Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,13.3
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यः अस्य प्रत्यङ् सुषिः सः अपानः सा वाक् सः अग्निः तत् एतत् ब्रह्मवर्चसम् अन्नाद्यम् इति उपासीत ब्रह्मवर्चस्य् अन्नादः भवति यः एवम् वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yaḥ asya pratyaṅ suṣiḥ saḥ apānaḥ sā vāk saḥ agniḥ tat etat brahmavarcasam annādyam iti upāsīta brahmavarcasy annādaḥ bhavati yaḥ evam veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अस्यasyaof this; it
प्रत्यङ्pratyaṅwestward; backward
सुषिःsuṣiḥthe aperture; the passage
सःsaḥhe; that one
अपानःapānaḥthe apāna; the downward breath
साsāshe; that one
वाक्vākspeech; the word
सःsaḥhe; that one
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
तत्tatthat; this
एतत्etatthis; all this
ब्रह्मवर्चसम्brahmavarcasambrahmanical lustre; spiritual lustre
अन्नाद्यम्annādyamfood and eatables; the nourishing
इतिitithus; how
उपासीतupāsītalet him venerate; one should contemplate
ब्रह्मवर्चस्य्brahmavarcasyshining with brahmanical lustre; possessed of spiritual radiance
अन्नादःannādaḥan eater of food; the eater of food
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एवम्evamthus; in this way
वेदvedaknows; understands
Translation
Its western gate is the apāna; that is speech, that is Agni. One should venerate it as "sacred lustre and food". Radiant with sacred lustre and an eater of food becomes he who knows thus.
Version
0760dbecd890 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:02:24 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The western gate: the apāna — speech — Agni: the downward breath, the word and the fire: the gate of the evening offering (the west is the side of sunset and of oblations!). Its veneration is brahma-varcasam and annādyam — "sacred lustre and food".
Speech at the gate of the apāna is a deep physiology: a word is carried out of the depths by the same descending, expelling current as everything that is given away: speech is the soul's sacrificial emission, and its god is Agni, the mouth of the offering. Clean western gates give brahma-varcas — the shining by which a person of prayer is known.