Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,2.3
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् उ ह परः प्रत्युवाच अह हारेत्वा शूद्र तव एव सह गोभिः अस्तु इति तत् उ ह पुनर् एव जानश्रुतिः पौत्रायणः सहस्रम् गवाम् निष्कम् अश्वतरीरथम् दुहितरं तत् आदाय प्रतिचक्रमे
Transliteration (IAST)
tam u ha paraḥ pratyuvāca aha hāretvā śūdra tava eva saha gobhiḥ astu iti tat u ha punar eva jānaśrutiḥ pautrāyaṇaḥ sahasram gavām niṣkam aśvatarīratham duhitaraṃ tat ādāya praticakrame
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
उusurely; indeed
हhaindeed; surely
परःparaḥother; the next
प्रत्युवाचpratyuvācahe answered; he replied
अहahaah; alas
हारेत्वाhāretvātake them away; lead them off
शूद्रśūdraśūdra (śūdra — here 'the haggler', not the class); O śūdra; huckster
तवtavayours; of yours
एवevaindeed; surely
सहsahatogether; conjointly
गोभिःgobhiḥwith the cows; with the cattle
अस्तुastuvery well; may he be
इतिitithus; how
तत्tatthat; this
उusurely; indeed
हhaindeed; surely
पुनर्punaragain; once more
एवevaindeed; surely
जानश्रुतिःjānaśrutiḥJānaśruti; King Jānaśruti
पौत्रायणःpautrāyaṇaḥPautrāyaṇa; a descendant of Putra
सहस्रम्sahasrama thousand; a thousand
गवाम्gavāmof cows; of cattle
निष्कम्niṣkama golden necklace; the niṣka
अश्वतरीरथम्aśvatarīrathamthe cart with the she-mule; the mule-chariot
दुहितरंduhitaraṃthe daughter (duhitṛ); his daughter; the girl
तत्tatthat; this
आदायādāyahaving taken; having brought
प्रतिचक्रमेpraticakramehe set out; he went back
Translation
But he answered him: "Away with it, śūdra — let it stay yours, together with the cows!" And then Jānaśruti Pautrāyaṇa again took a thousand cows, a necklace, a chariot with she-mules, and his daughter, and went to him.
Version
3973f8d6b158 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:13:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The answer is a slap: ahahāre tvā śūdra — "away with it, śūdra!": the holy man calls the king a śūdra — and flings back the gifts! An unheard-of rudeness — and a well-aimed one: śūdra here is not about birth but about approach: a man who buys knowledge with cattle thinks as a trader, not as a pupil: Raikva is naming not a varṇa but a condition of the heart.
And the king passes the examination-by-insult: no anger, no offence — he comes back with more: a thousand cows… and duhitaram — his daughter! Here is the change that decided everything: into the new gift is put not property but kinship: the king gives not out of his treasury but out of his heart: a daughter means "take me among your own, I give you my continuation". The gifts have become a sacrifice — and the next verse will show that Raikva saw the difference at once.