Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,3.26
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् वै तत् न वदति वदन् वै तत् न वदति न हि वक्तुः वक्तेर् विपरिलोपो विद्यते अविनाशित्वात् न तु तत् द्वितीयम् अस्ति ततो अन्यद् विभक्तं यत् वदेत्
Transliteration (IAST)
yat vai tat na vadati vadan vai tat na vadati na hi vaktuḥ vakter viparilopo vidyate avināśitvāt na tu tat dvitīyam asti tato anyad vibhaktaṃ yat vadet
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatthat which; that which
वैvaitruly; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
नnanot; no
वदतिvadatisays; utters
वदन्vadanspeaking; saying
वैvaitruly; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
नnanot; no
वदतिvadatisays; utters
नnanot; no
हिhiindeed; truly
वक्तुःvaktuḥthe speaker; of the speaker
वक्तेर्vakterof speaking; of speech
विपरिलोपोviparilopoextinction; loss
विद्यतेvidyateexists; is to be found
अविनाशित्वात्avināśitvātbecause of indestructibility; since it is not destroyed
नnanot; no
तुtusurely; but
तत्tatthat; this
द्वितीयम्dvitīyama second thing; another
अस्तिastiam; exists
ततोtatofor that reason; from him
अन्यद्anyadanother; other
विभक्तंvibhaktaṃsomething separate; something divided
यत्yatthat which; that which
वदेत्vadetcould he speak; he would say
Translation
If [there] he does not speak — then, speaking, he does not speak: for there is no destruction of that power in the speaker, since he is indestructible; but there is no second, nothing else, separate, that might be its object.
Version
e9d6d4eccb6a · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:13:54 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fourth beat: speech. The silence of the depths is no dumbness: "speaking, he does not speak": the power of the word is whole, but there is no second to speak to or about; this is the silence of fullness, not of emptiness.
Beat by beat it is one casting: the faculty is indestructible (avināśitvāt), and only the "second" — the separate object — has disappeared. The depth does not take away powers; it takes away separateness, and in this the repose of the ātman differs from any swoon: there the light goes out, here only the boundaries do.