Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,8.8
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् ह प्रवाहणः जैवलिः उवाच अन्तवत् वै किल ते शालावत्य साम यः तु एतर्हि ब्रूयात् मूर्धा ते विपतिष्यति इति मूर्धा ते विपतेत् इति हन्त अहम् एतत् भगवत्तः वेदानि इति विद्धि इति ह उवाच
Transliteration (IAST)
tam ha pravāhaṇaḥ jaivaliḥ uvāca antavat vai kila te śālāvatya sāma yaḥ tu etarhi brūyāt mūrdhā te vipatiṣyati iti mūrdhā te vipatet iti hanta aham etat bhagavattaḥ vedāni iti viddhi iti ha uvāca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
प्रवाहणःpravāhaṇaḥPravāhaṇa; the name of a king
जैवलिःjaivaliḥJaivali; the son of Jīvala
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
अन्तवत्antavatit has an end (anta-vat — 'possessing an end'); it has a limit; it comes to a close
वैvaiverily; indeed
किलkilaindeed; as they say
तेteto you; for you
शालावत्यśālāvatyaO Śālāvatya; Śālāvatya
सामsāmathe sāman; the chant
यःyaḥwho; the one who
तुtubut; surely
एतर्हिetarhithen; now
ब्रूयात्brūyāthe would say; he would utter
मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head; the summit
तेteto you; for you
विपतिष्यतिvipatiṣyatiit will fall off; it will drop away
इतिitithus; how
मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head; the summit
तेteto you; for you
विपतेत्vipatetit would fall; it would drop off
इतिitithus; how
हन्तhantaso then; come now
अहम्ahamI; I myself
एतत्etatthis; all this
भगवत्तःbhagavattaḥfrom the venerable one; from you, venerable sir
वेदानिvedāniI shall learn; I shall understand
इतिitithus; how
विद्धिviddhiknow; understand
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
Translation
Then Pravāhaṇa Jaivali said to him: "Your sāman, Śālāvatya, has an end after all! And were someone now to say, 'your head shall fall off' — your head would fall off!" — "Come then, your honour, let me learn this from you." — "Learn," said he.
Version
1526fcfb6fe9 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:28:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The silent one enters: Pravāhaṇa Jaivali, who had been listening to the two brāhmaṇas (verse 1.8.2!), passes on Śilaka the same verdict Śilaka passed on Dālbhya, but a degree deeper: antavad vai kila te sāma — "your sāman has an end": not "without support" but "having an end": Śilaka rested the sāman upon "this world" and upon "the support" — but everything worldly is finite: a chant tied to the finite is itself finite.
And again the dignity of the vanquished: hantāham etad bhagavatto vedāni — "let me learn from you, your honour": the second brāhmaṇa of the evening becomes a pupil, and now the pupil of a kṣatriya. A chain of humblings is built: Dālbhya → Śilaka → Pravāhaṇa: every skilled man proved to be somebody's pupil; a colloquy of connoisseurs has ended as a school. It remains to hear the prince's answer: upon what, then, does the unending sāman stand?