उपनिषद् · Chāndogya 4,14.3
॥
देवनागरी
इदम् इति ह प्रतिजज्ञे लोकान् वाव किल सोम्य ते अवोचन् अहम् तु ते तत् वक्ष्यामि यथा पुष्करपलाशे आपः न श्लिष्यन्ते एवम् एवम्विदि पापम् कर्म न श्लिष्यते इति ब्रवीतु मे भगवान् इति तस्मै ह उवाच
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
idam iti ha pratijajñe lokān vāva kila somya te avocan aham tu te tat vakṣyāmi yathā puṣkarapalāśe āpaḥ na śliṣyante evam evamvidi pāpam karma na śliṣyate iti bravītu me bhagavān iti tasmai ha uvāca
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
इदम्idamthis; thus
इतिitithus; how
हhaindeed; surely
प्रतिजज्ञेpratijajñehe acknowledged; he confirmed
लोकान्lokānworlds; realms
वावvāvatruly; indeed
किलkilaindeed; as they say
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
तेteto you; for you
अवोचन्avocansaid; they declared
अहम्ahamI; I myself
तुtubut; surely
तेteto you; for you
तत्tatthat; this
वक्ष्यामिvakṣyāmiI shall tell you (future of √vac); I shall declare; I shall declare
यथाyathāhow; like
पुष्करपलाशेpuṣkarapalāśeto a lotus-leaf (puṣkara-palāśa — 'the leaf-petal of a lotus'); on a lotus leaf; to the leaf of a lotus
आपःāpaḥthe waters; drops of water
नnanot; no
श्लिष्यन्तेśliṣyantethey cling (from √śliṣ — 'to stick'); they adhere; they catch hold
एवम्evamthus; in this way
एवम्विदिevamvidito one who knows thus (evam-vid); to him who so knows; to him who has grasped this
पापम्pāpamthe evil (pāpa); the sinful; the wicked
कर्मkarmathe deed (karman — from √kṛ — 'to do'); the act; the action
नnanot; no
श्लिष्यतेśliṣyateclings; it clings
इतिitithus; how
ब्रवीतुbravītulet him tell; let him instruct
मेmemyself; for me
भगवान्bhagavānvenerable one; esteemed one
इतिitithus; how
तस्मैtasmaito Him; to him
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
अनुवाद
"This," he acknowledged. The teacher said: "My dear, they told you only about the worlds. But I shall tell you that, knowing which, an evil deed does not cling to the knower, as water does not cling to a lotus leaf." — "Let your reverence tell me." And he told him.
संस्करण
96bfda9cac7d · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 11:22:39 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The teacher's verdict is exact and gives no offence: "they told you about the worlds" (lokān vāva) — the fires disclosed to the pupil the universe, the lights and the promises of the worlds, but all this is still geography, however sacred. The ācārya adds what the gods did not give — the knowledge that changes the knower himself: "an evil deed does not cling to him, as water does not cling to a lotus leaf".
The image of the lotus leaf is one of the summits of Vedic speech: the leaf lives in water, is nourished by water — and stays dry; a drop rolls off without wetting it. So a knower lives in the world, acts in the world — and is unstained by the world. The Gītā turned this verse into a rule of action: brahmaṇy ādhāya karmāṇi… lipyate na sa pāpena padma-patram ivāmbhasā — "he who lays his deeds upon the Supreme is not stained by sin, as a lotus leaf is not stained by water" (BG 5.10). Not a flight from the world but the waterproofness of a heart turned to the Lord — that is the gift only a living teacher transmits.
The closing formula — "Let your reverence tell me. And he told him" — repeats verbatim the scene of Satyakāma and Gautama (4.9.3): the chain is working, the lesson decanted without loss.