Upaniṣads · Chāndogya 1,11.4
॥
Devanāgarī
अथ ह एनम् प्रस्तोता उपससाद प्रस्तोतर् या देवता प्रस्तावम् अन्वायत्ता ताम् चेद् अविद्वान् प्रस्तोष्यसि मूर्धा ते विपतिष्यति इति मा भगवान् अवोचत् कतमा सा देवता इति
Transliteración (IAST)
atha ha enam prastotā upasasāda prastotar yā devatā prastāvam anvāyattā tām ced avidvān prastoṣyasi mūrdhā te vipatiṣyati iti mā bhagavān avocat katamā sā devatā iti
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
एनम्enamit; of this
प्रस्तोताprastotāthe prastotṛ; the priest who begins the chant
उपससादupasasādahe approached [as a pupil] (upa-√sad, perfect); he came in due form; he presented himself
प्रस्तोतर्prastotarO prastotṛ; the priest who begins the chant
याyāyā; the syllable yā
देवताdevatāthe deity; divine power
प्रस्तावम्prastāvamthe prastāva; the opening chant
अन्वायत्ताanvāyattāconnected with; on which it depends
ताम्tāmit; that
चेद्cedif; but if
अविद्वान्avidvānthe ignorant one; the ignorant man
प्रस्तोष्यसिprastoṣyasiyou will begin the chant; you will sing the prastāva
मूर्धाmūrdhāthe head; the summit
तेteto you; for you
विपतिष्यतिvipatiṣyatiit will fall off; it will drop away
इतिitithus; how
माmānot; me
भगवान्bhagavānvenerable one; esteemed one
अवोचत्avocathe said (aorist of √vac); spoke to; he uttered
कतमाkatamāwhich one exactly; which
साsāshe; that one
देवताdevatāthe deity; divine power
इतिitithus; how
Traducción
Then the prastotṛ came up to him: "Your honour said to me, 'Prastotṛ, if you sing the prastāva without knowing the deity that belongs to the prastāva, your head shall fall off.' Which is that deity?"
Versión
e83a63e15957 · publicado 26 jul 2026, 22:31:57 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The prastotṛ is the first to come and learn — and he comes by all the rules: upasasāda — "he came up" (the verb of discipleship: this is how one approaches a teacher!), repeats the challenge word for word and asks: katamā sā devatā — "which is that deity?"
An hour ago he was a king's priest and the newcomer a beggar; now the priest is an enquiring pupil. The change came without compulsion: Uṣasti's challenge did not take the singers' office from them — it disclosed their ignorance to them, and honest ignorance goes and asks of itself. So in a living tradition a defeat in knowledge turns into a gain: those who fell silent in khaṇḍa 10 become pupils in khaṇḍa 11 — and will now receive what they lacked: the names of the deities of their own portions.