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Upanishads · Sarasvatīrahasya 1.1
॥
Devanāgarī
ऋषयो ह वै भगवन्तमाश्वलायनं सम्पूज्य पप्रच्छुः केनोपायेन तज्ज्ञानं तत्पदार्थावभासकम् । यदुपासनया तत्त्वं जानासि भगवन्वद
Transliteration (IAST)
ṛṣayo ha vai bhagavantamāśvalāyanaṃ sampūjya papracchuḥ kenopāyena tajjñānaṃ tatpadārthāvabhāsakam | yadupāsanayā tattvaṃ jānāsi bhagavanvada
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ऋषयः ह वै भगवन्तम्ṛṣayaḥ ha vai bhagavantamthe sages, the lord
आश्वलायनं सम्पूज्य पप्रच्छुःāśvalāyanaṃ sampūjya papracchuḥĀśvalāyana, having honored, asked
केन उपायेन तत्-ज्ञानंkena upāyena tat-jñānaṃ"by what means that knowledge
तत्-पदार्थ-अवभासकम्tat-padārtha-avabhāsakamwhich reveals the object of that word
यत्-उपासनया तत्त्वं जानासिyat-upāsanayā tattvaṃ jānāsiby whose worship you know the truth
भगवन् वदbhagavan vadaLord, tell us"
Translation
The sages, having honored the lord Āśvalāyana, asked: "by what means [is obtained] that knowledge which reveals the object of that word — that by whose worship you know the truth? Tell us, Lord."
Version
009064765979 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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The Sarasvatī-rahasya-upaniṣad begins, "the secret of Sarasvatī"; and it is worth saying in advance what kind of book this is, for it is more curious than the recent ones. It is counted among the śākta works and is devoted to Sarasvatī, the goddess of speech and learning; but it consists of two unequal parts, and its second part is the most non-dual passage in this entire collection. The first part is ten mantras of Sarasvatī, taken from the Ṛgveda, with their application and contemplation, and a hymn of ten verses.
The second is twenty-three verses in which Sarasvatī herself speaks; and in them is set out the teaching of reflection, of the two powers of māyā, and of the claim that both the living being and the Lord are fabrications. We will examine her last verse separately, for it is, to my mind, the most compressed expression of non-dual teaching we have encountered. It is worth noting who is asked: Āśvalāyana, the compiler of the well-known Gṛhya-sūtra and head of a branch of the Ṛgveda; that is, the answerer will be a master of ritual, not a hermit.
Let us add also what is asked: tat-padārtha-avabhāsakam jñānam, "knowledge that reveals the object of that word." Padārtha means "the object of a word," what is denoted by a word; and the question, accordingly, is posed as a question of meaning: by what does one learn what stands behind a word. This framing suits a book about the goddess of speech; and it is worth noting that the whole book will indeed be about how word relates to thing.