Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,3.7
॥
Devanāgarī
तम् ह चिरम् वस इति आज्ञापयाम् चकार तम् ह उवाच यथा मा त्वम् गौतम अवदः यथा इयम् न प्राक् त्वत्तः पुरा विद्या ब्राह्मणान् गच्छति तस्मात् उ सर्वेषु लोकेषु क्षत्रस्य एव प्रशासनम् अभूत् इति तस्मै ह उवाच
Transliteration (IAST)
tam ha ciram vasa iti ājñāpayām cakāra tam ha uvāca yathā mā tvam gautama avadaḥ yathā iyam na prāk tvattaḥ purā vidyā brāhmaṇān gacchati tasmāt u sarveṣu lokeṣu kṣatrasya eva praśāsanam abhūt iti tasmai ha uvāca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
चिरम्ciramfor a longer while (cira — 'long'); for a long time; a long season
वसvasastay (imperative of √vas — 'to dwell'); stay; take up residence
इतिitithus; how
आज्ञापयाम्ājñāpayāmhe gave orders; he commanded
चकारcakāraHe made; I have performed
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
यथाyathāhow; like
माmānot; me
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
गौतमgautamaO Gautama; Gautama
अवदःavadaḥyou said; you told
यथाyathāhow; like
इयम्iyamthis; she
नnanot; no
प्राक्prākbefore; earlier
त्वत्तःtvattaḥby you; than you
पुराpurābefore; earlier
विद्याvidyāknowledge (vidyā); vidyā; the science
ब्राह्मणान्brāhmaṇānto the brāhmaṇas; the brāhmaṇas; to the priests
गच्छतिgacchatigoes; comes
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
उusurely; indeed
सर्वेषुsarveṣuin all; among all
लोकेषुlokeṣuin the worlds; in the abodes
क्षत्रस्यkṣatrasyato the kṣatra (kṣatra — 'the warrior order, dominion'); to royal power; of the kṣatra
एवevaindeed; surely
प्रशासनम्praśāsanamthe instruction (pra-śāsana — 'guidance, rule'); the direction; the governance
अभूत्abhūtshe was; she became
इतिitithus; how
तस्मैtasmaito Him; to him
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
Translation
The king bade him: "Stay here a long while." Then he said: "As you have observed, Gautama, before you this knowledge never came to the brāhmaṇas; therefore in all the worlds instruction belonged to the kṣatriyas alone." And he began to speak to him.
Version
77303d3ed064 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:27:54 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
"Stay a long while" is not a delay out of stinginess but a testing and a preparation: even knowledge that is ready is not handed over in haste; the petitioner must live beside it, ripen in discipleship. We saw the same restraint in Satyakāma with Upakosala (4.10) and shall see it in Prajāpati with Indra (8.7 ff.): the term of waiting is part of the transmission itself.
The king's admission is historic: "before you this knowledge never came to the brāhmaṇas — therefore instruction in all the worlds belonged to the kṣatriya". The teaching of the five fires and the two paths was kept in royal families: those answerable for the life and death of their subjects kept also the knowledge of the road beyond death. The Upaniṣad carefully marks the moment when this vidyā poured over into the brāhmaṇa chain — through the humility of an Uddālaka who could ask. So knowledge gathers into one river out of different springs — and the worth of a pupil opens sluices that no high birth would have opened.