Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,4.16
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः इच्छेत् पुत्रो मे श्यामः लोहिताक्षः जायेत त्रीन् वेदान् अनुब्रुवीत सर्वम् आयुः इयात् इति उदौदनं पाचयित्वा सर्पिष्मन्तम् अश्नीयाताम् ईश्वरौ जनयितवै
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yaḥ icchet putro me śyāmaḥ lohitākṣaḥ jāyeta trīn vedān anubruvīta sarvam āyuḥ iyāt iti udaudanaṃ 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
श्यामःśyāmaḥthe dark; dark-complexioned
लोहिताक्षःlohitākṣaḥred-eyed; with red eyes
जायेतjāyetalet there be born; may there be
त्रीन्trīnthree; the three
वेदान्vedānthe Vedas; knowledges
अनुब्रुवीतanubruvītalet him recite; he studies
सर्वम्sarvamthe whole; complete
आयुःāyuḥlife; length of life
इयात्iyātlet him go; he would go
इतिitithus; how
उदौदनंudaudanaṃrice boiled in water; the water 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 dark son with red eyes be born to me, one who will learn three Vedas and live out his full span" — let the two of them, having cooked rice in water with butter, eat it: they will be able to beget.
Version
c5572fb1bb7b · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:29:38 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third rung: a son who knows three Vedas — and rice cooked in water. The ladder of "culinary eugenics" is serenely serious: the parents prepare their son's learning at a common table, believing that the composition of the conception will tell in the composition of the mind.
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.