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Upanishads · Śāṭyāyanīya 17
॥
Devanāgarī
शिखा ज्ञानमयी यस्य उपवीतं च तन्मयम् । ब्राह्मण्यं सकलं तस्य इति वेदानुशासनम्
Transliteration (IAST)
śikhā jñānamayī yasya upavītaṃ ca tanmayam | brāhmaṇyaṃ sakalaṃ tasya iti vedānuśāsanam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
शिखा ज्ञान-मयी यस्यśikhā jñāna-mayī yasyawhose tuft consists of knowledge
उपवीतं च तत्-मयम्upavītaṃ ca tat-mayamand whose thread is of the same
ब्राह्मण्यं सकलं तस्यbrāhmaṇyaṃ sakalaṃ tasyahis brahminhood is complete
इति वेद-अनुशासनम्iti veda-anuśāsanamsuch is the instruction of the Veda
Translation
"He whose tuft consists of knowledge and whose thread is of the same — his brahminhood is complete; such is the instruction of the Veda."
Version
6de39db5e54d · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
It is worth noting the word sakalam, "complete, whole," for it settles the question raised by the previous verse. It says not "in place of the marks he has brahminhood" but "his brahminhood is complete." That is, the inward interpretation is added to the outward, not set in its place: the marks remain with him, and they are filled.
This reading agrees with the ninth verse, which said that abandoning either of the two causes one to fall; the book, accordingly, does not contradict itself. Let us add what is worth saying about this on its own merits, for the question is a constant one in religious life. Every custom passes through three ages.
At first it is full: one performs it and knows why. Then it becomes empty: one performs it without knowing why. Then it is abolished, on the grounds that only the inward matters.
And at the third step, the inward is usually lost as well, for it has nothing to hold onto. The Vaiṣṇava side opposes this course and sets against it her own rule, cited when reading the ninth verse: vidhi and bhāva, rule and feeling, are both required. Let us add what she says about brahminhood itself, for it is directly relevant here.
Her position was cited when reading the Vajrasūcikā: a brahmin is defined not by birth but by qualities; and the present verse is precisely the same thought, only expressed through marks: brahminhood is complete in one whose tuft is knowledge.