The Chandogya Upanishad

Translated by Swami Swahananda 

And all the senses grow in strength.

All existence is the Brahman of the Upanishads.

May I never deny Brahman, nor Brahman deny me.

Let there be no denial at all:

Let there be no denial at least from me.

May the virtues that are proclaimed in the Upanishads be in me,

Who am devoted to the Atman; may they reside in me.

Om ! Peace ! Peace ! Peace !

I-i-1: One should meditate on the syllable Om; the Udgitha, for one sings the Udgitha, beginning with Om. Of this, the explanation follows.

I-i-2: The essence of all these beings is the earth. The essence of the earth is water. The essence of water is vegetation. The essence of vegetation is man. The essence of man is speech. The essence of speech is Rik. The essence of Rik is Saman. The essence of Saman is Udgitha.

I-i-3: The syllable Om which is called Udgitha, is the quintessence of the essences, the supreme, deserving of the highest place and the eighth.

I-i-4: Which one is Rik ? Which one is Saman ? Which one is Udgitha ? This is being considered now.

I-i-5: Speech alone is Rik. Prana is Saman. The syllable Om is Udgitha. Speech and Prana, (the sources of) Rik and Saman, taken together form a couple.

I-i-6: This couple is joined together in the syllable Om. Whenever a couple come together, they, indeed, fulfil each other’s desire.

I-i-7: He who meditates upon this syllable as Udgitha knowing it thus (as the fulfiller), verily becomes a fulfiller of all the desirable ends.

I-i-8: That verily is the syllable of assent, for whenever one assents to a thing, one says only ‘Om’. Assent alone is prosperity. He who meditates upon this syllable as Udgitha, knowing it thus (as endowed with the quality of prosperity), verily becomes one who increases all the desirable ends.

I-i-9: With this does the threefold knowledge proceed; (because) with Om does one cause to listen; with Om does one recite; with Om does one sing aloud. For the worship of this syllable, with its own greatness and essence (the Vedic rites are performed). 

I-i-10: He who knows it thus and he who does not know – both perform actions with it. For knowledge and ignorance are different (in their results). Whatever is performed with knowledge, faith and meditation becomes more effective. Up to this truly is the explanation of (the greatness of) this syllable Om.

I-ii-1: Once upon a time the gods and the demons, both descendants of Prajapati, were engaged in a fight. In that fight, the gods performed the rites of the Udgatir priests resolving, ‘With this we shall defeat them’.

I-ii-2: Then they meditated on (the deity of) Prana connected with the nose, as Udgitha; the demons pierced it with evil. Therefore with it, the nose, one smells both the fragrant and the foul, for it has been pierced with evil.

I-ii-3: Then they meditated on (the deity of) speech as Udgitha; the demons pierced it with evil. Therefore with it one speaks both truth and untruth, for it has been pierced with evil.

I-ii-4: Then they meditated on (the deity of) eye as Udgitha; the demons pierced it with evil. Therefore with the eye one sees both the sightly and the unsightly, for it has been pierced with evil.

I-ii-5: Then they meditated on (the deity of) ear as Udgitha; the demons pierced it with evil. Therefore with the ear one hears both the pleasant and the unpleasant, for it has been pierced with evil.

I-ii-6: Then they meditated on (the deity of) mind as Udgitha; the demons pierced it with evil. Therefore with the mind one thinks both good and evil thoughts, for it has been pierced with evil.

I-ii-7: Then they meditated on the Prana in the mouth as Udgitha. The demons came in clash with it and were destroyed, just as a lump of clay is destroyed, striking against a hard rock.

I-ii-8: Thus it is that the Prana in the mouth has not been destroyed and is pure. Even as a lump of clay striking against a hard rock is destroyed, so will he be destroyed who wishes to do evil to one who knows this (the purity of Prana) or who (actually) injures that knower, for he is like a hard rock.

