Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,2.14
॥
Devanāgarī
आगाता ह वै कामानाम् भवति यः एतत् एवम् विद्वान् अक्षरम् उद्गीथम् उपास्ते इति अध्यात्मम्
Transliteration (IAST)
āgātā ha vai kāmānām bhavati yaḥ etat evam vidvān akṣaram udgītham upāste iti adhyātmam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आगाताāgātāthe winning singer (āgātṛ — 'he who sings a thing to himself'); the chanter [of desires]; the one who obtains by singing
हhaindeed; surely
वैvaiverily; indeed
कामानाम्kāmānāmdesires; aims
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एतत्etatthis; all this
एवम्evamthus; in this way
विद्वान्vidvānknowing; wise
अक्षरम्akṣaramthe syllable; the letter
उद्गीथम्udgīthamthe udgītha; the exalted chant
उपास्तेupāstehe venerates; beholds
इतिitithus; how
अध्यात्मम्adhyātmamwith reference to oneself (adhyātma); with reference to the inner; as applied to oneself
Translation
He becomes a singer who wins desires who, knowing this thus, venerates the syllable [Oṁ] as the udgītha. This is with reference to oneself.
Version
5a4e5c4dd6ed · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The section's phala-śruti: āgātā ha vai kāmānāṁ bhavati — "he becomes a singer who wins desires" — he who knows, as Baka did, the secret of the chief prāṇa in the syllable. The promise continues the example directly: what the udgātṛ of Naimiśa could do, anyone can who venerates "knowing thus".
ity adhyātmam — "this is with reference to oneself": the closing seal of the first movement: the udgītha has been examined from within man (speech, the breaths, the organs, the war within them). The next section will open with atha adhidaivatam — "now with reference to the deities": the same syllable will be read in the heavens, in the sun. This two-part optic (in oneself — in the world) is the Chāndogya's constant step: every truth has an inward and a cosmic face, and only both together are full.