Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,2.2
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ आवृत्तेषु द्यौः हिङ्कारः आदित्यः प्रस्तावः अन्तरिक्षम् उद्गीथः अग्निः प्रतिहारः पृथिवी निधनम्
Transliteration (IAST)
atha āvṛtteṣu dyauḥ hiṅkāraḥ ādityaḥ prastāvaḥ antarikṣam udgīthaḥ agniḥ pratihāraḥ pṛthivī nidhanam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
आवृत्तेषुāvṛtteṣuin reverse order (āvṛtta — 'turned back'); in the returning ones; from above downward
द्यौःdyauḥthe sky; the heavenly world
हिङ्कारःhiṅkāraḥhiṅkāra; the opening call hiṅ
आदित्यःādityaḥthe sun; Āditya
प्रस्तावःprastāvaḥprastāva; the opening part of the sāman
अन्तरिक्षम्antarikṣamthe intervening space; the mid-region
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
प्रतिहारःpratihāraḥpratihāra; the responding part
पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earthly world
निधनम्nidhanamnidhana; the conclusion; the dissolution
Translation
Now in the reverse [order]: heaven is the hiṅkāra, the sun the prastāva, the mid-region the udgītha, fire the pratihāra, the earth the nidhana.
Version
c41c03418840 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:34:59 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The same series from above downward: atha āvṛtteṣu — "now in the returning ones": heaven is the striking-up, the sun the setting-forth, the mid-region the lifting-up, fire the taking-up, earth the finale: the song of the worlds is sung descending too: from heaven to earth in the same fivefold concord.
The double unfolding is not pedantry: the world has two currents: ascent (the sacrificial smoke, the vapours, the upward striving of souls) and descent (rain, light, grace coming down) — and both are musical: concord has no "right direction": rising and falling are two strophes of one song (Gītā 3.14 will describe this same round: sacrifice — rain — food — creatures). He who hears the sāman in both currents does not confuse descending with falling: a descent too can be part of the concord.