Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,10.1
॥
Devanāgarī
तत् ये इत्थम् विदुः ये च इमे अरण्ये श्रद्धा तपः इति उपासते ते अर्चिषम् अभिसंभवन्ति अर्चिषः अहः अह्नः आपूर्यमाणपक्षम् आपूर्यमाणपक्षात् यान् षट् उदङ् एति मासान् तान्
Transliteration (IAST)
tat ye ittham viduḥ ye ca ime araṇye śraddhā tapaḥ iti upāsate te arciṣam abhisaṃbhavanti arciṣaḥ ahaḥ ahnaḥ āpūryamāṇapakṣam āpūryamāṇapakṣāt yān ṣaṭ udaṅ eti māsān tān
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत्tatthat; this
येyethose who; they who
इत्थम्itthamthus (ittham — 'in this way'); in such wise; just so
विदुःviduḥthey know; they understand [it to be]
येyethose who; they who
चcaand; as well as
इमेimethese; the present
अरण्येaraṇyein the forest (araṇya); in the forest solitude; in the woodland waste
श्रद्धाśraddhāfaith (śraddhā); faith and trust; the śrāddha
तपःtapaḥausterity (tapas — 'the heat of asceticism'); tapas; asceticism
इतिitithus; how
उपासतेupāsatethey venerate (upa + √ās — 'to abide with'); they worship; serve
तेteto you; for you
अर्चिषम्arciṣamflame; the radiance
अभिसंभवन्तिabhisaṃbhavantithey enter (abhi-sam + √bhū — 'to attain, to come to be in'); arrive at; enter
अर्चिषःarciṣaḥout of the flame; from the flame
अहःahaḥthe day; the bright day
अह्नःahnaḥout of the day; from the day
आपूर्यमाणपक्षम्āpūryamāṇapakṣamthe waxing fortnight; the bright half
आपूर्यमाणपक्षात्āpūryamāṇapakṣātfrom the waxing fortnight; from the bright half
यान्yānthose who; which
षट्ṣaṭsix; six in number
उदङ्udaṅnorthward; to the north
एतिetiattains; comes to
मासान्māsānthe months; the lunar months
तान्tānof them; those
Translation
Now: those who know this thus, and those who in the forest venerate faith as austerity, go into the flame; from the flame into the day, from the day into the bright fortnight, from the bright fortnight into the six months when the sun goes north;
Version
9fae1bbc488a · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:29:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The teaching of the two paths begins. The first is the road of light, and it is open to two kinds of men: "those who know this thus" — the knowers of the pañcāgni-vidyā — and forest ascetics who "venerate faith as tapas". Knowledge and faith-austerity are given equal right to the higher path: the Upaniṣad makes a monopoly neither of gnosis nor of asceticism — what decides is the direction of the heart.
The ladder itself is familiar from the instruction of Upakosala (4.15.5): flame, day, waxing moon, the half-year of the northward sun — the soul is handed from light to light, each rung brighter than the last. In this description the dead man does not "go" — he is received: the rungs are named as escorting deities, and the path proves to be a relay of hospitality rather than a solitary ascent.