Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,16.5
॥
Devanāgarī
सः यथा उभयपात् व्रजन् रथः वा उभाभ्याम् चक्राभ्याम् वर्तमानः प्रतितिष्ठति एवम् अस्य यज्ञः प्रतितिष्ठति यज्ञम् प्रतितिष्ठन्तम् यजमानः अनु प्रतितिष्ठति सः इष्ट्वा श्रेयान् भवति
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ yathā ubhayapāt vrajan rathaḥ vā ubhābhyām cakrābhyām vartamānaḥ pratitiṣṭhati evam asya yajñaḥ pratitiṣṭhati yajñam pratitiṣṭhantam yajamānaḥ anu pratitiṣṭhati saḥ iṣṭvā śreyān bhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
यथाyathāhow; like
उभयपात्ubhayapāton both feet (ubhaya-pād); two-footed; with both legs
व्रजन्vrajangoing; moving
रथःrathaḥthe chariot; the cart
वाvāverily; surely
उभाभ्याम्ubhābhyāmby the two; by both
चक्राभ्याम्cakrābhyāmon two wheels (dual of cakra); with two wheels; upon a pair of wheels
वर्तमानःvartamānaḥmoving; revolving
प्रतितिष्ठतिpratitiṣṭhatihe stands firm (prati + √sthā — 'to be established'); is established; gains a support
एवम्evamthus; in this way
अस्यasyaof this; it
यज्ञःyajñaḥsacrifice; sacrifice
प्रतितिष्ठतिpratitiṣṭhatihe stands firm (prati + √sthā — 'to be established'); is established; gains a support
यज्ञम्yajñamsacrifice; the sacrifice
प्रतितिष्ठन्तम्pratitiṣṭhantamstanding firm; growing steady
यजमानःyajamānaḥthe sacrificer; the performer of the sacrifice
अनुanuwhether; thereafter
प्रतितिष्ठतिpratitiṣṭhatihe stands firm (prati + √sthā — 'to be established'); is established; gains a support
सःsaḥhe; that one
इष्ट्वाiṣṭvāhaving performed the sacrifice; having offered sacrifice
श्रेयान्śreyānthe better (comparative of śrī/śreyas — 'more blessed'); he becomes better; higher than before
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
Translation
As a man walking on two legs, or a chariot running on two wheels, stands firm, so his sacrifice stands firm; and after the firmly standing sacrifice the sacrificer stands firm too. Having performed such a sacrifice, he becomes better.
Version
e74e0fcb34c5 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:23:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The parable's completion: two legs, two wheels — pratitiṣṭhati, "it stands firm". The word is repeated four times, like a staff struck on the ground: the sacrifice stands firm, the man stands firm. Everything said of the collapse is exactly mirrored in the rescue: the same bond between sacrifice and sacrificer, but now it carries instead of drowning.
"He becomes better" (śreyān) — there is the measure of a genuine rite: not smoke, not a tally of merits, but that a man comes out of the sacred act better than he went in. A sacrifice performed with mind and speech together rebuilds the offerer himself — and this is already the vestibule of the path of bhakti, where every action given wholly to the Lord "establishes" the soul: "Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer and give away — do it as an offering to Me" (BG 9.27).