Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad ("Great Forest Teaching") 3.8

3.8.1

atha ha vācaknavyuvāca brāhmaṇā bhagavanto hantāhamimaṃ dvau praśnau prakṣyāmitau cenme vakṣyati na vai jātu yuṣmākamimaṃ kaścidbrahmodyaṃ jeteti pṛccha gārgīti

Then Vâkaknavî said: 'Venerable Brâhmanas, I shall ask him two questions. If he will answer them, none of you, I think, will defeat him in any argument concerning Brahman.'
Yâgñavalkya said: 'Ask, O Gârgî.'

3.8.2

sā hovācāhaṃ vai tvā yājñavalkya yathā kāśyo vā vaidehovograputra ujjyaṃ dhanuradhijyaṃ kṛtvā dvau bāṇavantau sapatnātivyādhinau haste kṛtvopottiṣṭhedevamevāhaṃ tvā dvābhyāṃ praśnābhyāmupodasthāṃ tau me brūhīti pṛccha gārgīti

She said: 'O Yâgñavalkya, as the son of a warrior from the Kâsîs or Videhas might string his loosened bow, take two pointed foe-piercing arrows in his hand and rise to do battle, I have risen to fight thee with two questions. Answer me these questions.'
Yâgñavalkya said: 'Ask, O Gârgî.'

3.8.3

sā hovāca yadūrdhvaṃ yājñavalkya divo yadavākpṛthivyā yadantarā dyāvāpṛthivī ime yadbhūtaṃ ca bhavacca bhaviṣyaccetyācakṣate kasmim̐stadotaṃ ca protaṃ ceti

She said: 'O Yâgñavalkya, that of which they say that it is above the heavens, beneath the earth, embracing heaven and earth, past, present, and future, tell me in what is it woven, like warp and woof?'

3.8.4

sa hovāca yadūrdhvaṃ gārgi divo yadavākpṛthivyā yadantarā dyāvāpṛthivī ime yadbhūtaṃ ca bhavacca bhaviṣyaccetyācakṣata ākāśe tadotaṃ ca protaṃ ceti

Yâgñavalkya said: 'That of which they say that it is above the heavens, beneath the earth, embracing heaven and earth, past, present, and future, that is woven, like warp and woof, in the ether (âkâsa).'

3.8.5

sā hovāca namaste'stu yājñavalkya yo ma etaṃ vyavoco'parasmai dhārayasveti pṛccha gārgīti

She said: 'I bow to thee, O Yâgñavalkya, who hast solved me that question. Get thee ready for the second.'
Yâgñavalkya said: 'Ask, O Gârgî.'

3.8.6

sā hovāca yadūrdhvaṃ yājñavalkya divo yadavākpṛthivyā yadantarā dyāvāpṛthivī ime yadbhūtaṃ ca bhavacca bhaviṣyaccetyācakṣate kasmim̐stadotaṃ ca protaṃ ceti

She said: 'O Yâgñavalkya, that of which they say that it is above the heavens, beneath the earth, embracing heaven and earth, past, present, and future, tell me in what is it woven, like warp and woof?'

3.8.7

sa hovāca yadūrdhvaṃ gārgi divo yadavākpṛthivyā yadantarā dyāvāpṛthivī ime yadbhūtaṃ ca bhavacca bhaviṣyaccetyācakṣateākāśa eva tadotaṃ ca protaṃ ceti kasminnu khalvākāśa otaścaprotaśceti

Yâgñavalkya said: 'That of which they say that it is above the heavens, beneath the earth, embracing heaven and earth, past, present, and future, that is woven, like warp and woof, in the ether.'
Gârgî said: 'In what then is the ether woven, like warp and woof?'

