Upanishads · Chāndogya 5,24.3
॥
Devanāgarī
तत् यथा इषीकातूलम् अग्नौ प्रोतम् प्रदूयेत एवम् ह अस्य सर्वे पाप्मानः प्रदूयन्ते यः एतत् एवम् विद्वान् अग्निहोत्रम् जुहोति
Transliteration (IAST)
tat yathā iṣīkātūlam agnau protam pradūyeta evam ha asya sarve pāpmānaḥ pradūyante yaḥ etat evam vidvān agnihotram juhoti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत्tatthat; this
यथाyathāhow; like
इषीकातूलम्iṣīkātūlamthe tuft of a reed (iṣīkā-tūla — 'reed-down'); reed-down; the downy panicle of a reed
अग्नौagnauin the fire; when fire
प्रोतम्protamlaid on (prota — 'placed upon'); put [into the fire]; offered
प्रदूयेतpradūyetait burns wholly away (pra + √dū — 'to be consumed'); it is reduced to ash; it would be burnt up
एवम्evamthus; in this way
हhaindeed; surely
अस्यasyaof this; it
सर्वेsarveall; all
पाप्मानःpāpmānaḥthe sins (pāpman); the defilements; the transgressions
प्रदूयन्तेpradūyantethey are burnt away (pra + √dū, plural); they are reduced to ashes; they are consumed
यःyaḥwho; the one who
एतत्etatthis; all this
एवम्evamthus; in this way
विद्वान्vidvānknowing; wise
अग्निहोत्रम्agnihotramthe agnihotra; the fire-oblation
जुहोतिjuhotihe offers; he makes the oblation
Translation
As a tuft of reed thrown into fire is burnt to nothing, so are all the sins of one burnt up who, knowing this thus, performs the agnihotra.
Version
3ee47598000a · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:34:59 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The measure of the purification is an image of instantaneous burning: iṣīkā-tūla, the downy tuft of a reed, flares up in fire without trace and without remainder. So — not gradually, not partially — are a knower's sins burnt. Knowledge joined to sacrifice does not "reduce" defilement but incinerates it: down has no margin of safety against flame.
The Gītā takes this very image: "As a kindled fire turns firewood to ashes, so the fire of knowledge turns all works to ashes" (BG 4.37). Mark the relation: at 5.24.1 the ignorant man poured butter onto ashes — here the knower's fire itself turns sin to ashes. Ashes occur in both verses, but how they have changed places! For the ignorant, the sacrifice is in the ashes; for the knower, the sins are. The whole difference of the spiritual life fits into one question: in your rite, what is ash and what is fire?