उपनिषद् · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3,8.1
॥
देवनागरी
अथ ह वाचक्नवी उवाच ब्राह्मणाः भगवन्तः हन्त अहम् इमं द्वौ प्रश्नौ प्रक्ष्यामि तौ चेत् मे विवक्ष्यति न वै जातु युष्माकम् इमं कश्चिद् ब्रह्मोद्यम् जेता इति पृच्छ गार्गि इति
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
atha ha vācaknavī uvāca brāhmaṇāḥ bhagavantaḥ hanta aham imaṃ dvau praśnau prakṣyāmi tau cet me vivakṣyati na vai jātu yuṣmākam imaṃ kaścid brahmodyam jetā iti pṛccha gārgi iti
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
अथathathereupon; further
हhasurely; as is known
वाचक्नवीvācaknavīVācaknavī (Gārgī); Vācaknavī; Vācaknavī
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
ब्राह्मणाःbrāhmaṇāḥbrāhmaṇas; the knowers of the sacred
भगवन्तःbhagavantaḥvenerable sirs; esteemed sirs
हन्तhantaso then; come now
अहम्ahamI; Himself
इमंimaṃthis; of this
द्वौdvauthe two; the two
प्रश्नौpraśnautwo questions (praśna, dual); a pair of questions; two questions
प्रक्ष्यामिprakṣyāmiI shall ask (from √prach, future); I shall question; I shall put
तौtauthese two; both
चेत्cetif; but if
मेmemyself; in my house
विवक्ष्यतिvivakṣyatihe will answer (from √vac, desiderative future); he will explain; he will answer
नnanot; no
वैvaitruly; indeed
जातुjātuat any time; never
युष्माकम्yuṣmākamyour; of you
इमंimaṃthis; of this
कश्चिद्kaścidanyone; anyone
ब्रह्मोद्यम्brahmodyamthe disputation on Brahman (brahmodya); the brahmodya; the debate about Brahman
जेताjetāhe will conquer (jetṛ — 'the victor'); he will overcome; he will win
इतिitithus; how
पृच्छpṛcchaask; ask your question
गार्गिgārgiO Gārgī; Gārgī
इतिitithus; how
अनुवाद
Then Vācaknavī said: "Reverend brāhmaṇas! I shall put him two questions. If he answers them, none of you will ever defeat him in a dispute about Brahman." — "Ask, Gārgī."
संस्करण
1d7e3b7d2e2c · प्रकाशित 27 जुल॰ 2026, 1:04:09 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Gārgī returns — and how! Her first attempt ended in a warning about a head falling off (3.6); now she comes out again, laying down the rules like a judge: "two questions; if he answers, you all give in". The assembly accepts her terms: a woman theologian is declared the final arbiter of the tournament — a detail worth remembering in every argument about the place of women in Vedic knowledge.
Gārgī's greatness lies in having been schooled by a defeat: she has understood why her earlier method (the endless "upon what?") ran into a wall, and has prepared a question of a new shape. To fall silent, to understand, to come back stronger — that is the way of a real seeker; her second approach will become one of the summits of the whole Upaniṣad.