Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,9.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यत् संप्रति मध्यंदिने सः उद्गीथः तत् अस्य देवाः अन्वायत्ताः तस्मात् ते सत्तमाः प्राजापत्यानाम् उद्गीथभाजिनः हि एतस्य साम्नः
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yat saṃprati madhyaṃdine saḥ udgīthaḥ tat asya devāḥ anvāyattāḥ tasmāt te sattamāḥ prājāpatyānām udgīthabhājinaḥ hi etasya sāmnaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यत्yatwhich; that which
संप्रतिsaṃpratinow; now
मध्यंदिनेmadhyaṃdineat midday (madhyan-dina); in the middle of the day; at the zenith
सःsaḥhe; that one
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
तत्tatthat; this
अस्यasyaof this; it
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
अन्वायत्ताःanvāyattāḥbound up; dependent
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
तेteto you; for you
सत्तमाःsattamāḥthe best (sat-tama — 'most truly existent'); better; the most excellent
प्राजापत्यानाम्prājāpatyānāmamong the offspring of Prajāpati (prājāpatya); of Prajāpati's own; among the creatures of the Lord
उद्गीथभाजिनःudgīthabhājinaḥsharers in the udgītha; having a share in the udgītha
हिhiindeed; truly
एतस्यetasyaof this; from this
साम्नःsāmnaḥthe samāna; of the chant
Translation
Now what is exactly at midday — that is the udgītha; with it the gods are bound up; therefore they are the best of Prajāpati's offspring: for they have a share in the udgītha of this sāman.
Version
38bfa0060cc4 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:38:01 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fourth beat is the summit: saṁprati madhyandine sa udgīthaḥ — "exactly at midday is the udgītha": the day's zenith is the lifting-up of the song; tad asya devā anvāyattāḥ — "with it the gods are bound up": tasmāt te sattamāḥ prājāpatyānām — "therefore they are the best (sat-tamāḥ — 'the most existent'!) of Prajāpati's offspring".
Noon is the hour of the gods: light at full strength, shadows at their shortest, everything manifest: the udgītha of the day. The gods "have a share in the udgītha", the most luminous of the parts, and that is why they are the best of creatures. This hierarchy of beings by the hours of their parts (cattle — twilight, men — dawn, birds — morning, gods — noon) reads also as a ladder of consciousnesses: the brighter the hour of your song, the higher your kind. Ask yourself in what hour of the day your heart sings — and you will know which kind you partake of.