Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,4.5
॥
Devanāgarī
सः अवेत् अहम् वाव सृष्टिः अस्मि अहम् हि इदम् सर्वम् असृक्षि इति ततः सृष्टिः अभवत् सृष्ट्याम् ह अस्य एतस्याम् भवति यः एवम् वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ avet aham vāva sṛṣṭiḥ asmi aham hi idam sarvam asṛkṣi iti tataḥ sṛṣṭiḥ abhavat sṛṣṭyām ha asya etasyām bhavati yaḥ evam veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
अवेत्avethe understood (from √vid, imperfect); he has recognised; understood
अहम्ahamI; Himself
वावvāvatruly; indeed
सृष्टिःsṛṣṭiḥthe creation (sṛṣṭi — 'an emission'); brought forth; the creation
अस्मिasmiI am; I am
अहम्ahamI; Himself
हिhiindeed; truly
इदम्idamthis; this world
सर्वम्sarvamall; the whole
असृक्षिasṛkṣiI have created (aorist of √sṛj); I emitted; He fashioned
इतिitithus; how
ततःtataḥthan that; after this
सृष्टिःsṛṣṭiḥthe creation (sṛṣṭi — 'an emission'); brought forth; the creation
अभवत्abhavatshe became; arose
सृष्ट्याम्sṛṣṭyāmin the creation; in the making
हhasurely; as is known
अस्यasyait; of this
एतस्याम्etasyāmin this; in this [one]
भवतिbhavatibecomes; he presents himself
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एवम्evamthus; in this way
वेदvedaknows; realises
Translation
He knew: "Truly I am creation, for I have created all this." Thus he became Creation. He who knows thus comes to be in this creation of his.
Version
40ab2a0cf8ab · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:43:11 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The chase ends in a recognition: "I am creation itself" (ahaṁ vāva sṛṣṭir asmi). The creator did not remain outside what he had made, as a craftsman outside his article: he himself "became Creation" — the world is he in a state of outpouring. Between God and the universe there is no seam: sṛṣṭi is not a thing made by him but he himself, poured out.
Hence the world deserves neither contempt nor worship of itself, but reverence for the One who fills it. "All this is pervaded by Me in my unmanifest form" (BG 9.4); the knower "comes to be in this creation of his" — he begins to live within God's outpouring, like a fish that has learned that the water is its own.