Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,5.3
॥
Devanāgarī
तेजः अशितम् त्रेधा विधीयते तस्य यः स्थविष्ठः धातुः तत् अस्थि भवति यः मध्यमः सः मज्जा यः अणिष्ठः सा वाक्
Transliteration (IAST)
tejaḥ aśitam tredhā vidhīyate tasya yaḥ sthaviṣṭhaḥ dhātuḥ tat asthi bhavati yaḥ madhyamaḥ saḥ majjā yaḥ aṇiṣṭhaḥ sā vāk
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेजःtejaḥthe fiery part (tejas — the oily and hot element in food); heat-and-light; the fire-constituent
अशितम्aśitameaten; taken as food
त्रेधाtredhāin three ways; into three parts
विधीयतेvidhīyateparts; it is apportioned
तस्यtasyait; concerning this
यःyaḥwho; the one who
स्थविष्ठःsthaviṣṭhaḥthe coarsest; the densest
धातुःdhātuḥthe constituent; a part
तत्tatthat; this
अस्थिasthias bone (asthi); as bone; as bony tissue
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
यःyaḥwho; the one who
मध्यमःmadhyamaḥthe middle; the intermediate
सःsaḥhe; that one
मज्जाmajjāas marrow (majjan); as bone-marrow; as marrow
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अणिष्ठःaṇiṣṭhaḥthe subtlest; the most subtle
साsāshe; that one
वाक्vākas speech (vāc); with the word; as voice
Translation
The heat that is taken in is divided in three: its grossest part becomes bone, the middle marrow, the subtlest speech.
Version
46d3e5efebd5 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:37:31 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third thread: heat — everything oily and fiery in food. The gross becomes bone, the middle the marrow of the bones, the subtlest vāc, speech. The word with which a man prays and lies is, in substance, the subtlest flame of his food: speech is fire, and it feeds like fire.
The threefold table is complete: food → mind, waters → breath, heat → speech. Three cosmic threads (6.2) have become three human faculties; macrocosm and body are translated into each other without remainder. It remains to verify the table by experience — and the father, a pedagogue to the marrow, will now set his son an experiment upon himself: a fast that will temporarily put out his mind.