Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,4.2
॥
Devanāgarī
ते वै एते अथर्वाङ्गिरसः एतत् इतिहासपूराणम् अभ्यतपन् तस्य अभितप्तस्य यशः तेजः इन्द्रियाम् वीर्यम् अन्नाद्यम् रसः अजायत
Transliteration (IAST)
te vai ete atharvāṅgirasaḥ etat itihāsapūrāṇam abhyatapan tasya abhitaptasya yaśaḥ tejaḥ indriyām vīryam annādyam rasaḥ ajāyata
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेteto you; for you
वैvaiverily; indeed
एतेetethese; the present
अथर्वाङ्गिरसःatharvāṅgirasaḥthe Atharvāṅgirases; the hymns of Atharvan and Aṅgiras
एतत्etatthis; all this
इतिहासपूराणम्itihāsapūrāṇamthe histories and purāṇas; the traditions and ancient tales
अभ्यतपन्abhyatapanthey heated by austerity; they subjected to heat
तस्यtasyait; concerning this
अभितप्तस्यabhitaptasyaof what was heated; heated by austerity
यशःyaśaḥglory; renown
तेजःtejaḥthe blaze; the fiery power
इन्द्रियाम्indriyāmthe power of the senses; the energy of the faculty
वीर्यम्vīryammight; heroic strength
अन्नाद्यम्annādyamfood and eatables; the nourishing
रसःrasaḥthe sap; essence
अजायतajāyatawas born; came to be
Translation
These very Atharvāṅgirases brooded upon this itihāsa-purāṇa; from it, so brooded upon, its sap was born: glory, splendour, power of the senses, might, and food.
Version
4684ceca5034 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:54:28 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The northern bees: the incantations brood upon the tales — and out of the heated stories the same fivefold sap is pressed.
To "brood upon a tradition" is to tell it: a story not warmed by retelling stiffens into a chronicle; under the heat of living narration the honey comes out of it — the glory of heroes, the splendour of examples, the power of images, the might of meanings, the food of hearts. So the Upaniṣad has blessed in advance the whole future ocean of the purāṇas: stories about the holy are the fourth vein of the sun's honey.