Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,4.4
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् विद्युतः रोहितम् रूपम् तेजसस् तत् रूपम् यत् शुक्लम् तत् अपाम् यत् कृष्णम् तत् अन्नस्य अपागात् विद्युतः विद्युत्त्वम् वाचारम्भणम् विकारः नामधेयम् त्रीणि रूपाणि इति एव सत्यम्
Transliteration (IAST)
yat vidyutaḥ rohitam rūpam tejasas tat rūpam yat śuklam tat apām yat kṛṣṇam tat annasya apāgāt vidyutaḥ vidyuttvam vācārambhaṇam vikāraḥ nāmadheyam trīṇi rūpāṇi iti eva satyam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatwhich; that which
विद्युतःvidyutaḥof lightning (vidyut, genitive); of the lightning; of the lightning-flash
रोहितम्rohitamthe red; the ruddy
रूपम्rūpamshape; the appearance
तेजसस्tejasasof the fiery power; of the light-and-heat
तत्tatthat; this
रूपम्rūpamshape; the appearance
यत्yatwhich; that which
शुक्लम्śuklamthe white; the bright
तत्tatthat; this
अपाम्apāmof the waters; of the water element
यत्yatwhich; that which
कृष्णम्kṛṣṇamthe black; the dark
तत्tatthat; this
अन्नस्यannasyaof food; of food
अपागात्apāgātit went away; it vanished
विद्युतःvidyutaḥof lightning (vidyut, genitive); of the lightning; of the lightning-flash
विद्युत्त्वम्vidyuttvamthe lightning-ness (vidyut-tva); its 'lightningness'; the nature of lightning
वाचारम्भणम्vācārambhaṇambeginning with speech; depending on a word
विकारःvikāraḥa modification; a derivative state
नामधेयम्nāmadheyamthe name; appellation
त्रीणिtrīṇithree; threefold
रूपाणिrūpāṇiof the form; the forms
इतिitithus; how
एवevaindeed; surely
सत्यम्satyamtruth; reality
Translation
The red in lightning is the appearance of heat, the white the appearance of the waters, the black the appearance of food. Thus lightningness departs from lightning: the modification is only a name that speech has laid hold of; the truth is "the three appearances".
Version
983d4592f87a · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:36:21 PM UTC
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Last to be analysed is lightning — the most instantaneous and therefore the most "spiritual" of lights: to it the Upaniṣads likened the flash of revelation (Kena 4.4); it is the last rung of the path of light (4.15.5, 5.10.2). But in it too there are three threads: the flame, the whiteness, the dark cloud-food. "Lightningness" is also a name.
The result of the fourfold analysis is severe and liberating: in the created world there is not one uncompounded holy thing. Everything that shines is woven; uncompounded is only the Light of lights itself, jyotiṣāṁ jyotis. Whoever has understood this will no longer be lured by any created brilliance, earthly or heavenly: a heart that has unlearned the absolutising of knots is ready to meet the Weaver.