Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,5.7
॥
Devanāgarī
पिता माता प्रजा एते एव मनः एव पिता वाक् माता प्राणः प्रजा
Transliteration (IAST)
pitā mātā prajā ete eva manaḥ eva pitā vāk mātā prāṇaḥ prajā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पिताpitāthe father (pitṛ); the father; the father
माताmātāthe mother (mātṛ); the mother; the mother
प्रजाprajāthe child (prajā — 'offspring'); offspring; the child
एतेetethese; the following
एवevaindeed; only
मनःmanaḥthe mind; thinking
एवevaindeed; only
पिताpitāthe father (pitṛ); the father; the father
वाक्vākspeech; the voice
माताmātāthe mother (mātṛ); the mother; the mother
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
प्रजाprajāthe child (prajā — 'offspring'); offspring; the child
Translation
They are also father, mother and child: the mind is the father, speech the mother, the breath the child.
Version
a37f2ee90233 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:48:21 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fourth measure is the family: the mind is the father, speech the mother, the breath the child. Within every person a complete family lives: thought begets, the word carries and bears, and what is born alive is the breath of the deed.
This series is also a science of the word: all speech is with child by the mind; as the father-thought is, so is the mother-word, and so is the child-breath that goes out into the world. A thoughtless word is fatherless; a word from a pure mind is a lawful child, and its life is long.