Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,2.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह श्रोत्रम् उद्गीथम् उपासाम् चक्रिरे तद् ह असुराः पाप्मना विविधुः तस्मात् तेन उभयम् शृणोति श्रवणीयम् च अश्रवणीयम् च पाप्मना हि एतत् विद्धम्
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha śrotram udgītham upāsām cakrire tad ha asurāḥ pāpmanā vividhuḥ tasmāt tena ubhayam śṛṇoti śravaṇīyam ca aśravaṇīyam ca pāpmanā hi etat viddham
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
श्रोत्रम्śrotramthe ear; hearing
उद्गीथम्udgīthamthe udgītha; the exalted chant
उपासाम्upāsāmveneration; the contemplation
चक्रिरेcakrirethey made; they became
तद्tadthat; this
हhaindeed; surely
असुराःasurāḥthe asuras; the adversaries of the gods
पाप्मनाpāpmanāby sin; by defilement
विविधुःvividhuḥthey pierced; they struck
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
तेनtenawith that; by means of this
उभयम्ubhayamboth; the double
शृणोतिśṛṇotihears; one listens
श्रवणीयम्śravaṇīyamworth hearing (śravaṇīya); pleasant to hear; worthy of attention
चcaand; as well as
अश्रवणीयम्aśravaṇīyamunfit to be heard (a-śravaṇīya); unbecoming to the ear; offensive to the ear
चcaand; as well as
पाप्मनाpāpmanāby sin; by defilement
हिhiindeed; truly
एतत्etatthis; all this
विद्धम्viddhampierced; struck
Translation
Then they began to venerate hearing as the udgītha — but the asuras pierced it with evil. Hence with it men hear both what is worth hearing and what is not: for it has been pierced with evil.
Version
9d95b3f96f80 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fourth position is śrotra, hearing: śravaṇīyaṁ cāśravaṇīyaṁ ca — "both what is worth hearing and what is not": the ear, the gate of the śruti, the gate of the Veda itself, is likewise shot through: it cannot shut itself against gossip, abuse, temptation; it hears everything indiscriminately.
For the Upaniṣad of the singers this is especially bitter: their art enters by the ear — and by that same ear the poison enters. Hence the tradition's strictness about the medium of hearing (satsaṅga — the company in which worthy things are spoken): a wounded ear needs clean air. But even the best company is only a bandage; the healing will come from something else, of which two verses hence.