Upaniṣads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3,2.10
॥
Devanāgarī
याज्ञवल्क्येति ह उवाच यद् इदं सर्वम् मृत्योः अन्नम् का स्वित् सा देवता यस्याः मृत्युः अन्नम् इति अग्निः वै मृत्युः सः अपाम् अन्नम् अप पुनर्मृत्युम् जयति
Transliteración (IAST)
yājñavalkyeti ha uvāca yad idaṃ sarvam mṛtyoḥ annam kā svit sā devatā yasyāḥ mṛtyuḥ annam iti agniḥ vai mṛtyuḥ saḥ apām annam apa punarmṛtyum jayati
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
याज्ञवल्क्येतिyājñavalkyetiO Yājñavalkya; thus: Yājñavalkya
हhasurely; as is known
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
यद्yadwhen; that which
इदंidaṃthis; this world
सर्वम्sarvamall; the whole
मृत्योःmṛtyoḥfrom death; out of death
अन्नम्annamfood (anna); food; food
काkāwhat; who
स्वित्svitsurely; whether
साsāshe; that one
देवताdevatāthe deity (devatā); the deity; the deity
यस्याःyasyāḥwhose; for which
मृत्युःmṛtyuḥdeath; dying
अन्नम्annamfood (anna); food; food
इतिitithus; how
अग्निःagniḥfire (agni); fire; fire
वैvaitruly; indeed
मृत्युःmṛtyuḥdeath; dying
सःsaḥhe; that one
अपाम्apāmof the waters (ap, gen. pl.); of the waters; of the waters
अन्नम्annamfood (anna); food; food
अपapaaway; beyond the bound
पुनर्मृत्युम्punarmṛtyumrepeated death (punar-mṛtyu); a new death; repeated death
जयतिjayatihe wards off (from √ji); he conquers; it beats off
Traducción
"Yājñavalkya," he said, "if all this is the food of death, what deity is it whose food death is?" — "Fire is death; it is the food of the waters. [He who knows thus] wards off repeated death."
Versión
331e2f392e4c · publicado 27 jul 2026, 0:59:58 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
A question like a lightning-flash: everything is the food of death; and who eats death itself? Is there an eater of the devourer of all? And the answer comes instantly, like a blow: fire is death (the all-consuming flame is its visible face), but fire is the food of the waters: water quenches it, "eats" it. Death has its death.
The devourer is devoured — which means death is not absolute: it is a link in the chain, not the chain's end. He who knows this "wards off repeated death" (apa punar-mṛtyuṁ jayati — a formula that runs through the book, 1.2.7): the fear of death as a last instance is lifted — there is something higher above it, and the knower holds to that higher. For bhakti the chain is spoken to the end: the waters too are food — and so on up to Him who eats everything and is eaten by none: "I am all-devouring death" (BG 10.34), says the One who has even death for a handmaid.