Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,5.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ खलु यः उद्गीथः सः प्रणवः यः प्रणवः सः उद्गीथः इति होतृषदनात् ह एव अपि दुरुद्गीथम् अनुसमाहरति इति अनुसमाहरति इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha khalu yaḥ udgīthaḥ saḥ praṇavaḥ yaḥ praṇavaḥ saḥ udgīthaḥ iti hotṛṣadanāt ha eva api durudgītham anusamāharati iti anusamāharati iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
खलुkhalutruly; indeed
यःyaḥwho; the one who
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रणवःpraṇavaḥthe praṇava; the syllable Oṁ
यःyaḥwho; the one who
प्रणवःpraṇavaḥthe praṇava; the syllable Oṁ
सःsaḥhe; that one
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
इतिitithus; how
होतृषदनात्hotṛṣadanātfrom the hotṛ's seat (hotṛ-sadana); from the seat of the hotṛ; from the hotṛ's side
हhaindeed; surely
एवevaindeed; surely
अपिapieven; also
दुरुद्गीथम्durudgīthama badly sung udgītha (dur-udgītha); a spoiled chant; a faulty udgītha
अनुसमाहरतिanusamāharatihe sets it right (anu-sam-ā-√hṛ — 'to gather up after'); he restores; he mends it
इतिitithus; how
अनुसमाहरतिanusamāharatihe sets it right (anu-sam-ā-√hṛ — 'to gather up after'); he restores; he mends it
इतिitithus; how
Translation
So then: what the udgītha is, that is the praṇava; and what the praṇava is, that is the udgītha. [One who knows this] sets right from the hotṛ's seat even a badly sung udgītha — he sets it right.
Version
53e5e11ff969 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A practical consequence of the identity: yo udgīthaḥ sa praṇavaḥ… — since the udgītha and the praṇava are one, the hotṛ priest (whose office is the praṇava) can hotṛ-ṣadanād dha evāpi durudgītham anusamāharati — "from the hotṛ's seat set right even a badly sung udgītha": the singer's slip is healed by the call of his neighbour at the altar: one man's syllable mends another man's song.
The twice-repeated anusamāharati — "he sets it right, he sets it right" — is the seal of the khaṇḍa. The sense reaches beyond ritual: in a common work the knowing man makes good his fellow's lapses — not by redoing his work but by bringing that same single sound from his own place: mistakes are cured not by criticism but by a true tone alongside. A community in which each man holds the praṇava at his own post is invulnerable to individual false notes: the whole sings out what each has left unfinished.