am afraid; I am in fear
इतिitithus; how
ततःtataḥthan that; after this
एवevaindeed; only
अस्यasyait; of this
भयम्bhayamfear (bhaya); dread; fear
वीयायvīyāyait passed away (vi + √i, perf. — 'went off'); disappeared; it dispersed
कस्मात्kasmātout of which; whence
हिhiindeed; truly
अभेष्यत्abheṣyathe would be afraid; he might fear
द्वितीयात्dvitīyātfrom a second (dvitīya, abl.); from another; from a second
वैvaitruly; indeed
भयम्bhayamfear (bhaya); dread; fear
भवतिbhavatibecomes; he presents himself
Translation
He was afraid — therefore one who is alone is afraid. And he reflected: "Since there is nothing other than me, of what am I afraid?" Thereupon his fear passed away: of what should he have been afraid? For fear arises from a second.
Version
0478e27a1508 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:42:16 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second event of being is fear: the first "I", looking about in the void, was afraid. "Therefore one who is alone is afraid" — the Upaniṣad derives from that instant the whole psychology of solitude: the dread of an empty house, of night, of desolation is an ancestral memory of the Beginning's first fright.
Healing comes by reflection: "there is no second — there is no one to fear", and the formula is minted forever: dvitīyād vai bhayaṁ bhavati — "fear arises from a second". Where something is alien to me, there I am afraid; the measure of fear is the measure of the world's felt strangeness.
But listen deeper, as bhakti teaches one to listen: fear is removed not only by "there is no second" but by "there is nothing alien". When everything that exists is one's own, dear, his — a second is not frightening: only a stranger is. Perfect love casts out fear otherwise than perfect solitude does: not by abolishing others but by abolishing strangeness. The next verse will show that the Beginning itself was not content with a fearless emptiness — it lacked a second for joy.