Upanishads · Chāndogya 6,7.2
॥
Devanāgarī
सः ह पञ्चदशाहानि न आश अथ ह एनम् उपससाद किम् ब्रवीमि भोः इति ऋचः सोम्य यजूंषि सामानि इति सः ह उवाच न वै मा प्रतिभान्ति भोः इति
Transliteration (IAST)
saḥ ha pañcadaśāhāni na āśa atha ha enam upasasāda kim bravīmi bhoḥ iti ṛcaḥ somya yajūṃṣi sāmāni iti saḥ ha uvāca na vai mā pratibhānti bhoḥ iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
पञ्चदशाहानिpañcadaśāhānififteen days; fifteen days and nights
नnanot; no
आशāśahe ate (perfect of √aś; na āśa — 'he did not eat'); he partook; he took food
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
एनम्enamit; of this
उपससादupasasādahe came up (upa + √sad — 'to approach'); approached; approached
किम्kimwhat; why
ब्रवीमिbravīmishall I say (first person of √brū); I shall say; I shall utter
भोःbhoḥO master; venerable one
इतिitithus; how
ऋचःṛcaḥthe ṛcs; the hymns of the Ṛg-veda
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
यजूंषिyajūṃṣithe yajuses; the formulas of the Yajur-veda
सामानिsāmānithe sāmans; the chants of the Sāma-veda
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
नnanot; no
वैvaiverily; indeed
माmānot; me
प्रतिभान्तिpratibhāntithey occur to me (prati + √bhā — 'to flash upon the mind'); they glimmer up; they present themselves to the mind
भोःbhoḥO master; venerable one
इतिitithus; how
Translation
He did not eat for fifteen days. Then he came to his father: "What shall I recite, sir?" — "The ṛcs, my dear, the yajuses and the sāmans." — "They do not come to my mind, sir."
Version
e66bfbcedacb · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:37:31 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
After fifteen days comes the test, and the subject is chosen with killing precision: "recite the Vedas". Everything Śvetaketu was proud of, all twelve years of study, "do not come to mind" (na pratibhānti: they do not flash, do not glimmer). The Vedas are intact in the world's memory, but in the youth what flashes has gone out: the mind, fifteen parts of which have followed the food away.
So the bookman's last support collapses: the very knowledge of the texts proves bodily conditioned. What can be lost by hunger is not you and not even yours; it is an instrument on charge. The lesson does not humiliate the Veda — it puts its bearer in his place: to be proud of what one has memorised is as odd as to be proud of being well fed. Both states last until the first fast.