Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,10.11
॥
Devanāgarī
एवम् एव प्रतिहर्तारम् उवाच प्रतिहर्तर् या देवता प्रतिहारम् अन्वायत्ता ताम् चेद् अविद्वान् प्रतिहरिष्यसि मूर्धा ते विपतिष्यति इति ते ह समारताः तूष्णीम् आसाम् चक्रिरे
Transliteration (IAST)
evam eva pratihartāram uvāca pratihartar yā devatā pratihāram anvāyattā tām ced avidvān pratihariṣyasi mūrdhā te vipatiṣyati iti te ha samāratāḥ tūṣṇīm āsām cakrire
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एवevaindeed; surely
प्रतिहर्तारम्pratihartāramto the pratihartṛ (pratihartṛ — the singer of the response); to the responder; to the pratihartṛ
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
प्रतिहर्तर्pratihartarO pratihartṛ; the responding singer
याyāyā; the syllable yā
देवताdevatāthe deity; divine power
प्रतिहारम्pratihāramthe pratihāra (pratihāra — the responding part of the sāman); the response; the responding portion
अन्वायत्ताanvāyattāconnected with; on which it depends
ताम्tāmit; that
चेद्cedif; but if
अविद्वान्avidvānthe ignorant one; the ignorant man
प्रतिहरिष्यसिpratihariṣyasiyou will perform the pratihāra; you will answer in song
मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head; the summit
तेteto you; for you
विपतिष्यतिvipatiṣyatiit will fall off; it will drop away
इतिitithus; how
तेteto you; for you
हhaindeed; surely
समारताःsamāratāḥhaving broken off (sam-ā-rata — 'having stopped'); having ceased; fallen still
तूष्णीम्tūṣṇīmin silence (tūṣṇīm); silently; without a word
आसाम्āsāmfor them; of these
चक्रिरेcakrirethey made; they became
Translation
In the same way he said to the pratihartṛ: "Pratihartṛ! If you take up the pratihāra without knowing the deity that belongs to the pratihāra — your head shall fall off!" And they broke off and sat down in silence.
Version
5ff759de8876 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third challenge, to the pratihartṛ (the singer of the "response", the answering portion) — and then the denouement: te ha samāratāḥ tūṣṇīm āsāṁ cakrire — "they stopped and sat down in silence": three royal singers broke off the service and sat mute.
The priests' silence is their honour: they did not sing on the chance of it (heads are dear — and not figuratively: for them the disputant's formula is a reality), did not have the newcomer thrown out by guards, did not fall back on their appointments. Craftsmen acknowledged knowledge above themselves — the knowledge of an unknown destitute man who had asked about the one thing that matters. The scene is a mirror for every tradition in every age: a living tradition differs from a dead one in being able to fall silent before a question it cannot answer — and to yield the floor to one who knows (which is just what the sacrificer will now do).