Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,11.6
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह एनम् उद्गाता उपससाद उद्गातर् या देवता उद्गीथम् अन्वायत्ता ताम् चेद् अविद्वान् उद्गास्यसि मूर्धा ते विपतिष्यति इति मा भगवान् अवोचत् कतमा सा देवता इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha enam udgātā upasasāda udgātar yā devatā udgītham anvāyattā tām ced avidvān udgāsyasi mūrdhā te vipatiṣyati iti mā bhagavān avocat katamā sā devatā iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
एनम्enamit; of this
उद्गाताudgātāthe udgātṛ; the singer of the Sāman
उपससादupasasādaapproached; approached
उद्गातर्udgātarO udgātṛ; the chief singer
याyāyā; the syllable yā
देवताdevatāthe deity; divine power
उद्गीथम्udgīthamthe udgītha; the exalted chant
अन्वायत्ताanvāyattāconnected with; on which it depends
ताम्tāmit; that
चेद्cedif; but if
अविद्वान्avidvānthe ignorant one; the ignorant man
उद्गास्यसिudgāsyasiyou will sing the udgītha; you will chant
मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head; the summit
तेteto you; for you
विपतिष्यतिvipatiṣyatiit will fall off; it will drop away
इतिitithus; how
माmānot; me
भगवान्bhagavānvenerable one; esteemed one
अवोचत्avocathe said; He spoke
कतमाkatamāwhich one exactly; which
साsāshe; that one
देवताdevatāthe deity; divine power
इतिitithus; how
Translation
Then the udgātṛ came up to him: "Your honour said to me, 'Udgātṛ, if you sing the udgītha without knowing the deity that belongs to the udgītha, your head shall fall off.' Which is that deity?"
Version
b7e9e3cd0687 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second pupil is the udgātṛ, the chief singer: the same rite of coming up, the same verbatim repetition of the challenge, the same direct question. The Upaniṣad does not abridge the repetitions, and there is a sense in that: each of the three comes himself and asks about his own: the knowledge of the deities is not issued wholesale to a college — it is taken personally, each man for his own portion.
The udgātṛ's question is the weightiest: the udgītha is the heart of the service (the whole first adhyāya is about it!): Uṣasti will now name the one who stands behind the central chant — and in his answer we shall recognise the whole road the adhyāya has travelled.