Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8

Gargi's Questions - The ImperishableYajur Veda

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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8Famous
intermediate
सा होवाच कस्मिन्नु खल्वाकाश ओतश्च प्रोतश्चेति। स होवाच। एतद्वै तदक्षरं गार्गि ब्राह्मणा अभिवदन्त्यस्थूलमनणु अह्रस्वमदीर्घम्। अलोहितमस्नेहमच्छायमतमोऽवायवनाकाशमसङ्गमरसमगन्धमचक्षुष्कमश्रोत्रमवाक्कममनस्कमतेजस्कमप्राणममुखममात्रमनन्तरमबाह्यम्। न तदश्नाति किंचन न तदश्नाति कश्चन॥

sā hovāca kasminnu khalvākāśa otaśca protaścеti | sa hovāca | etadvai tadakṣaraṃ gārgi brāhmaṇā abhivadantyasthūlamanaṇu ahrasvamadīrgham | alohitamasnеhamacchāyamatamo\'vāyаvanākāśamasaṅgamarasamagandhamacakṣuṣkamaśrotramavākkamamanaskamatejaSkамaprāṇamamukhaмamātramаnantarambāhyam | na tadaśnāti kiṃcana na tadaśnāti kaścana ||

"She said: "On what is space woven?" He said: "That, O Gargi, the brahmins call the Imperishable (Akshara). It is not gross, not subtle, not short, not long, not red, not adhesive, shadowless, dark-less, wind-less, space-less, unattached, taste-less, smell-less, sight-less, hearing-less, speech-less, mind-less, light-less, breath-less, mouth-less, measure-less, without inside or outside. It eats nothing, and nothing eats it.""

What This Means:

What is space woven on? The Imperishable (Akshara). It has no qualities we can name - not gross or subtle, no color, taste, sense. Beyond everything describable.

Going Deeper:

This is the via negativa - describing the ultimate by negation. Akshara (Imperishable) is beyond all categories.

How To Apply This:

The ultimate cannot be described positively. It is beyond all qualities. Know it by negating all descriptions.

#Akshara#Imperishable#neti neti#via negativa