Upanishads · Chāndogya 1,13.4
॥
Devanāgarī
दुग्धे अस्मै वाक् दोहम् यः वाचः दोहः अन्नवान् अन्नादः भवति यः एताम् एवम् साम्नाम् उपनिषदम् वेदोपनिषदम् वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
dugdhe asmai vāk doham yaḥ vācaḥ dohaḥ annavān annādaḥ bhavati yaḥ etām evam sāmnām upaniṣadam vedopaniṣadam veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
दुग्धेdugdhehe milks; he draws the milk
अस्मैasmaifor him; to him
वाक्vākspeech; the word
दोहम्dohamthe milking; the milk
यःyaḥwho; the one who
वाचःvācaḥof speech; of speech
दोहःdohaḥthe milking; the drawing out
अन्नवान्annavānpossessed of food; having abundance
अन्नादःannādaḥan eater of food; the eater of food
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एताम्etāmthis; this very one
एवम्evamthus; in this way
साम्नाम्sāmnāmof the sāmans (sāman, genitive plural); of the chants; of the hymns of chant
उपनिषदम्upaniṣadamthe upaniṣad (upaniṣad — the hidden teaching); the hidden teaching; the secret science
वेदोपनिषदम्vedopaniṣadamthe secret doctrine of the Veda; the upaniṣad of the Veda
वेदvedaknows; understands
Translation
Speech milks out milk for him — that milk which speech has; and he becomes possessed of food and an eater of food who knows this upaniṣad of the sāmans thus — who knows the upaniṣad.
Version
9d89357bc07b · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:34:59 PM UTC
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The close of the first adhyāya: dugdhe 'smai vāg dohaṁ yo vāco dohaḥ — "speech milks out for him the yield that speech has" (the formula from khaṇḍa 3 returns to close the ring): annavān annādo bhavati — "he becomes possessed of food and an eater of food" — ya etām evaṁ sāmnām upaniṣadaṁ veda — "who knows this upaniṣad of the sāmans".
"The upaniṣad of the sāmans" is the adhyāya's summary name for itself: the secret of singing has been disclosed: Oṁ is the essence of essences and the couple of life and word; the prāṇa is the unshatterable rock; the sun sings by rising, and within it is the Golden Puruṣa with lotus eyes; He is in the eye as well; the song stands upon the Infinite; the deities of the portions are Life, Light, Food; and even the stobhas are names, up to the "huṁ" of the Unuttered. For one who hears singing thus, speech gives milk like a cow: a knower's word feeds him and the world. The doubled veda… veda is the adhyāya's seal: the first step of the Chāndogya has been climbed.