Upaniṣads · Chāndogya 6,1.3
॥
Devanāgarī
श्वेतकेतो यत् नु सोम्य इदम् महामनाः अनूचानमानी स्तब्धः असि उत तम् आदेशम् अप्राक्ष्यः येन अश्रुतम् श्रुतम् भवति अमतम् मतम् अविज्ञातम् विज्ञातम् इति कथम् नु भगवः सः आदेशः भवति इति
Transliteración (IAST)
śvetaketo yat nu somya idam mahāmanāḥ anūcānamānī stabdhaḥ asi uta tam ādeśam aprākṣyaḥ yena aśrutam śrutam bhavati amatam matam avijñātam vijñātam iti katham nu bhagavaḥ saḥ ādeśaḥ bhavati iti
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
श्वेतकेतोśvetaketoO Śvetaketu; Śvetaketu
यत्yatwhich; that which
नुnusurely; is it that
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
इदम्idamthis; thus
महामनाःmahāmanāḥswollen in mind; arrogant
अनूचानमानीanūcānamānīholding himself learned; proud of his study
स्तब्धःstabdhaḥstiff-necked; stubbornly proud
असिasiare you; you
उतutaand now; is it that
तम्tamit; that one
आदेशम्ādeśamthe instruction (ādeśa — 'the fundamental direction'); the mandated teaching; the charge
अप्राक्ष्यःaprākṣyaḥdid you ask (aorist of √prach); did you enquire; did you make enquiry
येनyenaby which; by means of which
अश्रुतम्aśrutamthe unheard (a-śruta); what has not been heard; not taken in by the ear
श्रुतम्śrutamas heard (śruta); it is heard; as taken in
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
अमतम्amatamthe unthought (a-mata); the ill-considered; not compassed by thought
मतम्matamas thought (mata); as considered; as conceived
अविज्ञातम्avijñātamthe unknown (a-vijñāta); the undiscerned; the ununderstood
विज्ञातम्vijñātamas known (vijñāta); as discerned; as understood
इतिitithus; how
कथम्kathamhow; in what manner
नुnusurely; is it that
भगवःbhagavaḥvenerable one; sir
सःsaḥhe; that one
आदेशःādeśaḥinstruction; the indication
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
इतिitithus; how
Traducción
"Śvetaketu, my dear, since you are so proud, think yourself learned and are stiff-necked — did you ask for that instruction by which the unheard becomes heard, the unthought thought, the unknown known?" — "What, sir, is that instruction?"
Versión
3bca0fa2dcc5 · publicado 26 jul 2026, 23:34:59 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
One question — and twelve years of learning hang in the air: have you the knowledge "by which the unheard becomes heard"? What is meant is the ādeśa, the root instruction, the knowledge of the One by which everything is known: know the root and every leaf is known beforehand. Śvetaketu has learned all the Vedas severally; his father asks about what makes them one.
The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad puts the same question in the same words: "What is that, by knowing which all this is known?" (Muṇḍaka 1.1.3) — and divides knowledge into the lower (all the sciences, and the Vedas themselves as texts) and the higher, "by which the Imperishable is grasped". The Gītā promises the same: "Knowing this, nothing further will remain here for you to know" (cf. BG 7.2). And mark the change in the youth: "what, sir, is that instruction?" — the arrogance has fallen away at the first honest question, and the bhagavaḥ on his lips is already a pupil's voice. A well-put question humbles faster than a reproach.