I-ii-9: With this Prana in the mouth one discerns neither sweet smell nor foul, for it is free from sin. What one eats or drinks through this, even with that he maintains the other Pranas. And not finding this at the time of death, the Prana in the mouth and its dependants depart; and thus indeed one opens the mouth at the time of death.

I-ii-10: Angiras meditated on that Prana as Udgitha. The sages consider this alone as Angirasa which is the essence of the limbs.

I-ii-11: So Brihaspati meditated on Prana as Udgitha. The sages consider this alone as Brihaspati, for speech is great and this Prana is its lord.

I-ii-12: So Ayasya meditated on Prana as Udgitha (identifying it with himself). The sages consider this alone as Ayasya for it goes out of the mouth.

I-ii-13: Baka, the son of Dalbha, knew it thus. So he became the Udgatir-singer of the sacrificers dwelling in Naimisa. For their sake he sang to fulfil their desires.

I-ii-14: He who knows it thus and meditates on the Udgitha as the syllable Om, looking upon it as Prana, certainly becomes the singer (and procurer) of the desired objects. This is the meditation with reference to the body.

I-iii-1: Now the meditation (on the Udgitha) with reference to the gods is described. One should meditate on him who gives heat (i.e. the sun) as Udgitha. Verily, when he rises, he sings aloud for the sake of all creatures. When he rises, he dispels darkness and fear. Verily, he who knows the sun as being endowed with these qualities, becomes the dispeller of darkness and (the consequent) fear.

I-iii-2: This Prana in the mouth and that sun are the same. This is warm and that is warm. People call this as Svara (that is going) and that as Svara and Pratyasvara (that is going and coming). Therefore one should meditate on this Prana and that sun as Udgitha.

I-iii-3: Now, verily one should meditate on Vyana as Udgitha. That which one breathes out is Prana and that which one breathes in is Apana. The junction of Prana and Apana is Vyana. That which is Vyana, even that is speech. Therefore, one utters speech while one neither breathes out nor breathes in.

I-iii-4: That which is speech, even that is Rik. Therefore while one neither breathes out nor breathes in, one pronounces the Rik. That which is Rik, even that is Saman. Therefore, while one neither breathes out nor breathes in, one sings the Saman. That which is Saman, even that is Udgitha. Therefore, while one neither breathes out nor breathes in, one sings the Udgitha.

I-iii-5: Therefore whatever other actions require strength, such as the kindling of fire by friction, running a race towards a goal, the bending of a strong bow, are all performed, while one neither breathes out nor breathes in. For this reason one should meditate on Vyana as Udgitha.

I-iii-6: Now, one should meditate on the syllables of ‘Udgitha’ – namely, the syllables ‘ut’, ‘gi’ and ‘tha’. Prana is ‘ut’, because through Prana one arises (ut-tisthati). Speech is ‘gi’, because speech is called word (girah). Food is ‘tha’, because upon food all this is established (sthitam).

I-iii-7: Heaven is ut, the sky is gi, the earth is tha. The sun is ut, the air gi, the fire, tha. The Sama-Veda is ut, the Yajur-Veda gi, the Rig-Veda tha. For him, speech yields the milk which is the benefit of speech. And he becomes rich in food; and an eater of food, who knows thus and meditates on the syllables of ‘Udgitha’, namely, ut, gi and tha.

I-iii-8: Now follows the fulfilment of wishes: One should meditate on the objects contemplated. One should reflect upon Saman by means of which one proceeds to sing the Stotra.

I-iii-9: One should reflect upon the Rik in which that Saman occurs, upon the sage by whom it is intuited and upon the deity to whom he proceeds to pray.

I-iii-10: One should reflect upon the metre in which he proceeds to sing a Stotra; and he should reflect upon the hymn with which he proceeds to sing it.

I-iii-11: He should reflect upon the quarter (of heaven) towards which he proceeds to sing a Stotra.

I-iii-12: Lastly, having thought about himself, he should sing a Stotra reflecting upon his desired object avoiding all faults. Very quickly will be fulfilled for him the desire, desiring which he may sing the Stotra yea, desiring which he may sing the Stotra.