Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,1.6
॥
Devanāgarī
तद् एतन् मिथुनम् ओम् इति एतस्मिन् अक्षरे संसृज्यते यदा वै मिथुनौ समागच्छतः आपयतः वै तौ अन्यः अन्यस्य कामम्
Transliteration (IAST)
tad etan mithunam om iti etasmin akṣare saṃsṛjyate yadā vai mithunau samāgacchataḥ āpayataḥ vai tau anyaḥ anyasya kāmam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तद्tadthat; this
एतन्etanthis; the present
मिथुनम्mithunama pair; a wedded pair
ओम्omoṁ; the sacred syllable
इतिitithus; how
एतस्मिन्etasminin this; in this
अक्षरेakṣarein the syllable; in the imperishable
संसृज्यतेsaṃsṛjyateit is joined (sam-√sṛj); it is coupled; it merges
यदाyadāwhen; at the moment when
वैvaiverily; indeed
मिथुनौmithunauthe two in a pair; the wedded pair
समागच्छतःsamāgacchataḥthe two come together (sam-ā-√gam, dual); they couple; they meet
आपयतःāpayataḥthey fulfil (√āp, causative, dual); they bring about [the desire]; they accomplish
वैvaiverily; indeed
तौtauthese two; both
अन्यःanyaḥanother; one
अन्यस्यanyasyaanother; of the second
कामम्kāmamas much as you wish; as you wish
Translation
This pair is joined together in the syllable Oṁ. And when two come together as a pair, they truly fulfil each other's desire.
Version
88b2243a3d7a · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
tad etan mithunam om ity etasminn akṣare saṁsṛjyate — "this pair is joined in the syllable Oṁ": in a single sound breath and speech are wedded: uttering Oṁ, a man brings his life and his word into one — an act in which a being gathers itself into a whole. Hence the syllable's power: it is the bridal chamber of man's two halves.
And the law of every couple: yadā vai mithunau samāgacchataḥ āpayato vai tāv anyo 'nyasya kāmam — "when two come together, they fulfil each other's desire": what is joined bears fruit. Speech wedded to life gains the power of accomplishment; life wedded to the word gains meaning. Parted, they are barren: words without life ("strengthless speech") and life without word (a dumb vegetating) are two kinds of widowhood, and Oṁ is the healing of both.