Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,4.15
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः इच्छेत् पुत्रो मे कपिलः पिङ्गलः जायेत द्वौ वेदौ अनुब्रुवीत सर्वम् आयुः इयात् इति दध्योदनं पाचयित्वा सर्पिष्मन्तम् अश्नीयाताम् ईश्वरौ जनयितवै
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yaḥ icchet putro me kapilaḥ piṅgalaḥ jāyeta dvau vedau anubruvīta sarvam āyuḥ iyāt iti dadhyodanaṃ pācayitvā sarpiṣmantam aśnīyātām īśvarau janayitavai
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; further
यःyaḥwho; the one who
इच्छेत्icchethe would wish; he should wish
पुत्रोputroa son; a boy
मेmemy; in my house
कपिलःkapilaḥbrown; reddish
पिङ्गलःpiṅgalaḥlight brown; tawny
जायेतjāyetalet there be born; may there be
द्वौdvauthe two; the two
वेदौvedautwo Vedas; two knowledges
अनुब्रुवीतanubruvītalet him recite; he studies
सर्वम्sarvamthe whole; complete
आयुःāyuḥlife; length of life
इयात्iyātlet him go; he would go
इतिitithus; how
दध्योदनंdadhyodanaṃrice with curds; the curd gruel
पाचयित्वाpācayitvāhaving cooked; having prepared
सर्पिष्मन्तम्sarpiṣmantamwith ghee; with clarified butter
अश्नीयाताम्aśnīyātāmlet them both eat; they should eat it
ईश्वरौīśvarauable; possessed of power
जनयितवैjanayitavaito beget; to bring forth
Translation
He who wishes "may a tawny (kapila) son be born to me, one who will learn two Vedas and live out his full span" — let the two of them, having cooked rice in curds with butter, eat it: they will be able to beget.
Version
d2ebd9eabefe · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:28:50 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second rung: a "tawny" son who will know two Vedas — and rice cooked in curds (dadhi). With every wish the recipe changes: the food thickens, a Veda is added.
The structure of the ladder is uniform: a wish — a recipe — a shared meal of the couple. A child begins at the parents' common table; as the table is, so the fruit is asked for: the household kitchen is raised to the rank of a rite about offspring.