Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,5.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ये अस्य ऊर्ध्वाः रश्मयः ताः एव अस्य ऊर्ध्वाः मधुनाड्यः गुह्याः एव आदेशाः मधुकृतः ब्रह्म एव पुष्पम् ताः अमृताः आपः
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ye asya ūrdhvāḥ raśmayaḥ tāḥ eva asya ūrdhvāḥ madhunāḍyaḥ guhyāḥ eva ādeśāḥ madhukṛtaḥ brahma eva puṣpam tāḥ amṛtāḥ āpaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
येyethose who; they who
अस्यasyaof this; it
ऊर्ध्वाःūrdhvāḥthe upper ones; directed upward
रश्मयःraśmayaḥthe rays; the beams
ताःtāḥthey; those; these
एवevaindeed; surely
अस्यasyaof this; it
ऊर्ध्वाःūrdhvāḥthe upper ones; directed upward
मधुनाड्यःmadhunāḍyaḥthe honey-channels; the vessels of honey
गुह्याःguhyāḥthe hidden (guhya); the secret; the sacred
एवevaindeed; surely
आदेशाःādeśāḥthe instructions (ādeśa); the instructions; the teachings
मधुकृतःmadhukṛtaḥthe makers of honey; the bees
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; sacred knowledge
एवevaindeed; surely
पुष्पम्puṣpamthe flower; the blossom
ताःtāḥthey; those; these
अमृताःamṛtāḥthe immortals; nectarean ones
आपःāpaḥthe waters; drops of water
Translation
And its upper rays are its upper honey-veins; the bees are the secret instructions, the flower is Brahman itself; those immortal waters [are the nectar].
Version
bb95f73d849f · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:54:28 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fifth quarter is above, the zenith: guhyā evādeśā madhu-kṛtaḥ — "the bees are the secret instructions" (guhya ādeśa — the hidden directions: the Upaniṣads themselves!), brahmaiva puṣpam — "the flower is Brahman itself"!
The vertical vein is higher than all the texts: its bees are neither hymns nor tales but secret instructions (what is handed on at a teacher's feet!), and they graze upon a flower that is neither corpus nor word — upon Him. The Upaniṣads are bees that fly straight to Brahman: their honey is gathered not from texts about Him but from Him. That is why their load will settle not as a colour on the sun's circumference but in its very core (the verses to come): the honey of Brahman has a place of its own in the hive.