Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,16.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह उवाच बुडिलम् आश्वतराश्विम् वैयाघ्रपद्य कम् त्वम् आत्मानम् उपास्स इति अपः एव भगवो राजन् इति ह उवाच एषः वै रयिः आत्मा वैश्वानरः यम् त्वम् आत्मानम् उपास्से तस्मात् त्वम् रयिमान् पुष्टिमान् असि
Transliteration (IAST)
atha ha uvāca buḍilam āśvatarāśvim vaiyāghrapadya kam tvam ātmānam upāssa iti apaḥ eva bhagavo rājan iti ha uvāca eṣaḥ vai rayiḥ ātmā vaiśvānaraḥ yam tvam ātmānam upāsse tasmāt tvam rayimān puṣṭimān asi
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
बुडिलम्buḍilamBuḍila (a name); Buḍila Āśvatarāśvi; Buḍila
आश्वतराश्विम्āśvatarāśvimĀśvatarāśvi (the descendant of Aśvatarāśva); the son of Aśvatarāśva; Āśvatarāśvi
वैयाघ्रपद्यvaiyāghrapadyaO Vaiyāghrapadya; a descendant of Vyāghrapada
कम्kambliss; happiness
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
आत्मानम्ātmānambody; the self
उपास्सupāssayou venerate; you contemplate
इतिitithus; how
अपःapaḥthe waters (ap); the waters; the watery element
एवevaindeed; surely
भगवोbhagavoO venerable one; sir
राजन्rājanO king; the king
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
वैvaiverily; indeed
रयिःrayiḥWealth (rayi — 'substance, abundance'); Abundance; the Wealth called rayi
आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the inner self
वैश्वानरःvaiśvānaraḥVaiśvānara; the universal fire-man
यम्yamwhom; that one
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
आत्मानम्ātmānambody; the self
उपास्सेupāsseyou venerate; you contemplate
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
त्वम्tvamyou; you yourself
रयिमान्rayimānrich (rayi-mat); abounding in substance; well-to-do
पुष्टिमान्puṣṭimānthriving (puṣṭi-mat — 'full of nourishment'); flourishing; well-nourished in prosperity
असिasiare you; you
Translation
Then he asked Buḍila Āśvatarāśvi: "Vaiyāghrapadya, whom do you venerate as the ātman?" — "The waters, reverend king," he said. — "Wealth is that Vaiśvānara-ātman whom you venerate. Hence you are wealthy and flourishing.
Version
5a98e796065a · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:32:08 PM UTC
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The fifth answer is the waters. The name is rayi, "Wealth": a word from the pair rayi–prāṇa (substance–life) familiar from the Praśna Upaniṣad (1.4 ff.). The waters are the moisture of abundance, the sap of every harvest; their venerator is "wealthy and flourishing" (rayimān puṣṭimān): his prosperity is not glittering, like the sun-worshipper's, but full-weighted and nourishing — after the image of water.
The sextet is nearly complete: heaven, sun, wind, space, waters — the earth remains. Aśvapati conducts his examination from the top down, by the tiers of the universe: the guests, without knowing it, have enumerated the Vaiśvānara's body part by part, from head to feet. None of them lied; each saw a tier — and none saw Him standing at full height.