Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,8.1
॥
Devanāgarī
योषा वाव गौतम अग्निः तस्याः उपस्थः एव समित् यत् उपमन्त्रयते सः धूमः योनिः अर्चिः यत् अन्तः करोति ते अङ्गाराः अभिनन्दाः विस्फुलिङ्गाः
Transliteration (IAST)
yoṣā vāva gautama agniḥ tasyāḥ upasthaḥ eva samit yat upamantrayate saḥ dhūmaḥ yoniḥ arciḥ yat antaḥ karoti te aṅgārāḥ abhinandāḥ visphuliṅgāḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
योषाyoṣāthe woman (yoṣā — 'the young wife'); the wife; the woman
वावvāvatruly; indeed
गौतमgautamaO Gautama; Gautama
अग्निःagniḥfire; Agni
तस्याःtasyāḥout of her; it
उपस्थःupasthaḥthe lap (upastha); the womb; the lap
एवevaindeed; surely
समित्samitfuel; the log
यत्yatwhich; that which
उपमन्त्रयतेupamantrayatehe invites her (upa + √mantr — 'to summon'); he calls her to union; he bids her
सःsaḥhe; that one
धूमःdhūmaḥsmoke; the smoke-form
योनिःyoniḥthe womb (yoni — 'the matrix, the source'); the mother's womb; the womb
अर्चिःarciḥflame; the radiance
यत्yatwhich; that which
अन्तःantaḥwithin; inward
करोतिkarotimakes; he places
तेteto you; for you
अङ्गाराःaṅgārāḥthe coals; the glowing coals
अभिनन्दाःabhinandāḥthe delights (abhinanda — 'rejoicings'); the glad responses; pleasures
विस्फुलिङ्गाःvisphuliṅgāḥthe sparks; the flashes of fire
Translation
"Woman, Gautama, is a fire. Her lap is the fuel; the wooing is the smoke; the womb is the flame; the union is the embers; the delights are the sparks.
Version
6195ffe64925 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:29:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fifth altar is woman, and the Upaniṣad draws the correspondences with the same ritual calm as for sky and earth: conception is neither a base nor a shameful matter but the fifth sacred act of the cosmic liturgy, that very "fifth fire" the king asked about.
This view hallows marriage and at the same time disciplines it: if the bed is an altar, one may approach it only as an altar. The Gītā says, in the Lord's own voice: "I am kāma not contrary to dharma" (BG 7.11); the continuation of a family in the spirit of that verse is a sacrificial service of life, not a service of lust. The whole difference lies in whether the altar is recognised in the fire.