Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,4.25
॥
Devanāgarī
सः वा एषः महान् अजः आत्मा अजरः अमरः अमृतः अभयः ब्रह्म अभयं वै ब्रह्म अभयं हि वै ब्रह्म भवति यः एवम् वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ vā eṣaḥ mahān ajaḥ ātmā ajaraḥ amaraḥ amṛtaḥ abhayaḥ brahma abhayaṃ vai brahma abhayaṃ hi vai brahma bhavati yaḥ evam veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
वाvātruly; surely
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
महान्mahāngreat; vast
अजःajaḥunborn; without birth
आत्माātmāthe self; the ātman
अजरःajaraḥageless (a-jara); never decaying; the unaging
अमरःamaraḥdeathless (a-mara); not subject to death; the undying
अमृतःamṛtaḥthe immortal (a-mṛta); imperishable; immortal
अभयःabhayaḥthe fearless (a-bhaya); fearless; fearless
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the sacred reality
अभयंabhayaṃfearlessness (a-bhaya); safety; fearlessness
वैvaitruly; indeed
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the sacred reality
अभयंabhayaṃfearlessness (a-bhaya); safety; fearlessness
हिhiindeed; truly
वैvaitruly; indeed
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the sacred reality
भवतिbhavatibecomes; he presents himself
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एवम्evamthus; in this way
वेदvedaknows; realises
Translation
This great unborn ātman is unaging, undying, immortal, fearless — Brahman. Fearlessness indeed is Brahman; he who knows thus becomes the fearless Brahman.
Version
029c8b0f3b44 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:18:17 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The last verse of the instruction to Janaka — and it ends with the same word as their second conversation (4.2.4): abhayam, fearlessness. Four steps of titles — ajaro 'maro 'mṛto 'bhayaḥ: unaging, undying, immortal, fearless — and an identity raised into a creed: abhayaṁ vai brahma — "fearlessness is Brahman".
Fear, as we have known since the first pages, comes "from a second" (1.4.2); Brahman is that beside which there is no second, and therefore He is Fearlessness itself — not as a property but as a name. And the promise closes the circle: abhayaṁ hi vai brahma bhavati ya evaṁ veda — "he who knows thus becomes the fearless Brahman": the last gift of knowledge is not power, not even bliss, but fearlessness, the quietest of miracles. Whoever no longer fears is home.