Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,11.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह एनम् यजमानः उवाच भगवन्तम् वै अहम् विविदिषाणि इति उषस्तिः अस्मि चाक्रायणः इति ह उवाच
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha enam yajamānaḥ uvāca bhagavantam vai aham vividiṣāṇi iti uṣastiḥ asmi cākrāyaṇaḥ iti ha uvāca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
एनम्enamit; of this
यजमानःyajamānaḥthe sacrificer (yajamāna); the master of the sacrifice; the patron of the rite
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
भगवन्तम्bhagavantamthe venerable one; the esteemed one
वैvaiverily; indeed
अहम्ahamI; I myself
विविदिषाणिvividiṣāṇiI would like to know (desiderative of √vid); I wish to know; I long to know
इतिitithus; how
उषस्तिःuṣastiḥUṣasti; the sage Uṣasti
अस्मिasmiI am; I am
चाक्रायणःcākrāyaṇaḥCākrāyaṇa; a descendant of Cakra
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
Translation
Then the sacrificer said to him: "I should like to know your honour." — "I am Uṣasti Cākrāyaṇa," said he.
Version
602968a201aa · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The intervention of the master of the sacrifice: atha hainaṁ yajamāna uvāca — "then the sacrificer said": bhagavantaṁ vā aham vividiṣāṇi — "I should like to know your honour": the king (verse 1.10.6) shows no anger at his disrupted service — he asks a name: authority that can recognise knowledge over and above protocol.
uṣastir asmi cākrāyaṇa iti — "I am Uṣasti Cākrāyaṇa": the name proves to be a famous one (the next verse will show that the king had been searching for him!). Destitution had hidden a celebrity: the hungry beggar of beans is the very master they had missed when enlisting the priests. The recognition came not by his clothes nor by recommendations but by one exact question that stopped the service: knowledge is its own letter of credence.