उपनिषद् · Chāndogya 1,2.3
॥
देवनागरी
अथ ह वाचम् उद्गीथम् उपासाम् चक्रिरे ताम् ह असुराः पाप्मना विविधुः तस्मात् तया उभयम् वदति सत्यम् च अनृतम् च पाप्मना हि एषा विद्धा
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
atha ha vācam udgītham upāsām cakrire tām ha asurāḥ pāpmanā vividhuḥ tasmāt tayā ubhayam vadati satyam ca anṛtam ca pāpmanā hi eṣā viddhā
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
अथathathereupon; then
हhaindeed; surely
वाचम्vācamspeech; the word
उद्गीथम्udgīthamthe udgītha; the exalted chant
उपासाम्upāsāmveneration; the contemplation
चक्रिरेcakrirethey made; they became
ताम्tāmit; that
हhaindeed; surely
असुराःasurāḥthe asuras; the adversaries of the gods
पाप्मनाpāpmanāby sin; by defilement
विविधुःvividhuḥthey pierced; they struck
तस्मात्tasmāttherefore; for that reason
तयाtayāby her; by this
उभयम्ubhayamboth; the double
वदतिvadatisays; utters
सत्यम्satyamtruth; reality
चcaand; as well as
अनृतम्anṛtamfalsehood (an-ṛta); crookedness; untruth
चcaand; as well as
पाप्मनाpāpmanāby sin; by defilement
हिhiindeed; truly
एषाeṣāthis; such is
विद्धाviddhāpierced; stricken through
अनुवाद
Then they began to venerate speech as the udgītha — but the asuras pierced it with evil. Hence with it men speak both truth and falsehood: for it has been pierced with evil.
संस्करण
840814269106 · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 10:28:09 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The second position is vāc, speech — and the same arrow: tasmāt tayobhayaṁ vadati satyaṁ cānṛtaṁ ca — "hence with it one speaks both truth and falsehood". The capacity to lie is no property of the tongue by design but a battle-wound: speech was made for truth (it is the "ṛc", the sacred verse, of verse 5!), but once pierced it became double-edged.
The Upaniṣad's diagnosis frees us from two false conclusions: speech is not holy of itself (naïve verbalism) nor contemptible (ascetic muteness) — it is wounded, and one deals with it as with a wounded soldier: neither relying on it blindly nor abandoning it. So with every organ: our nature is neither evil nor pure — it is concussed in an ancient war, and the road leads to that one thing in us which the arrow did not reach.