Upaniṣads · Chāndogya 8,8.2
॥
Devanāgarī
तौ ह प्रजापतिः उवाच साध्वलंकृतौ सुवसनौ परिष्कृतौ भूत्वा उदशरावे अवेक्षेथाम् इति तौ ह साध्वलंकृतौ सुवसनौ परिष्कृतौ भूत्वा उदशरावे अवेक्षाम् चक्राते तौ ह प्रजापतिः उवाच किम् पश्यथ इति
Transliteración (IAST)
tau ha prajāpatiḥ uvāca sādhvalaṃkṛtau suvasanau pariṣkṛtau bhūtvā udaśarāve avekṣethām iti tau ha sādhvalaṃkṛtau suvasanau pariṣkṛtau bhūtvā udaśarāve avekṣām cakrāte tau ha prajāpatiḥ uvāca kim paśyatha iti
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
तौtauthese two; both
हhaindeed; surely
प्रजापतिःprajāpatiḥPrajāpati; the lord of creatures
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
साध्वलंकृतौsādhvalaṃkṛtauwell adorned (sādhu-alaṁkṛta, dual); handsomely adorned; well attired
सुवसनौsuvasanauin fine garments (su-vasana, dual); well dressed; in good clothing
परिष्कृतौpariṣkṛtautrimmed (pariṣkṛta, dual); well groomed; set in order
भूत्वाbhūtvāhaving become; having turned into
उदशरावेudaśarāvein a bowl of water; in a vessel of water
अवेक्षेथाम्avekṣethāmlook (ava + √īkṣ, imperative dual); take a look; look at yourselves
इतिitithus; how
तौtauthese two; both
हhaindeed; surely
साध्वलंकृतौsādhvalaṃkṛtauwell adorned (sādhu-alaṁkṛta, dual); handsomely adorned; well attired
सुवसनौsuvasanauin fine garments (su-vasana, dual); well dressed; in good clothing
परिष्कृतौpariṣkṛtautrimmed (pariṣkṛta, dual); well groomed; set in order
भूत्वाbhūtvāhaving become; having turned into
उदशरावेudaśarāvein a bowl of water; in a vessel of water
अवेक्षाम्avekṣāmthe looking; the inspection
चक्रातेcakrātethe two did; they performed
तौtauthese two; both
हhaindeed; surely
प्रजापतिःprajāpatiḥPrajāpati; the lord of creatures
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
किम्kimwhat; why
पश्यथpaśyathayou see; you look
इतिitithus; how
Traducción
Prajāpati said to them: "Adorn yourselves well, put on your best clothes, make yourselves neat — and look into the bowl of water." They adorned themselves, dressed and made themselves neat, and looked into the bowl of water. Prajāpati asked: "What do you see?"
Versión
cfc08c008232 · publicado 26 jul 2026, 23:52:58 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
The teacher does not argue — he brings the error out into plain view: "adorn yourselves and look again". If the "I" is a reflection, let the pupils see that their "I" changes with a comb and a garment: a truth that depends on a wardrobe will betray itself.
This is the high art of the instructor: not to refute an error but to let it ripen into evident absurdity. Prajāpati plays a losing game with his royal pupils, knowing that a lesson a man has taken off his own eyes weighs more than a hundred corrections. Alas, the error will ripen in only one of the two — and that not at once.