एतां विद्यामपान्तरतमाय ददावपान्तरतमो ब्रह्मणे ददौ ब्रह्मा घोराङ्गिरसे ददौ घोराङ्गिरा रैक्वाय ददौ रैक्वो रामाय ददौ रामः सर्वेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो ददावित्येवं निर्वाणानुशासनमिति वेदानुशासनमिति वेदानुशासनम्
etāṃ vidyāmapāntaratamāya dadāvapāntaratamo brahmaṇe dadau brahmā ghorāṅgirase dadau ghorāṅgirā raikvāya dadau raikvo rāmāya dadau rāmaḥ sarvebhyo bhūtebhyo dadāvityevaṃ nirvāṇānuśāsanamiti vedānuśāsanamiti vedānuśāsanam
This knowledge he gave to Apāntaratamas; Apāntaratamas gave it to Brahmā; Brahmā gave it to Ghora Āṅgirasa; Ghora Āṅgirasa gave it to Raikva; Raikva gave it to Rāma; and Rāma gave it to all beings. Such is the teaching of nirvāṇa, such is the teaching of the Veda, such is the teaching of the Veda.
ce1bdc68b095 · publicado 29 jul 2026, 4:12:03 UTC
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After the greatest of its assertions the book does what is always done in the Upaniṣads: it names the chain of transmission.
The knowledge was not derived by reasoning and not received in a flash — it was handed over and passed on. Six are named: Apāntaratamas, Brahmā, Ghora Āṅgirasa, Raikva, Rāma and, at the last, “all beings”.
These names are known. Ghora Āṅgirasa in the Chāndogya is the teacher of Kṛṣṇa himself, the son of Devakī. Raikva is the sage “with the cart” to whom, in the same Chāndogya, the rich king Jānaśruti came with gifts and was sent away until he brought his daughter. Neither is of the kind that sits in assemblies.
And this chain has a descending shape: from him who is before the creator — to the creator, from the creator — to a ṛṣi, from ṛṣi to ṛṣi, and from the last — “to all beings”.
The last link is the most unexpected. Usually the lists of transmission end with a name: so-and-so gave to so-and-so. Here the chain breaks off downward and outward: sarvebhyo bhūtebhyo dadau — “he gave it to all beings”.
Thereby it is said that the secret has ceased to be a secret. The knowledge that went from one to one was in the end given to all; and that is why we read it.
Note, however, that the last khaṇḍa of the book will set a limit on this: not to give it to the unquieted and the non-pupil. There is no contradiction. Given to all — but not taken by everyone.