Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,2.2
॥
Devanāgarī
इन्धः ह वै नाम एषः यः अयम् दक्षिणे अक्षन् पुरुषः तम् वा एतम् इन्धम् सन्तम् इन्द्रः इति आचक्षते परोक्षेण एव परोक्षप्रियाः इव हि देवाः प्रत्यक्षद्विषः
Transliteration (IAST)
indhaḥ ha vai nāma eṣaḥ yaḥ ayam dakṣiṇe akṣan puruṣaḥ tam vā etam indham santam indraḥ iti ācakṣate parokṣeṇa eva parokṣapriyāḥ iva hi devāḥ pratyakṣadviṣaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इन्धःindhaḥIndha (indha — 'the kindler'); the Fiery one; Indha
हhasurely; as is known
वैvaitruly; indeed
नामnāmaby name; the name
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अयम्ayamthis; he
दक्षिणेdakṣiṇein the right (dakṣiṇa, loc.); in the right one; in the right one
अक्षन्akṣanin the eye (akṣan, loc.); in the eye; in the eye
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥthe puruṣa; the person; the indweller
तम्tamit; that one
वाvātruly; surely
एतम्etamof this; it
इन्धम्indhamIndha; the shining one
सन्तम्santamof what exists; of what is to be
इन्द्रःindraḥIndra; the mighty god
इतिitithus; how
आचक्षतेācakṣatethey call; they call
परोक्षेणparokṣeṇaindirectly (parokṣa, instr.); obliquely; obliquely
एवevaindeed; only
परोक्षप्रियाःparokṣapriyāḥfond of the indirect (parokṣa-priya); given to circumlocution; fond of the oblique
इवivahow; as it were
हिhiindeed; truly
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
प्रत्यक्षद्विषःpratyakṣadviṣaḥaverse to the direct (pratyakṣa-dviṣ); enemies of the obvious; averse to the direct
Translation
"Indha is the name of that person in the right eye; and him, being Indha, they call indirectly 'Indra': for the gods love the indirect and cannot bear the direct.
Version
9714eb398ad4 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:09:40 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The instruction begins with the person in the right eye — the familiar point of all these conversations (2.3.5; ChU 8.7): his true name is Indha, "the Kindler, the Flaming one", while "Indra" is an indirect name. And at once the famous maxim: parokṣa-priyā iva hi devāḥ pratyakṣa-dviṣaḥ — "the gods love the indirect and cannot bear the direct".
This is the key to the whole language of the Veda: the holy is named obliquely, the secret is guarded by indirection — not to hide it from the worthy but as a veil against the idle: the direct name is given only to one who has entered. Hence the Upaniṣads speak in riddles, hence the names of the gods are epithet-pseudonyms. The knower reads through the veil: what burns in his eye is no "metaphor" but the Flaming One in person.