यत् ते कश्चिद् अब्रवीत् तच् छृणवामेति । अब्रवीन् मे जित्वा शैलिनिः -- वाग् वै ब्रह्मेति । यथा मातृमान् पितृमान् आचार्यवान् ब्रूयात् तथा तच् छैलिनिर् अब्रवीद् वाग् वै ब्रह्मेति । अवदतो हि किं स्याद् इति । अब्रवीत् तु ते तस्यायतनं प्रतिष्ठाम् । न मे ऽब्रवीद् इति । एकपाद् वा एतत् सम्राड् इति । स वै नो ब्रूहि याज्ञवल्क्य । वाग् एवायतनम् आकाशः प्रतिष्ठा प्रज्ञेत्य् एनद् उपासीत । का प्रज्ञता याज्ञवल्क्य । वाग् एव सम्राड् इति होवाच । वाचा वै सम्राड् बन्धुः प्रज्ञायते । ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदो ऽथर्वाङ्गिरस इतिहासः पुराणं विद्या उपनिषदः श्लोकाः सूत्राण्य् अनुव्याख्यानानि व्याख्यानानीष्टं हुतम् आशितं पायितम् अयं च लोकः परश् च लोकः सर्वाणि च भूतानि वाचैव संराट् प्रज्ञायन्ते । वाग् वै सम्राट् परमं ब्रह्म । नैनं वाग् जहाति । सर्वाण्य् एनं भूतान्य् अभिक्षरन्ति । देवो भूत्वा देवान् अप्येति । य एवं विद्वान् एतद् उपास्ते । हस्त्यृषभं सहस्रं ददामीति होवाच जनको वैदेहः । स होवाच याज्ञवल्क्यः -- पिता मे ऽमन्यत नाननुशिष्य हरेतेति
yat te kaścid abravīt tac chṛṇavāmeti | abravīn me jitvā śailiniḥ -- vāg vai brahmeti | yathā mātṛmān pitṛmān ācāryavān brūyāt tathā tac chailinir abravīd vāg vai brahmeti | avadato hi kiṃ syād iti | abravīt tu te tasyāyatanaṃ pratiṣṭhām | na me 'bravīd iti | ekapād vā etat samrāḍ iti | sa vai no brūhi yājñavalkya | vāg evāyatanam ākāśaḥ pratiṣṭhā prajñety enad upāsīta | kā prajñatā yājñavalkya | vāg eva samrāḍ iti hovāca | vācā vai samrāḍ bandhuḥ prajñāyate | ṛgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo 'tharvāṅgirasa itihāsaḥ purāṇaṃ vidyā upaniṣadaḥ ślokāḥ sūtrāṇy anuvyākhyānāni vyākhyānānīṣṭaṃ hutam āśitaṃ pāyitam ayaṃ ca lokaḥ paraś ca lokaḥ sarvāṇi ca bhūtāni vācaiva saṃrāṭ prajñāyante | vāg vai samrāṭ paramaṃ brahma | nainaṃ vāg jahāti | sarvāṇy enaṃ bhūtāny abhikṣaranti | devo bhūtvā devān apyeti | ya evaṃ vidvān etad upāste | hastyṛṣabhaṃ sahasraṃ dadāmīti hovāca janako vaidehaḥ | sa hovāca yājñavalkyaḥ -- pitā me 'manyata nānanuśiṣya hareteti
Devanagari rendered by HREEM from the edition's roman (IAST) text; the IAST is the edition's own.
‘Let us hear what anybody may have told you.’ Ganaka Vaideha replied: ‘ Gitvan Yailini told me that speech (vak) is Brahman.’ Ya^avalkya said: ‘As one who had (the benefit of a good) father, mother, and teacher might tell, so did Yailini tell you, that speech is Brahman; for what is the use of a dumb person? But did he tell you the body (ayatana) and the resting-place (pra- tish tk&) of that Brahman V Ganaka Vaideha said: ‘ He did not tell me.’ Yafwavalkya said: ‘ Your Majesty, this (Brahman) stands on one leg only.’ GanakaVaidehasaid: ‘Then tell me, Y&£%avalkya.’ and its form of worship (pragvietiyam upanishad brahma#aj £atur- tha^ padaA). See also Maitr. Up.VII, p. 221. Yd^avalkya said: ‘ The tongue is its body, ether its place, and one should worship it as knowledge.’ Ganaka Vaideha said: ‘ What is the nature of that knowledge? ’ Y f«avalkya replied: ‘Your Majesty, speech itself (is knowledge). For through speech, Your Majesty, a friend is known (to be a friend), and likewise the i?fg-veda, Yafur-veda, Sama-veda, the Atharvahgi- rasas, the Itihasa (tradition), Pura^a-vidya (knowledge of the past), the Upanishads, Ylokas (verses), Shtras (rules), Anuvyakhyanas and Vyakhyanas (commentaries x, &c.); what is sacrificed, what is poured out, what is (to be) eaten and drunk, this world and the other world, and all creatures. By speech alone, Your Majesty, Brahman is known, speech indeed, O King, is the Highest Brahman. Speech does not desert him who worships that (Brahman) with such knowledge, all creatures approach him, and having become a god, he goes to the gods.’ (kanaka Vaideha said: ‘I shall give you (for this) a thousand cows with a bull as big as an elephant.’ Ya^'«avalkya said: ‘My father was of opinion that one should not accept a reward without having fully instructed a pupil.’
Translated by F. Max MüllerFrom an unproofread scan of the printed edition; spelling and line breaks may carry OCR errors.