Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,11.8
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह एनम् प्रतिहर्ता उपससाद प्रतिहर्तर् या देवता प्रतिहारम् अन्वायत्ता ताम् चेद् अविद्वान् प्रतिहरिष्यसि मूर्धा ते विपतिष्यति इति मा भगवान् अवोचत् कतमा सा देवता इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha enam pratihartā upasasāda pratihartar yā devatā pratihāram anvāyattā tām ced avidvān pratihariṣyasi mūrdhā te vipatiṣyati iti mā bhagavān avocat katamā sā devatā iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
एनम्enamit; of this
प्रतिहर्ताpratihartāthe pratihartṛ; the responding singer
उपससादupasasādaapproached; approached
प्रतिहर्तर्pratihartarO pratihartṛ; the responding singer
याyāyā; the syllable yā
देवताdevatāthe deity; divine power
प्रतिहारम्pratihāramthe pratihāra; the responding part of the chant
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
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 pratihartṛ came up to him: "Your honour said to me, 'Pratihartṛ, if you take up the pratihāra without knowing the deity that belongs to the pratihāra, your head shall fall off.' Which is that deity?"
Version
142b1548c070 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:31:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third pupil is the pratihartṛ, the singer of the "taking up": pratihāra is the answering, receiving portion of the sāman: the part of return, closing what the prastāva began and the udgītha lifted up.
The three questions of the three singers outline the threefold drama of every sacred act: stepping forth — lifting up — receiving: out of the Beginning we come, to the High One we sing, and by something all is received and closed. Two deities have been named: Life (the source) and the Sun (the height); it remains to learn the one that closes — and the answer will be the most earthly and the most humble of the three, fitting the whole story of Uṣasti, which began with a handful of beans.