Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,1.8
॥
Devanāgarī
सः अधस्तात् शकटस्य पामानम् कषमाणम् उपोपविवेश तम् ह अभ्युवाद त्वम् नु भगवः सयुग्वा रैक्वः इति अहम् हि अर इति ह प्रतिजज्ञे सः ह क्षत्ता अविदम् इति प्रत्येयाय
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ adhastāt śakaṭasya pāmānam kaṣamāṇam upopaviveśa tam ha abhyuvāda tvam nu bhagavaḥ sayugvā raikvaḥ iti aham hi ara iti ha pratijajñe saḥ ha kṣattā avidam iti pratyeyāya
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
अधस्तात्adhastātunderneath (adhastāt); down below; beneath
शकटस्यśakaṭasyaof the cart (śakaṭa); the carriages; of the wagon
पामानम्pāmānamcovered with scabs (pāman — 'the itch'); scabby; crusted with sores
कषमाणम्kaṣamāṇamwho was scratching (from √kaṣ — 'to scrape'); scratching himself; scraping [his sores]
उपोपविवेशupopaviveśahe sat down beside him; he took his seat near
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
अभ्युवादabhyuvādaaddressed; he spoke up
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
नुnusurely; is it that
भगवःbhagavaḥvenerable one; sir
सयुग्वाsayugvāwith the cart; possessing a cart
रैक्वःraikvaḥRaikva; the sage Raikva
इतिitithus; how
अहम्ahamI; I myself
हिhiindeed; truly
अरaraO friend; hey
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
प्रतिजज्ञेpratijajñehe admitted it (prati-√jñā, perfect); he confirmed; he acknowledged
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
क्षत्ताkṣattāthe charioteer; the attendant
अविदम्avidamI did not find; he did not find
इतिitithus; how
प्रत्येयायpratyeyāyareturned; he came back
Translation
He sat down beside a man under a cart who was scratching his scabs, and addressed him: "Are you, sir, Raikva-with-the-cart?" — "I am, friend!" he acknowledged. And the steward returned: "I have found him."
Version
db604e8d6849 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:13:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The find of the age: so 'dhastāc chakaṭasya pāmānaṁ kaṣamāṇam upopaviveśa — "he sat down beside [a man] under a cart, scratching his scabs": there he is, the one into whom all the good of the world flows: a beggar covered in sores, scratching himself in the shade of his own barrow! And that magnificent aham hy arā — "I am, my friend!" — no embarrassment and no self-importance: Raikva acknowledges himself as simply as one acknowledges the weather.
The contrast is pushed to the limit on purpose: the world's winning die looks like the last of men: knowledge is under no obligation to be presentable: it may sit scratching under a cart — and still be that into which the merits of kings flow. The Upaniṣad strikes at our deepest prejudice, that of judging the inward by the outward: treasures are kept in unremarkable caskets (Raikva is the brother of the destitute Uṣasti of 1.10!); and blessed is the steward who could ask a ragged man, "are you, sir…?" — respectfully, as one asks a king.