Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,5.4
॥
Devanāgarī
ते वै एते रसानाम् रसाः वेदाः हि रसाः तेषाम् एते रसाः तानि वै एतानि अमृतानाम् अमृतानि वेदाः हि अमृताः तेषाम् एतानि अमृतानि
Transliteration (IAST)
te vai ete rasānām rasāḥ vedāḥ hi rasāḥ teṣām ete rasāḥ tāni vai etāni amṛtānām amṛtāni vedāḥ hi amṛtāḥ teṣām etāni amṛtāni
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेteto you; for you
वैvaiverily; indeed
एतेetethese; the present
रसानाम्rasānāmof the saps (rasa); of the essences; of the nectars
रसाःrasāḥthe saps; the essences
वेदाःvedāḥthe Vedas; the sacred knowledges
हिhiindeed; truly
रसाःrasāḥthe saps; the essences
तेषाम्teṣāmof them; for them
एतेetethese; the present
रसाःrasāḥthe saps; the essences
तानिtānithose; these
वैvaiverily; indeed
एतानिetānithese; all these
अमृतानाम्amṛtānāmof the immortal draughts (amṛta); of the nectars of immortality; of the amṛtas
अमृतानिamṛtānithe immortals; the nectars
वेदाःvedāḥthe Vedas; the sacred knowledges
हिhiindeed; truly
अमृताःamṛtāḥthe immortals; nectarean ones
तेषाम्teṣāmof them; for them
एतानिetānithese; all these
अमृतानिamṛtānithe immortals; the nectars
Translation
These [saps] are indeed the saps of saps: for the Vedas are saps, and these are their saps. These [nectars] are indeed the immortalities of immortalities: for the Vedas are immortal, and these are their immortalities.
Version
8717b48c2f31 · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:54:28 PM UTC
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The upshot of the apiary is a double superlative: te vai ete rasānāṁ rasāḥ — "the saps of saps": the Vedas are themselves rasas (the saps of the worlds: 1.1!), and what is pressed out of them is the sap of a sap, a double distillation of sweetness; tāny amṛtānām amṛtāni — "the immortalities of immortalities": the Vedas are immortal, and their nectars are more immortal than the immortal.
The formula rasānāṁ rasāḥ takes us back to the beginning of the whole upaniṣad (the udgītha as "the essence of essences") and to the Taittirīya: raso vai saḥ — "He is the taste": the science of honey is an unfolded theology of Taste: all revelation is a flower-garden, all practice a bee's labour, the whole end a nectar — and sweeter than the nectar of the Vedas is only what is pressed out of them by the heat of contemplation. Who is to have this honey the next khaṇḍas will tell, in their account of the five hosts of gods.