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Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣadबृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्

Yajnavalkya Kanda. Adhyaya 4, Brahmana 6. The line of teachers

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Each mantra is given four ways: the Sanskrit in its Devanagari script, the same sounds in Roman letters, an English translation set in our own voice, and then the line once more in plain words, for a first and unhurried reading.

Not every passage is opened to the same depth. A few central mantras carry the full cross-school commentary, where the schools are set side by side. The rest are kept here whole and faithful, set in their place but not expounded, so the book stays entire and nothing is dropped for being thought minor.

Where the schools read a line differently, the difference is kept open. None is crowned and none is corrected. Each is met on its own terms, and where they contradict, the contradiction is left standing for you to sit with.

॥ 4.6.3 ॥

Back to Brahman, the self-born

घृतकौशिकात् । घृतकौशिकः पाराशर्यात् । पाराशर्यः पाराशर्यात् । पाराशर्यो जातुकर्ण्यात् । जातुकर्ण्य आसुरायणाच्च यस्काच्च । आसुरायणस्त्रैवणेः । त्रैवणिरौपजन्धनेः । औपजन्धनिरासुरेः । आसुरिर्भारद्वाजात् । भारद्वाज आत्रेयात् । आत्रेयो माण्टेः । माण्टिर्गौतमात् । गौतमो गौतमात् । गौतमो वात्स्यात् । वात्स्यः शाण्डिल्यात् । शाण्डिल्यः कैशोर्यात्काप्यात् । कैशोर्यः काप्यः कुमारहरितात् । कुमारहरितो गालवात् । गालवो विदर्भीकौण्डिन्यात् । विदर्भीकौण्डिन्यो वत्सनपातो बाभ्रवात् । वत्सनपाद्बाभ्रवः पथः सौभरात् । पन्थाः सौभरोऽयास्यादङ्गिरसात् । अयास्य आङ्गिरस आभुतेस्त्वाष्ट्रात् । आभुतिस्त्वाष्ट्रो विश्वरूपात्त्वाष्ट्रात् । विश्वरूपस्त्वाष्ट्रोऽश्विभ्याम् । अश्विनौ दधिच आथर्वणात् । दध्यङ्ङाथर्वणोऽथर्वणो दैवात् । अथर्वा दैवो मृत्योः प्राध्वंसनात् । मृत्युः प्राध्वंसनः प्राध्वंसनात् । प्राध्वंसनः एकर्षेः । एकर्षिर्विप्रजित्तेः । विप्रजित्तिर्व्यष्टेर् । व्यष्टिः सनारोः । सनारुः सनातनात् । सनातनः सनगात् । सनगः परमेष्टिणः । परमेष्टी ब्रह्मणः । ब्रह्म स्वयम्भु । ब्रह्मणे नमः
In transliteration
ghṛtakauśikāt | ghṛtakauśikaḥ pārāśaryāt | pārāśaryaḥ pārāśaryāt | pārāśaryo jātukarṇyāt | jātukarṇya āsurāyaṇācca yaskācca | āsurāyaṇastraivaṇeḥ | traivaṇiraupajandhaneḥ | aupajandhanirāsureḥ | āsurirbhāradvājāt | bhāradvāja ātreyāt | ātreyo māṇṭeḥ | māṇṭirgautamāt | gautamo gautamāt | gautamo vātsyāt | vātsyaḥ śāṇḍilyāt | śāṇḍilyaḥ kaiśoryātkāpyāt | kaiśoryaḥ kāpyaḥ kumāraharitāt | kumāraharito gālavāt | gālavo vidarbhīkauṇḍinyāt | vidarbhīkauṇḍinyo vatsanapāto bābhravāt | vatsanapādbābhravaḥ pathaḥ saubharāt | panthāḥ saubharo'yāsyādaṅgirasāt | ayāsya āṅgirasa ābhutestvāṣṭrāt | ābhutistvāṣṭro viśvarūpāttvāṣṭrāt | viśvarūpastvāṣṭro'śvibhyām | aśvinau dadhica ātharvaṇāt | dadhyaṅṅātharvaṇo'tharvaṇo daivāt | atharvā daivo mṛtyoḥ prādhvaṃsanāt | mṛtyuḥ prādhvaṃsanaḥ prādhvaṃsanāt | prādhvaṃsanaḥ ekarṣeḥ | ekarṣirviprajitteḥ | viprajittirvyaṣṭer | vyaṣṭiḥ sanāroḥ | sanāruḥ sanātanāt | sanātanaḥ sanagāt | sanagaḥ parameṣṭiṇaḥ | parameṣṭī brahmaṇaḥ | brahma svayambhu | brahmaṇe namaḥ
In English

