Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,1.7
॥
Devanāgarī
सः ह क्षत्ता अन्विष्य न अविदम् इति प्रत्येयाय तम् ह उवाच यत्र अरे ब्राह्मणस्य अन्वेषणा तत् एनम् अर्च्छे इति
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ ha kṣattā anviṣya na avidam iti pratyeyāya tam ha uvāca yatra are brāhmaṇasya anveṣaṇā tat enam arcche iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
क्षत्ताkṣattāthe charioteer; the attendant
अन्विष्यanviṣyahaving searched (anu-√iṣ); having hunted about; having sought
नnanot; no
अविदम्avidamI did not find; he did not find
इतिitithus; how
प्रत्येयायpratyeyāyareturned; he came back
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
यत्रyatrawhere; when
अरेareO friend; hey
ब्राह्मणस्यbrāhmaṇasyaof the brāhmaṇa; of the knower of Brahman
अन्वेषणाanveṣaṇāthe search (anveṣaṇā); the quest; the seeking out
तत्tatthat; this
एनम्enamit; of this
अर्च्छेarcchego and look (√ṛch, imperative); go and seek; go to
इतिitithus; how
Translation
The steward, having searched, came back: "I did not find him." The king said to him: "Where one searches for a brāhmaṇa — there look for him."
Version
0a6ee6a84fcf · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:13:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The first search fails: the steward evidently looked for Raikva among the eminent — in assemblies, at courts, by altars — na avidam — "I did not find him". And then the king's hint, full of ironic sense: yatrāre brāhmaṇasyānveṣaṇā tad enam arccha — "where a brāhmaṇa is sought — there look for him": that is, in the wilds, in solitude, in places of withdrawal: true knowers are not sought in the marketplace!
Jānaśruti's hint shows that the king is already learning: he has understood that a man higher than his glory will not be standing where glory is distributed. The ability to seek the wise is itself a wisdom: they are found off to one side of the rewards, under the open sky, close to the ground — and the next verse will find Raikva as low as it is possible to be: under a cart.