Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,2.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ये अस्य दक्षिणाः रश्मयः ताः एव अस्य दक्षिणाः मधुनाड्यः यजूंषि एव मधुकृतः यजुर्वेदः एव पुष्पम् ताः अमृताः आपः
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ye asya dakṣiṇāḥ raśmayaḥ tāḥ eva asya dakṣiṇāḥ madhunāḍyaḥ yajūṃṣi eva madhukṛtaḥ yajurvedaḥ eva puṣpam tāḥ amṛtāḥ āpaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
येyethose who; they who
अस्यasyaof this; it
दक्षिणाःdakṣiṇāḥthe priestly gifts; the fees
रश्मयःraśmayaḥthe rays; the beams
ताःtāḥthey; those; these
एवevaindeed; surely
अस्यasyaof this; it
दक्षिणाःdakṣiṇāḥthe priestly gifts; the fees
मधुनाड्यःmadhunāḍyaḥthe honey-channels; the vessels of honey
यजूंषिyajūṃṣithe yajuses; the formulas of the Yajur-veda
एवevaindeed; surely
मधुकृतःmadhukṛtaḥthe makers of honey; the bees
यजुर्वेदःyajurvedaḥthe Yajur-veda; the knowledge of formulas
एवevaindeed; surely
पुष्पम्puṣpamthe flower; the blossom
ताःtāḥthey; those; these
अमृताःamṛtāḥthe immortals; nectarean ones
आपःāpaḥthe waters; drops of water
Translation
And its southern rays are its southern honey-veins; the bees are the yajuses, the flower is the Yajur-veda; those immortal waters [are the nectar].
Version
5566478b64ae · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:54:28 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second quarter is the south: the bees are the yajuses (the sacrificial formulas), the flower is the Yajur-veda: the sun's southern veins have their own honey-plant — the corpus of the rite.
The apportioning of the quarters among the Vedas is no accident of etiquette: the south is the side of the fathers and of ritual duty: there the formulas of the yajus labour, words that are acts. Every quarter of the sky is served by its own kind of sacred word: the sun's honey is a mixed gathering: in it are the loads of hymn, rite, chant and spell — the whole fullness of the Vedas fused into a single light.