Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,11.1
॥
Devanāgarī
प्राचीनशालः औपमन्यवः सत्ययज्ञः पौलुषिः इन्द्रद्युम्नः भाल्लवेयः जनः शार्कराक्ष्यः बुडिलः आश्वतराश्विः ते ह एते महाशालाः महाश्रोत्रियाः समेत्य मीमांसाम् चक्रुः कः नः आत्मा किम् ब्रह्म इति
Transliteration (IAST)
prācīnaśālaḥ aupamanyavaḥ satyayajñaḥ pauluṣiḥ indradyumnaḥ bhāllaveyaḥ janaḥ śārkarākṣyaḥ buḍilaḥ āśvatarāśviḥ te ha ete mahāśālāḥ mahāśrotriyāḥ sametya mīmāṃsām cakruḥ kaḥ naḥ ātmā kim brahma iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
प्राचीनशालःprācīnaśālaḥPrācīnaśāla; the name of a sage
औपमन्यवःaupamanyavaḥAupamanyava; the descendant of Upamanyu
सत्ययज्ञःsatyayajñaḥSatyayajña; 'True-sacrifice'
पौलुषिःpauluṣiḥPauluṣi; the descendant of Puluṣa
इन्द्रद्युम्नःindradyumnaḥIndradyumna; the name of a sage
भाल्लवेयःbhāllaveyaḥBhāllaveya; the descendant of Bhallavi
जनःjanaḥJana; the name of a sage
शार्कराक्ष्यःśārkarākṣyaḥŚārkarākṣya; the name of a sage
बुडिलःbuḍilaḥBuḍila; the name of a sage
आश्वतराश्विःāśvatarāśviḥĀśvatarāśvi; the descendant of Aśvatarāśva
तेteto you; for you
हhaindeed; surely
एतेetethese; the present
महाशालाःmahāśālāḥgreat householders (mahā-śālā — 'owners of great halls'); masters of great houses; eminent householders
महाश्रोत्रियाःmahāśrotriyāḥgreat masters of the Veda (mahā-śrotriya — 'great in what is heard'); great Veda-knowers; men of great learning
समेत्यsametyahaving met (sam + √i); having assembled; having come together
मीमांसाम्mīmāṃsāman enquiry (mīmāṁsā — 'investigation'); analysis; a joint investigation
चक्रुःcakruḥthey held (from √kṛ); they conducted; they undertook
कःkaḥwho; which
नःnaḥus; to us
आत्माātmāthe Ātman (ātman); our Ātman; the Spirit
किम्kimwhat; why
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; the Supreme; the Absolute
इतिitithus; how
Translation
Prācīnaśāla Aupamanyava, Satyayajña Pauluṣi, Indradyumna Bhāllaveya, Jana Śārkarākṣya and Buḍila Āśvatarāśvi — great householders and great knowers of the Veda — came together and fell to inquiring: "Who is our ātman? What is Brahman?"
Version
b7ba515bd955 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:30:39 PM UTC
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The fifth chapter's last great story opens — the Vaiśvānara-vidyā. The five who gather are neither hermits nor youths: mahāśālāḥ mahāśrotriyāḥ — "owners of great houses and great knowers of what has been heard", men established both in the world and in learning. And it is precisely they who sit down in a circle with two ultimate questions: "who is our ātman? what is Brahman?"
There is a dignity of mature questioning in this scene: wealth and erudition have not quenched their thirst but sharpened it. The question is put exactly: not "what am I?" in general, but ko na ātmā — "who is our ātman?": they seek not an abstract principle but Him who is common to them all, the one Master of many houses. The very word "who" (kaḥ) already inclines the answer toward a Person: of the impersonal one asks "what", of the Living One "who".