Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,5.2
॥
Devanāgarī
एतम् उ एव अहम् अभ्यगासिषम् तस्मात् मम त्वम् एकः असि इति ह कौषीतकिः पुत्रम् उवाच रश्मीन् त्वम् पर्यावर्तयात् बहवः वै ते भविष्यन्ति इति अधिदैवतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
etam u eva aham abhyagāsiṣam tasmāt mama tvam ekaḥ asi iti ha kauṣītakiḥ putram uvāca raśmīn tvam paryāvartayāt bahavaḥ vai te bhaviṣyanti iti adhidaivatam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एतम्etamit; of this
उusurely; indeed
एवevaindeed; surely
अहम्ahamI; I myself
अभ्यगासिषम्abhyagāsiṣamI have sung (aorist of abhi-√gai); I have sung; I chanted [to it]
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
ममmamamyself; for me
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
एकःekaḥone; alone
असिasiare you; you
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
कौषीतकिःkauṣītakiḥKauṣītaki; the sage Kauṣītaki
पुत्रम्putramto his son; the son
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
रश्मीन्raśmīnthe rays (raśmi); the rays [of the sun]; the threads of rays
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
पर्यावर्तयात्paryāvartayātlet him turn them (pari-ā-√vṛt, causative); let him revolve them [in contemplation]; let him turn them about
बहवःbahavaḥmany; a multitude
वैvaiverily; indeed
तेteto you; for you
भविष्यन्तिbhaviṣyantithey will be; they shall become
इतिitithus; how
अधिदैवतम्adhidaivatamthe cosmic explanation; relating to the deities
Translation
"It was precisely him that I sang — therefore you are my only one," said Kauṣītaki to his son. "But you, turn the rays [into many] — and you will have many." This is with reference to the deities.
Version
27bd032d0067 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A family scene with a precept: old Kauṣītaki confesses to his son: etam u evāham abhyagāsiṣam — "it was precisely him [the one sun] that I sang" — tasmān mama tvam eko 'si — "therefore you are my only one": he contemplated the single and got a single son. And the counsel to the son: raśmīṁs tvaṁ paryāvartayāt — "you, turn the rays about [in contemplation]" — bahavo vai te bhaviṣyanti — "and you will have many [sons]": contemplate the sun in its multitude of rays, and your line too will multiply.
Behind the seemingly naïve arithmetic lies the law of upāsanā which the Chāndogya will repeat many times: yathopāsate tad bhavati — as you venerate, so you become (and so you receive): the contemplation of unity gives what is single, the contemplation of multitude what is many. The fruit is proportioned to the image of worship — so the choice of image is no trifle: tell me how you contemplate and I will tell you what will be born to you.