Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,12.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अभिमन्थति सः हिङ्कारः धूमः जायते सः प्रस्तावः ज्वलति सः उद्गीथः अङ्गाराः भवन्ति सः प्रतिहारः उपशाम्यति तत् निधनम् संशाम्यति तत् निधनम् एतत् रथंतरम् अग्नौ प्रोतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
abhimanthati saḥ hiṅkāraḥ dhūmaḥ jāyate saḥ prastāvaḥ jvalati saḥ udgīthaḥ aṅgārāḥ bhavanti saḥ pratihāraḥ upaśāmyati tat nidhanam saṃśāmyati tat nidhanam etat rathaṃtaram agnau protam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अभिमन्थतिabhimanthatithey rub [the fire-sticks] (abhi-√manth); they churn out [fire]; they get it by friction
सःsaḥhe; that one
हिङ्कारःhiṅkāraḥhiṅkāra; the opening call hiṅ
धूमःdhūmaḥsmoke (dhūma); smoke; the fume
जायतेjāyateis born; appears
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रस्तावःprastāvaḥprastāva; the opening part of the sāman
ज्वलतिjvalatiit blazes (from √jval); burns; it flares
सःsaḥhe; that one
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
अङ्गाराःaṅgārāḥthe coals (aṅgāra); the embers; the blaze
भवन्तिbhavantibecome; are
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रतिहारःpratihāraḥpratihāra; the responding part
उपशाम्यतिupaśāmyatiit dies down (upa-√śam); it subsides; it abates
तत्tatthat; this
निधनम्nidhanamnidhana; the conclusion; the dissolution
संशाम्यतिsaṃśāmyatiit burns out (sam-√śam); it goes wholly out; it is extinguished
तत्tatthat; this
निधनम्nidhanamnidhana; the conclusion; the dissolution
एतत्etatthis; all this
रथंतरम्rathaṃtaramthe rathantara (rathantara — a great sāman); the rathantara chant; the rathaṃtara sāman
अग्नौagnauin the fire; when fire
प्रोतम्protamcast; laid
Translation
He rubs [the fire-sticks] — that is the hiṅkāra; smoke is born — that is the prastāva; it blazes — that is the udgītha; embers appear — that is the pratihāra; it dies down — that is the nidhana, it burns out — that is the nidhana. This rathantara is woven into fire.
Version
6dfe501af9a8 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:40:48 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second named sāman — the rathantara ("the chariot-crossing", one of the two great melodies of the Sāma-veda) — is woven into fire: the rubbing of the fire-sticks is the striking-up (the "hiṁ" of wood on wood!), the smoke the setting-forth, the flame the lifting-up, the embers the taking-up, the dying down the cadence: the whole life of a fire is five beats, from the first effort to the last ash.
The twice-repeated nidhanam (it dies down… it burns out) is a musical exactness: fire has a double cadence: the stilling of the flame and the cooling of the coals: even going out is an art of two steps. Whoever has kindled a fire at dawn knows this liturgy of hands and breath: the rathantara is sung by every hearth — ever since a man first rubbed flame out of wood.