Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,4.7
॥
Devanāgarī
यत् उ अविज्ञातम् इव अभूत् इति एतासाम् एव देवतानाम् समासः इति तत् विदाम् चक्रुः यथा नु खलु सोम्य इमाः तिस्रः देवताः पुरुषम् प्राप्य त्रिवृत् त्रिवृत् एकैका भवति तत् मे विजानीहि इति
Transliteration (IAST)
yat u avijñātam iva abhūt iti etāsām eva devatānām samāsaḥ iti tat vidām cakruḥ yathā nu khalu somya imāḥ tisraḥ devatāḥ puruṣam prāpya trivṛt trivṛt ekaikā bhavati tat me vijānīhi iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत्yatwhich; that which
उusurely; indeed
अविज्ञातम्avijñātamthe unknown; the undiscerned
इवivaas it were; as though
अभूत्abhūtshe was; she became
इतिitithus; how
एतासाम्etāsāmof these; of these
एवevaindeed; surely
देवतानाम्devatānāmof the deities; of the powers
समासःsamāsaḥthe combination (samāsa — 'the drawing together'); the conjunction; the coalescence
इतिitithus; how
तत्tatthat; this
विदाम्vidāmknown; known
चक्रुःcakruḥthey made; they performed
यथाyathāhow; like
नुnusurely; is it that
खलुkhalutruly; indeed
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
इमाःimāḥthese; these here
तिस्रःtisraḥthree (feminine); the three; the triad
देवताःdevatāḥdeities; the powers
पुरुषम्puruṣaminto a man (puruṣa); the man; into man
प्राप्यprāpyahaving reached (pra + √āp — 'having attained'); having obtained; having entered into
त्रिवृत्trivṛtthreefold; tripartite
त्रिवृत्trivṛtthreefold; tripartite
एकैकाekaikāeach single one; each one separately
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
तत्tatthat; this
मेmemyself; for me
विजानीहिvijānīhiunderstand; find out
इतिitithus; how
Translation
And whatever seemed unknowable, of that they knew: this is a combination of those same deities. But how, my dear, these three deities, on entering a man, each become threefold — learn that from me.
Version
d42878481d4b · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:37:31 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A last touch to the art of the ancients: even the "unknowable" did not shake them out of knowledge — the unidentified they read as too tight an interlacing of the same three (samāsa, a "contraction"). One who knows the root has no category of "the inexplicable" — only tighter knots. What calm of mind lies in this formula: mystery is not a breach in the world but a density of a familiar cloth.
And then the turn that prepares the chapter's second half: "how these three deities, on entering a man, become threefold — learn this". So far the threads have been unravelled in fire and the luminaries; now the analysis enters the pupil himself: his food, waters and heat, his mind, breath and speech. Knowledge not applied to oneself is not yet knowledge; the following khaṇḍas will apply the cosmogony to Śvetaketu's body and mind, in order then to tell him about himself the greatest words of the Upaniṣads.