Upanishads · Chāndogya 4,17.5
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यदि यजुष्टः रिष्येत् भुवः स्वाहा इति दक्षिणाग्नौ जुहुयात् यजुषाम् एव तत् रसेन यजुषाम् वीर्येण यजुषाम् यज्ञस्य विरिष्टम् संदधाति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yadi yajuṣṭaḥ riṣyet bhuvaḥ svāhā iti dakṣiṇāgnau juhuyāt yajuṣām eva tat rasena yajuṣām vīryeṇa yajuṣām yajñasya viriṣṭam saṃdadhāti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यदिyadiif; but if
यजुष्टःyajuṣṭaḥon the side of the yajus (yajuṣṭas); in the yajus-portion; through the yajus
रिष्येत्riṣyetit will be impaired; it will be broken
भुवःbhuvaḥbhuvaḥ; the middle sacred formula
स्वाहाsvāhāsvāhā; the sacrificial exclamation
इतिitithus; how
दक्षिणाग्नौdakṣiṇāgnauinto the southern fire (dakṣiṇāgni — the fire of the south); into the dakṣiṇāgni; into the fire of the southern side
जुहुयात्juhuyātlet him make the oblation; let him bring
यजुषाम्yajuṣāmof the yajus; of the formulas of the Yajur-veda
एवevaindeed; surely
तत्tatthat; this
रसेनrasenaby the essence; with sap
यजुषाम्yajuṣāmof the yajus; of the formulas of the Yajur-veda
वीर्येणvīryeṇain strength; by energy
यजुषाम्yajuṣāmof the yajus; of the formulas of the Yajur-veda
यज्ञस्यyajñasyasacrificial offerings; of the sacrifice
विरिष्टम्viriṣṭamthe damage; the damaged part
संदधातिsaṃdadhātijoins; he sets right
Translation
If the sacrifice is damaged on the side of the yajuses, let him make an oblation in the southern fire with the words "bhuvas, svāhā!" — thus by the sap of the yajuses, by the power of the yajuses, he heals the yajus-wound of the sacrifice.
Version
2d173203bd08 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:23:57 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A second application of the same medicine: the adhvaryu has erred, the wound is a "yajus" one, and it is healed by the vyāhṛti "bhuvas" through the southern fire (dakṣiṇāgni). The correspondence is sustained along the whole chain: the yajuses were pressed from the wind, the wind is the sap of the mid-region, and the syllable of that region is bhuvaḥ.
The teaching incidentally calms our dread of error: a rite, like a life, is not obliged to be faultless — it is obliged to be curable. The knower is not one who never wounds the sacrifice but one who can knit the wound by returning to the essence. Herein lies a merciful feature of the whole Vedic way: for every fall there is an oblation that heals it.