Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.8

Creation and the SelfYajur Veda

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.8
intermediate
तद्धेदं तर्ह्यव्याकृतमासीत्। तन्नामरूपाभ्यामेव व्याक्रियत। असौ नामायमिदंरूप इति। तदिदमप्येतर्हि नामरूपाभ्यामेव व्याक्रियते। असौ नामायमिदंरूप इति॥

tadhedaṃ tarhyavyākṛtamāsīt | tannāmarūpābhyāmeva vyākriyata | asau nāmāyamidaṃrūpa iti | tadidamapyetarhi nāmarūpābhyāmeva vyākriyate | asau nāmāyamidaṃrūpa iti ||

"Then all this was undifferentiated. It became differentiated by name and form: "This has this name, this has this form." Even today, all is differentiated by name and form."

What This Means:

Originally everything was undifferentiated. Then name and form appeared, creating distinction. This process continues today.

Going Deeper:

Name-and-form (nama-rupa) is the principle of manifestation. Reality is one; name and form create apparent multiplicity.

How To Apply This:

See beyond names and forms to the undifferentiated reality. Names are labels; forms are appearances.

#name and form#differentiation#manifestation