Upanishads Chāndogya 5,18.2

Chāndogya UpaniṣadChāndogya 5,18.2

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Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,18.2

॥

Devanāgarī

तस्य ह वै एतस्य आत्मनः वैश्वानरस्य मूर्धा एव सुतेजाः चक्षुः विश्वरूपः प्राणः पृथग्वर्त्मा आत्मा संदेहः बहुलः बस्तिः एव रयिः पृथिवी एव पादौ उरः एव वेदिः लोमाणि बर्हिः हृदयम् गार्हपत्यः मनः अन्वाहार्यपचनः आस्यम् आहवनीयः

Transliteration (IAST)

tasya ha vai etasya ātmanaḥ vaiśvānarasya mūrdhā eva sutejāḥ cakṣuḥ viśvarūpaḥ prāṇaḥ pṛthagvartmā ātmā saṃdehaḥ bahulaḥ bastiḥ eva rayiḥ pṛthivī eva pādau uraḥ eva vediḥ lomāṇi barhiḥ hṛdayam gārhapatyaḥ manaḥ anvāhāryapacanaḥ āsyam āhavanīyaḥ

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

तस्यtasyait; concerning this

हhaindeed; surely

वैvaiverily; indeed

एतस्यetasyaof this; from this

आत्मनःātmanaḥthe Ātman; himself

वैश्वानरस्यvaiśvānarasyaof Vaiśvānara; of the universal fire

मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head (mūrdhan); the head; the crown

एवevaindeed; surely

सुतेजाःsutejāḥthe radiant [heaven] (su-tejas); the brightly shining; the radiant vault

चक्षुःcakṣuḥthe eye; sight

विश्वरूपःviśvarūpaḥthe all-formed [sun] (viśva-rūpa); the manifold; the omniform

प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath

पृथग्वर्त्माpṛthagvartmāthe many-pathed [wind] (pṛthag-vartman); of divers roads; going by separate ways

आत्माātmāthe Ātman; the inner self

संदेहःsaṃdehaḥthe trunk; the middle part

बहुलःbahulaḥthe abundant [space] (bahula); spacious; the plentiful

बस्तिःbastiḥthe bladder; the body's water-vessel

एवevaindeed; surely

रयिःrayiḥwealth (rayi — the waters); the abundance that is the waters; possession

पृथिवीpṛthivīthe earth; the earthly world

एवevaindeed; surely

पादौpādauthe two feet; the feet

उरःuraḥthe breast (uras); the chest; the bosom

एवevaindeed; surely

वेदिःvediḥthe altar (vedi — the sacrificial ground); the altar-place; the vedi

लोमाणिlomāṇithe body-hairs (loman); the hair of the body; body-hairs

बर्हिःbarhiḥthe sacred grass (barhis — the strewn grass litter); the barhis grass; the holy sedge

हृदयम्hṛdayamthe heart (hṛdaya); the heart; the core

गार्हपत्यःgārhapatyaḥthe gārhapatya fire (the householder's hearth); the gārhapatya; the domestic fire

मनःmanaḥthe mind; thinking

अन्वाहार्यपचनःanvāhāryapacanaḥthe anvāhāryapacana fire (the southern fire); the southern fire; anvāhāryapacana

आस्यम्āsyamthe mouth (āsya); the mouth; the lips

आहवनीयःāhavanīyaḥthe āhavanīya fire (the eastern fire of oblations); the āhavanīya; the fire of oblations

Translation

Of this Vaiśvānara-ātman the head is the resplendent heaven, the eye the all-formed sun, the breath the many-pathed wind, the trunk the abundant space, the bladder the wealth-waters, the feet the earth; his chest is the altar, his hairs the sacrificial grass, his heart the gārhapatya fire, his mind the anvāhāryapacana fire, his mouth the āhavanīya fire.

Commentary

The gathering of the Body. The guests' six answers take their places at once: heaven the head, the sun the eye, the wind the breath, space the trunk, the waters the bladder, the earth the feet. Not one of the partial venerations is thrown away — all are set into the Whole: so a true teacher does not abolish his pupils' knowledge but completes it. Before us is the Vedic prototype of the virāṭ-rūpa, the universal form the Gītā will reveal to Arjuna: "the sun and moon are his eyes, fire his mouth…" (cf. BG 11.19).

But Aśvapati goes further: the Vaiśvānara's chest is the altar (vedi), the hairs on it the sacrificial grass (barhis), the heart the gārhapatya, the mind the anvāhāryapacana, the mouth the āhavanīya. The Body of the All-human One carries within it all three sacrificial fires — he is not only the universe but the worship perpetually going on in it. And since man is made in his image, in a man too the heart, mind and mouth are three fires: everything the heart loves, the mind ponders and the mouth utters already lies on some altar. It remains to learn to offer it consciously — and the following verses (5.19–24) will turn a simple meal into an agnihotra performed in this inner temple.

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2524f638a5f5 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:33:32 PM UTC

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