Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,9.1
॥
Devanāgarī
इति तु पञ्चम्याम् आहुतौ आपः पुरुषवचसः भवन्ति इति सः उल्बावृतः गर्भः दश वा नव वा मासान् अन्तः शयित्वा यावत् वा अथ जायते
Transliteration (IAST)
iti tu pañcamyām āhutau āpaḥ puruṣavacasaḥ bhavanti iti saḥ ulbāvṛtaḥ garbhaḥ daśa vā nava vā māsān antaḥ śayitvā yāvat vā atha jāyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
इतिitithus; how
तुtubut; surely
पञ्चम्याम्pañcamyāmin the fifth; at the fifth
आहुतौāhutauat the oblation; sacrificial offering
आपःāpaḥthe waters; drops of water
पुरुषवचसःpuruṣavacasaḥspeaking as a man; acquiring human speech
भवन्तिbhavantibecome; are
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
उल्बावृतःulbāvṛtaḥwrapped in the membrane (ulba-āvṛta — 'enveloped in the foetal caul'); in the birth-membrane; enclosed in the caul
गर्भःgarbhaḥas an embryo; as a foetus
दशdaśaten; ten [months]; ten
वाvāverily; surely
नवnavanine; nine [months]; nine
वाvāverily; surely
मासान्māsānmonths (māsa); the months; of months
अन्तःantaḥwithin; inward
शयित्वाśayitvāhaving lain (from √śī — 'to lie'); having rested; after lying
यावत्yāvatas long as; as far as
वाvāverily; surely
अथathathereupon; then
जायतेjāyateis born (from √jan); he is born; is born
Translation
Thus at the fifth oblation the waters come to have a human voice. The embryo, wrapped in its membrane, having lain within for ten months or nine — or however long — is born.
Version
a1c1ee3a31b4 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:29:09 PM UTC
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The answer to the king's fifth question is pronounced word for word: "at the fifth oblation the waters come to have a human voice" (āpaḥ puruṣa-vacaso bhavanti). The "waters" here are the subtle substance of the sacrifice, śraddhā become fluid: it has passed through five fires and become what is called a man. A man's name is the outcome of five oblations.
Then comes a sober embryology: the membrane (ulba), nine or ten months, the term. The Upaniṣad fears neither the heights nor the physiology: one and the same being is both the fruit of the liturgy of the heavens and the fruit in a womb. Gauḍīya Vedānta keeps both ends of this truth: the soul is not born — what is born is a body woven by five fires; the soul only puts on the woven thing, "as a man puts on new garments" (BG 2.22).