Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,4.1
॥
Devanāgarī
एषां वै भूतानां पृथिवी रसः पृथिव्या आपः अपाम् ओषधयः ओषधीनां पुष्पाणि पुष्पाणां फलानि फलानां पुरुषः पुरुषस्य रेतः
Transliteration (IAST)
eṣāṃ vai bhūtānāṃ pṛthivī rasaḥ pṛthivyā āpaḥ apām oṣadhayaḥ oṣadhīnāṃ puṣpāṇi puṣpāṇāṃ phalāni phalānāṃ puruṣaḥ puruṣasya retaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एषांeṣāṃof these; of these
वैvaitruly; indeed
भूतानांbhūtānāṃof beings; of the elements
पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earthly element
रसःrasaḥthe essence (rasa — 'sap'); the sap and essence; essence
पृथिव्याpṛthivyāof land; out of the earth
आपःāpaḥthe waters; the watery element
अपाम्apāmof the waters; out of the waters
ओषधयःoṣadhayaḥthe herbs (oṣadhi, pl.); plants; herbs
ओषधीनांoṣadhīnāṃof herbs; of plants
पुष्पाणिpuṣpāṇithe flowers (puṣpa, pl.); the blossoms; the flowers
पुष्पाणांpuṣpāṇāṃof the flowers; from the flowers
फलानिphalānithe fruits (phala, pl.); the fruits; the fruits
फलानांphalānāṃof the fruits; from the fruits
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥman; the man
पुरुषस्यpuruṣasyathe man; human beings
रेतःretaḥthe seed (retas); seed; seed
Translation
The essence of these beings is the earth; of the earth, the waters; of the waters, the plants; of the plants, the flowers; of the flowers, the fruits; of the fruits, man; of man, the seed.
Version
1c0d2ae289c7 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:27:19 AM UTC
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The last brāhmaṇa of the instructions opens with a ladder of essences (rasa): earth → waters → plants → flowers → fruits → man → seed: a sevenfold distillation in which every step is the juice of the one before it. The seed is declared the summit of the universe's refining: the essence of the essences of everything earthly.
This sets the tone of the whole brāhmaṇa on procreation: what follows is no "low matter" but the very concentrate of creation; and the Upaniṣad will handle it as a holy thing — with rite, mantra and reverence. The Gauḍīya tradition honours family in the same order: the gṛhastha-āśrama is not a concession to the flesh but a service to the continuation of the chain along which both vidyās and souls travel.