Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,6.2
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्मिन् एतस्मिन् अग्नौ देवाः वर्षम् जुह्वति तस्याः आहुतेः अन्नम् संभवति
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmin etasmin agnau devāḥ varṣam juhvati tasyāḥ āhuteḥ annam saṃbhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्मिन्tasminin It; in this
एतस्मिन्etasminin this; in this
अग्नौagnauin the fire; when fire
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
वर्षम्varṣamrain; the downpour
जुह्वतिjuhvatibring; they make the oblation
तस्याःtasyāḥout of her; it
आहुतेःāhuteḥout of the oblation; from the offering
अन्नम्annamfood (anna); food; the harvest
संभवतिsaṃbhavatiarises; becomes
Translation
Into this fire the gods offer rain. From this oblation food is born.
Version
d6ddca67fcab · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:27:54 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third oblation: rain into the earth, and food is born. Here the ladder touches our table: the bread on it is the fourth link of a sacrificial chain that began with faith on the heavenly altar. To eat food is to receive the fruit of a long liturgy of sky, storm and earth.
Hence the tradition's strictness about our dealings with food: it is not fuel but a holy thing that has passed through three altars. "Food indeed is Brahman" (cf. Taittirīya 3.2); to eat it with thanksgiving is to continue the sacrificial round, to eat without it is to steal from a temple: "they eat sin who cook for themselves alone" (BG 3.13).