उपनिषद् · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 2,1.1
॥
देवनागरी
दृप्तबालाकिः ह अनूचानः गार्ग्यः आस सः होवाच अजातशत्रुम् काश्यम् ब्रह्म ते ब्रवाणि इति सः होवाच अजातशत्रुः सहस्रम् एतस्याम् वाचि दद्मः जनकः जनकः इति वै जनाः धावन्ति इति
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
dṛptabālākiḥ ha anūcānaḥ gārgyaḥ āsa saḥ hovāca ajātaśatrum kāśyam brahma te bravāṇi iti saḥ hovāca ajātaśatruḥ sahasram etasyām vāci dadmaḥ janakaḥ janakaḥ iti vai janāḥ dhāvanti iti
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
दृप्तबालाकिःdṛptabālākiḥthe proud Bālāki (dṛpta-bālāki); the boastful Bālāki; the haughty Bālāki
हhasurely; as is known
अनूचानःanūcānaḥlearned (anūcāna — 'well studied'); well-read; learned
गार्ग्यःgārgyaḥGārgya (of the line of Garga); Gārgya; Gārgya
आसāsawas; existed
सःsaḥhe; that one
होवाचhovācahe said; He spoke
अजातशत्रुम्ajātaśatrumAjātaśatru (a-jāta-śatru — 'he whose enemy is unborn'); Ajātaśatru; Ajātaśatru
काश्यम्kāśyamto the king of Kāśī (kāśya); to the man of Kāśī; to the king of Kāśī
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the sacred reality
तेtethose; these
ब्रवाणिbravāṇilet me tell (from √brū, voluntative); I shall relate; I shall declare
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
होवाचhovācahe said; He spoke
अजातशत्रुःajātaśatruḥAjātaśatru; king Ajātaśatru
सहस्रम्sahasrama thousand (sahasra); a thousand [cows]; a thousand
एतस्याम्etasyāmin this; in this [one]
वाचिvāciof speech; in the voice
दद्मःdadmaḥwe give (from √dā, 1st pl.); we bestow; we give
जनकःjanakaḥJanaka (the king of Mithilā); Janaka; Janaka
जनकःjanakaḥJanaka (the king of Mithilā); Janaka; Janaka
इतिitithus; how
वैvaitruly; indeed
जनाःjanāḥpeople; beings
धावन्तिdhāvantithey run (from √dhāv); they flock together; they run
इतिitithus; how
अनुवाद
There was Dṛpta-Bālāki, a learned man of the Gārgya line. He said to Ajātaśatru, the king of Kāśī: "Let me tell you of Brahman." Ajātaśatru said: "For such a word we give a thousand [cows]! For indeed people run about crying, 'Janaka! Janaka!'"
संस्करण
aa180a306db5 · प्रकाशित 27 जुल॰ 2026, 12:50:55 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The second adhyāya begins — the book of the great conversations — and the first of them is set with irony in every word. The learned Gārgya is introduced with the epithet dṛpta, "proud, puffed up": he comes to the king not to ask but to bestow: "let me tell you of Brahman". King Ajātaśatru ("He whose enemy is not born" — a speaking name!) answers with royal courtesy and a hidden smile: "for such a word, a thousand cows" — a fee too generous, betraying that the king knows the worth of the lesson to come.
And the remark about Janaka is a gem: "people run about crying 'Janaka! Janaka!'" — all the learned flock to Janaka, the king of Mithilā, the most famous patron of brahma-vidyā (he will be Yājñavalkya's interlocutor in books three and four). Ajātaśatru is a little jealous of another's fame — and glad of the chance to show that in Kāśī too there is someone who can speak of Brahman. So the theme of the section is set from the opening lines: true knowledge is not where titles and pride are — and once again, as with Pravāhaṇa and Aśvapati, its bearer turns out to be a kṣatriya.