SánscritoIASTSignificado
ऋतम्ṛtamthe cosmic order; the true law
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
सत्यम्satyamtruth; truthfulness
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
तपस्tapastapas; spiritual discipline
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
दमःdamaḥrestraint (dama); self-control; the taming of the senses
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
शमःśamaḥcalm (śama); inner stillness; the quieting of the mind
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
अग्नयःagnayaḥthe sacred fires; the ritual fires
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
अग्निहोत्रम्agnihotramthe agnihotra; the fire offering
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
अतिथयःatithayaḥguests; those who come unannounced
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
मानुषम्mānuṣamthe human duty; one's conduct towards men
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
प्रजाprajāoffspring; the beings born
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
प्रजनःprajanaḥbegetting; procreation
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
प्रजातिःprajātiḥthe begetting of offspring; begetting
चcaand; as well as
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
चcaand; as well as
सत्यम्satyamtruth; truthfulness
इतिitithus; such is it
सत्यवचाsatyavacātruthful (satya-vacas — 'whose speech is true'); true of speech; speaking the truth
राथीतरःrāthītaraḥRāthītara; the sage Rāthītara
तपस्tapastapas; spiritual discipline
इतिitithus; such is it
तपोनित्यःtaponityaḥever-austere (tapo-nitya — 'constant in tapas'); unwavering in austerity; always ascetic
पौरुशिष्टिःpauruśiṣṭiḥPauruśiṣṭi; the sage Pauruśiṣṭi
स्वाध्यायप्रवचनेsvādhyāyapravacanestudy and teaching (svādhyāya-pravacana — 'one's own recitation and its handing on'); learning and instructing [others]; the recitation of scripture and instruction
एवevaindeed; only
इतिitithus; such is it
नाकःnākaḥNāka; the sage Nāka
मौद्गल्यःmaudgalyaḥMaudgalya; the descendant of Mudgala
तत्tatthis; that
हिhiindeed; truly
तपस्tapastapas; spiritual discipline
तत्tatthis; that
हिhiindeed; truly
तपस्tapastapas; spiritual discipline
An anuvāka on balance — with a refrain that beats like a pendulum: svādhyāya-pravacane ca — "and study and teaching". Twelve great obligations are listed one by one — the right, truth, tapas, dama, śama, the fires, the agnihotra, guests, the human duty, offspring, procreation, the line — and to each the same thing is added: "…and learn, and teach". No virtue exempts one from the book and from the handing on; neither truth nor austerity nor family annuls the daily hour over the śruti and the hour with a pupil.
Then comes a dispute of three authorities, left in the text as a living argument: Rāthītara the Truthful set truth above all; Pauruśiṣṭi the Austere, tapas; Nāka Maudgalya, svādhyāya-pravacane eva: "study-and-teaching precisely — for that is tapas". The Upaniṣad gives him the last word — with a doubling: tad dhi tapas tad dhi tapaḥ.
The thought is profound: learning is not one obligation among others but the form in which all of them live: truth is preserved in transmission, austerity is performed over text and pupil, the fire of knowledge needs the same tending as the fire of the altar. A tradition is alive as long as everyone in the chain both learns and teaches; whoever drops either extinguishes the fire on his own link.