Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,6.4
॥
Devanāgarī
सः यावत् आदित्यः पुरस्तात् उदेता पश्चात् अस्तम् एता वसूनाम् एव तावत् आधिपत्यम् स्वाराज्यम् पर्येता
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ yāvat ādityaḥ purastāt udetā paścāt astam etā vasūnām eva tāvat ādhipatyam svārājyam paryetā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
यावत्yāvatas long as; as far as
आदित्यःādityaḥthe sun; Āditya
पुरस्तात्purastātin the east (purastāt — 'in front'); in front; from the eastern side
उदेताudetāhe will rise; he shall rise
पश्चात्paścātwestward; behind
अस्तम्astamtoward the setting; to its vanishing
एताetāhe will go; he shall go
वसूनाम्vasūnāmVasu; of the Vasu gods
एवevaindeed; surely
तावत्tāvatso long; so much
आधिपत्यम्ādhipatyamoverlordship (ādhipatya); dominion; supremacy
स्वाराज्यम्svārājyamself-rule (svā-rājya); autonomy; mastery over oneself
पर्येताparyetāhe will go round; he will reach all round
Translation
So long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so long does his overlordship and self-rule with the Vasus extend.
Version
1d93af0adf8f · published Jul 26, 2026, 10:59:14 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The measure of the first communion: yāvat… purastād udetā paścād astam etā — "as long as the sun rises in front (in the east) and sets behind" — tāvat — so long is his ādhipatyaṁ svārājyam — "overlordship and self-rule" with the Vasus.
The term is set cosmically: the epoch of the "eastern sunrise" is our world-day: a partaker of the Vasus reigns for the whole of its span. But the khaṇḍas will go further — and with each nectar the sun will change the quarter of its rising (south, west, north, zenith!): the deeper the honey, the longer the epoch and the stranger the world: the ladder of nectars proves to be a ladder of aeons. svārājya — "self-rule" — is that very word of the Taittirīya: the highest of sovereignties is sovereignty over oneself, and it comes first in every gift.