Upanishads · Chāndogya 7,1.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अधीहि भगवः इति ह उपससाद सनत्कुमारम् नारदः तम् ह उवाच यत् वेत्थ तेन मा उपसीद ततः ते ऊर्ध्वम् वक्ष्यामि इति सः ह उवाच
Transliteration (IAST)
adhīhi bhagavaḥ iti ha upasasāda sanatkumāram nāradaḥ tam ha uvāca yat vettha tena mā upasīda tataḥ te ūrdhvam vakṣyāmi iti saḥ ha uvāca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अधीहिadhīhiteach me (imperative of adhi + √i — 'impart'); instruct me; teach me
भगवःbhagavaḥvenerable one; sir
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उपससादupasasādahe approached him (upa + √sad — as a pupil to his teacher); approached; approached
सनत्कुमारम्sanatkumāramto Sanatkumāra (sanat-kumāra — 'the eternal youth', the son of Brahmā); to Sanatkumāra; to the ever-young one
नारदःnāradaḥNārada (the wandering sage, the singer of the Lord); Nārada; the ṛṣi Nārada
तम्tamit; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
यत्yatwhich; that which
वेत्थvetthayou know (second person of √vid); you are aware of; you are versed in
तेनtenawith that; by means of this
माmānot; me
उपसीदupasīdacome near; come near
ततःtataḥthan this; from that
तेteto you; for you
ऊर्ध्वम्ūrdhvambeyond that (ūrdhva — 'over and above'); over and above it; further
वक्ष्यामिvakṣyāmiI shall tell you (future of √vac); I shall declare; I shall expound
इतिitithus; how
सःsaḥhe; that one
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
Translation
"Teach me, sir!" With these words Nārada approached Sanatkumāra. He said to him: "Come to me with what you already know — and I shall tell you what lies beyond." And Nārada said:
Version
d7a3bb4c4670 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:42:49 PM UTC
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The seventh chapter opens a new summit: the conversation of Nārada with Sanatkumāra — the bhūmā-vidyā, the knowledge of the Boundless. The speakers are awe-inspiring: Nārada is the eternal wandering sage with a vīṇā in his hands, the singer of the Lord; Sanatkumāra is one of Brahmā's four youthful sons, eternal boys born before the worlds. And here the singer of heaven comes up like a schoolboy: adhīhi bhagavaḥ — "teach me, sir".
The teacher's first demand is of rare wisdom: "come with what you know". Before giving the higher, Sanatkumāra bids him lay out what he has: one can teach only from the known to the unknown, and a teacher must see where his pupil's map ends. But there is a second sense too: the knowledge you possess must be brought and laid at the teacher's feet — as Nārada is about to do, unpacking his vast baggage and acknowledging it insufficient. Instruction begins with an inventory — and with the surrender of the inventory.
The tradition loves the mirroring of this scene: in the Bhāgavatam Nārada himself will play Sanatkumāra's part — he will come to the grieving Vyāsa, who has already compiled all the Vedas, and point him to "what lies beyond" (SB 1.4–5). The consoled here becomes the consoler there: so the paramparā flows.