Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,16.7
॥
Devanāgarī
एतत् ह स्म वै तत् विद्वान् आह महिदासः ऐतरेयः सः किम् मे एतत् उपतपसि यः अहम् अनेन न प्रेष्याम् इति सः ह षोडशम् वर्षशतम् अजीवत् प्र ह षोडशम् वर्षशतम् जीवति यः एवम् वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
etat ha sma vai tat vidvān āha mahidāsaḥ aitareyaḥ saḥ kim me etat upatapasi yaḥ aham anena na preṣyām iti saḥ ha ṣoḍaśam varṣaśatam ajīvat pra ha ṣoḍaśam varṣaśatam jīvati yaḥ evam veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एतत्etatthis; all this
हhaindeed; surely
स्मsmacustomarily; as is known
वैvaiverily; indeed
तत्tatthat; this
विद्वान्vidvānknowing; wise
आहāhasays; utters
महिदासःmahidāsaḥMahidāsa; the sage Mahidāsa
ऐतरेयःaitareyaḥAitareya; the son of Itarā
सःsaḥhe; that one
किम्kimwhat; why
मेmemyself; for me
एतत्etatthis; all this
उपतपसिupatapasiyou torment (upa-√tap); you burn [with sickness]; you afflict
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अहम्ahamI; I myself
अनेनanenaby this; by means of this
नnanot; no
प्रेष्याम्preṣyāmI shall die (pra-√i, future); I shall depart; I shall pass away
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
षोडशम्ṣoḍaśamsixteen; the sixteenth
वर्षशतम्varṣaśatama hundred years (varṣa-śata; with ṣoḍaśam — 116); a hundred years; the lifespan
अजीवत्ajīvathe lived out; he lived
प्रpraindeed; forth
हhaindeed; surely
षोडशम्ṣoḍaśamsixteen; the sixteenth
वर्षशतम्varṣaśatama hundred years (varṣa-śata; with ṣoḍaśam — 116); a hundred years; the lifespan
जीवतिjīvatidwells; he remains alive
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एवम्evamthus; in this way
वेदvedaknows; understands
Translation
This is what Mahidāsa Aitareya knew and said: "Why do you torment me with this — since I shall not die of it!" And he lived a hundred and sixteen years. A hundred and sixteen years shall he live too who knows thus.
Version
a22060fa3a0a · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:08:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The witness of the science is Mahidāsa Aitareya (the man whose name the Aitareya Upaniṣad bears!): to illness he answered boldly and cheerfully: kiṁ ma etad upatapasi yo 'ham anena na preṣyāmi — "why do you scorch me with this — I shall not die of it!": not a denial of the illness but a refusal of its authority: a sacrifice is not interrupted by sickness, and he knew it.
sa ha ṣoḍaśaṁ varṣa-śatam ajīvat — "and he lived a hundred and sixteen years" — exactly the full sum of the three savanas (24 + 44 + 48!): the life of Mahidāsa is the puruṣa-yajña's theorem proved. And the promise: as many years to one who knows thus: no magic of numbers but the power of order: a life lived as an unfinished service does not surrender in mid-word. Mahidāsa's defiance of illness is among the words worth remembering at a sickbed: "of this I shall not die: the service is not over."