Upanishads · Chāndogya 8,6.1
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ याः एताः हृदयस्य नाड्यः ताः पिङ्गलस्य अणिम्नः तिष्ठन्ति शुक्लस्य नीलस्य पीतस्य लोहितस्य इति असौ वै आदित्यः पिङ्गलः एषः शुक्लः एषः नीलः एषः पीतः एषः लोहितः
Transliteration (IAST)
atha yāḥ etāḥ hṛdayasya nāḍyaḥ tāḥ piṅgalasya aṇimnaḥ tiṣṭhanti śuklasya nīlasya pītasya lohitasya iti asau vai ādityaḥ piṅgalaḥ eṣaḥ śuklaḥ eṣaḥ nīlaḥ eṣaḥ pītaḥ eṣaḥ lohitaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अथathathereupon; then
याःyāḥthose who; those waters which
एताःetāḥthese; of these
हृदयस्यhṛdayasyaof the heart (hṛdaya, genitive); of the heart; of the heart
नाड्यःnāḍyaḥthe channels (nāḍī — the subtle vessels); the nāḍīs; the vein-channels
ताःtāḥthey; those; these
पिङ्गलस्यpiṅgalasyaof the tawny (piṅgala); of the golden-brown; of the reddish
अणिम्नःaṇimnaḥof the subtlest (aṇiman, genitive); of the subtle essence; of the finest substance
तिष्ठन्तिtiṣṭhantithey stand; they abide
शुक्लस्यśuklasyaof the white (śukla); of the white; of the bright
नीलस्यnīlasyaof the blue (nīla); of the blue; of the dark blue
पीतस्यpītasyaof the yellow (pīta); of the yellow; of the golden
लोहितस्यlohitasyaof the red (lohita); of the crimson; of the red
इतिitithus; how
असौasauthat one; yonder
वैvaiverily; indeed
आदित्यःādityaḥthe sun; Āditya
पिङ्गलःpiṅgalaḥtawny-brown; reddish
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
शुक्लःśuklaḥwhite; radiant
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
नीलःnīlaḥblue; dark blue
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
पीतःpītaḥyellow; golden-hued
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
लोहितःlohitaḥred; the crimson
Translation
Now these channels of the heart are of the subtlest substance: tawny, white, blue, yellow, red. And yonder sun is tawny, it is white, it is blue, it is yellow, it is red.
Version
29d0419a2c87 · published Jul 26, 2026, 11:52:58 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here begins the subtle physiology of departure: the nāḍīs, the channels of the heart, are woven of "the subtlest" (aṇiman) in five colours — and the Upaniṣad finds the same five colours in the sun. Heart and luminary are woven from one yarn: a man's inner network is not a closed box but a continuation of the solar threads.
Behind the "naive" colouring lies the school's strict thought: between the depth of the heart and the summit of the world there is a material kinship, and therefore a passage is possible. Salvation, for the Upaniṣad, is not a leap across a chasm but a movement along a native fabric: the colours of the channels are the colours of the sun, as a son's handwriting resembles his father's. The next verse will make of this a road network.