Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,6.8
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्य ऋक् च साम च गेष्णौ तस्मात् उद्गीथः तस्मात् तु एव उद्गाता एतस्य हि गाता सः एषः ये च अमुष्मात् पराञ्चः लोकाः तेषाम् च इष्टे देवकामानाम् च इति अधिदैवतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
tasya ṛk ca sāma ca geṣṇau tasmāt udgīthaḥ tasmāt tu eva udgātā etasya hi gātā saḥ eṣaḥ ye ca amuṣmāt parāñcaḥ lokāḥ teṣām ca iṣṭe devakāmānām ca iti adhidaivatam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्यtasyait; concerning this
ऋक्ṛkthe ṛc; a hymn of the Ṛg-veda
चcaand; as well as
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
चcaand; as well as
गेष्णौgeṣṇauthe two song-joints (geṣṇa — 'a joint of the chant', dual); the two members of the song; the two links of the chanting
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
तुtubut; surely
एवevaindeed; surely
उद्गाताudgātāthe udgātṛ (ud-gātṛ — 'the singer of Ud'); his singer; the intoner
एतस्यetasyaof this; from this
हिhiindeed; truly
गाताgātāthe singer; the one who chants
सःsaḥhe; that one
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
येyethose who; they who
चcaand; as well as
अमुष्मात्amuṣmātfrom that; beyond that
पराञ्चःparāñcaḥthose that lie beyond (parāñc); the transcendent ones; on the far side
लोकाःlokāḥworlds; realms
तेषाम्teṣāmof them; for them
चcaand; as well as
इष्टेiṣṭehe rules (from √īś); he governs; he holds sway
देवकामानाम्devakāmānāmover the desires of the gods; over the divine ends
चcaand; as well as
इतिitithus; how
अधिदैवतम्adhidaivatamthe cosmic explanation; relating to the deities
Translation
The ṛc and the sāman are his two singing joints; therefore [he is] the udgītha, and therefore the singer is "udgātṛ": for he is the singer of Ud. He rules over the worlds that are beyond that [sun], and over the desires of the gods. This is with reference to the deities.
Version
8b7e2447ad49 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
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The close of the solar vision: tasya ṛk ca sāma ca geṣṇau — "the ṛc and the sāman are his two geṣṇas" (singing joints, the knee-joints of the song): the whole two-part structure of chant (verse + melody, sā + ama, white + dark) is his own limbs. tasmād udgīthaḥ — "therefore [he is] the udgītha": tasmāt tv evodgātā — "and therefore the singer is udgātṛ": etasya hi gātā — "for he is His singer"! The priest's title is deciphered: ud-gātā = "the singer of Ud", the singer of the Risen One: every udgātṛ, whether he knows it or not, is a soloist of the Golden Puruṣa.
sa eṣa ye cāmuṣmāt parāñco lokās teṣāṁ ceṣṭe deva-kāmānāṁ ca — "he rules over the worlds beyond the sun and over the desires of the gods": the Puruṣa in the luminary is no ornament of the disc but the Lord of what lies beyond: above the sun are his dominions, and even the wishes of the heaven-dwellers are in his hand (the Kaṭha: "the One who fulfils the desires of many"). iti adhidaivatam — the cosmic leaf is closed; presently the same mystery will open within — in the human eye.