Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 1,6.1
॥
Devanāgarī
त्रयं वा इदम् नाम रूपम् कर्म तेषाम् नाम्नाम् वाक् इति एतत् एषाम् उक्थम् अतः हि सर्वाणि नामानि उत्तिष्ठन्ति एतत् एषाम् साम एतत् हि सर्वैः नामभिः समम् एतत् एषाम् ब्रह्म एतत् हि सर्वाणि नामानि बिभर्ति
Transliteration (IAST)
trayaṃ vā idam nāma rūpam karma teṣām nāmnām vāk iti etat eṣām uktham ataḥ hi sarvāṇi nāmāni uttiṣṭhanti etat eṣām sāma etat hi sarvaiḥ nāmabhiḥ samam etat eṣām brahma etat hi sarvāṇi nāmāni bibharti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
त्रयंtrayaṃthreefold (traya); in three; threefold
वाvātruly; surely
इदम्idamthis; this world
नामnāmaby name; the name
रूपम्rūpamthe form; a shape
कर्मkarmaaction (karman); action; work
तेषाम्teṣāmof them; for them
नाम्नाम्nāmnāmof names; of designations
वाक्vākspeech; the voice
इतिitithus; how
एतत्etatthis; the present
एषाम्eṣāmof these; of them
उक्थम्ukthamthe uktha, the source-hymn (uktha); the hymn; the uktha
अतःataḥfrom here; apart from this
हिhiindeed; truly
सर्वाणिsarvāṇiall; every kind of
नामानिnāmāninames; appellations
उत्तिष्ठन्तिuttiṣṭhantithey rise up (ud + √sthā); they climb; they stand up
एतत्etatthis; the present
एषाम्eṣāmof these; of them
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
एतत्etatthis; the present
हिhiindeed; truly
सर्वैःsarvaiḥall; with all
नामभिःnāmabhiḥby names; by designations
समम्samamshe is equal (sama); equal; she is equal
एतत्etatthis; the present
एषाम्eṣāmof these; of them
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the sacred reality
एतत्etatthis; the present
हिhiindeed; truly
सर्वाणिsarvāṇiall; every kind of
नामानिnāmāninames; appellations
बिभर्तिbibhartiit bears (from √bhṛ); sustains; it carries
Translation
Threefold is all this: name, form, work. Of names, speech is their uktha [hymn], for from it all names arise; it is their sāman, for it is equal to all names; it is their Brahman, for it bears all names.
Version
fb1e842d4d24 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:49:47 AM UTC
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The closing brāhmaṇa of the first adhyāya reduces the world to three dimensions: nāma, rūpa, karma — name, form, work. Everything that is, is as named, as seen and as acting; three coordinates outside which nothing manifest occurs. And for each dimension its source-hymn is named (uktha — "that from which they arise"), its equality-chant (sāman — "that to which it is equal") and its bearing foundation (brahman — "that which bears").
For names this is speech: all names arise from it, are equal to it and are borne by it. We stand at the final summing-up of the book of beginnings: the world of names is wholly the child and the burden of the word. He who wants pure names purifies his speech; he who carries the holy name carries that which itself carries all names.