Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,2.2
॥
Devanāgarī
सः ह उवाच किम् मे वासः भविष्यति इति आपः इति ह ऊचुः तस्मात् वा एतत् अशिष्यन्तः पुरस्तात् च उपरिष्टात् च अद्भिः परिदधति लम्भुकः ह वासः भवति अनग्नः ह भवति
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ ha uvāca kim me vāsaḥ bhaviṣyati iti āpaḥ iti ha ūcuḥ tasmāt vā etat aśiṣyantaḥ purastāt ca upariṣṭāt ca adbhiḥ paridadhati lambhukaḥ ha vāsaḥ bhavati anagnaḥ ha bhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
किम्kimwhat; why
मेmemyself; for me
वासःvāsaḥclothing (vāsas); the covering; the garment
भविष्यतिbhaviṣyatiwill be; shall become
इतिitithus; how
आपःāpaḥthe waters; water; the waters
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
ऊचुःūcuḥsaid; they uttered
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
वाvāverily; surely
एतत्etatthis; all this
अशिष्यन्तःaśiṣyantaḥabout to eat (future participle of √aś — 'intending to eat'); preparing to eat; sitting down to their meal
पुरस्तात्purastātbefore; earlier
चcaand; as well as
उपरिष्टात्upariṣṭātfrom above; after
चcaand; as well as
अद्भिःadbhiḥby the waters; through the waters
परिदधतिparidadhatithey surround it (pari + √dhā — 'to clothe about'); they enclose it; they set it about
लम्भुकःlambhukaḥone who has a covering; clothed
हhaindeed; surely
वासःvāsaḥclothing (vāsas); the covering; the garment
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
अनग्नःanagnaḥnot naked (a-nagna); clad; not bare
हhaindeed; surely
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
Translation
It asked: "What will be my clothing?" — "The waters," they answered. Therefore those who set about eating surround it with water before and after: the breath receives clothing and is not left naked.
Version
38c990ec418d · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:26:36 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The breath's clothing is water: hence the custom of ācamana, a sip of water before and after eating. A rite that thousands perform mechanically the Upaniṣad traces to a royal etiquette: food is the meal of the sovereign-breath, and to serve it without "clothing" would be to leave a king naked. Daily life is hallowed to the top: there is no trifle behind which no meaning stands.
So the chapter's first part concludes: the breath has been acknowledged, fed and clothed. All this is the language of veneration: life within us is not a "function" but a guest and a master who is waited on at table. He who has learned to eat so — with the water of reverence before and after — has already begun turning dinner into sacrifice; of the summit of that transformation the chapter's end will speak, the agnihotra within one's own breath (5.19–24).