Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,9.3
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् ह एतम् अतिधन्वा शौनकः उदरशाण्डिल्याय उक्त्वा उवाच यावत् ते एनं प्रजायाम् उद्गीथम् वेदिष्यन्ते परोवरीयः ह एभ्यः तावत् अस्मिन् लोके जीवनम् भविष्यति
Transliteration (IAST)
tam ha etam atidhanvā śaunakaḥ udaraśāṇḍilyāya uktvā uvāca yāvat te enaṃ prajāyām udgītham vediṣyante parovarīyaḥ ha ebhyaḥ tāvat asmin loke jīvanam bhaviṣyati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
एतम्etamit; of this
अतिधन्वाatidhanvāAtidhanvan; the sage Atidhanvan
शौनकःśaunakaḥŚaunaka; a descendant of Śunaka
उदरशाण्डिल्यायudaraśāṇḍilyāyato Udaraśāṇḍilya; to the sage Udaraśāṇḍilya
उक्त्वाuktvāso saying; having instructed
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
यावत्yāvatas long as; as far as
तेteto you; for you
एनंenaṃto Him; it
प्रजायाम्prajāyāmamong the offspring (prajā); in the family; among the descendants
उद्गीथम्udgīthamthe udgītha; the exalted chant
वेदिष्यन्तेvediṣyantethey will know (future of √vid); they shall know; they will keep the knowledge
परोवरीयःparovarīyaḥhigher and higher; surpassing [all]
हhaindeed; surely
एभ्यःebhyaḥto them; for them
तावत्tāvatso long; so much
अस्मिन्asminupon It; in this
लोकेlokeworld; realms
जीवनम्jīvanamlife (jīvana); living; existence
भविष्यतिbhaviṣyatiwill be; shall become
Translation
Having told it to Udara-Śāṇḍilya, Atidhanvan Śaunaka said: "So long as they know this udgītha in your line, so long will their life in this world be higher-and-ever-higher,
Version
d86236d0c100 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A genealogy of knowledge: taṁ haitam atidhanvā śaunaka udara-śāṇḍilyāyoktvovāca — "Atidhanvan Śaunaka, having told [the teaching] to Udara-Śāṇḍilya, said": the names of the keepers are set into the text — the seal of succession (as in the Muṇḍaka: knowledge travels a chain from person to person, and the chain is part of the knowledge itself).
And the promise is for a lineage: yāvat ta enaṁ prajāyām udgīthaṁ vediṣyante — "so long as your descendants know this udgītha" — parovarīyo haibhyas tāvad asmiṁl loke jīvanaṁ bhaviṣyati — "so long will their life here be higher and ever higher": knowledge blesses not the knower alone but his whole line, as long as it carries it: a vidyā is a family estate, the most precious of inheritances (the Muṇḍaka promised the same: "in the line of a knower none is born who does not know Brahman"). A family that hands the endless song down through the generations grows without a ceiling — together with the song.