Verse 4

Yagyavalkya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अथ हैनमत्रिः पप्रच्छ याज्ञवल्क्यं—यज्ञोपवीती कथं ब्राह्मण इति । स होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः—इदं प्रणवमेवास्य तद्यज्ञोपवीतं य आत्मा । प्राश्याचम्यायं विधिः ॥४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

अथ । ह । एनम् । अत्रिः । पप्रच्छ । याज्ञवल्क्यम् । यज्ञोपवीती । कथम् । ब्राह्मणः । इति । सः । ह । उवाच । याज्ञवल्क्यः । इदम् । प्रणवम् । एव । अस्य । तत् । यज्ञोपवीतम् । यः । आत्मा । प्राश्य । आचम्य । अयम् । विधिः ।

IAST Transliteration

atha hainam atriḥ papraccha yājñavalkyaṃ—yajñopavītī kathaṃ brāhmaṇa iti | sa hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ—idaṃ praṇavam evāsya tad yajñopavītaṃ ya ātmā | prāśyācamyāyaṃ vidhiḥ ||4||

Translation

Then Atri asked Yājñavalkya: “How is one a brāhmaṇa who wears the sacred thread?” Yājñavalkya replied: “For him, this Praṇava (Oṃ) alone is that sacred thread—namely, the Self (Ātman). Having eaten and then performed ācamana (ritual sipping of water), this is the rule.”

Academic Translation

Then Atri asked him, Yājñavalkya: “How is a brāhmaṇa one who wears the sacred thread?” Yājñavalkya replied: “For him, this Praṇava (Oṃ) alone is that sacred thread—namely, the Self. Having eaten and having sipped water (ācamana), this is the rule.”

Verse Context

• Ātman as the true yajñopavīta; Praṇava (Oṃ) as Brahman-symbol; internalization of ritual
• Mahavakya: Indirect: supports mahāvākya purport by identifying the Self as the essential ‘mark’ of brahminhood; aligns with ‘ayam ātmā brahma’ (conceptually) rather than quoting a mahāvākya verbatim.
• Yajur
• Śukla (Vājasaneyī) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose