Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,2.9
॥
Devanāgarī
नैव एतेन सुरभि न दुर्गन्धि विजानाति अपहतपाप्मा हि एषः तेन यत् अश्नाति यत् पिबति तेन इतरान् प्राणान् अवति एतम् उ एव अन्ततः अवित्त्वा उत्क्रामति व्याददाति एव अन्ततः इति
Transliteration (IAST)
naiva etena surabhi na durgandhi vijānāti apahatapāpmā hi eṣaḥ tena yat aśnāti yat pibati tena itarān prāṇān avati etam u eva antataḥ avittvā utkrāmati vyādadāti eva antataḥ iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नैवnaivanot at all; certainly not
एतेनetenaby this; by means of this
सुरभिsurabhithe fragrant; a pleasant odour
नnanot; no
दुर्गन्धिdurgandhithe foul; a bad odour
विजानातिvijānātihe comes to know; one distinguishes
अपहतपाप्माapahatapāpmāfree from evil (apahata-pāpman — 'with defilement beaten off'); invulnerable to evil; sinless
हिhiindeed; truly
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
तेनtenawith that; by means of this
यत्yatwhich; that which
अश्नातिaśnātieats; enjoys
यत्yatwhich; that which
पिबतिpibatihe drinks; he drinks up
तेनtenawith that; by means of this
इतरान्itarānthe rest; other
प्राणान्prāṇānof the prāṇa; the vital breaths
अवतिavatiit nourishes (from √av — 'to sustain'); it protects; it feeds
एतम्etamit; of this
उusurely; indeed
एवevaindeed; surely
अन्ततःantataḥat the end; at the last
अवित्त्वाavittvānot having found (a-vittvā); not having found; not having discovered
उत्क्रामतिutkrāmatiit goes out; goes
व्याददातिvyādadātihe opens [the mouth] (vi-ā-√dā); he gapes; he parts his lips
एवevaindeed; surely
अन्ततःantataḥat the end; at the last
इतिitithus; how
Translation
By it men distinguish neither the fragrant nor the foul — for it is free from evil. Whatever a man eats and drinks, by that [the prāṇa] nourishes the other breaths. Not finding it at the end, [the breaths] depart; and the dying man opens his mouth.
Version
2906d0096fc3 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
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A portrait of the unpierced: naivaitena surabhi na durgandhi vijānāti — "by it neither fragrance nor stench is distinguished": apahata-pāpmā hy eṣaḥ — "for it is one from whom evil has been beaten off", out of defilement's reach: the chief prāṇa does not split the world in two, and therefore evil, which lives in the crack of duality, has no foothold in it.
And its ministry: tena yad aśnāti yat pibati tenetarān prāṇān avati — "by whatever one eats and drinks, by that it nourishes the other prāṇas": the rock turns out to be the feeder: all the refined faculties eat from the hand of plain life. etam u evāntato 'vittvotkrāmati — "not finding it at the end, [the faculties] go out": in the hour of death, when the chief prāṇa departs, the retinue has nothing to hold to; vyādadāty evāntataḥ — "and [the dying man] opens his mouth": the last gasp is a mouth flung open after the departed feeder — a bitter and exact observation at the bedside, woven into metaphysics.