Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,16.2
॥
Devanāgarī
तयोः अन्यतराम् मनसा संस्करोति ब्रह्मा वाचा होता अध्वर्युः उद्गाता अन्यतराम् सः यत्र उपाकृते प्रातरनुवाके पुरा परिधानीयायाः ब्रह्मा व्यववदति
Transliteration (IAST)
tayoḥ anyatarām manasā saṃskaroti brahmā vācā hotā adhvaryuḥ udgātā anyatarām saḥ yatra upākṛte prātaranuvāke purā paridhānīyāyāḥ brahmā vyavavadati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तयोःtayoḥof these two; of these two
अन्यतराम्anyatarāmone of the two; one side
मनसाmanasāwith the mind; with thought
संस्करोतिsaṃskarotihe sets right (sam + √kṛ — 'to put in order, to consecrate'); he sets right; he perfects
ब्रह्माbrahmāthe brahman (the overseeing priest who guards the sacrifice with his mind); the brahman priest; the fourth priest
वाचाvācāwith speech; with the word
होताhotāthe hotṛ (the priest who recites the Ṛg-vedic hymns); the priest of the libations; the hotṛ
अध्वर्युःadhvaryuḥthe adhvaryu (the priest who performs the acts and recites the Yajur-veda); the officiating priest; the adhvaryu
उद्गाताudgātāthe udgātṛ (the priest who sings the sāmans); the singer of the Sāma-veda; the udgātṛ
अन्यतराम्anyatarāmone of the two; one side
सःsaḥhe; that one
यत्रyatrawhere; when
उपाकृतेupākṛtewhen it has been begun; when it has been prepared
प्रातरनुवाकेprātaranuvākeat the morning recitation (prātar-anuvāka — the dawn recital); during the morning recital; at the early recitation
पुराpurābefore; earlier
परिधानीयायाःparidhānīyāyāḥbefore the closing verse (paridhānīyā — the 'concluding' ṛc); before the final stanza; up to the last verse
ब्रह्माbrahmāthe brahman (the overseeing priest who guards the sacrifice with his mind); the brahman priest; the fourth priest
व्यववदतिvyavavadatihe breaks the silence (vi-ava + √vad — 'to speak in the midst'); he speaks out; he interrupts the silence
Translation
One of them the brahman-priest sets right with the mind; the other the hotṛ, the adhvaryu and the udgātṛ set right with speech. If, after the morning recitation has begun and before the closing verse, the brahman-priest breaks his silence,
Version
e3aa74ab3ccf · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:22:39 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
In a great rite there are four priests: the hotṛ recites the hymns of the Ṛg-veda, the adhvaryu performs the actions with the formulas of the Yajur-veda, the udgātṛ sings the sāmans — all three work with speech. The fourth, the brahman, apparently does nothing: he sits in silence. Yet it is precisely he who "sets right" (saṁskaroti) the second track, the track of the mind: his silent, gathered consciousness holds the whole rite together, as a helmsman holds a course without rowing.
Hence the strictness of the rule: while the morning recitation sounds, the brahman may not let fall a word. His silence is not a pause but a labour; by speaking out of season he abandons his track. Here lies a general law of all service: visible activity lives by invisible concentration, and he who guards the mind does no less than he who acts and speaks. The prayer of thought is the same sacrifice as the prayer of the lips.