Upanishads · Kaivalya 1
॥
Devanāgarī
ओं अथाश्वलायनो भगवन्तं परमेष्ठिनम् उपसमेत्योवाच अधीहि भगवन् ब्रह्मविद्यां वरिष्ठां सदा सद्भिः सेव्यमानां निगूढाम् यथाचिरात् सर्वपापं व्यपोह्य परात्परं पुरुषं याति विद्वान्
Transliteration (IAST)
oṃ athāśvalāyano bhagavantaṃ parameṣṭhinam upasametyovāca adhīhi bhagavan brahmavidyāṃ variṣṭhāṃ sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānāṃ nigūḍhām yathācirāt sarvapāpaṃ vyapohya parātparaṃ puruṣaṃ yāti vidvān
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ओं अथ आश्वलायनःoṃ atha āśvalāyanaḥOm. Then Āśvalāyana; Om. And now Āśvalāyana
भगवन्तम् परमेष्ठिनम्bhagavantam parameṣṭhinamto the lord Parameṣṭhin; to the master standing highest
उपसमेत्य उवाचupasametya uvācaapproaching, said; drawing near, spoke
अधीहि भगवन् ब्रह्मविद्याम्adhīhi bhagavan brahmavidyām“teach, O lord, the knowledge of Brahman”; “instruct me, master, in brahmavidyā”
वरिष्ठाम् सदा सद्भिः सेव्यमानाम्variṣṭhām sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānāmthe best, ever honoured by the good; the most excellent, ever sought by the righteous
निगूढाम्nigūḍhāmthe hidden; the concealed
यथा अचिरात् सर्वपापम् व्यपोह्यyathā acirāt sarvapāpam vyapohyaso that soon, casting off all sin; that quickly, having thrown off all stain
परात्परम् पुरुषम् याति विद्वान्parātparam puruṣam yāti vidvānthe knower goes to the Puruṣa higher than the high; the wise man reaches the Puruṣa beyond the highest
Translation
Om. And Āśvalāyana, approaching the lord Parameṣṭhin, said: “Teach me, O lord, the knowledge of Brahman — the best, ever honoured by the good, the hidden — so that the knower, soon casting off all sin, may go to the Puruṣa who is higher than the high.”
Version
737a87137771 · published Jul 29, 2026, 3:04:38 AM UTC
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The book begins as the best of the Upaniṣads begin: someone comes and asks.
Āśvalāyana is a famous name: so is called the compiler of one of the śrauta-sūtras of the Ṛgveda, and a whole school bears his name. He comes to parameṣṭhin — “the one standing highest” — that is, to Brahmā.
The verb upasametya — “having come close”. The same verb stood in the first paragraph of the last chapter of the Rāma-tāpanī, and I noted then: the disciple draws near, he does not hail from afar.
His request is one: brahmavidyā, “the knowledge of Brahman”. And its three epithets deserve unpacking.
Variṣṭhā — “the best”, a superlative; sadā sadbhiḥ sevyamānā — “ever honoured by the good”, that beside which the worthy keep close; nigūḍhā — “hidden, tucked away”.
The last word warns honestly: the question is not about what lies in plain view.
And at the end the goal is named: parāt-para puruṣa — “the Puruṣa higher than the high”. Not “merging”, not “peace”: the Puruṣa — a Person.
This is worth holding through the whole book. It is counted among the Śaiva Upaniṣads and is full of the speech of oneness; but it opens with a plea to be brought to Him who is above all that is high.