उपनिषद् · Bṛhadāraṇyaka 4,1.1
॥
देवनागरी
जनकः ह वैदेहः आसाम् चक्रे अथ ह याज्ञवल्क्यः आवव्राज तं ह उवाच याज्ञवल्क्य किम् अर्थम् अचारीः पशून् इच्छन् अण्वन्तान् इति उभयम् एव संराट् इति ह उवाच
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
janakaḥ ha vaidehaḥ āsām cakre atha ha yājñavalkyaḥ āvavrāja taṃ ha uvāca yājñavalkya kim artham acārīḥ paśūn icchan aṇvantān iti ubhayam eva saṃrāṭ iti ha uvāca
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
जनकःjanakaḥJanaka; king Janaka
हhasurely; as is known
वैदेहःvaidehaḥVaideha; the king of Videha
आसाम्āsāmhe was seated (periphrastic perfect of √ās); he sat; he was seated
चक्रेcakreHe made; has ordered
अथathathereupon; further
हhasurely; as is known
याज्ञवल्क्यःyājñavalkyaḥYājñavalkya; the sage Yājñavalkya
आवव्राजāvavrājahe came up (ā + √vraj, perf.); went; approached
तंtaṃthat one; it
हhasurely; as is known
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
याज्ञवल्क्यyājñavalkyaYājñavalkya; O Yājñavalkya
किम्kimwhat; in what manner
अर्थम्arthamthe target; the meaning
अचारीःacārīḥhe came and went about (from √car, aorist); he travelled; went
पशून्paśūnthe cattle (paśu, acc. pl.); of cows; of cattle
इच्छन्icchandesiring; seeking
अण्वन्तान्aṇvantānof subtle questions (aṇu-anta — 'fine points'); of the finest matters; of subtle questions
इतिitithus; how
उभयम्ubhayamboth the one and the other; both
एवevaindeed; only
संराट्saṃrāṭsovereign (samrāj — 'universal ruler'); the lord; the sovereign
इतिitithus; how
हhasurely; as is known
उवाचuvācahe said; he uttered
अनुवाद
Janaka of Videha was seated [in audience]. Yājñavalkya came up. Janaka said to him: "Yājñavalkya, why have you come — wanting cattle or subtle questions?" — "Both, your majesty," he said.
संस्करण
c58924c7ff58 · प्रकाशित 27 जुल॰ 2026, 1:09:40 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The fourth adhyāya begins — the summit of the whole Upaniṣad: the conversations of Janaka and Yājñavalkya, no longer at a tournament but in private, king and sage face to face. The king's greeting carries a smile of recollection about the thousand cows: "have you come for cattle or for subtle questions?" (aṇv-anta — "the fine ends", the subtlest matters).
Yājñavalkya's answer is disarmingly honest: ubhayam eva, samrāṭ — "for both, your majesty". No affectation of spirituality: the sage is ashamed neither of cows nor of questions; in him the earthly and the subtle are not at war. This freedom from posturing is Yājñavalkya's hallmark (we remember "we simply want the cows", 3.1.2) and a quiet lesson: the truth is served not by renouncing honest needs but by honesty in everything.