Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,1.4
॥
Devanāgarī
यथा कृताय विजिताय अधरेयाः संयन्ति एवम् एनम् सर्वम् तत् अभिसमेति यत् किंच प्रजाः साधु कुर्वन्ति यः तत् वेद यत् सः वेद सः मया एतत् उक्तः इति
Transliteration (IAST)
yathā kṛtāya vijitāya adhareyāḥ saṃyanti evam enam sarvam tat abhisameti yat kiṃca prajāḥ sādhu kurvanti yaḥ tat veda yat saḥ veda saḥ mayā etat uktaḥ iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यथाyathāhow; like
कृतायkṛtāyato the [throw] kṛta (kṛta — the winning die); to the winning die; to the highest throw
विजितायvijitāyato the winner (vi-√ji); to the victor; to him who has prevailed
अधरेयाःadhareyāḥthe lower [throws] (adhareya — 'the inferior'); the lesser dice; the lower counts
संयन्तिsaṃyantithey come together (sam-√i); they flow together; they gather
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एनम्enamit; of this
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
तत्tatthat; this
अभिसमेतिabhisametiit converges upon (abhi-sam-√i); it flows together; it gathers to
यत्yatwhich; that which
किंचkiṃcaanything; all that
प्रजाःprajāḥbeings; offspring
साधुsādhuthe good; the right
कुर्वन्तिkurvantithey perform; they make
यःyaḥwho; the one who
तत्tatthat; this
वेदvedaknows; understands
यत्yatwhich; that which
सःsaḥhe; that one
वेदvedaknows; understands
सःsaḥhe; that one
मयाmayāby me; from me
एतत्etatthis; all this
उक्तःuktaḥhas been declared; it has been spoken
इतिitithus; how
Translation
"As all the lower [throws] go to the winning kṛta die, so to him goes all the good that creatures do. He who knows what he knows — that is the man I speak of."
Version
961754ade627 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:10:48 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The answer that became a proverb of Vedānta: yathā kṛtāya vijitāyādhareyāḥ saṁyanti — "as the lower [throws] go to the kṛta, the winning one": in the Vedic dice game the kṛta throw (the four) is the highest: when it falls, all the lower points are counted to it: evam enaṁ sarvaṁ tad abhisameti yat kiṁca prajāḥ sādhu kurvanti — "so to him flows all the good that creatures do"!
Such is the worth of knowledge: the knower is the world's winning die: the merit of all good deeds flows into his account as the lower points do to the higher throw: Jānaśruti's generosity with all its rest-houses is a lower die working to the score of the destitute Raikva! Not because the knower "appropriates" another's good, but because all good by nature flows toward the Good: a good deed that does not know its Goal finds by itself the one who knows the Goal and pours into his ocean (Gītā 4.33: "all action in its entirety culminates in knowledge"!). …yat sa veda — "he who knows what he knows": it remains to learn what it is that he knows — and the king will not sleep until he finds out.