Upanishads · Chāndogya 7,24.2
॥
Devanāgarī
गो अश्वम् इह महिमा इति आचक्षते हस्तिहिरण्यम् दासभार्यम् क्षेत्राणि आयतनानि इति न अहम् एवम् ब्रवीमि ब्रवीमि इति ह उवाच अन्यः हि अन्यस्मिन् प्रतिष्ठितः इति
Transliteration (IAST)
go aśvam iha mahimā iti ācakṣate hastihiraṇyam dāsabhāryam kṣetrāṇi āyatanāni iti na aham evam bravīmi bravīmi iti ha uvāca anyaḥ hi anyasmin pratiṣṭhitaḥ iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
गोgocows (go); cattle; cattle
अश्वम्aśvamhorses (aśva); steeds; horses
इहihahere; in this world
महिमाmahimāgreatness (mahiman); the greatness; greatness
इतिitithus; how
आचक्षतेācakṣatethey call; they explain
हस्तिहिरण्यम्hastihiraṇyamelephants and gold (hasti-hiraṇya); elephants and gold; wealth of elephants and gold
दासभार्यम्dāsabhāryamservants and wives (dāsa-bhāryā); household slaves and wives; servants and wives
क्षेत्राणिkṣetrāṇithe fields (kṣetra); the lands; the fields
आयतनानिāyatanānithe homesteads (āyatana); the houses; the estates
इतिitithus; how
नnanot; no
अहम्ahamI; I myself
एवम्evamthus; in this way
ब्रवीमिbravīmishall I tell; I shall tell
ब्रवीमिbravīmishall I tell; I shall tell
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
अन्यःanyaḥone thing (anya — 'one [upon] another'); one; other
हिhiindeed; truly
अन्यस्मिन्anyasminin another; upon something else
प्रतिष्ठितःpratiṣṭhitaḥestablished; firmly established
इतिitithus; how
Translation
"Greatness here is what people call cows and horses, elephants and gold, servants and wives, fields and homesteads. I do not speak of that, I do not," he said, "for there one thing is established upon another.
Version
0cb431f1ed5c · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:48:34 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A clarification is needed: in the language of the world "greatness" (mahiman) means property: herds, gold, retainers, lands. Sanatkumāra sets this meaning aside with rare emphasis — "I do not speak of that": the greatness of possessions is a chain of mutual props in which "one thing is established upon another": a rich man stands on his gold, the gold on a mine, all of it on something else. Such greatness is a web of dependencies, and to measure the Bhūman by it is to have understood not a word.
The greatness of the Boundless is self-standing: sve mahimni, "on his own greatness", as the Gītā will say of the Lord: "I sustain this whole universe while remaining outside it" (cf. BG 9.4–5; 10.42). And here too is a quiet judgement upon every religion of prosperity: as long as "great" means "rich", one has not so much as raised his eyes toward the Bhūman.