Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,14.1
॥
Devanāgarī
ते ह ऊचुः उपकोसल एषा सोम्य ते अस्मद्विद्या आत्मविद्या च आचार्यः तु ते गतिम् वक्त इति आजगाम ह अस्य आचार्यः तम् आचार्यः अभ्युवाद उपकोसल इति
Transliteration (IAST)
te ha ūcuḥ upakosala eṣā somya te asmadvidyā ātmavidyā ca ācāryaḥ tu te gatim vakta iti ājagāma ha asya ācāryaḥ tam ācāryaḥ abhyuvāda upakosala iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेteto you; for you
हhaindeed; surely
ऊचुःūcuḥsaid; they uttered
उपकोसलupakosalaO Upakosala; Upakosala
एषाeṣāthis; such is
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
तेteto you; for you
अस्मद्विद्याasmadvidyāour knowledge (asmad-vidyā — 'the knowledge from us'); the knowledge we have; our science
आत्मविद्याātmavidyāthe knowledge of the Ātman (ātma-vidyā); the science of the soul and the Soul of souls; the knowledge of the Self
चcaand; as well as
आचार्यःācāryaḥthe teacher; the preceptor
तुtubut; surely
तेteto you; for you
गतिम्gatimthe way (gati — 'motion, road, goal'); the road; the course
वक्तvaktahe will point it out (literally 'will be the speaker'; from √vac); he will say; he will declare
इतिitithus; how
आजगामājagāmahe came back (ā + √gam — 'to come'); went; came back
हhaindeed; surely
अस्यasyaof this; it
आचार्यःācāryaḥthe teacher; the preceptor
तम्tamit; that one
आचार्यःācāryaḥthe teacher; the preceptor
अभ्युवादabhyuvādaaddressed; he spoke up
उपकोसलupakosalaO Upakosala; Upakosala
इतिitithus; how
Translation
And they said: "Upakosala, my dear! Here is our knowledge and the knowledge of the ātman for you. But the path your teacher will tell you." Then his teacher returned — and the teacher addressed him: "Upakosala!"
Version
66049e463eeb · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:22:39 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The culmination of the whole story is the fires' self-limitation. Deities who have just said "I am he" of the Puruṣa in the sun, the moon and the lightning humbly draw a line: eṣā somya te 'smad-vidyā ātma-vidyā ca — "here is our knowledge and the knowledge of the ātman" — ācāryas tu te gatiṁ vaktā — "but the path (gati) your ācārya will tell you". To know about a goal and to be led to it are not the same thing; not even gods take a guru's place. The first half of the chapter taught exactly this: the bull, the fire and the birds sent Satyakāma to his teacher — now the fires send his pupil to his. The two stories close into one sermon on paramparā.
And "then the teacher returned" — at the very hour when the pupil was ripe. Satyakāma's departure was not an absence but a holding-back: he left the youth to ripen at the fires and came back for the harvest. Guru, fires and season all prove to be concerted in one design of mercy; one thing only is left to the pupil — faithfulness.