Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,7.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ अध्यात्मम् वाक् एव ऋक् प्राणः साम तद् एतत् एतस्याम् ऋचि अध्यूढम् साम तस्मात् ऋचि अध्यूढम् साम गीयते वाक् एव सा प्राणः अमः तत् साम
Transliteration (IAST)
atha adhyātmam vāk eva ṛk prāṇaḥ sāma tad etat etasyām ṛci adhyūḍham sāma tasmāt ṛci adhyūḍham sāma gīyate vāk eva sā prāṇaḥ amaḥ tat sāma
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
अध्यात्मम्adhyātmamthe inward explanation; relating to man
वाक्vākspeech; the word
एवevaindeed; surely
ऋक्ṛkthe ṛc; a hymn of the Ṛg-veda
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
तद्tadthat; this
एतत्etatthis; all this
एतस्याम्etasyāmin this [one]; upon this
ऋचिṛciin the ṛc; in the hymn
अध्यूढम्adhyūḍhamlaid upon; placed above
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
ऋचिṛciin the ṛc; in the hymn
अध्यूढम्adhyūḍhamlaid upon; placed above
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
गीयतेgīyateis sung; is performed
वाक्vākspeech; the word
एवevaindeed; surely
साsāshe; that one
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
अमःamaḥAma; the gatherer of all
तत्tatthat; this
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
Translation
Now with reference to oneself: speech is the ṛc, breath is the sāman. This sāman is laid upon this ṛc; therefore the sāman is sung as laid upon the ṛc. Speech is "sā", breath is "ama": that makes "sāma".
Version
57558538a173 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The inward leaf of the seventh khaṇḍa: the same couples — now within man: vāg eva ṛk prāṇaḥ sāma — "speech is the ṛc, breath is the sāman": the word is the support, life the power laid over it (that very pair which was wedded in Oṁ — khaṇḍa 1!): speech is "sā", the prāṇa is "ama".
The ascent of inward pairs begins (speech–breath, eye–ātman, hearing–mind…), a mirror of the cosmic one (earth–fire … stars–moon): man is the second singer of the same duets. And where the outward stairway led — into the sun, to the Puruṣa — the inward one will lead as well: into the eye, to the very Same.