SanskritIASTMeaning
समानम्samānamthe same; the common line
आābefore; down to
साञ्जीवीपुत्रात्sāñjīvīputrātfrom the son of Sāñjīvī (abl.); from Sāñjīvīputra; from the son of Sāñjīvī
साञ्जीवीपुत्रःsāñjīvīputraḥSāñjīvīputra; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
माण्डूकायनेःmāṇḍūkāyaneḥfrom Māṇḍūkāyani (abl.); from Māṇḍūkāyani; from Māṇḍūkāyani
माण्डूकायनिःmāṇḍūkāyaniḥMāṇḍūkāyani; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
माण्डव्यात्māṇḍavyātfrom Māṇḍavya; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
माण्डव्यःmāṇḍavyaḥMāṇḍavya; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
कौत्सात्kautsātfrom Kautsa; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
कौत्सःkautsaḥKautsa; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
माहित्थ्ēःmāhitthēḥfrom Māhitthi; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
माहित्थिःmāhitthiḥMāhitthi; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
वामकक्षायणात्vāmakakṣāyaṇātfrom Vāmakakṣāyaṇa; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
वामकक्षायणःvāmakakṣāyaṇaḥVāmakakṣāyaṇa; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
शाण्डिल्यात्śāṇḍilyātfrom Śāṇḍilya (abl.); from Śāṇḍilya; from Śāṇḍilya
शाण्डिल्यःśāṇḍilyaḥŚāṇḍilya; the name of the teacher
वात्स्यात्vātsyātfrom Vātsya; from the teacher Vātsya
वात्स्यःvātsyaḥVātsya; the name of the teacher
कुश्रेःkuśreḥfrom Kuśri; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
कुश्रिःkuśriḥKuśri; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
यज्ञवचसःyajñavacasaḥfrom Yajñavacas; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
राजस्तम्बायनात्rājastambāyanātfrom Rājastambāyana; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
यज्ञवचाःyajñavacāḥYajñavacas; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
राजस्तम्बायनःrājastambāyanaḥRājastambāyana; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
तुरात्turātfrom Tura; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
कावषेयात्kāvaṣeyātfrom Kāvaṣeya; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
तुरःturaḥTura; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
कावषेयःkāvaṣeyaḥKāvaṣeya; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
प्रजापतेःprajāpateḥfrom Prajāpati; the name of a teacher in the line of transmission
प्रजापतिःprajāpatiḥPrajāpati; the lord of creatures
ब्रह्मणःbrahmaṇaḥof Brahman; of sacred knowledge
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the sacred reality
स्वयंभुsvayaṃbhuself-existent; the self-born
ब्रह्मणेbrahmaṇeto Brahman; to the sacred reality
नमःnamaḥobeisance; homage
The last links pass out of history into eternity: through the ancients to the Ādityas, from the goddess Vāc-Ambhiṇī to Āditya the Sun himself: "these White Yajuses were proclaimed by the Sun" (the Upaniṣad belongs to the Śukla, the "White" Yajurveda: the tradition remembers that Yājñavalkya received its very corpus from the Sun!). And the final link is beyond all light: brahmaṇaḥ — from Brahman; svayambhu brahma — "Brahman is self-existent"; brahmaṇe namaḥ — "Homage to Brahman!"
So the Bṛhadāraṇyaka ends — the greatest of the Upaniṣads: its last word is namaḥ, a bow. Not a formula, not a conclusion, not a verdict — a bow: everything said in six books, from the sacrificial horse to "not so, not so", from Maitreyī to the dying man's prayer, flows into one gesture of a bent head before the Self-existent.
And one who has listened to it in the Vaiṣṇava spirit bows along with it: the Self-existent, by whose outbreath these pages came (2.4.10), at whose command the sun and the moon stand fast (3.8.9), who rules everything from within (3.7) and shows himself to the soul in his own form (ChU 8.12.3) — He received here the homage of Janaka and Gārgī, of Uddālaka and Maitreyī; may He receive ours also: brahmaṇe namaḥ, homage to Brahman — and glory to the chain that has carried His word.