Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,4.2
॥
Devanāgarī
न ह अप्सु प्रैति अप्सुमान् भवति यः एतत् एवम् विद्वान् सर्वासु अप्सु पञ्चविधम् सामोपास्ते
Transliteration (IAST)
na ha apsu praiti apsumān bhavati yaḥ etat evam vidvān sarvāsu apsu pañcavidham sāmopāste
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नnanot; no
हhaindeed; surely
अप्सुapsuin the waters; in the water
प्रैतिpraitiit is lost (pra-√i — 'it goes away'); he perishes; it sinks
अप्सुमान्apsumānrich in waters (apsu-mat); abounding in water; provided with moisture
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एतत्etatthis; all this
एवम्evamthus; in this way
विद्वान्vidvānknowing; wise
सर्वासुsarvāsuin all; among all
अप्सुapsuin the waters; in the water
पञ्चविधम्pañcavidhamfivefold; of five parts
सामोपास्तेsāmopāstehe venerates as the sāman; he contemplates the sāman
Translation
He who, knowing this thus, venerates the fivefold sāman in all the waters does not perish in the waters and becomes rich in waters.
Version
f8697adb8a2f · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:38:01 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A twofold fruit of the water-upāsanā: na hāpsu praiti — "he does not perish in the waters" (water does not drown its own knower: he is akin to its concord) — apsumān bhavati — "he becomes water-rich": wells, rains, the moisture that makes harvests are with him.
The pair "does not perish + is rich" holds exactly for every element: once known in its song-order, an element ceases to be an enemy (it does not destroy) and becomes an ally (it bestows). This is the Vedic attitude to nature in its pure form: neither conquest nor dread but a listening kinship: an element is not conjured — one comes into tune with it; and those in tune the water carries as its own.