Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,12.2
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्मै श्वा श्वेतः प्रादुर् बभूव तम् अन्ये श्वानः उपसमेत्य ऊचुः अन्नम् नो भगवान् आगायतु अशनायाम वै इति
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmai śvā śvetaḥ prādur babhūva tam anye śvānaḥ upasametya ūcuḥ annam no bhagavān āgāyatu aśanāyāma vai iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्मैtasmaito Him; to him
श्वाśvāa dog (śvan); a dog; the dog
श्वेतःśvetaḥwhite (śveta); snow-white; radiant
प्रादुर्prādurforth into view (prādur — 'outward, into manifestation'); visibly; openly
बभूवbabhūvahe appeared (perfect of √bhū); stood forth; he showed himself
तम्tamit; that one
अन्येanyeother; others
श्वानःśvānaḥthe dogs; the hounds
उपसमेत्यupasametyahaving approached; having assembled
ऊचुःūcuḥsaid; they uttered
अन्नम्annamfood; food
नोnoto us; for us
भगवान्bhagavānvenerable one; esteemed one
आगायतुāgāyatulet him sing (ā-√gai, imperative); let him chant [for us]; let him win it by singing
अशनायामaśanāyāmawe are hungry (from aśanāyā — 'hunger'); we hunger; we are famished
वैvaiverily; indeed
इतिitithus; how
Translation
A white dog appeared before him. Other dogs gathered about him and said: "Sing us food, your honour: we are hungry."
Version
e473bb1f0193 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:34:59 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The vision begins: śvā śvetaḥ prādur babhūva — "a white dog appeared" (prādur-√bhū is the verb of divine manifestations!): white is the colour of purity and priesthood: a dog-hierophant. And a retinue: anye śvānaḥ — the other dogs — with a petition in which all the liturgics of the world is reduced to its essence: annaṁ no bhagavān āgāyatu — "sing us food, your honour" — aśanāyāma vai — "for we are hungry".
"Sing us food" is a formula fit to stand as the epigraph of the whole karma-kāṇḍa: this is precisely what the udgātṛ does for the sacrificer (khaṇḍa 7: "what desire shall I sing for you?"); the dogs ask the same thing without circumlocution. Hunger turning to song — there is the image of the creature's worship: and there is no mockery of the creature in it: hunger is honest; the only question is whether the song will remain forever about food, or will come to know from Whose hand all living things eat (the khaṇḍa's close will name the Lord of food!).