Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,3.7
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् ह एतम् उद्दालकः आरुणिः वाजसनेयाय याज्ञवल्क्याय अन्तेवासिने उक्त्वा उवाच अपि यः एनम् शुष्के स्थाणौ निषिञ्चेत् जायेरञ् छाखाः प्ररोहेयुः पलाशानि इति
Transliteration (IAST)
tam ha etam uddālakaḥ āruṇiḥ vājasaneyāya yājñavalkyāya antevāsine uktvā uvāca api yaḥ enam śuṣke sthāṇau niṣiñcet jāyerañ chākhāḥ praroheyuḥ palāśāni iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
हhasurely; as is known
एतम्etamof this; it
उद्दालकःuddālakaḥUddālaka; the sage Uddālaka
आरुणिःāruṇiḥĀruṇi; the son of Aruṇa
वाजसनेयायvājasaneyāyato Vājasaneya (vājasaneya, dat.); to Vājasaneya; to Vājasaneya
याज्ञवल्क्यायyājñavalkyāyato Yājñavalkya; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
अन्तेवासिनेantevāsineto his pupil (antevāsin, dat.); to one dwelling beside him; to the pupil
उक्त्वाuktvāso saying; having uttered
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
अपिapieven; if
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एनम्enamthis; it
शुष्केśuṣkeupon a dry (śuṣka, loc.); upon a withered; upon a dry one
स्थाणौsthāṇaua stump (sthāṇu, loc.); a stub; a stump
निषिञ्चेत्niṣiñcetto pour it out (ni + √sic, optative); he would pour; to pour out
जायेरञ्jāyerañthere would be born; there would appear
छाखाःchākhāḥbranches; shoots
प्ररोहेयुःpraroheyuḥthey would sprout (pra + √ruh, optative pl.); they will come up; they will spring up
पलाशानिpalāśānithe leaves (palāśa, pl.); foliage; the leaves
इतिitithus; how
Translation
This [mantha] Uddālaka Āruṇi told to his pupil Yājñavalkya Vājasaneya, and said: "Even if one poured it on a dry stump, branches would be born and leaves would sprout."
Version
02961e36e88a · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:26:41 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The handing on of the vidyā — and what names in the first link: Uddālaka Āruṇi gives the mantha to Yājñavalkya! The two greatest men of the Upaniṣads — the teacher of "tat tvam asi" and the hero of this book — turn out to be links of one chain: Yājñavalkya, whose studentship under Uddālaka is here attested, is the heir of this household science too.
And the formula of power, familiar from the Chāndogya (5.2.3): "pour it on a dry stump and it will sprout leaves": the vidyā gives life even to the dead. This phrase will be repeated five times along the chain — as a test of authenticity: in a real handing-on the power does not go flat.