Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,1.7
॥
Devanāgarī
ते ह प्राणाः प्रजापतिं पितरम् एत्य ऊचुः भगवन् कः नः श्रेष्ठः इति तान् ह उवाच यस्मिन् वः उत्क्रान्ते शरीरम् पापिष्ठतरम् इव दृश्येत सः वः श्रेष्ठः इति
Transliteration (IAST)
te ha prāṇāḥ prajāpatiṃ pitaram etya ūcuḥ bhagavan kaḥ naḥ śreṣṭhaḥ iti tān ha uvāca yasmin vaḥ utkrānte śarīram pāpiṣṭhataram iva dṛśyeta saḥ vaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेteto you; for you
हhaindeed; surely
प्राणाःprāṇāḥthe vital forces; of the prāṇa
प्रजापतिंprajāpatiṃto Prajāpati (prajā-pati — 'the Lord of creatures'); to the Lord of progeny; to Prajāpati
पितरम्pitaramto his father (pitṛ); to his parent; to their father
एत्यetyahaving come; having obtained
ऊचुःūcuḥsaid; they uttered
भगवन्bhagavanO venerable one; sir
कःkaḥwho; which
नःnaḥus; to us
श्रेष्ठःśreṣṭhaḥthe best (śreṣṭha); foremost; the most excellent
इतिitithus; how
तान्tānof them; those
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
यस्मिन्yasminin which; where
वःvaḥyour; for you
उत्क्रान्तेutkrānteupon whose going out (ud + √kram — 'to depart'); at the departure; at whose departure
शरीरम्śarīramthe body (śarīra); flesh; the bodily frame
पापिष्ठतरम्pāpiṣṭhataramin the worst plight (pāpiṣṭha-tara — 'worst of all'); the most wretched; worst off
इवivaas it were; as though
दृश्येतdṛśyetait would look; it would seem
सःsaḥhe; that one
वःvaḥyour; for you
श्रेष्ठःśreṣṭhaḥthe best (śreṣṭha); foremost; the most excellent
इतिitithus; how
Translation
These vital powers came to father Prajāpati and asked: "Sir, which of us is the best?" He answered: "That one of you is the best after whose departure the body is seen to be in the worst state."
Version
54874840d765 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:25:12 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The disputants go not to a vote among peers but "to the father", Prajāpati: a question of primacy is settled not by an assembly of equals but by Him from whom all of them came. And the father does not declare a winner by a word — he prescribes an experiment: let each depart, and let the body show for itself. True superiority is proved not by speeches about oneself but by the consequences of one's absence.
Prajāpati's criterion is profound: what matters is not the brilliance of a presence but indispensability. He whose going leaves the body "worst off" is the best. It is worth measuring everything by this rule: without what does the life of the soul really collapse? Without property, without fame, without health, men live; without breath the body does not live, and without the Lord the soul does not. The quarrel of the powers turns out to be a figure of that chief question.