उपनिषद् · Kṛṣṇa 2.16
॥
देवनागरी
तदेतद्वेदानां रहस्यम् । तदेतदुपनिषदां रहस्यम्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
tadetadvedānāṃ rahasyam | tadetadupaniṣadāṃ rahasyam
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
तत् एतत् वेदानां रहस्यम्tat etat vedānāṃ rahasyamthis is the secret of the Vedas
तत् एतत् उपनिषदां रहस्यम्tat etat upaniṣadāṃ rahasyamthis is the secret of the upaniṣads
अनुवाद
"This is the secret of the Vedas; this is the secret of the upaniṣads."
संस्करण
4f9115160c19 · प्रकाशित 12 अग॰ 2026, 5:00:00 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
It is worth noting the word rahasya, "secret," and how it is used here. It does not say "this is a secret teaching, do not reveal it"; it says — this is the secret of the Vedas, that is, what is hidden in them and is here revealed. The distinction between these two uses matters and is worth voicing, for we have read both.
The first use is prohibitive: "do not give it to the uninitiated" (Gaṇapati 11.3, Mahāvākya p2). The second is explanatory: a secret is what was not understood and is now explained. The second, to my mind, is the true meaning of the word in the upaniṣads. Rahas means "seclusion, a private place"; and rahasya is what is said in private — not because it is hidden, but because such things are not shouted in a crowd.
The Vaiṣṇava side uses the word in both senses, but declares her chief position openly. The Gītā calls its final word sarva-guhyatamam, "the most secret of all" (18.64) — and utters it right there; and then commands its dissemination (18.68). This relation is worth keeping. A secret is spoken in a whisper, not in silence; and the difference between what is treasured and what is hidden shows in whether it is disseminated at the end.