Upaniṣads · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,4.21
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् एव धीरः विज्ञाय प्रज्ञां कुर्वीत ब्राह्मणः न अनुध्यायात् बहूञ् शब्दान् वाचो विग्लापनं हि तत् इति
Transliteración (IAST)
tam eva dhīraḥ vijñāya prajñāṃ kurvīta brāhmaṇaḥ na anudhyāyāt bahūñ śabdān vāco viglāpanaṃ hi tat iti
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
तम्tamit; that one
एवevaindeed; only
धीरःdhīraḥthe wise (dhīra); steadfast in mind; wise
विज्ञायvijñāyahaving known (vi + √jñā); having discerned; having known
प्रज्ञांprajñāṃwisdom (prajñā, acc.); intelligence; consciousness
कुर्वीतkurvītalet him make (from √kṛ, optative); let him do; let him produce
ब्राह्मणःbrāhmaṇaḥa brāhmaṇa; the knower of Brahman
नnanot; no
अनुध्यायात्anudhyāyātlet him not brood (anu + √dhyai, optative; na anudhyāyāt); let him not meditate upon; let him not brood
बहूञ्bahūñmany; numerous
शब्दान्śabdānthe words (śabda, acc. pl.); of words; the words
वाचोvācoof speech; of words
विग्लापनंviglāpanaṃa wearing out (viglāpana — 'exhaustion'); an exhausting; fatigue
हिhiindeed; truly
तत्tatthat; this
इतिitithus; how
Traducción
Having known Him, let a brāhmaṇa work wisdom [in himself]. Let him not brood over many words: that is a wearying of speech.
Versión
e2594c57b930 · publicado 27 jul 2026, 1:17:00 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The practical charge of the garland of verses: tam eva dhīro vijñāya prajñāṁ kurvīta — "having known Him, work wisdom": knowledge must pass into prajñā, into a living understanding-and-state, and not remain information. And the famous prohibition: nānudhyāyād bahūñ śabdān — "do not brood over many words: that is a wearying of speech" (vāco viglāpanam)!
The Upaniṣad, itself made of words, sets a limit to words: after the knowing, wide reading and much talking are a wearing-out of the voice, not a path. The same turn appears in Sanatkumāra ("a name is only a name", ChU 7.1) and in the canon of bhakti: grantha-bāhulya, a multitude of books, is named a hindrance to mature love. Words are oars as far as the shore; on the shore the rower is given silence.