उपनिषद् · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 3,9.28:5
॥
देवनागरी
रेतसः इति मा वोचत जीवतः तत् प्रजायते धानारुहः इव वै वृक्षः अञ्जसा प्रेत्य सम्भवः
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
retasaḥ iti mā vocata jīvataḥ tat prajāyate dhānāruhaḥ iva vai vṛkṣaḥ añjasā pretya sambhavaḥ
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
रेतसःretasaḥfrom the seed (retas, abl.); out of the seed; from the seed
इतिitithus; how
माmānot; no need
वोचतvocatasay (from √vac, imperative; mā vocata); speak; say
जीवतःjīvataḥfrom the living (jīvat, abl.); from one alive; from the living
तत्tatthat; this
प्रजायतेprajāyateis born; arises
धानारुहःdhānāruhaḥsprung from the grain (dhānā-ruha); grain-grown; risen from seed-grain
इवivahow; as it were
वैvaitruly; indeed
वृक्षःvṛkṣaḥthe tree; the trunk
अञ्जसाañjasādirectly; immediately
प्रेत्यpretyaafter death; having departed
सम्भवःsambhavaḥit arises (sambhava — 'coming into being'); arises; comes up
अनुवाद
Do not say: 'from seed' — that is born only from the living. A tree, coming up even from a grain, rises directly after the death of the one before it;
संस्करण
d08b71ea20ed · प्रकाशित 27 जुल॰ 2026, 1:08:05 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The first answer that suggests itself is dismissed: "do not say 'from seed'" — seed is born only from the living (retasa iti mā vocata: a dead man leaves no further seed), and so seed will not explain the rising of the dead man himself. Even the tree is richer: it can come up from a grain after the parent's death.
The line of thought is mercilessly honest: the continuation of the line is not a personal resurrection; a son is no answer to the question "from what root shall I rise?" The riddle stands untouched, and the verses will put it once more, still more sternly.