Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,1.6
॥
Devanāgarī
यथा सोम्य एकेन नखनिकृन्तनेन सर्वम् कार्ष्णायसम् विज्ञातम् स्यात् वाचारम्भणम् विकारः नामधेयम् कृष्णायसम् इति एव सत्यम् एवम् सोम्य सः आदेशः भवति इति
Transliteration (IAST)
yathā somya ekena nakhanikṛntanena sarvam kārṣṇāyasam vijñātam syāt vācārambhaṇam vikāraḥ nāmadheyam kṛṣṇāyasam iti eva satyam evam somya saḥ ādeśaḥ bhavati iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यथाyathāhow; like
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
एकेनekenaby one; by the single one
नखनिकृन्तनेनnakhanikṛntanenaby a nail-parer (nakha-nikṛntana — 'that which cuts nails'); by nail-clippers; by the nail-cutter
सर्वम्sarvamall; entirely
कार्ष्णायसम्kārṣṇāyasamwhatever is of iron (kārṣṇāyasa — 'of the black metal'); of black iron; the iron-wares
विज्ञातम्vijñātamknown; what has been discerned
स्यात्syātcould be; it would become
वाचारम्भणम्vācārambhaṇambeginning with speech; depending on a word
विकारःvikāraḥa modification; a derivative state
नामधेयम्nāmadheyamthe name; appellation
कृष्णायसम्kṛṣṇāyasamblack iron (kṛṣṇa-ayas); iron; the black metal
इतिitithus; how
एवevaindeed; surely
सत्यम्satyamtruth; reality
एवम्evamthus; in this way
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
सःsaḥhe; that one
आदेशःādeśaḥinstruction; the indication
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
इतिitithus; how
Translation
Just as, my dear, by one pair of nail-scissors everything made of iron is known: the modification is only a name that speech has laid hold of; the truth is 'it is iron'. Such, my dear, is that instruction."
Version
531fbbd82730 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:34:59 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third example is deliberately humdrum: a pair of nail-scissors. From them to all "black iron": to sword, ploughshare and chain. The Upaniṣad is not afraid to lower its image: the more everyday the example, the more obvious the universality of the law — even a trifle in your hand testifies to the unity of substance, and through it to the unity of being.
"Such is that instruction" — the formula is complete, but mark what the father has not yet said: he has not named the Substance of all substances. The three examples are only a ladder of likenesses; of the Being out of which everything is "moulded" the next khaṇḍa will speak. The pedagogy is faultless: first give the mind the form of the law in clay and iron, then fill it with a content the mind could not have lifted by itself.