Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,6.4
॥
Devanāgarī
तेजसः सोम्य अश्यमानस्य यः अणिमा सः ऊर्ध्वः समुदीषति सा वाक् भवति
Transliteration (IAST)
tejasaḥ somya aśyamānasya yaḥ aṇimā saḥ ūrdhvaḥ samudīṣati sā vāk bhavati
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तेजसःtejasaḥof the heat (tejas, genitive); in the fiery element; of the fiery part
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
अश्यमानस्यaśyamānasyaof what is eaten; of what is being eaten
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अणिमाaṇimāthe subtle essence; subtlety
सःsaḥhe; that one
ऊर्ध्वःūrdhvaḥupward; the upper
समुदीषतिsamudīṣatiascends; it rises to the top
साsāshe; that one
वाक्vākspeech; the word
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
Translation
Of the heat that is taken in, my dear, the subtlest part rises upward and becomes speech.
Version
b85765b3d547 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:37:31 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The third application: the subtlest part of heat rises as speech. Butter, spices, everything fiery in a meal is the raw material of the word; speech is the top cream of the bodily fire. Hence the voice weakens in the emaciated and the word comes easily to the warmed.
The threefold law has been established three times over — once for each thread. The theory is faultless, but the father knows the worth of theories in a young head: he will now propose that his son verify it in the one irrefutable way — upon his own mind. The famous experiment with fasting begins.