Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,2.9
॥
Devanāgarī
असौ वै लोकः अग्निः गौतम तस्य आदित्यः एव समित् रश्मयो धूमः अहः अर्चिः दिशः अङ्गाराः अवान्तरदिशः विष्फुलिङ्गाः तस्मिन् एतस्मिन् अग्नौ देवाः श्रद्धां जुह्वति तस्याः आहुत्यै सोमः राजा संभवति
Transliteration (IAST)
asau vai lokaḥ agniḥ gautama tasya ādityaḥ eva samit raśmayo dhūmaḥ ahaḥ arciḥ diśaḥ aṅgārāḥ avāntaradiśaḥ viṣphuliṅgāḥ tasmin etasmin agnau devāḥ śraddhāṃ juhvati tasyāḥ āhutyai somaḥ rājā saṃbhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
असौasauthat one; yonder
वैvaitruly; indeed
लोकःlokaḥthe world; dwelling
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
गौतमgautamaO Gautama; Gautama
तस्यtasyait; his
आदित्यःādityaḥĀditya; the sun
एवevaindeed; only
समित्samitthe fuel (samidh); fuel; the fuel
रश्मयोraśmayothe rays (raśmi, pl.); the rays; the rays
धूमःdhūmaḥsmoke; the smoke-form
अहःahaḥthe day; the daylight
अर्चिःarciḥthe flame (arcis); the blaze; flame
दिशःdiśaḥthe quarters of the sky; the directions
अङ्गाराःaṅgārāḥthe embers (aṅgāra, pl.); the embers; the coals
अवान्तरदिशःavāntaradiśaḥthe intermediate quarters; the directions between the quarters
विष्फुलिङ्गाःviṣphuliṅgāḥthe sparks (visphuliṅga, pl.); little sparks; the sparks
तस्मिन्tasminin It; in this
एतस्मिन्etasminin this; upon this
अग्नौagnauin the fire; in this fire
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
श्रद्धांśraddhāṃfaith (śraddhā, acc.); faith; faith
जुह्वतिjuhvatithey offer (from √hu); they sacrifice; they pour the libation
तस्याःtasyāḥit; of her
आहुत्यैāhutyaiout of the oblation; from the offering
सोमःsomaḥSoma; the lunar deity
राजाrājāthe king; the lord
संभवतिsaṃbhavatibecomes; arises; he comes into being
Translation
"That world, Gautama, is a fire: the sun is its fuel, the rays its smoke, the day its flame, the quarters of the sky its coals, the intermediate quarters its sparks. Into this fire the gods offer faith; out of this oblation King Soma is born.
Version
6a5529bf76b6 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:25:01 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first of the five fires is the sky, and the layout differs a little from the Chāndogya's (5.4): the coals here are the quarters of the sky, the sparks the intermediate quarters: two schools with their own details of one vision. The substance is the same: the universe is a continuous agnihotra, and the first oblation is śraddhā, faith, out of which Soma is born on the heavenly altar.
At the source of every embodiment is not a substance but faith: the subtle aspiration with which one has lived and sacrificed. As the faith is, so is the seed of future births: "a man is made of his faith" (BG 17.3). The tracing of this drop begins — through five altars as far as a human voice.