Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,1.2
॥
Devanāgarī
यः ह वै वसिष्ठां वेद वसिष्ठः स्वानां भवति वाग् वै वसिष्ठा वसिष्ठः स्वानां भवति अपि च येषां बुभूषति यः एवम् वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
yaḥ ha vai vasiṣṭhāṃ veda vasiṣṭhaḥ svānāṃ bhavati vāg vai vasiṣṭhā vasiṣṭhaḥ svānāṃ bhavati api ca yeṣāṃ bubhūṣati yaḥ evam veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यःyaḥwho; the one who
हhasurely; as is known
वैvaitruly; indeed
वसिष्ठांvasiṣṭhāṃthe richest (vasiṣṭhā); the wealthiest; the richest
वेदvedaknows; realises
वसिष्ठःvasiṣṭhaḥthe richest; the best
स्वानांsvānāṃamong his own; for his own
भवतिbhavatibecomes; he presents himself
वाग्vāgspeech (vāc); the word; speech
वैvaitruly; indeed
वसिष्ठाvasiṣṭhāthe wealthiest; the best
वसिष्ठःvasiṣṭhaḥthe richest; the best
स्वानांsvānāṃamong his own; for his own
भवतिbhavatibecomes; he presents himself
अपिapialso; even
चcaand; as well as
येषांyeṣāṃamong whom; for whom
बुभूषतिbubhūṣatihe wishes to become; he seeks to be
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एवम्evamthus; in this way
वेदvedaknows; realises
Translation
He who knows the richest becomes the richest among his own. Speech is the richest. He who knows this becomes the richest among his own — and among those among whom he wishes to be so.
Version
32365e87322d · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:22:50 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Speech's title is vasiṣṭhā, "the richest": all the possessions of men — knowledge, agreement, prayer — are kept in words; rich is the one whose word has weight.
The handing out of titles will go through six powers (here there are six — with the seed!), and each title will have its own truth and its own limit: pre-eminence "among one's own", within its own province. Only one thing will prove common — as always in this book, the breath.