Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,4.9
॥
Devanāgarī
तद् आहुः यद् ब्रह्मविद्यया सर्वम् भविष्यन्तः मनुष्या मन्यन्ते किम् उ तद् ब्रह्मा अवेत् यस्मात् तत् सर्वम् अभवत् इति
Transliteration (IAST)
tad āhuḥ yad brahmavidyayā sarvam bhaviṣyantaḥ manuṣyā manyante kim u tad brahmā avet yasmāt tat sarvam abhavat iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तद्tadthat; this
आहुःāhuḥthey say; they declare
यद्yadwhen; that which
ब्रह्मविद्ययाbrahmavidyayāby the knowledge of Brahman (brahma-vidyā, instr.); by the brahma-vidyā; by the knowledge of Brahman
सर्वम्sarvamall; the whole
भविष्यन्तःbhaviṣyantaḥthinking to become (future participle of √bhū); intending to become; hoping to become
मनुष्याmanuṣyāpeople; human beings
मन्यन्तेmanyantethey think (from √man); they suppose; they consider
किम्kimwhat; in what manner
उusurely; indeed
तद्tadthat; this
ब्रह्माbrahmāthe brahman-priest; Brahman
अवेत्avethe knew (from √vid); he was aware; he knew
यस्मात्yasmātthanks to which; from what
तत्tatthat; this
सर्वम्sarvamall; the whole
अभवत्abhavatshe became; arose
इतिitithus; how
Translation
Of this they say: "If men think to become All by the knowledge of Brahman, what did Brahman himself know, that he became All?"
Version
83316a52ea94 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:43:58 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A verse that is a question, set like a school riddle: seekers hope "to become All" by the brahma-vidyā — but what did Brahman himself know, that he became All? The question is brilliant because it asks not for the content of the knowledge but for its archetype: what was that knowing by which the First became Fullness?
The answer will come in the next verse, and it will be self-knowledge: the Beginning knew not "something" — it knew Itself. All other knowledge is of another and therefore partial; only the knowledge of oneself makes the knower entirely what he knows. The riddle is sharpened so that the reader shall not run past the greatest of formulas, which is about to sound.