Upanishads · Chāndogya 3,17.4
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यत् तपः दानम् आर्जवम् अहिंसा सत्यवचनम् इति ताः अस्य दक्षिणाः
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yat tapaḥ dānam ārjavam ahiṃsā satyavacanam iti tāḥ asya dakṣiṇāḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यत्yatwhich; that which
तपःtapaḥausterity; tapas
दानम्dānamgiving; alms
आर्जवम्ārjavamuprightness (ārjava — 'straightness'); straightforwardness; honesty
अहिंसाahiṃsānon-injury (a-hiṁsā); non-violence; harmlessness
सत्यवचनम्satyavacanamtruthfulness of speech (satya-vacana); the true word; veracity
इतिitithus; how
ताःtāḥthey; those; these
अस्यasyaof this; it
दक्षिणाःdakṣiṇāḥthe gifts [to the priests] (dakṣiṇā); the dakṣiṇās; the sacrificial fees
Translation
And austerity, giving, uprightness, non-injury and truthful speech — these are his gifts [to the priests].
Version
2855f6289620 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:08:21 PM UTC
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The fourth article is the dakṣiṇā: tapo dānam ārjavam ahiṁsā satya-vacanam iti tā asya dakṣiṇāḥ — "austerity, giving, uprightness, non-injury, truthful speech — these are his dakṣiṇās": a sacrifice is not complete without the gift to the priests — and in the life-sacrifice the gifts are the virtues: five inward fees!
This pentad is the core of all perennial ethics (Gītā 16.1–3 unfolds it as "the divine endowment"): tapas, the heat of self-restraint; dāna, generosity; ārjava, uprightness (the Īśa's uncrookedness!); ahiṁsā, non-injury; satya-vacana, truthful speech. Mark their office: the virtues are neither "merits" nor "rules" but dakṣiṇā: the fee without which the service is invalid: he who lives without these five is a priest who has withheld the gifts: his life-sacrifice is not accepted.