Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,10.3
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ये इमे ग्रामे इष्टापूर्ते दत्तम् इति उपासते ते धूमम् अभिसंभवन्ति धूमात् रात्रिम् रात्रेः अपरपक्षम् अपरपक्षात् यान् षट् दक्षिणा एति मासान् तान् न एते संवत्सरम् अभिप्राप्नुवन्ति
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ye ime grāme iṣṭāpūrte dattam iti upāsate te dhūmam abhisaṃbhavanti dhūmāt rātrim rātreḥ aparapakṣam aparapakṣāt yān ṣaṭ dakṣiṇā eti māsān tān na ete saṃvatsaram abhiprāpnuvanti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
येyethose who; they who
इमेimethese; the present
ग्रामेgrāmein the village (grāma); in the settlement; among men
इष्टापूर्तेiṣṭāpūrtesacrifices and good works (iṣṭā-pūrta — rites and public benefactions); the sacrificial and the charitable; iṣṭā-pūrta
दत्तम्dattamalmsgiving (datta — 'what is given'); alms; a gift
इतिitithus; how
उपासतेupāsatethey worship; they contemplate
तेteto you; for you
धूमम्dhūmaminto the smoke (dhūma); to the smoke; into smoke
अभिसंभवन्तिabhisaṃbhavantiarrive at; come
धूमात्dhūmātout of the smoke; from the smoke
रात्रिम्rātrimnight; the world of night
रात्रेःrātreḥout of the night; from the night
अपरपक्षम्aparapakṣaminto the dark fortnight (apara-pakṣa — the waning moon); into the waning half; into the dark half
अपरपक्षात्aparapakṣātout of the dark fortnight; from the waning half
यान्yānthose who; which
षट्ṣaṭsix; six in number
दक्षिणाdakṣiṇāsouthward (dakṣiṇā); by the southern path; southward
एतिetiattains; comes to
मासान्māsānthe months; the lunar months
तान्tānof them; those
नnanot; no
एतेetethese; the present
संवत्सरम्saṃvatsarama year; a full year
अभिप्राप्नुवन्तिabhiprāpnuvantithey reach (abhi-pra + √āp); they arrive at; they come to
Translation
But those who in the village venerate sacrifices, works of merit and giving go into the smoke; from the smoke into the night, from the night into the dark fortnight, from the dark fortnight into the six months when the sun goes south. They do not reach the year.
Version
f01d0869e127 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:29:09 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second path is for the pious "in the village": those whose religion is rites, public benefactions (iṣṭāpūrta — wells, ponds, rest-houses) and giving. Their road mirrors the bright one: smoke instead of flame, night instead of day, the waning moon, the southern half-year. All the same stations — but in a diminishing, smoky register: good deeds without knowledge do give a path, but a twilit one.
A mournful detail: "they do not reach the year". On the bright path the year is a rung toward the sun, an image of time's fullness; those who go by smoke do not break through time — their road remains inside the round. The Upaniṣad does not condemn piety — it is honestly rewarded; it only measures its range: works without knowledge and love carry one as far as the moon, no further.