Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,10.3
॥
Devanāgarī
एतेषाम् मे देहि इति ह उवाच तान् अस्मै प्रददौ हन्त अनुपानम् इति उच्छिष्टम् वै मे पीतम् स्यात् इति ह उवाच
Transliteration (IAST)
eteṣām me dehi iti ha uvāca tān asmai pradadau hanta anupānam iti ucchiṣṭam vai me pītam syāt iti ha uvāca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एतेषाम्eteṣāmof these; of these
मेmemyself; for me
देहिdehigive (imperative of √dā); give; hand over
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
तान्tānof them; those
अस्मैasmaifor him; to him
प्रददौpradadauhe gave them (pra-√dā, perfect); he handed on; he handed them over
हन्तhantaso then; come now
अनुपानम्anupānamthe drink [after eating] (anu-pāna); something to drink after; a drink
इतिitithus; how
उच्छिष्टम्ucchiṣṭama defiled leftover (ucchiṣṭa — the remains of another's meal); what has been begun [and so is impure]; the leavings
वैvaiverily; indeed
मेmemyself; for me
पीतम्pītamwhat has been drunk; the drink already taken
स्यात्syātcould be; it would become
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
Translation
"Give me of these," said he. The man gave them to him [and added]: "Here is drink too." — "[No]: then I should be drinking defiled leavings," said he.
Version
ed6ea9b4496c · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first ruling: eteṣāṁ me dehīti — "give me of these": Uṣasti accepts the beans already begun! But the drink he refuses: ucchiṣṭaṁ vai me pītaṁ syāt — "what is drunk would be for me an [inadmissible] remnant".
The seeming inconsistency will presently be revealed as the most exact of distinctions (the next verse). For now, mark the hero's manner: in utter want he neither snatches at everything nor proudly rejects everything — he weighs every mouthful in the scales of dharma: hunger has not abolished his discrimination, and discrimination has not killed the living man in him. Between the fanaticism of the rule ("I will die rather than touch leavings") and the cynicism of need ("hunger writes off everything") Uṣasti now draws a line of razor exactness.