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Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣadबृहदारण्यक उपनिषद्

Khila Kanda. Adhyaya 6, Brahmana 5. The line of teachers, back to Brahma

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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.

॥ 6.5.1 ॥

The line of teachers begins

अथ वंशः । पौतिमाषीपुत्रः कात्यायनीपुत्रात् । कात्यायनीपुत्रो गौतमीपुत्रात् । गौतमीपुत्रो भारद्वाजीपुत्रात् । भारद्वाजीपुत्रः पाराशरीपुत्रात् । पाराशरीपुत्र औपस्वस्तीपुत्रात् । औपस्वस्तीपुत्रः पाराशरीपुत्रात् । पाराशरीपुत्रः कात्यायनीपुत्रात् । कात्यायनीपुत्रः कौशिकीपुत्रात् । कौशिकीपुत्र आलम्बीपुत्राच्च वैयाघ्रपदीपुत्राच्च । वैयाघ्रपदीपुत्रः काण्वीपुत्राच्च कापीपुत्राच्च । कापीपुत्रः ।
In transliteration
atha vaṃśaḥ | pautimāṣīputraḥ kātyāyanīputrāt | kātyāyanīputro gautamīputrāt | gautamīputro bhāradvājīputrāt | bhāradvājīputraḥ pārāśarīputrāt | pārāśarīputra aupasvastīputrāt | aupasvastīputraḥ pārāśarīputrāt | pārāśarīputraḥ kātyāyanīputrāt | kātyāyanīputraḥ kauśikīputrāt | kauśikīputra ālambīputrācca vaiyāghrapadīputrācca | vaiyāghrapadīputraḥ kāṇvīputrācca kāpīputrācca | kāpīputraḥ |
In English

Now the line of teachers. The son of Pautimasi received it from the son of Katyayani. He from the son of Gautami. The son of Gautami from the son of Bharadvaji. He from the son of Parasari. The son of Parasari from the son of Aupasvasti. He from the son of another Parasari. He from the son of Katyayani. The son of Katyayani from the son of Kausiki. The son of Kausiki from the son of Alambi and the son of Vaiyaghrapadi. The son of Vaiyaghrapadi from the son of Kanvi and the son of Kapi. The son of Kapi.

In plain words

The line of teachers begins here. Each name received the teaching from the one before it: the son of Pautimasi from the son of Katyayani, he from the son of Gautami, and so on down through the sons of Bharadvaji, Parasari, Aupasvasti, Katyayani again, Kausiki, Alambi and Vaiyaghrapadi, Kanvi and Kapi, ending with the son of Kapi. The teachers are named by their mothers' lines, each disciple set down with the teacher he learned from.

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