Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,13.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह एनम् आहवनीयः अनुशशास प्राणः आकाशः द्यौः विद्युत् इति यः एषः विद्युती पुरुषः दृश्यते सः अहम् अस्मि सः एव अहम् अस्मि इति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha enam āhavanīyaḥ anuśaśāsa prāṇaḥ ākāśaḥ dyauḥ vidyut iti yaḥ eṣaḥ vidyutī puruṣaḥ dṛśyate saḥ aham asmi saḥ eva aham asmi iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
एनम्enamit; of this
आहवनीयःāhavanīyaḥthe āhavanīya (the eastern fire that receives the oblations to the gods; from ā + √hu — 'to pour'); the fire of oblations; the eastern sacrificial fire
अनुशशासanuśaśāsahe instructed; he taught
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
आकाशःākāśaḥspace (ākāśa); ether; expanse
द्यौःdyauḥthe sky; the vault of heaven; the height
विद्युत्vidyutlightning; the lightning-flash; the brilliance of the sky
इतिitithus; how
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
विद्युतीvidyutīin the lightning; in the flash of lightning; within the lightning
पुरुषःpuruṣaḥman; Puruṣa
दृश्यतेdṛśyateis seen; is beheld
सःsaḥhe; that one
अहम्ahamI; I myself
अस्मिasmiI am; I am
सःsaḥhe; that one
एवevaindeed; surely
अहम्ahamI; I myself
अस्मिasmiI am; I am
इतिitithus; how
Translation
Then the āhavanīya fire instructed him: "Breath, space, heaven and lightning are my forms. The puruṣa who is seen in the lightning — that is I; I am he."
Version
519defd3fccb · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:21:05 PM UTC
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The third teacher is the āhavanīya, the eastern fire of oblations, into which offerings to the gods are poured: through it the sacrifice ascends. Hence its elements are ascending ones: breath, space, heaven, lightning. Its world is the upper world, of flight and of instantaneous light.
Lightning is the swiftest and the most inward of lights: it flashes whole and at once, with no rising and no setting. The Upaniṣads love this image of the suddenness of revelation: "This is the teaching about him: as lightning flashes — so is he; as the eye blinks" (Kena 4.4). And in the lightning too is the Puruṣa: "that is I", says the fire of oblations. The three fires have shown one Face in three mirrors — the sun of day, the moon of night, and the lightning of the instant; there remains in the world no light behind which he does not stand.
Nor is it accidental that lightning is the last rung of the ladder of the path which the teacher will describe below (4.15.5): from flame to lightning, and then a "superhuman" guide. The āhavanīya, the fire of the sacrifice's ascent, points out the direction of that path in advance.