3.8.8

sa hovācaitadvai tadakṣaraṃ gārgi brāhmaṇā abhivadantyasthūlamanaṇvahrasvamadīrghamalohitamasnehamacchāyamatamo'vāyvanākāśamasaṅgamarasamagandhamacakṣuṣkamaśrotramavāgamano'tejaskamaprāṇamamukhamamātramanantaramabā hyaṃ na tadaśnāti kiṃcana na tadaśnāti kaścana

He said: 'O Gârgî, the Brâhmanas call this the Akshara (the imperishable). It is neither coarse nor fine, neither short nor long, neither red (like fire) nor fluid (like water); it is without shadow, without darkness, without air, without ether, without attachment, without taste, without smell, without eyes, without ears, without speech, without mind, without light (vigour), without breath, without a mouth (or door), without measure, having no within and no without, it devours nothing, and no one devours it.'

3.8.9

etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi sūryācandramasau vidhṛtau tiṣṭhata etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi dyāvāpṛthivyau vidhṛte tiṣṭhata etasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi nimeṣā muhūrtāahorātrāṇyardhamāsā māsā tavaḥ saṃvatsarā iti vidhṛtāstiṣṭhantyetasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi prācyo'nyā nadyaḥ syandante śvetebhyaḥ parvatebhyaḥ pratīcyo'nyā yāṃ yāṃ ca diśamanvetasya vā akṣarasya praśāsane gārgi dadato manuṣyāḥ praśam̐santi yajamānaṃ devā davim̐ pitaro'nvāyattāḥ

'By the command of that Akshara (the imperishable), O Gârgî, sun and moon stand apart. By the command of that Akshara, O Gârgî, heaven and earth stand apart. By the command of that Akshara, O Gârgî, what are called moments (nimesha), hours (muhûrta), days and nights, half-months, months, seasons, years, all stand apart. By the command of that Akshara, O Gârgî, some rivers flow to the East from the white mountains, others to the West, or to any other quarter. By the command of that Akshara, O Gârgî, men praise those who give, the gods follow the sacrificer, the fathers the Darvî-offering.'

3.8.10

yo vā etadakṣaraṃ gārgyaviditvāsmim̐lloke juhoti yajate tapastapyate bahūni varṣasahasrāṇyantavadevāsya tadbhavati yo vā etadakṣaraṃ gārgyaviditvāsmāllokātpraiti sa kṛpaṇo'tha ya etadakṣaraṃ gārgi viditvāsmāllokātpraiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ

'Whosoever, O Gârgî, without knowing that Akshara (the imperishable), offers oblations in this world, sacrifices, and performs penance for a thousand years, his work will have an end. Whosoever, O Gargî, without knowing this Akshara, departs this world, he is miserable (like a slave). But he, O Gârgî, who departs this world, knowing this Akshara, he is a Brâhmana.'

3.8.11

tadvā etadakṣaraṃ gārgyadṛṣṭaṃ draṣṭraśrutam̐ śrotramataṃ mantravijñātaṃ vijñātṛ nānyadato'sti draṣṭṛ nānyadato'sti śrotṛ nānyadato'sti mantṛ nānyadato'sti vijñātretasminnukhalvakṣare gārgyākāśa otaśca protaśceti

'That Brahman,' O Gârgî, 'is unseen, but seeing; unheard, but hearing; unperceived, but perceiving; unknown, but knowing. There is nothing that sees but it, nothing that hears but it, nothing that perceives but it, nothing that knows but it. In that Akshara then, O Gârgî, the ether is woven, like warp and woof.'

3.8.12

sā hovāca brāhmaṇā bhagavantastadeva bahu manyedhvaṃ yadasmānnamaskāreṇa mucyedhvaṃ na vai jātu yuṣmākamimaṃ kaścidbrahmodyaṃ jeteti tato ha vācaknavyupararāma

Then said Gargî: 'Venerable Brâhmans, you may consider it a great thing, if you get off by bowing before him. No one, I believe, will defeat him in any argument concerning Brahman.' After that Vâkaknavî held her peace.

3.8.12.p1

iti tṛtīyādhyāye'ṣṭamaṃ brāhmaṇam