Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,10.1
॥
Devanāgarī
उपकोसलः ह वै कामलायनः सत्यकामे जाबाले ब्रह्मचार्यम् उवास तस्य ह द्वादश वार्षानि अग्नीन् परिचचार सः ह स्म अन्यान् अन्तेवासिनः समावर्तयन् तम् ह स्म एव न समावर्तयति
Transliteration (IAST)
upakosalaḥ ha vai kāmalāyanaḥ satyakāme jābāle brahmacāryam uvāsa tasya ha dvādaśa vārṣāni agnīn paricacāra saḥ ha sma anyān antevāsinaḥ samāvartayan tam ha sma eva na samāvartayati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
उपकोसलःupakosalaḥUpakosala (the name of the pupil); Upakosala Kāmalāyana; the youth Upakosala
हhaindeed; surely
वैvaiverily; indeed
कामलायनःkāmalāyanaḥKāmalāyana (a descendant of Kamala); of the line of Kamala; Upakosala's family name
सत्यकामेsatyakāmewith Satyakāma; in Satyakāma's house
जाबालेjābālewith Jābāla; in Jābāla's house
ब्रह्मचार्यम्brahmacāryamstudentship (brahmacarya — a life of vows for the sake of knowledge); the life of a pupil; the vow of brahmacarya
उवासuvāsahe lived (from √vas — 'to dwell'); he lived out; you have spent
तस्यtasyait; concerning this
हhaindeed; surely
द्वादशdvādaśatwelve; twelve [years]; the full term
वार्षानिvārṣāniyears; seasons
अग्नीन्agnīnthe [sacrificial] fires; the sacred fires; luminaries
परिचचारparicacārahe tended them (pari + √car — 'to go about, to serve'); he attended; he served
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
स्मsmacustomarily; as is known
अन्यान्anyānothers; others
अन्तेवासिनःantevāsinaḥthe pupils (ante-vāsin — 'he who dwells beside' his teacher); those living with the teacher; the students
समावर्तयन्samāvartayanhe sent them home (at the end of study; sam-ā + √vṛt, causative); he performed the rite of homecoming; he graduated them
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
स्मsmacustomarily; as is known
एवevaindeed; surely
नnanot; no
समावर्तयतिsamāvartayatihe sends him home; he completes his schooling
Translation
Upakosala Kāmalāyana lived as a brahmacārin with Satyakāma Jābāla. For twelve years he tended his sacred fires. The teacher would dismiss the other pupils at the end of their studies, but him he kept on not dismissing.
Version
2eec2e5a8f22 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:21:05 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The chapter's second story begins — and it is built as a mirror of the first: Satyakāma, once taught by a bull, a fire and birds, has himself become an ācārya, and now his fires will teach his pupil. Knowledge received along the chain becomes itself a link in the chain: such is the law of paramparā in action.
Twelve years is the full term of Vedic studentship, and Upakosala honestly served it out at the sacrificial fires. But the teacher "kept on not dismissing" him. This is neither forgetfulness nor cruelty: as the sequel will show, the delay is a hidden mercy. The guru sees that more is due to this pupil than the rite of dismissal (samāvartana), and he waits, handing him over to those whom he has served — the fires themselves. A delay of grace is its preparation.
The word antevāsin — "dwelling beside" — describes discipleship exactly: not the attending of lessons but a life beside the teacher and his holy things. It is precisely this continuity of service, as with Satyakāma the herdsman, that will become the soil of revelation.