Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,11.7
॥
Devanāgarī
आदित्यः इति ह उवाच सर्वाणि ह वै इमानि भूतानि आदित्यं उच्चैः सन्तम् गायन्ति सा एषा देवता उद्गीथम् अन्वायत्ता ताम् चेद् अविद्वान् उदगास्यः मूर्धा ते व्यपतिष्यत् तथोक्तस्य मया इति
Transliteration (IAST)
ādityaḥ iti ha uvāca sarvāṇi ha vai imāni bhūtāni ādityaṃ uccaiḥ santam gāyanti sā eṣā devatā udgītham anvāyattā tām ced avidvān udagāsyaḥ mūrdhā te vyapatiṣyat tathoktasya mayā iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आदित्यःādityaḥthe sun; Āditya
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
सर्वाणिsarvāṇiall; the whole
हhaindeed; surely
वैvaiverily; indeed
इमानिimānithese; all these
भूतानिbhūtānibeings; the elements
आदित्यंādityaṃthe sun; Āditya
उच्चैःuccaiḥon high (uccais — 'aloft'); upward; high up
सन्तम्santamthat which is (sat — 'being'); the existent; that which stands
गायन्तिgāyantithey sing (from √gai); they hymn; they praise in song
साsāshe; that one
एषाeṣāthis; such is
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
उदगास्यःudagāsyaḥyou would have sung the udgītha; you would have begun to sing
मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head; the summit
तेteto you; for you
व्यपतिष्यत्vyapatiṣyatit would fall; it would drop off
तथोक्तस्यtathoktasyaof what was thus said; according to what was said
मयाmayāby me; from me
इतिitithus; how
Translation
"The sun," said he. "All these beings sing the sun, which is on high. That is the deity that belongs to the udgītha. Had you sung without knowing it, your head would have fallen off — just as I told you."
Version
123b2827fabb · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second answer: āditya iti hovāca — "the Sun": sarvāṇi ha vā imāni bhūtāny ādityam uccaiḥ santaṁ gāyanti — "all beings sing the sun, which is on high": the udgītha — "the high singing" (ud — upward!) — is bound to the High One: the whole creation, straining toward the light, is a choir singing to the sun; the udgātṛ only leads that universal choir.
The answer gathers up the adhyāya's threads: the sun as udgītha (khaṇḍa 3: "rising, he sings to the creatures"), the sun as praṇava (khaṇḍa 5: "he moves along sounding Oṁ"), the golden Puruṣa within the sun (khaṇḍa 6!): an udgātṛ who knows his deity does not sing "about the sun" — he seconds the Singing Light, behind which stands the Golden Singer. The central priest's portion is bound to the centre of the sky: higher than this binding there is only He who is within the sun.