Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3,2.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह एनम् जारत्कारवः आर्तभागः पप्रच्छ याज्ञवल्क्येति ह उवाच कति ग्रहाः कति अतिग्रहाः इति अष्टौ ग्रहाः अष्टौ अतिग्रहाः इति ये ते अष्टौ ग्रहाः अष्टौ अतिग्रहाः कतमे ते इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha enam jāratkāravaḥ ārtabhāgaḥ papraccha yājñavalkyeti ha uvāca kati grahāḥ kati atigrahāḥ iti aṣṭau grahāḥ aṣṭau atigrahāḥ iti ye te aṣṭau grahāḥ aṣṭau atigrahāḥ katame te iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; further
हhasurely; as is known
एनम्enamit; of this
जारत्कारवःjāratkāravaḥJāratkārava (a family name); Jāratkārava; Jāratkārava
आर्तभागःārtabhāgaḥĀrtabhāga (a name); Ārtabhāga; Ārtabhāga
पप्रच्छpapracchaasked; put a question
याज्ञवल्क्येतिyājñavalkyetiO Yājñavalkya; thus: Yājñavalkya
हhasurely; as is known
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
कतिkatihow many; by what number
ग्रहाःgrahāḥthe graspers (graha — 'the seizer'); the seizers; the graspers
कतिkatihow many; by what number
अतिग्रहाःatigrahāḥthe over-graspers (ati-graha); the over-seizers; the over-graspers
इतिitithus; how
अष्टौaṣṭaueight (aṣṭa); the eight; eight
ग्रहाःgrahāḥthe graspers (graha — 'the seizer'); the seizers; the graspers
अष्टौaṣṭaueight (aṣṭa); the eight; eight
अतिग्रहाःatigrahāḥthe over-graspers (ati-graha); the over-seizers; the over-graspers
इतिitithus; how
येyethose who; they who
तेtethose; these
अष्टौaṣṭaueight (aṣṭa); the eight; eight
ग्रहाःgrahāḥthe graspers (graha — 'the seizer'); the seizers; the graspers
अष्टौaṣṭaueight (aṣṭa); the eight; eight
अतिग्रहाःatigrahāḥthe over-graspers (ati-graha); the over-seizers; the over-graspers
कतमेkatamewhich; those who
तेtethose; these
इतिitithus; how
Translation
Then Jāratkārava Ārtabhāga questioned him: "Yājñavalkya," he said, "how many graspers are there, and how many over-graspers?" — "Eight graspers and eight over-graspers." — "What are those eight graspers and eight over-graspers?"
Version
50ea603442e7 · published Jul 27, 2026, 12:59:58 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second questioner is Ārtabhāga, and his theme is graha and atigraha: "graspers" and "over-graspers". A word from the ritual vocabulary (graha is the ladle with which soma is "seized") is turned toward anthropology: with what does a man grasp the world — and by what is he himself grasped?
The answer, "eight and eight", sets up the great symmetry of captivity: every grasping organ has its own captor. We are used to counting the senses as instruments for possessing the world; now it will be shown that each of them is a hand held by a larger hand. A census of mutual captivity begins — one of the soberest pages in the Veda on the condition of the embodied.