Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3,8.6
॥
Devanāgarī
सा ह उवाच यद् ऊर्ध्वं याज्ञवल्क्य दिवः यद् अवाक् पृथिव्याः यद् अन्तरा द्यावापृथिवी इमे यद् भूतम् च भवत् च भविष्यत् च इति आचक्षते कस्मिंस् तद् ओतं च प्रोतं च इति
Transliteration (IAST)
sā ha uvāca yad ūrdhvaṃ yājñavalkya divaḥ yad avāk pṛthivyāḥ yad antarā dyāvāpṛthivī ime yad bhūtam ca bhavat ca bhaviṣyat ca iti ācakṣate kasmiṃs tad otaṃ ca protaṃ ca iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
साsāshe; that one
हhasurely; as is known
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
यद्yadwhen; that which
ऊर्ध्वंūrdhvaṃhigher; further
याज्ञवल्क्यyājñavalkyaYājñavalkya; O Yājñavalkya
दिवःdivaḥfrom heaven; out of the heavenly world
यद्yadwhen; that which
अवाक्avākwithout speech; lower
पृथिव्याःpṛthivyāḥof land; from the earth
यद्yadwhen; that which
अन्तराantarābetween; in the midst
द्यावापृथिवीdyāvāpṛthivīheaven and earth; the two regions of heaven and earth
इमेimethese; these here
यद्yadwhen; that which
भूतम्bhūtamthe past; what has been
चcaand; as well as
भवत्bhavatthe present; what is coming to be
चcaand; as well as
भविष्यत्bhaviṣyatthe future; that which shall be
चcaand; as well as
इतिitithus; how
आचक्षतेācakṣatethey call (ā + √cakṣ); they call; they call
कस्मिंस्kasmiṃson what (kasmin); in what; on what
तद्tadthat; this
ओतंotaṃis woven lengthwise; is strung
चcaand; as well as
प्रोतंprotaṃis woven crosswise; is interwoven
चcaand; as well as
इतिitithus; how
Translation
She said: "That which is above the sky, Yājñavalkya, that which is below the earth, that which is between sky and earth, that which they call the past, the present and the future — upon what is that woven, warp and woof?"
Version
f598a8eea88a · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:04:09 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second arrow — and it repeats the first word for word! In this lies Gārgī's stroke of genius: the same question, asked after the answer "upon space", means something else: "and space — together with everything upon it — upon what?" She will not let the conversation slide into a new ladder of "upon what? — upon that" to a bad infinity: by the repetition she demands the last ground, or the admission that there is none.
This is the very question over which "a head falling off" was threatened last time — but now it is put faultlessly: not as one more rung of the regress but as the question of the limit of the whole regress at once. It cannot be answered with one more thing — and Yājñavalkya will not answer with a thing.