Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,1.3
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् उ ह परः प्रत्युवाच कम् उ अर एनम् एतत् सन्तम् सयुग्वानम् इव रैक्वम् आत्थ इति यः नु कथम् सयुग्वा रैक्वः इति
Transliteration (IAST)
tam u ha paraḥ pratyuvāca kam u ara enam etat santam sayugvānam iva raikvam āttha iti yaḥ nu katham sayugvā raikvaḥ iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
उusurely; indeed
हhaindeed; surely
परःparaḥother; the next
प्रत्युवाचpratyuvācahe answered; he replied
कम्kambliss; happiness
उusurely; indeed
अरaraO friend; hey
एनम्enamit; of this
एतत्etatthis; all this
सन्तम्santambeing; abiding
सयुग्वानम्sayugvānamwith the cart (sa-yugvan — 'having a yoked wagon'); who has a cart; Raikva-of-the-cart
इवivaas it were; as though
रैक्वम्raikvamRaikva; the sage Raikva
आत्थātthayou say (from √ah); you declare; you assert
इतिitithus; how
यःyaḥwho; the one who
नुnusurely; is it that
कथम्kathamhow; in what manner
सयुग्वाsayugvāwith the cart; possessing a cart
रैक्वःraikvaḥRaikva; the sage Raikva
इतिitithus; how
Translation
The other answered him: "Bah! Who is he, that you speak of him as if he were Raikva-with-the-cart?" — "And what is he like, Raikva-with-the-cart?"
Version
da1b3c43f639 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:10:48 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second goose's answer is a pail of heavenly cold water: kam v ara enam etat santaṁ sayugvānam iva raikvam āttha — "who is he, that you speak of him as if of Raikva-with-the-cart?": the king's glory, which scorches birds, is devalued in an instant by one comparison — with a certain Raikva whose whole property is a cart (sa-yugvan — "the one with the yoked cart": a homeless man with a barrow!).
An instantaneous inversion of greatnesses: a builder of rest-houses across the whole earth, and a vagrant under a cart — and the birds' measure sets the vagrant higher. The first goose, like us, does not know the name: "and what is he like, this Raikva?" — and the next verse will give the famous answer about the winning die. Mark the story's humility: even to ask about the highest, one had to ask the birds: the glory of good deeds deafens; Jānaśruti will hear the truth by accident, out of the dark overhead.