Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,2.11
॥
Devanāgarī
तेन तम् ह बृहस्पतिः उद्गीथम् उपासाम् चक्रे एतम् उ एव बृहस्पतिम् मन्यन्ते वाक् हि बृहती तस्याः एषः पतिः
Transliteration (IAST)
tena tam ha bṛhaspatiḥ udgītham upāsām cakre etam u eva bṛhaspatim manyante vāk hi bṛhatī tasyāḥ eṣaḥ patiḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेनtenawith that; by means of this
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
बृहस्पतिःbṛhaspatiḥBṛhaspati; the lord of prayer
उद्गीथम्udgīthamthe udgītha; the exalted chant
उपासाम्upāsāmveneration; the contemplation
चक्रेcakreI have performed; He made
एतम्etamit; of this
उusurely; indeed
एवevaindeed; surely
बृहस्पतिम्bṛhaspatimBṛhaspati; of the lord of prayer
मन्यन्तेmanyantethey consider; they understand [it to be]
वाक्vākspeech; the word
हिhiindeed; truly
बृहतीbṛhatīthe great one (bṛhatī — also the name of a metre); the mighty; the great [speech]
तस्याःtasyāḥout of her; it
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
पतिःpatiḥthe lord (pati); the lord; the sovereign
Translation
Bṛhaspati too venerated it as the udgītha; and him they take to be Bṛhaspati: for speech is the great one [bṛhatī], and he is its lord [pati].
Version
2a2941b83567 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second etymology: bṛhaspatiḥ — Bṛhaspati, the priest of the gods and lord of the sacred word: vāg ghi bṛhatī — "speech is bṛhatī, the great" (bṛhatī is both "great" and the name of a Vedic metre!) — tasyā eṣa patiḥ — "and it [the prāṇa] is her lord": bṛhatī-pati — Bṛhaspati: "the Lord of the Great [Speech]".
So the very celestial patron of prayer turns out to be a title of the prāṇa: life is the lord of the word (without breath there is no speech: Chāndogya 1.3.3 will presently show it anatomically). For singers the lesson is practical: would you have mastery of the word? then serve the word's lord: the purity and strength of the breath that is life is power over speech; a man hoarse with bustle will sing no udgītha.