Upanishads · Yājñavalkya p16
॥
Devanāgarī
एष पन्था ब्रह्मणा हानुवित्तस्तेनेति स संन्यासी ब्रह्मविदिति । एवमेवैष भगवन्निति वै याज्ञवल्क्य
Transliteration (IAST)
eṣa panthā brahmaṇā hānuvittasteneti sa saṃnyāsī brahmaviditi | evamevaiṣa bhagavanniti vai yājñavalkya
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एषः पन्थाःeṣaḥ panthāḥthis path
ब्रह्मणा ह अनुवित्तःbrahmaṇā ha anuvittaḥwas found by Brahmā
तेन इति सः संन्यासीtena iti saḥ saṃnyāsīby it, that one is the renounced
ब्रह्म-वित् इतिbrahma-vit itia knower of brahman
एवम् एव एषः भगवन् इतिevam eva eṣaḥ bhagavan iti"so it is indeed, Lord"
Translation
This path was found by Brahmā; by it, that one — the renounced — is a knower of brahman. "So it is indeed, Lord," [he said] to Yājñavalkya.
Version
227bb3b53ef1 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
It is worth noting the word anuvittaḥ, "found," from anu-vid, "to find by following." That is, the path is not established or assigned, but found; and found by Brahmā, that is, before everyone. The distinction between what is established and what is found is worth voicing, for it determines one's attitude toward tradition.
What is established can be canceled: whoever assigned it can change it. What is found cannot be canceled: it is as it is, and anyone who goes will find the same thing. The Vaiṣṇava side speaks of her own tradition in the same vein, and so does not claim the right to change it; and this was discussed when reading the Jābāla-darśana (7.9), where a burdensome consequence was also noted: it is hard to correct an error.
Here this consequence shows itself. Five methods of suicide have just been listed; and instead of rejecting them, the book says this path was found by Brahmā. Let us say plainly that here the objection must be made not to the tradition, but to a reading of the tradition.
The Vaiṣṇava way of handling such passages we have already described: not to cancel, but to point to another passage of the same tradition. And there is something to point to here: the same Īśā-upaniṣad, the same prohibition of ātma-hatyā, the same Janaka, who went nowhere and is called perfect. Let us add that this method is not a dodge. Tradition is vast and does not speak with one voice; and the choice among its voices is made by everyone who reads it — the only question is whether this choice is acknowledged.