Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,4.2
॥
Devanāgarī
सः ह प्रजापतिः ईक्षां चक्रे हन्त अस्मै प्रतिष्ठां कल्पयानि इति सः स्त्रियं ससृजे तां सृष्ट्वा अध उपास्त तस्मात् स्त्रियम् अध उपासीत सः एतम् प्राञ्चं ग्रावाणम् आत्मनः एव समुदपारयत् तेन एनाम् अभ्यसृजत
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ ha prajāpatiḥ īkṣāṃ cakre hanta asmai pratiṣṭhāṃ kalpayāni iti saḥ striyaṃ sasṛje tāṃ sṛṣṭvā adha upāsta tasmāt striyam adha upāsīta saḥ etam prāñcaṃ grāvāṇam ātmanaḥ eva samudapārayat tena enām abhyasṛjata
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhasurely; as is known
प्रजापतिःprajāpatiḥPrajāpati; the lord of creatures
ईक्षांīkṣāṃhe reflected (īkṣā, acc. — 'a looking-and-planning'); he considered; he considered
चक्रेcakreHe made; I have performed
हन्तhantacome now; so then
अस्मैasmaito him; for him
प्रतिष्ठांpratiṣṭhāṃthe support (pratiṣṭhā, acc.); the support; a support
कल्पयानिkalpayānilet me contrive (from √kḷp, voluntative); let me make; let me arrange
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
स्त्रियंstriyaṃa woman (strī, acc.); a wife; a woman
ससृजेsasṛjehe created (from √sṛj, perf.); created; He fashioned
तांtāṃthat; it
सृष्ट्वाsṛṣṭvāhaving created; having created
अधadhabeneath; lower
उपास्तupāstahe honoured; approached
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
स्त्रियम्striyama woman; his wife
अधadhabeneath; lower
उपासीतupāsītais to be worshipped; one should approach
सःsaḥhe; that one
एतम्etamof this; it
प्राञ्चंprāñcaṃdirected forward; turned forward
ग्रावाणम्grāvāṇamthe pressing-stone; the sacrificial stone
आत्मनःātmanaḥout of himself; of his own self
एवevaindeed; only
समुदपारयत्samudapārayathe brought forth; he drew out
तेनtenato them; by means of him
एनाम्enāmit; this
अभ्यसृजतabhyasṛjatahe poured into her; he impregnated
Translation
And Prajāpati reflected: "Come, let me make a support for it," and created woman…
Version
23b1cf1d25bb · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:28:05 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The seed, the summit of the essences, needs a pratiṣṭhā — a support, and Prajāpati creates woman: she enters the narrative as the support of the world's very essence — the throne without which the sap of creation would be spilled into nothing.
The further details of the verse are a ritual reading of union (on the pattern of ChU 5.8): the marital is given in the language of sacrifice. The Upaniṣad is consistent: if conception is the fifth fire of the gods, then everything connected with it is liturgics and not physiology; and the dignity of woman here is sacred from the start: she is the altar of the world's continuation.