Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,6.1
॥
Devanāgarī
इयम् एव ऋक् अग्निः साम तद् एतत् एतस्याम् ऋचि अध्यूढम् साम तस्मात् ऋचि अध्यूढम् साम गीयते इयम् एव सा अग्निः अमः तत् साम
Transliteration (IAST)
iyam eva ṛk agniḥ sāma tad etat etasyām ṛci adhyūḍham sāma tasmāt ṛci adhyūḍham sāma gīyate iyam eva sā agniḥ amaḥ tat sāma
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इयम्iyamthis; she
एवevaindeed; surely
ऋक्ṛkthe ṛc; a hymn of the Ṛg-veda
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
तद्tadthat; this
एतत्etatthis; all this
एतस्याम्etasyāmin this [one]; upon this
ऋचिṛciin the ṛc; in the hymn
अध्यूढम्adhyūḍhamit is laid upon (adhi-√vah — 'borne up onto'); it is set up; it is placed on top
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
ऋचिṛciin the ṛc; in the hymn
अध्यूढम्adhyūḍhamit is laid upon (adhi-√vah — 'borne up onto'); it is set up; it is placed on top
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
गीयतेgīyateis sung; is performed
इयम्iyamthis; she
एवevaindeed; surely
साsā'sā' (sā — 'she': the ground, the earth); she [the ground]; sā
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
अमःamaḥ'ama' (ama — 'he': the power above); he [the flame]; ama
तत्tatthat; this
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
Translation
This [earth] is the ṛc, Agni is the sāman. This sāman is laid upon this ṛc; therefore the sāman is sung as laid upon the ṛc. The earth is "sā", Agni is "ama": that makes "sāma".
Version
864049c382e8 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The sixth khaṇḍa gives a new etymology of the very word "sāman": sā + ama. iyam eva ṛg agniḥ sāma — "the earth is the ṛc, fire is the sāman": the sāman is "laid upon" (adhyūḍham) the ṛc as a melody upon a verse, as fire upon the earth: a chant always stands upon a word, the subtle upon the dense.
And the word is taken apart: iyam eva sā — "the earth is 'sā'", agnir amaḥ — "fire is 'ama'": tat sāma — "and there is sā-ma": the word "sāman" is read as a couple: she (sā — feminine: earth, the ground) and he (ama — the power above): every sāman is a marriage of ground and flame. The khaṇḍa will run this pair through all the storeys of the world (mid-region and wind, sky and sun, stars and moon…): the universe is one continuous wedlock of ṛcs and sāmans, supports and fires; and the singer who knows it sings not notes but cosmic weddings.