उपनिषद् · Chāndogya 1,4.2
॥
देवनागरी
देवाः वै मृत्योः बिभ्यतः त्रयीम् विद्याम् प्राविशन् ते छन्दोभिः अच्छादयन् यत् एभिः अच्छादयन् तत् छन्दसाम् छन्दस्त्वम्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
devāḥ vai mṛtyoḥ bibhyataḥ trayīm vidyām prāviśan te chandobhiḥ acchādayan yat ebhiḥ acchādayan tat chandasām chandastvam
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
देवाःdevāḥthe gods; divine powers
वैvaiverily; indeed
मृत्योःmṛtyoḥof death; Mṛtyu
बिभ्यतःbibhyataḥfearing (from √bhī); in fear; afraid
त्रयीम्trayīmthe threefold; consisting of three
विद्याम्vidyāmvidyā; knowledge
प्राविशन्prāviśanentered; stepped in
तेteto you; for you
छन्दोभिःchandobhiḥby the metres; by the Vedic measures
अच्छादयन्acchādayanthey covered themselves (ā-√chad — 'to cover'); they wrapped themselves; they shut themselves in
यत्yatwhich; that which
एभिःebhiḥby them; with them
अच्छादयन्acchādayanthey covered themselves (ā-√chad — 'to cover'); they wrapped themselves; they shut themselves in
तत्tatthat; this
छन्दसाम्chandasāmof the metres; of the Vedic measures
छन्दस्त्वम्chandastvamthe nature of chandas (chandas-tva — the 'covering' quality of metres); the essence of the metres; the name 'chandas'
अनुवाद
The gods, fearing death, entered into the threefold knowledge. They covered themselves with the metres: because they covered themselves [acchādayan] with these, the metres are called chandas.
संस्करण
936804ca8a54 · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 10:28:09 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The parable of the covering: devā vai mṛtyor bibhyataḥ — "the gods, fearing death" (even the gods fear death: their immortality is relative, as the Kaṭha knew) — trayīṁ vidyāṁ prāviśan — "entered the threefold knowledge": they hid themselves in the rites of the three Vedas; te chandobhir acchādayan — "they covered themselves with the metres": and an etymology flashes out: yad ebhir acchādayan tac chandasāṁ chandastvam — "because they covered themselves (acchādayan) with these, the metres are chandas": chandas from √chad — "to cover": the sacred measures are the coverings, the garments of the gods!
The image is deep: ritual religion is a shelter: hymns and rites are thick curtains behind which beings hide from death. But the next verse will show that death sees through those coverings as through water — a ritual hiding-place is temporary (the same "unsafe rafts" of the Muṇḍaka). What saves is not a covering: what will save is a sound one can enter — the svara, Oṁ.