Upanishads · Chāndogya 7,15.4
॥
Devanāgarī
प्राणः हि एव एतानि सर्वाणि भवति सः वै एषः एवम् पश्यन् एवम् मन्वानः एवम् विजानन् अतिवादी भवति तम् चेद् ब्रूयुः अतिवादी असि इति अतिवादी अस्मि इति ब्रूयात् न अपह्नुवीत
Transliteration (IAST)
prāṇaḥ hi eva etāni sarvāṇi bhavati saḥ vai eṣaḥ evam paśyan evam manvānaḥ evam vijānan ativādī bhavati tam ced brūyuḥ ativādī asi iti ativādī asmi iti brūyāt na apahnuvīta
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
प्राणःprāṇaḥthe prāṇa; the vital breath
हिhiindeed; truly
एवevaindeed; surely
एतानिetānithese; all these
सर्वाणिsarvāṇiall; the whole
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
सःsaḥhe; that one
वैvaiverily; indeed
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
एवम्evamthus; in this way
पश्यन्paśyanseeing (from √paś); seeing thus; the beholder
एवम्evamthus; in this way
मन्वानःmanvānaḥthinking (from √man); thinking thus; the one who conceives
एवम्evamthus; in this way
विजानन्vijānancomprehending (vi + √jñā); comprehending thus; discerning
अतिवादीativādīone who speaks surpassingly (ati-vādin — 'an over-speaker'); the over-speaker; surpassing in speech
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
तम्tamit; that one
चेद्cedif; but if
ब्रूयुःbrūyuḥthey would say; they would call
अतिवादीativādīone who speaks surpassingly (ati-vādin — 'an over-speaker'); the over-speaker; surpassing in speech
असिasiare you; you
इतिitithus; how
अतिवादीativādīone who speaks surpassingly (ati-vādin — 'an over-speaker'); the over-speaker; surpassing in speech
अस्मिasmiI am; I am
इतिitithus; how
ब्रूयात्brūyāthe would say; he would utter
नnanot; no
अपह्नुवीतapahnuvītalet him not deny it (apa + √hnu — 'to disclaim'); let him not disown it; let him not shrink from it
Translation
For the breath is all this. He who sees thus, thinks thus, comprehends thus becomes one who speaks surpassingly. And if they say to him, "you are one who speaks surpassingly", let him answer: "yes, I speak surpassingly" — and not deny it.
Version
d0f65d3a3c25 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:46:46 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The ladder's summing-up: prāṇo hy evaitāni sarvāṇi bhavati — "the breath is all this". Fifteen rungs have converged in Life, and one who knows this becomes an ativādin, "a surpassing speaker", whose word exceeds all partial speech because he speaks out of the whole. And there follows a permission rare in a humble tradition: if they call you a surpassing speaker, "do not deny it". There is a height at which modesty would be a lie: one who has reached the ladder's top has the right to stand on it.
But the Upaniṣad sets this pride as a trap — and the next verse will spring it: there is another surpassing speech, not from the top of the ladder but from the Truth beyond it. Nārada, who remembers that he came not for titles but for the far shore of sorrow, will not let himself be crowned halfway.