उपनिषद् · Chāndogya 6,6.1
॥
देवनागरी
दध्नः सोम्य मथ्यमानस्य यः अणिमा सः ऊर्ध्वः समुदीषति तत् सर्पिः भवति
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
dadhnaḥ somya mathyamānasya yaḥ aṇimā saḥ ūrdhvaḥ samudīṣati tat sarpiḥ bhavati
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
दध्नःdadhnaḥof curds (dadhi, genitive); in the curds; of the curdled milk
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
मथ्यमानस्यmathyamānasyabeing churned (passive participle of √math); in the churning; while it is being stirred
यःyaḥwho; the one who
अणिमाaṇimāthe finest part (aṇiman — 'subtlety'); the subtle portion; the subtle essence
सःsaḥhe; that one
ऊर्ध्वःūrdhvaḥupward (ūrdhva); upward; to the top
समुदीषतिsamudīṣatiit rises (sam-ud + √īṣ — 'to float up'); it comes to the surface; rises
तत्tatthat; this
सर्पिःsarpiḥas butter (sarpis — clarified butter); ghee; as ghee
भवतिbhavatirevered lady; madam
अनुवाद
"When curds are churned, my dear, the subtlest part of them rises upward and becomes butter.
संस्करण
ff70a86d4af6 · प्रकाशित 26 जुल॰ 2026, 11:37:31 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
So that the table shall not remain a bare assertion, the father takes an example from the household kitchen: the churning of curds. The subtlest part (aṇiman) neither sinks nor scatters in the churning — it gathers upward and becomes butter. So, before the eyes of every Indian child, this khaṇḍa's chief law is repeated every morning: everything has a subtle essence, and it rises.
The image is chosen with intent: √math, "to churn", is the same root as in the mantha (5.2.4) and in the churning of the ocean. The world is known by churning: life churns substance and the subtle comes to the top. The same will be done to the pupil by the fast of the next khaṇḍa: fifteen days will "churn" his composition so that he may see for himself what in him is butter and what is whey.