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Upaniṣads · Bahvṛcā 9
॥
Devanāgarī
ऋचो अक्षरे परमे व्योमन् । यस्मिन् देवा अधि विश्वे निषेदुः । यस्तन्न वेद किं ऋचा करिष्यति। य इत्तद्विदुस्त इमे समासते। इत्युपनिषत्
Transliteración (IAST)
ṛco akṣare parame vyoman | yasmin devā adhi viśve niṣeduḥ | yastanna veda kiṃ ṛcā kariṣyati| ya ittadvidusta ime samāsate| ityupaniṣat
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
ऋचः अक्षरेṛcaḥ akṣarethe ṛcs, in the imperishable
परमे व्योमन्parame vyomanin the highest heaven
यस्मिन् देवाः अधि विश्वेyasmin devāḥ adhi viśvein which all the gods
निषेदुःniṣeduḥhave taken their seat
यः तत् न वेदyaḥ tat na vedawho does not know that
किं ऋचा करिष्यतिkiṃ ṛcā kariṣyatiwhat will he do with the ṛc
ये इत् तत् विदुःye it tat viduḥand those who do know it
ते इमे समासतेte ime samāsatethey sit together, here
Traducción
«The ṛcs [rest] in the imperishable, in the highest heaven, in which all the gods have taken their seat; whoever does not know that — what will he do with the ṛc? But those who know it — they, here, sit together. Such is the upaniṣad».
Versión
3f4f32c19e9d · publicado 12 ago 2026, 5:00:00 UTC
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The book closes with a ṛc of the Ṛgveda (1.164.39), and it is, to my mind, one of the greatest in all Vedic literature; it deserves proper unpacking, for it closes both this book and our survey of the Śākta category. It is said: ṛco akṣare parame vyoman, “the ṛcs [rest] in the imperishable, in the highest heaven.” The word akṣara means both “imperishable” and “syllable”; hence the line reads two ways at once — the ṛcs rest in the imperishable, and the ṛcs rest in the syllable.
Both readings hold together, and both are true. Then comes the main point: yas tan na veda kim ṛcā kariṣyati, “whoever does not know that — what will he do with the ṛc?” That is, knowledge of a hymn without knowledge of Him it is about is useless. This is, to my mind, the strictest thing ever said about book-learning; and it is said from within the Veda itself, not by its opponents.
The Vaiṣṇava side cites this ṛc constantly and holds it as its chief argument against bookishness; and its verse, cited reading Yājñavalkya (17), says the same: the performance of every duty that does not lead to devotion is śrama eva hi kevalam, “nothing but wasted labour.” Add the last line too, for it is more beautiful than the rest: ya it tad vidus ta ime samāsate, “but those who know it — they, here, sit together.” Samāsate means “sit together, are gathered in assembly,” from sam-ās, “to sit together.”
That is, of those who know it, it is said not “they are liberated” and not “they dissolve,” but “they sit together.” It is worth weighing what is said here. The fruit of knowledge is named as company: the knowers turn out not to be alone but in an assembly.
And this is, to my mind, the best possible ending for the second-to-last book of this collection: after every negation, every veil, every reflection, every “in me there is neither the living nor the Lord” — the last word of the Veda says that the knowers sit together.