Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,4.14
॥
Devanāgarī
इहैव सन्तः अथ विद्मः तद् वयं न चेद् अवेदिः महती विनष्टिः ये तद् विदुः अमृताः ते भवन्ति अथेतरे दुःखम् एव अपियन्ति
Transliteration (IAST)
ihaiva santaḥ atha vidmaḥ tad vayaṃ na ced avediḥ mahatī vinaṣṭiḥ ye tad viduḥ amṛtāḥ te bhavanti athetare duḥkham eva apiyanti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इहैवihaivahere itself (iha eva); here itself; while still here
सन्तःsantaḥbeing (sat, pl.); abiding; being
अथathathereupon; further
विद्मःvidmaḥwe have known (from √vid, 1st pl.); we know; they knew
तद्tadthat; this
वयंvayaṃwe; us
नnanot; no
चेद्cedif; if
अवेदिःavediḥif you have not known (aorist of √vid; na ced avediḥ); you have not realised; you have not known
महतीmahatīgreat (mahatī); great; great
विनष्टिःvinaṣṭiḥthe ruin (vinaṣṭi); loss; the destruction
येyethose who; they who
तद्tadthat; this
विदुःviduḥthey know; they are aware
अमृताःamṛtāḥthey are immortal (a-mṛta, pl.); they are imperishable; they are immortal
तेtethose; these
भवन्तिbhavantibecome; are
अथेतरेathetarebut the others; the rest
दुःखम्duḥkhamsuffering (duḥkha); woe; suffering
एवevaindeed; only
अपियन्तिapiyantigo; arrive at
Translation
While still here we have known it. If you have not known it — great is the loss: those who know it become immortal, and the rest go only into suffering.
Version
832b49352f3d · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:17:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A verse that is an ultimatum, one of the most urgent in the Veda: ihaiva santo 'tha vidmas tad vayam — "while still here, we have known it"! Knowledge is the business of this life, this body, this "here"; na ced avedir mahatī vinaṣṭiḥ — "if you have not known, great is the loss": not a punishment but an omission of irreparable size — to live beside a treasure and die a beggar (the same wretchedness — kṛpaṇa — as in Gārgī's lesson, 3.8.10).
And a fork with no third road: those who know are immortal; the rest go "only into suffering" (duḥkham evāpiyanti). The Kaṭha will repeat this verse almost word for word (KaU 2.3.4): iha ced aśakad boddhum — "if here one has managed to awaken…". All the mercy of the Upaniṣads is in that hurrying "here and now": the door is open at this moment; enter at this moment.