Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,8.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अपाम् का गतिः इति असौ लोकः इति ह उवाच अमुष्य लोकस्य का गतिः इति न स्वर्गम् लोकम् अतिनयेत् इति ह उवाच स्वर्गम् वयम् लोकम् सामाभिसंस्थापयामः स्वर्गसंस्तावम् हि साम इति
Transliteration (IAST)
apām kā gatiḥ iti asau lokaḥ iti ha uvāca amuṣya lokasya kā gatiḥ iti na svargam lokam atinayet iti ha uvāca svargam vayam lokam sāmābhisaṃsthāpayāmaḥ svargasaṃstāvam hi sāma iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अपाम्apāmof the waters; of the water element
काkāwhat is; what
गतिःgatiḥgoing; the support
इतिitithus; how
असौasauthat one; yonder
लोकःlokaḥthe world; dwelling
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
अमुष्यamuṣyathat one; of that other
लोकस्यlokasyaworld; realms
काkāwhat is; what
गतिःgatiḥgoing; the support
इतिitithus; how
नnanot; no
स्वर्गम्svargamheavenly; svarga
लोकम्lokamthe world; dwelling
अतिनयेत्atinayetone should lead it further (ati-√nī); to carry it beyond; to extend it further
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
स्वर्गम्svargamheavenly; svarga
वयम्vayamwe; we ourselves
लोकम्lokamthe world; dwelling
सामाभिसंस्थापयामःsāmābhisaṃsthāpayāmaḥwe establish the sāman (abhi-sam-√sthā, causative); we set up the sāman; we found the sāman
स्वर्गसंस्तावम्svargasaṃstāvampraised as heaven (svarga-saṁstāva); lauded as heavenly; with the heaven-praise
हिhiindeed; truly
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
इतिitithus; how
Translation
"What is the going of the waters?" — "That world." — "What is the going of that world?" — "One must not carry [the sāman] beyond the heavenly world," said he. "We establish the sāman in the heavenly world, for the sāman is lauded as heaven."
Version
303b598c801b · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dālbhya's halt: the waters → asau lokaḥ — "that world" (heaven, whence the rains); and beyond that, a refusal: na svargaṁ lokam atinayed iti — "one must not carry it beyond the heavenly world": svargaṁ vayaṁ lokaṁ sāmābhisaṁsthāpayāmaḥ — "we establish the sāman in heaven": svarga-saṁstāvaṁ hi sāma — "for the sāman is lauded as heavenly".
Dālbhya stops where ritual tradition bids him: heaven is the ceiling of the karma-kāṇḍa ("the sāman is heavenly" — a liturgical axiom). His "one must not go further" is not ignorance of the facts but the prohibition of a school: as far as the handed-down goes, so far goes the thought. Śilaka will presently show what becomes of a sāman hung from heaven: heaven itself has a support — and one who does not acknowledge it builds upon the unexamined.