Upanishads Jābāla 7

Jābāla UpaniṣadJābāla 7

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Upanishads · Jābāla 7

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Devanāgarī

ग्रामादग्निमाहृत्य पूर्वदग्निमाघ्रापयेत् । यद्यग्निं न विन्देदप्सु जुहुयात् । आपो वै सर्वा देवताः । सर्वाभ्यो देवताभ्यो जुहोमि स्वाहेति हुत्वोधृत्य प्राश्नीयात्साज्यं हविरनामयं मोक्षमन्त्रः त्रय्यैवं विन्देत् । तद्ब्रह्मैतदुपासितव्यम् । एवमेवैतद्भगवन्निति वै याज्ञवल्क्यः

Transliteration (IAST)

grāmādagnimāhṛtya pūrvadagnimāghrāpayet | yadyagniṃ na vindedapsu juhuyāt | āpo vai sarvā devatāḥ | sarvābhyo devatābhyo juhomi svāheti hutvodhṛtya prāśnīyātsājyaṃ haviranāmayaṃ mokṣamantraḥ trayyaivaṃ vindet | tadbrahmaitadupāsitavyam | evamevaitadbhagavanniti vai yājñavalkyaḥ

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

ग्रामात् अग्निम् आहृत्यgrāmāt agnim āhṛtyahaving brought fire from the village; having fetched fire from the settlement

पूर्ववत् अग्निम् आघ्रापयेत्pūrvavat agnim āghrāpayetas before, let him inhale the fire; as previously, let him smell the flame

यदि अग्निम् न विन्देत्yadi agnim na vindetif he finds no fire; should he not obtain fire

अप्सु जुहुयात्apsu juhuyātlet him offer into the waters; let him make the libation into water

आपः वै सर्वाः देवताःāpaḥ vai sarvāḥ devatāḥfor the waters are all the deities; for the waters are all the gods

सर्वाभ्यः देवताभ्यः जुहोमि स्वाहा इतिsarvābhyaḥ devatābhyaḥ juhomi svāhā iti“to all the deities I offer, svāhā”; “I make offering to all the gods, svāhā”

हुत्वा उद्धृत्य प्राश्नीयात्hutvā uddhṛtya prāśnīyāthaving offered and taken up, let him eat; having made the offering, let him partake

साज्यम् हविः अनामयम्sājyam haviḥ anāmayamthe offering with ghee, wholesome; the havis with ghee, sound

मोक्षमन्त्रः त्रय्या एवम् विन्देत्mokṣamantraḥ trayyā evam vindetthe mantra of release — thus he finds by the threefold; the mokṣa-mantra — thus he finds through the three Vedas

तत् ब्रह्म एतत् उपासितव्यम्tat brahma etat upāsitavyamthat is Brahman, it is to be honoured; this is Brahman, it is to be worshipped

एवम् एव एतत् भगवन् इतिevam eva etat bhagavan iti“thus indeed it is, master”; “just so, my lord”

Translation

Having brought fire from the village, let him inhale the fire as before. If he finds no fire, let him offer into the waters, for the waters are all the deities: “to all the deities I offer, svāhā!” And, having offered and taken it up, let him eat the offering with ghee, the wholesome one. This is the mantra of release; thus he finds it through the threefold knowledge. This is Brahman, and it is to be honoured. — “Thus indeed it is, master”, said Yājñavalkya.

Commentary

The rite is completed, and it contains a concession worth noticing.

If fire cannot be found — pour into the waters. And the ground: āpo vai sarvā devatāḥ, “for the waters are all the deities”.

The substitution, that is, loses nothing: water receives what fire would.

This is a general rule and a general care in the śāstras: a rite must not become impossible to perform. The renouncer is leaving home; he has neither hearth nor priests; and the book gives him what is everywhere.

Then comes the mokṣa-mantra, “the mantra of release”. The name is given to the simplest of formulas: “to all the deities I offer, svāhā”.

Note that the same thing is at work here as in the sixth paragraph: the rite is not abolished but carried over. The fire has gone into the breath; the sacrifice has gone into the waters; and both remain.

And last: tad brahmaitad upāsitavyam — “this is Brahman, and it is to be honoured”.

After the details of where to get fire and what to do without it, it is said briefly: what is to be honoured is not the rite, but That.

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1eef2bf4b9e3 · published Jul 29, 2026, 2:53:35 AM UTC

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