Brahmavidya Upanishad: Verse 4
ऋग्वेदो गार्हपत्यं च पृथिवी ब्रह्म एव च । आकारस्य शरीरं तु व्याख्यातं ब्रह्मवादिभिः ॥४॥
ऋक्-वेदः । गार्हपत्यम् । च । पृथिवी । ब्रह्म । एव । च । आ-कारस्य । शरीरम् । तु । व्याख्यातम् । ब्रह्म-वादिभिः ॥ ४ ॥
ṛgvedo gārhapatyaṃ ca pṛthivī brahma eva ca | ākārasya śarīraṃ tu vyākhyātaṃ brahmavādibhiḥ ||4||
ऋग्वेद, ग्रहपत्य अग्नि, धरती, और ब्रह्मा, यह सब 'अ' की आवाज़ का शरीर हैं। ब्रह्मा की बात समझाने वाले लोग यही बताते हैं।
The Ṛgveda, the Gārhapatya (fire), the earth, and Brahmā as well—these are explained by the expounders of Brahman as the body of the sound ‘A’.
- ṛgvedo = ṛgvedaḥ (visarga loss before g)
- brahma eva = brahma + eva (a+e→ae, written separately)
- vyākhyātaṃ (PPP) agrees with śarīram
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Pratīka-upāsanā: mapping the ‘A’ (ākāra) to cosmic/ritual correspondences
- The mahavakyas
- Indirect—supports contemplative approach to Brahman via symbol (Oṃ) rather than direct identity statement
- Veda
- Atharva
- Chandas
- Anuṣṭubh (śloka)
Yoga and practice
Visualization/nyāsa-like placement: meditate on ‘A’ as grounding (earth), stability (gārhapatya), and foundational revelation (Ṛgveda); useful for dhāraṇā and mantra-japa with correspondences
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Upanishads in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
