Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,3.1
॥
Devanāgarī
वृष्टौ पञ्चविधम् सामोपासीत पुरोवातः हिङ्कारः मेघः जायते सः प्रस्तावः वर्षति सः उद्गीथः विद्योतते स्तनयति सः प्रतिहारः
Transliteration (IAST)
vṛṣṭau pañcavidham sāmopāsīta purovātaḥ hiṅkāraḥ meghaḥ jāyate saḥ prastāvaḥ varṣati saḥ udgīthaḥ vidyotate stanayati saḥ pratihāraḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
वृष्टौvṛṣṭauin the rain (vṛṣṭi); in the downpour; in the raining
पञ्चविधम्pañcavidhamfivefold; of five parts
सामोपासीतsāmopāsītait should be venerated as the sāman; let him contemplate the sāman
पुरोवातःpurovātaḥthe wind before the storm (puro-vāta — 'the wind in front'); the wind that goes before rain; the heralding wind
हिङ्कारःhiṅkāraḥhiṅkāra; the opening call hiṅ
मेघःmeghaḥthe rain-cloud (megha); the cloud; the thunder-cloud
जायतेjāyateis born; appears
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रस्तावःprastāvaḥprastāva; the opening part of the sāman
वर्षतिvarṣatiit rains (from √vṛṣ); it pours; the rain falls
सःsaḥhe; that one
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
विद्योततेvidyotateit lightens (vi-√dyut); it flashes [with lightning]; it hurls lightning
स्तनयतिstanayatiit thunders (from √stan); it crashes; it rumbles
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रतिहारःpratihāraḥpratihāra; the responding part
Translation
In rain one should venerate the fivefold sāman: the wind before the storm is the hiṅkāra, the cloud forms — that is the prastāva, it rains — that is the udgītha, it lightens and thunders — that is the pratihāra,
Version
eac49415eadf · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:34:59 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second field is rain, and here the fivefold ceases to be a scheme and becomes plain fact: purovātaḥ — the wind before the storm — is the striking-up (that very "hiṁ" that hums ahead of a thunderstorm!); megho jāyate — the cloud gathering — the setting-forth; varṣati — the downpour — the lifting-up (the sky's very bounty is the udgītha!); vidyotate stanayati — lightning and thunder — the taking-up.
A thunderstorm is nature's ready-made liturgy: anyone who has listened to one approach knows these acts by heart: the swelling, the opening, the climax, the response. The Upaniṣad merely names what the heart always heard: rain is the sky's sāman, sung above the earth; and one may listen to a storm as to a service — with the same reverence and the same knowledge of the parts.