Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3,2.12
॥
Devanāgarī
याज्ञवल्क्येति ह उवाच यत्र अयम् पुरुषः म्रियते किम् एनम् न जहाति इति नाम इति अनन्तं वै नाम अनन्ताः विश्वे देवाः अनन्तम् एव सः तेन लोकम् जयति
Transliteration (IAST)
yājñavalkyeti ha uvāca yatra ayam puruṣaḥ mriyate kim enam na jahāti iti nāma iti anantaṃ vai nāma anantāḥ viśve devāḥ anantam eva saḥ tena lokam jayati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
याज्ञवल्क्येतिyājñavalkyetiO Yājñavalkya; thus: Yājñavalkya
हhasurely; as is known
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
यत्रyatrawhere; when
अयम्ayamthis; he
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥthe puruṣa; the person; the indweller
म्रियतेmriyatedies; he departs from life
किम्kimwhat; in what manner
एनम्enamit; of this
नnanot; no
जहातिjahātihe leaves (from √hā; na jahāti); leaves; it forsakes
इतिitithus; how
नामnāmaname (nāman); the name; the name
इतिitithus; how
अनन्तंanantaṃendlessly (an-anta); boundlessly; endlessly
वैvaitruly; indeed
नामnāmaname (nāman); the name; the name
अनन्ताःanantāḥendless; the boundless
विश्वेviśveall; the universal ones
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
अनन्तम्anantamendless; the boundless
एवevaindeed; only
सःsaḥhe; that one
तेनtenato them; by means of him
लोकम्lokamthe world; the region
जयतिjayatihe conquers; he conquers
Translation
"Yājñavalkya," he said, "when this man dies, what does not leave him?" — "The name. The name is infinite, the All-gods are infinite; by this he wins an infinite world."
Version
8a2cf839ec9c · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:01:54 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
"What does not leave the dead man?" — "The name" (nāma). The body is handed over to the elements, the breaths are gathered and led away — but the name remains in the world: it is spoken, it is commemorated, it neither rots nor burns. The name is called "infinite" — the one component of a man that has no funeral in this world.
The answer goes deeper than memorial obviousness. A name is essence-in-a-word, as this whole Upaniṣad has developed it (nāma-rūpa; "speech is the uktha of names", 1.6.1): a personal form independent of matter. What a man has done with his name — what he has filled it with — is what will outlive him here. And the bhakti tradition hears further: if a man's name is indestructible, what of the Name of the Lord? — that is the very infinity a mortal can lay hold of: a name that does not leave, and a Name that will not leave.