Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,2.4
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ यदि महत् जिगमिषेत् अमावास्यायाम् दीक्षित्वा पौर्णमास्याम् रात्रौ सर्वौषधस्य मन्थम् दधिमधुनोः उपमथ्य ज्येष्ठाय श्रेष्ठाय स्वाहा इति अग्नौ आज्यस्य हुत्वा मन्थे संपातम् अवनयेत्
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yadi mahat jigamiṣet amāvāsyāyām dīkṣitvā paurṇamāsyām rātrau sarvauṣadhasya mantham dadhimadhunoḥ upamathya jyeṣṭhāya śreṣṭhāya svāhā iti agnau ājyasya hutvā manthe saṃpātam avanayet
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
यदिyadiif; but if
महत्mahatto greatness (mahat — 'eminence, a great station'); the great one; of greatness
जिगमिषेत्jigamiṣethe desires to attain (desiderative of √gam — 'he wishes to reach'); he wants to come; he longs to arrive
अमावास्यायाम्amāvāsyāyāmat the new moon (amāvāsyā); on the night of the new moon; at the dark of the moon
दीक्षित्वाdīkṣitvāhaving taken the consecration (from √dīkṣ); having been initiated; having undergone the dīkṣā
पौर्णमास्याम्paurṇamāsyāmat the full moon (paurṇamāsī); on the night of the full moon; at the full of the moon
रात्रौrātrauby night; in the night-time
सर्वौषधस्यsarvauṣadhasyaof all herbs (sarva-oṣadha); of all plants; of every herb
मन्थम्manthamthe mantha-draught (mantha — 'the churned', from √math — 'to stir'); the whipped drink; the mantha
दधिमधुनोःdadhimadhunoḥwith curds and honey (dadhi-madhu); in curds and honey; of curd and honey
उपमथ्यupamathyahaving stirred it (upa + √math); having mixed it; having beaten it up
ज्येष्ठायjyeṣṭhāyato the eldest; to the foremost
श्रेष्ठायśreṣṭhāyato the best; to the most excellent
स्वाहाsvāhāsvāhā; the sacrificial exclamation
इतिitithus; how
अग्नौagnauin the fire; when fire
आज्यस्यājyasyaof butter (ājya — clarified butter for oblations); ghee; of the sacrificial butter
हुत्वाhutvāhaving made the oblation (from √hu); having poured it; having offered
मन्थेmantheinto the mantha; into the mixture
संपातम्saṃpātamthe remains of the oblation (saṁpāta — the dripping remainder); the drippings; the remaining drops
अवनयेत्avanayetlet him pour it down (ava + √nī — 'to lead down'); let him pour it off; let him decant it
Translation
But if a man aims at something great, let him take consecration at the new moon and on the night of the full moon churn a drink of all the herbs with curds and honey. Saying "To the eldest and the best, svāhā!" and offering clarified butter in the fire, let him pour the remainder into the drink.
Version
cceac07216be · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:26:36 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A rite is appended to the teaching — the mantha, the "churned drink": a mixture of all the herbs with curds and honey, prepared from new moon to full moon. The times are chosen with meaning: consecration on the night of the waned moon, the drinking at the fullness of its light; the month itself figures the road from emptiness to fullness which the petitioner travels.
"All the herbs" is a little universe in a cup: as the prāṇa feeds on everything (5.2.1), so the offering to it gathers everything that grows. The oblations follow the list of titles from the chapter's opening, and the first is "to the eldest and the best": the rite is the parable of the quarrelling powers translated into action. The remainder of each oblation (saṁpāta) runs down into the drink: the cup accumulates the blessings, so that the one who drinks may take into himself all that was given to the fire.