Upanishads · Chāndogya 2,15.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अभ्राणि संप्लवन्ते सः हिङ्कारः मेघः जायते सः प्रस्तावः वर्षति सः उद्गीथः विद्योतते स्तनयति सः प्रतिहारः उद्गृह्णाति तत् निधनम् एतत् वैरूपम् पर्जन्ये प्रोतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
abhrāṇi saṃplavante saḥ hiṅkāraḥ meghaḥ jāyate saḥ prastāvaḥ varṣati saḥ udgīthaḥ vidyotate stanayati saḥ pratihāraḥ udgṛhṇāti tat nidhanam etat vairūpam parjanye protam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अभ्राणिabhrāṇithe clouds; the cloud-masses
संप्लवन्तेsaṃplavantethey gather; they come together
सःsaḥhe; that one
हिङ्कारःhiṅkāraḥhiṅkāra; the opening call hiṅ
मेघःmeghaḥthe raincloud; the rain-cloud
जायतेjāyateis born; appears
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रस्तावःprastāvaḥprastāva; the opening part of the sāman
वर्षतिvarṣatiit rains; it pours down
सःsaḥhe; that one
उद्गीथःudgīthaḥudgītha; the exalted chant
विद्योततेvidyotateit flashes; it flashes
स्तनयतिstanayatiit thunders; it gives forth thunder
सःsaḥhe; that one
प्रतिहारःpratihāraḥpratihāra; the responding part
उद्गृह्णातिudgṛhṇātilifts; it draws up
तत्tatthat; this
निधनम्nidhanamnidhana; the conclusion; the dissolution
एतत्etatthis; all this
वैरूपम्vairūpamthe vairūpa (vairūpa — the 'Many-formed' sāman); the vairūpa chant; the vairūpa sāman
पर्जन्येparjanyein Parjanya (parjanya — the god of rain); in the rain-god; in the rain that is Parjanya
प्रोतम्protamcast; laid
Translation
The mists gather — that is the hiṅkāra; a cloud is born — that is the prastāva; it rains — that is the udgītha; it lightens and thunders — that is the pratihāra; it stops — that is the nidhana. This vairūpa is woven into Parjanya.
Version
65697457df1f · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:40:48 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fifth sāman — the vairūpa ("the Multiform") — is woven into Parjanya, the god of rain: the mists are the striking-up, the cloud the setting-forth, the downpour the lifting-up, the thunderstorm the taking-up, the clearing the cadence: the storm-liturgy (already familiar from 2.3) receives a melody by name.
The name is aptly chosen: vairūpa is from virūpa, "of many forms": rain is the most many-faced of the sky's sāmans: drizzle, downpour, hail, thunderstorm — a thousand forms of one song; and the fruit (the next verse) will play upon the same words: a multiform melody will yield multiform cattle. The concord is one, its guises numberless: the vairūpa teaches one to recognise a single order beneath unlike masks.