Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,6.2
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् अग्निः अभ्युवाद सत्यकाम इति भगवः इति ह प्रतिशुश्राव
Transliteration (IAST)
tam agniḥ abhyuvāda satyakāma iti bhagavaḥ iti ha pratiśuśrāva
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
अग्निःagniḥthe fire (Agni — the gods' messenger, the mouth of sacrifice); the god of fire; the sacrificial fire
अभ्युवादabhyuvādahe addressed him (abhi + √vad); he called out to him; he spoke up
सत्यकामsatyakāmaO Satyakāma; Satyakāma
इतिitithus; how
भगवःbhagavaḥvenerable one; sir
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
प्रतिशुश्रावpratiśuśrāvahe replied (prati + √śru); he answered; he responded
Translation
The fire addressed him: "Satyakāma!" — "Sir!" he answered.
Version
39564c48e121 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:19:15 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second teacher is Agni, from of old the "messenger" (dūta) between men and gods: from the first verse of the Ṛg-veda he is the purohita of the sacrifice, the mouth by which the Supreme receives what is offered. The very fire the youth had silently served every evening now calls him by name.
The exchange itself is brief and beautiful: "Satyakāma!" — "Bhagavaḥ!" ("Sir!"). The pupil answers the fire with the same word he gave the bull and will give to men — he makes no distinction between "important" and "unimportant" mouths of the truth. A readiness to hear a call and an immediate "here I am" — that is the core of discipleship; the rest — quarters of space, elements, luminaries — is only the material of the lesson.