Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 2,3.1
॥
Devanāgarī
द्वे वाव ब्रह्मणः रूपे मूर्तम् च एव अमूर्तम् च मर्त्यम् च अमृतम् च स्थितम् च यत् च सत् च त्यम् च
Transliteration (IAST)
dve vāva brahmaṇaḥ rūpe mūrtam ca eva amūrtam ca martyam ca amṛtam ca sthitam ca yat ca sat ca tyam ca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
द्वेdvethe two; the two
वावvāvatruly; indeed
ब्रह्मणःbrahmaṇaḥof Brahman; of sacred knowledge
रूपेrūpethe two forms (rūpa, dual); the two shapes; the two forms
मूर्तम्mūrtamthe formed (mūrta); the embodied; the formed
चcaand; as well as
एवevaindeed; only
अमूर्तम्amūrtamthe formless (a-mūrta); the unembodied; the formless
चcaand; as well as
मर्त्यम्martyamthe mortal (martya); the mortal; the mortal
चcaand; as well as
अमृतम्amṛtamthe immortal (a-mṛta); the imperishable; immortal
चcaand; as well as
स्थितम्sthitamthe stationary (sthita); unmoving; that which stands
चcaand; as well as
यत्yatthat which; that which
चcaand; as well as
सत्satwhat is here (sat — 'this'); what is at hand; what is here
चcaand; as well as
त्यम्tyamwhat is yonder (tya — 'that'); the transcendent; what is yonder
चcaand; as well as
Translation
Truly Brahman has two forms: the formed and the formless, the mortal and the immortal, the standing and the moving, the here (sat) and the beyond (tya).
Version
d6c173819a65 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:53:23 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third brāhmaṇa opens with the great formula of the two forms: dve vāva brahmaṇo rūpe, "Brahman has two forms". The pairs are named across a dash: formed and formless, mortal and immortal, standing and flowing, "this" (sat — the here, the tangible) and "that" (tya — the transcendent). Everything that is, without remainder, is laid out in two registers of one Brahman.
What matters is exactly what is said: not "Brahman and non-Brahman" but "two forms of Brahman": the mortal, the formed, the here is also His form — not refuse and not illusion. The world is two-faced but not two-godded; the Vedānta of bhakti will read this as an early grammar of the doctrine of the energies of the One: the Lord has both a manifest wealth of forms and an unseen subtle nature — "these two natures of Mine" (cf. BG 7.4–5). Next each form will be given its own "essence" — and both essences will close in one Puruṣa.