from Ghṛtakauśika. Ghṛtakauśika from Pārāśarya. Pārāśarya from a Pārāśarya. This Pārāśarya from Jātukarṇya. Jātukarṇya from Āsurāyaṇa and from Yāska. Āsurāyaṇa from Traivaṇi. Traivaṇi from Aupajandhani. Aupajandhani from Āsuri. Āsuri from Bharadvāja. Bharadvāja from Ātreya. Ātreya from Māṇṭi. Māṇṭi from Gautama. Gautama from a Gautama. This Gautama from Vātsya. Vātsya from Śāṇḍilya. Śāṇḍilya from Kaiśorya Kāpya. Kaiśorya Kāpya from Kumārahārita. Kumārahārita from Gālava. Gālava from Vidarbhīkauṇḍinya. Vidarbhīkauṇḍinya from Vatsanapāt Bābhrava. Vatsanapāt Bābhrava from Pathin Saubhara. Pathin Saubhara from Ayāsya Āṅgirasa. Ayāsya Āṅgirasa from Ābhūti Tvāṣṭra. Ābhūti Tvāṣṭra from Viśvarūpa Tvāṣṭra. Viśvarūpa Tvāṣṭra from the two Aśvins. The Aśvins from Dadhyac Ātharvaṇa. Dadhyac Ātharvaṇa from Atharvan Daiva. Atharvan Daiva from Mṛtyu Prādhvaṃsana. Mṛtyu Prādhvaṃsana from Prādhvaṃsana. Prādhvaṃsana from Ekarṣi. Ekarṣi from Viprajitti. Viprajitti from Vyaṣṭi. Vyaṣṭi from Sanāru. Sanāru from Sanātana. Sanātana from Sanaga. Sanaga from Parameṣṭhin. Parameṣṭhin from Brahman. Brahman is self-born. Salutation to Brahman.

In plain words

The line runs back, each receiving from the next, to its very source: Kauśikāyani from Ghṛtakauśika, Ghṛtakauśika from Pārāśarya, that Pārāśarya from a Pārāśarya, that Pārāśarya from Jātukarṇya, Jātukarṇya from both Āsurāyaṇa and Yāska, Āsurāyaṇa from Traivaṇi, Traivaṇi from Aupajandhani, Aupajandhani from Āsuri, Āsuri from Bharadvāja, Bharadvāja from Ātreya, Ātreya from Māṇṭi, Māṇṭi from Gautama, Gautama from a Gautama, that Gautama from Vātsya, Vātsya from Śāṇḍilya, Śāṇḍilya from Kaiśorya Kāpya, Kaiśorya Kāpya from Kumārahārita, Kumārahārita from Gālava, Gālava from Vidarbhīkauṇḍinya, Vidarbhīkauṇḍinya from Vatsanapāt Bābhrava, he from Pathin Saubhara, he from Ayāsya Āṅgirasa, he from Ābhūti Tvāṣṭra, he from Viśvarūpa Tvāṣṭra, he from the two Aśvins, the Aśvins from Dadhyac Ātharvaṇa, he from Atharvan Daiva, he from Mṛtyu Prādhvaṃsana, he from Prādhvaṃsana, he from Ekarṣi, Ekarṣi from Viprajitti, Viprajitti from Vyaṣṭi, Vyaṣṭi from Sanāru, Sanāru from Sanātana, Sanātana from Sanaga, Sanaga from Parameṣṭhin (Virāj), and Parameṣṭhin from Brahman (Hiraṇyagarbha). Brahman is self-born; beyond it the line does not reach. Salutation to Brahman.

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