Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,2.4
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् ह अभ्युवाद रैक्व इदम् सहस्रम् गवाम् अयम् निष्कः अयम् अश्वतरीरथः इयम् जाया अयम् ग्रामः यस्मिन् आस्से अनु एव मा भगवः शाधि इति
Transliteration (IAST)
tam ha abhyuvāda raikva idam sahasram gavām ayam niṣkaḥ ayam aśvatarīrathaḥ iyam jāyā ayam grāmaḥ yasmin āsse anu eva mā bhagavaḥ śādhi iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
अभ्युवादabhyuvādaaddressed; he spoke up
रैक्वraikvaO Raikva; Raikva
इदम्idamthis; thus
सहस्रम्sahasrama thousand; a thousand
गवाम्gavāmof cows; of cattle
अयम्ayamthis; this one here
निष्कःniṣkaḥthe golden ornament; the necklace
अयम्ayamthis; this one here
अश्वतरीरथःaśvatarīrathaḥthe cart with mules; the chariot drawn by she-mules
इयम्iyamthis; she
जायाjāyāthe wife (jāyā); the wife; the wife
अयम्ayamthis; this one here
ग्रामःgrāmaḥthe village (grāma); the settlement; the whole
यस्मिन्yasminin which; where
आस्सेāsseyou sit; you dwell
अनुanuwhether; thereafter
एवevaindeed; surely
माmānot; me
भगवःbhagavaḥvenerable one; sir
शाधिśādhiinstruct me; teach
इतिitithus; how
Translation
And he addressed him: "Raikva! Here are a thousand cows, here is a necklace, here is a chariot with she-mules, here is a wife [for you], here is the village in which you dwell. Instruct me, sir!"
Version
32e1e0de6ccb · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:13:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second offer is different in spirit: the list begins in the old way (cows, necklace, chariot) but is crowned by something new: iyaṁ jāyā — "here is a wife [for you]" — the king's daughter as consort to a destitute sage! — ayaṁ grāmo yasminn āsse — "here is the village in which you are sitting": the king gives away the very land beneath Raikva's cart: he legalises his dwelling-place together with the district.
And the final change is in the request itself: anv eva mā bhagavaḥ śādhīti — "instruct ME, sir": the first time it was "instruct me in that deity…" — an order placed for a subject; now it is simply "instruct me": I am not asking for a science, I am handing myself over to be taught. The difference between the two visits is the whole difference between a buyer and a pupil: the first chooses a commodity, the second delivers himself.