Upanishads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 6,4.17
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः इच्छेत् दुहिता मे पण्डिता जायेत सर्वम् आयुः इयात् इति तिलौदनं पाचयित्वा सर्पिष्मन्तम् अश्नीयाताम् ईश्वरौ जनयितवै
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yaḥ icchet duhitā me paṇḍitā jāyeta sarvam āyuḥ iyāt iti tilaudanaṃ pācayitvā sarpiṣmantam aśnīyātām īśvarau janayitavai
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; further
यःyaḥwho; the one who
इच्छेत्icchethe would wish; he should wish
दुहिताduhitāthe daughter; a girl
मेmemy; in my house
पण्डिताpaṇḍitālearned; wise
जायेतjāyetalet there be born; may there be
सर्वम्sarvamthe whole; complete
आयुःāyuḥlife; length of life
इयात्iyātlet him go; he would go
इतिitithus; how
तिलौदनंtilaudanaṃrice with sesame; the sesame 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 learned daughter be born to me, who will live out her full span" — let the two of them, having cooked rice with sesame and butter, eat it: they will be able to beget.
Version
54cb7467f491 · published Jul 27, 2026, 1:29:38 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fourth rung is a daughter — and what a daughter: paṇḍitā, learned! A Vedic household knew how to wish for a learned daughter and cooked sesame rice for her sake. This verse is among the chief pieces of evidence that women's learning (Gārgī! Maitreyī!) was a desired end, prayed for before conception.
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.