Upanishads · Garbha 6
॥
Devanāgarī
यन् मया परिजनस्यार्थे कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम् एकाकी तेन दह्ये ऽहं गतास् ते फलभोगिनः
Transliteration (IAST)
yan mayā parijanasyārthe kṛtaṃ karma śubhāśubham ekākī tena dahye 'haṃ gatās te phalabhoginaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत् मया परिजनस्य अर्थेyat mayā parijanasya arthewhat by me for the sake of my household; that which I, for the sake of my kin
कृतम् कर्म शुभाशुभम्kṛtam karma śubhāśubhamwas done — deeds good and evil; performed — action fair and foul
एकाकी तेन दह्ये अहम्ekākī tena dahye ahamalone I burn by it; by it I, solitary, am scorched
गताः ते फलभोगिनःgatāḥ te phalabhoginaḥgone are they who enjoyed the fruits; departed are the eaters of the fruit
Translation
“What I did, good and evil, for the sake of my household — by that I burn alone; and they who enjoyed the fruits are gone.”
Version
38489a34ac71 · published Jul 29, 2026, 2:57:05 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second verse, and it speaks of what a man usually understands too late.
It says: parijanasyārthe — “for the sake of the household”. For one's own: parents, wife, children, those one fed.
And the deeds done for them were of every kind: śubhāśubham, “good and evil”. The book does not reckon which were the more.
And then two words on which the whole verse stands: ekākī... dahye — “alone I burn”.
The verb dah is “to burn”. Not “I am punished”, not “I suffer”: I burn.
And the last: gatās te phala-bhoginaḥ — “gone are they who enjoyed the fruits”.
Here is the exact description of how bondage by deeds is constructed. The fruits were eaten by all together; the bill is presented to one.
There is no reproach of one's kin in this: they are not guilty and they practised no deceit. It is simply that responsibility for a deed is not divided, as spoils are divided.
The next four verses will seek someone to turn to, and all of them will begin the same way: “if I come out of this womb...”.