Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,3.3
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ अध्यात्मम् प्राणः वाव सम्वर्गः सः यदा स्वपिति प्राणम् एव वाक् अप्येति प्राणम् चक्षुः प्राणम् श्रोत्रम् प्राणम् मनः प्राणः हि एव एतान् सर्वान् संवृङ्क्ते इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha adhyātmam prāṇaḥ vāva samvargaḥ saḥ yadā svapiti prāṇam eva vāk apyeti prāṇam cakṣuḥ prāṇam śrotram prāṇam manaḥ prāṇaḥ hi eva etān sarvān saṃvṛṅkte iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
अध्यात्मम्adhyātmamthe inward explanation; relating to man
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
वावvāvatruly; indeed
सम्वर्गःsamvargaḥthe absorbing; the engulfing principle
सःsaḥhe; that one
यदाyadāwhen; at the moment when
स्वपितिsvapitihe sleeps (from √svap); he falls asleep; he reposes
प्राणम्prāṇamthe prāṇa; the vital breath
एवevaindeed; surely
वाक्vākspeech; the word
अप्येतिapyetienters; it merges
प्राणम्prāṇamthe prāṇa; the vital breath
चक्षुःcakṣuḥthe eye; sight
प्राणम्prāṇamthe prāṇa; the vital breath
श्रोत्रम्śrotramthe ear; hearing
प्राणम्prāṇamthe prāṇa; the vital breath
मनःmanaḥthe mind; thinking
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
हिhiindeed; truly
एवevaindeed; surely
एतान्etānthese; of them
सर्वान्sarvānall; all
संवृङ्क्तेsaṃvṛṅkteit gathers into itself; it absorbs
इतिitithus; how
Translation
"Now with reference to oneself: the prāṇa is indeed the Gatherer-in. When [a man] sleeps, speech enters into the prāṇa, the eye into the prāṇa, hearing into the prāṇa, the mind into the prāṇa: for it is the prāṇa alone that gathers them all in."
Version
20e7f01f00fa · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:13:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The inward leaf: prāṇo vāva saṁvargaḥ — "the prāṇa is the Gatherer-in": in sleep speech, eye, hearing and mind enter into the breath (a familiar picture: the rays gathered into the setting sun — Praśna 4.2!): prāṇo hy evaitān sarvān saṁvṛṅkte — "the prāṇa alone gathers them all in".
Raikva's diptych is perfect: Vāyu is the cosmos's pocket, the prāṇa a man's: the fading luminaries into the wind, the stilling faculties into the breath: every sleeper repeats nightly the fate of the universal fires. Two Gatherers — and the science is easy to verify: fall asleep and you will know the saṁvarga on yourself; the whole vidyā of the vagrant fits into one night's sleep, if one sleeps with open eyes.