Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,3.6
॥
Devanāgarī
सः ह उवाच महात्मनः चतुरः देवः एकः कः सः जगार भुवनस्य गोपाः तम् कापेय न अभिपश्यन्ति मर्त्याः अभिप्रतारिन् बहुधा वसन्तम् यस्मै वै एतत् अन्नम् तस्मै एतत् न दत्तम् इति
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ ha uvāca mahātmanaḥ caturaḥ devaḥ ekaḥ kaḥ saḥ jagāra bhuvanasya gopāḥ tam kāpeya na abhipaśyanti martyāḥ abhipratārin bahudhā vasantam yasmai vai etat annam tasmai etat na dattam iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
महात्मनःmahātmanaḥof the great Ātman; of the great soul
चतुरःcaturaḥthe four; the four of them
देवःdevaḥgod; radiant
एकःekaḥone; alone
कःkaḥwho; which
सःsaḥhe; that one
जगारjagārahe swallowed (perfect of √gṝ); he devoured; he consumed
भुवनस्यbhuvanasyaworld; being
गोपाःgopāḥthe guardian (gopā — 'the herdsman'); the shepherd; the watchman
तम्tamit; that one
कापेयkāpeyaO Kāpeya; a descendant of Kapi
नnanot; no
अभिपश्यन्तिabhipaśyantithey see; they recognize
मर्त्याःmartyāḥmortals; people
अभिप्रतारिन्abhipratārinO Abhipratārin; the sage Abhipratārin
बहुधाbahudhāin many ways (bahudhā); in many forms; in manifold ways
वसन्तम्vasantamdwelling (from √vas); abiding; abiding
यस्मैyasmaifor whom; to whom
वैvaiverily; indeed
एतत्etatthis; all this
अन्नम्annamfood; food
तस्मैtasmaito Him; to him
एतत्etatthis; all this
नnanot; no
दत्तम्dattamthe present; giving
इतिitithus; how
Translation
He said: "One god swallowed four great ones. Who is he, the guardian of the world? Mortals do not see him, Kāpeya, though he dwells in many forms, Abhipratārin! To him to whom this food belongs — to him it has not been given!"
Version
4ee084f0b6db · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:16:32 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The hungry man's riddle: mahātmanaś caturo deva ekaḥ kaḥ sa jagāra bhuvanasya gopāḥ — "one god swallowed four great ones — who is he, the herdsman of the world?": (the answer is the Gatherer-in: Vāyu/prāṇa, who swallows fire, sun, moon and waters — Raikva's vidyā!): taṁ kāpeya nābhipaśyanti martyāḥ — "mortals do not see him, Kāpeya" — bahudhā vasantam abhipratārin — "though he dwells in many forms, Abhipratārin!"
And then the killing conclusion: yasmai vā etad annaṁ tasmā etan na dattam — "to him to whom this food belongs, it has not been given!": all the food of the world is the Gatherer's portion (the prāṇa eats everything!): in refusing a student who is a bearer of prāṇa, the noblemen have refused the Prāṇa himself — the Master of their own dinner! The riddle is built as a trap of honour: the connoisseurs must recognise their own god — and admit that they have insulted him in a guest.