अथातः सायमन्नं प्रातर्दनमान्तरमग्निहोत्रमिति चाचक्षते यावद्वै पुरुषो भाषते न तावत्प्राणितुं शक्नोति प्राणं तदा वाचि जुहोति । यावद्वै पुरुषः प्राणिति न तावद्भाषितुं शक्नोति वाचं तदा प्राणे जुहोति । एतेऽनन्तेऽमृताहुतिर्जाग्रच्च स्वपंश्च सन्ततमव्यवच्छिन्नं जुहोत्यथ या अन्या आहुतयोऽन्तवत्यस्ताः कर्ममय्यो हि भवन्त्येतद्ध वै पूर्वे विद्वांसोऽग्निहोत्रं न जुहवांचक्रुः
athātaḥ sāyamannaṃ prātardanamāntaramagnihotramiti cācakṣate yāvadvai puruṣo bhāṣate na tāvatprāṇituṃ śaknoti prāṇaṃ tadā vāci juhoti | yāvadvai puruṣaḥ prāṇiti na tāvadbhāṣituṃ śaknoti vācaṃ tadā prāṇe juhoti | ete'nante'mṛtāhutirjāgracca svapaṃśca santatamavyavacchinnaṃ juhotyatha yā anyā āhutayo'ntavatyastāḥ karmamayyo hi bhavantyetaddha vai pūrve vidvāṃso'gnihotraṃ na juhavāṃcakruḥ
Now — the evening and morning meal, which they call the inner agnihotra. As long as a man speaks, he cannot breathe: then he offers breath in speech. As long as a man breathes, he cannot speak: then he offers speech in breath. These are the two endless, immortal oblations: waking and sleeping, he offers them continuously, without a break. But the other oblations have an end, for they consist of action. Knowing this, the ancient knowers did not offer the agnihotra.
29b6131ef637 · प्रकाशित 29 जुल॰ 2026, 3:43:45 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
One of the strongest passages of the book — and one of the boldest in all śruti.
The agnihotra is the daily libation into the fire at the morning and evening twilights, the householder's duty, the foundation of the whole ritual order. And now the Upaniṣad says: the real agnihotra is performed not on the altar but in you, and performed continuously.
The argument is drawn from a plain observation anyone can verify: while you speak, you do not breathe; while you breathe, you do not speak. Speech and breath replace each other, and each replacement is an oblation: breath is given up to speech, speech given up to breath. The sacrifice is performed by the very make of life.
Hence two definitions. These oblations are called ananta, “endless”, and amṛta, “immortal” — because they cease neither in sleep nor in waking. The ordinary sacrifices are called antavatī, “having an end”, and the reason is given: karmamayyaḥ, “they consist of action”. Everything done ends with the deed; its fruit is exhaustible. The whole Vedānta knows this thought: heavens won by rite wear out.
And the conclusion is stated with no softening: “knowing this, the ancient knowers did not offer the agnihotra”. Not “offered it with understanding” — did not offer it at all.
Here it is easy to fall into two extremes. The first is to read this as the abolition of the rite for everyone; but the whole second adhyāya is full of rites, and the Upaniṣad teaches them. The second is to reduce the words to allegory; but they are too direct.
The exact sense seems to be this: the rite is needed while it gives what is not yet in the man; but to him who has seen the sacrifice in his own breathing, the outer libation has nothing left to add. It is not the rite that is annulled, but its necessity — for the one who has seen.