Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,3.27
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् वै तत् न शृणोति शृण्वन् वै तत् न शृणोति न हि श्रोतुः श्रुतेर् विपरिलोपो विद्यते अविनाशित्वात् न तु तत् द्वितीयम् अस्ति ततो अन्यद् विभक्तं यत् शृणुयात्
Transliteration (IAST)
yat vai tat na śṛṇoti śṛṇvan vai tat na śṛṇoti na hi śrotuḥ śruter viparilopo vidyate avināśitvāt na tu tat dvitīyam asti tato anyad vibhaktaṃ yat śṛṇuyāt
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatthat which; that which
वैvaitruly; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
नnanot; no
शृणोतिśṛṇotihears; one listens
शृण्वन्śṛṇvanthe hearer; hearing
वैvaitruly; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
नnanot; no
शृणोतिśṛṇotihears; one listens
नnanot; no
हिhiindeed; truly
श्रोतुःśrotuḥthe hearer; of the hearer
श्रुतेर्śruterof hearing; of the ear
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
शृणुयात्śṛṇuyāthe might hear; he would hear
Translation
If [there] he does not hear — then, hearing, he does not hear: for there is no destruction of that power in the hearer, since he is indestructible; but there is no second, nothing else, separate, that might be its object.
Version
741202c4998f · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:13:54 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fifth beat: hearing. "Hearing, he does not hear": the stillness of the repose is no deafness; hearing is not destroyed (avināśitvāt!), there is simply nothing other to sound from outside.
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.