Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,5.10
॥
Devanāgarī
सः यथा वीणायै वाद्यमानायै न बाह्याञ् शब्दाञ् शक्नुयात् ग्रहणाय वीणायै तु ग्रहणेन वीणावादस्य वा शब्दः गृहीतः
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ yathā vīṇāyai vādyamānāyai na bāhyāñ śabdāñ śaknuyāt grahaṇāya vīṇāyai tu grahaṇena vīṇāvādasya vā śabdaḥ gṛhītaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
यथाyathāhow; as far as
वीणायैvīṇāyaiof a vīṇā (vīṇā, gen.); of the lute; of the vīṇā
वाद्यमानायैvādyamānāyaiwhen it is played (passive participle); being sounded; when it is played
नnanot; no
बाह्याञ्bāhyāñthe outward; the external
शब्दाञ्śabdāñsounds; of speech
शक्नुयात्śaknuyāthe would be able; he would be capable
ग्रहणायgrahaṇāyafor the grasping; for the perceiving
वीणायैvīṇāyaiof a vīṇā (vīṇā, gen.); of the lute; of the vīṇā
तुtusurely; but
ग्रहणेनgrahaṇenaby grasping; by taking hold
वीणावादस्यvīṇāvādasyaof the playing of the vīṇā; of the sounding of the vīṇā
वाvātruly; surely
शब्दःśabdaḥsound; the sounding
गृहीतःgṛhītaḥis grasped; is caught
Translation
as, when a vīṇā is played, one cannot catch the outward sounds one by one, but by catching the vīṇā, or the player, the sound too is caught; —
Version
413becd95097 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:18:17 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third parable is the vīṇā: the melody does not exist apart from the strings and the fingers; all of it is in the Player. The ladder of three sounds — thunder, call, song — is climbed once more to the Musician.
The world as music, God as the Musician, knowing as the catching not of the notes but of the Hand — this is Maitreyī's inheritance; bhakti will add only the Player's name and his flute.