Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,5.11
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्यै वाचः पृथिवी शरीरम् ज्योतीरूपम् अयम् अग्निः तद् यावती एव वाक् तावती पृथिवी तावान् अयम् अग्निः
Transliteration (IAST)
tasyai vācaḥ pṛthivī śarīram jyotīrūpam ayam agniḥ tad yāvatī eva vāk tāvatī pṛthivī tāvān ayam agniḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्यैtasyaiout of her; for it
वाचःvācaḥof speech; of speech
पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earthly world
शरीरम्śarīramthe body (śarīra); flesh; body
ज्योतीरूपम्jyotīrūpama form of light (jyotī-rūpa); the light-form; the luminous form
अयम्ayamthis; he
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
तद्tadthat; this
यावतीyāvatīas far as (yāvatī — 'how great'); how great she is; up to where
एवevaindeed; only
वाक्vākspeech; the voice
तावतीtāvatīso far (tāvatī — 'so great'); so great is she; so far
पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earthly world
तावान्tāvānso great; of that measure
अयम्ayamthis; he
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
Translation
Of this speech the body is the earth, and its luminous form is this fire: as far as speech extends, so far extends the earth, so far this fire.
Version
9ca59c6c9673 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:48:21 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The last series of correspondences gives each member of the triad a "body" and a "luminous form" (jyotī-rūpa): speech has the earth for its body and fire for its light. Speech is bodily like the earth (sound is the flesh of meaning) and luminous like flame (a word illumines); and the measure of all three is one: "as far as speech extends, so far the earth and the fire".
Commensurability is the chief lesson here: the inward is not less than the outward (we heard it in the dahara-vidyā: the space in the heart is equal to the space without, ChU 8.1.3). A speaking man is, in his reach, equal to the earth with all its fire; speech is no trickle of air but an element at the full stature of the elements.