किंदेवतः अस्याम् प्रतीच्याम् दिशि असि इति वरुणदेवतः इति सः वरुणः कस्मिन् प्रतिष्ठितः इति अप्सु इति कस्मिन् नु आपः प्रतिष्ठिताः इति रेतसि इति कस्मिन् नु रेतः प्रतिष्ठितम् इति हृदये इति तस्मात् अपि प्रतिरूपम् जातम् आहुः हृदयात् इव सृप्तः हृदयात् इव निर्मितः इति हृदये हि एव रेतः प्रतिष्ठितम् भवति इति एवम् एव एतत् याज्ञवल्क्य
kiṃdevataḥ asyām pratīcyām diśi asi iti varuṇadevataḥ iti saḥ varuṇaḥ kasmin pratiṣṭhitaḥ iti apsu iti kasmin nu āpaḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ iti retasi iti kasmin nu retaḥ pratiṣṭhitam iti hṛdaye iti tasmāt api pratirūpam jātam āhuḥ hṛdayāt iva sṛptaḥ hṛdayāt iva nirmitaḥ iti hṛdaye hi eva retaḥ pratiṣṭhitam bhavati iti evam eva etat yājñavalkya
"With what deity are you in the western quarter?" — "With Varuṇa." — "On what is Varuṇa established?" — "On the waters." — "And the waters on what?" — "On seed." — "And seed on what?" — "On the heart. That is why of a son who resembles his father men say: 'as though he had slipped out of the heart, as though he had been carved from the heart': on the heart seed is established." — "Just so, Yājñavalkya!"
d5c7593233b0 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:08:05 AM UTC
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The west is Varuṇa, lord of the waters; the waters rest on seed (the moisture of life is continued by seed), and seed on the heart. And the proof comes from a popular tenderness: of a son who takes after his father they say "slipped out of the heart, carved from the heart" (hṛdayād iva sṛptaḥ). The likeness of children to their parents is evidence that it is not the flesh that begets: the heart begets, and the flesh executes.
So the third quarter of the sky leads to the same centre. Fatherhood, heredity, the whole fluid element of the line rests on the heart; children resemble what we carry in our breast — and not in face only.