Section 6.7
Original Sanskrit
6.7.1 षोडशकलः सोम्य पुरुषः पञ्चदशाहानि माशीः काममपः पिबापोमयः प्राणो नपिबतो विच्छेत्स्यत इति ॥ १ ॥
6.7.2 स ह पञ्चदशाहानि नशाथ हैनमुपससाद किं ब्रवीमि भो इत्यृचः सोम्य यजूँषि सामानीति स होवाच न वै मा प्रतिभान्ति भो इति ॥ २ ॥
6.7.3 तँ होवाच यथा सोम्य महतोऽभ्याहितस्यैकोऽङ्गारः खद्योतमात्रः परिशिष्टः स्यात्तेन ततोऽपि न बहु दहेदेवँसोम्य ते षोडशानां कलानामेका कलातिशिष्टा स्यात्तयैतर्हि वेदान्नानुभवस्यशानाथ मे विज्ञास्यसीति ॥ ३ ॥
6.7.4 स हशाथ हैनमुपससाद तँ ह यत्किञ्च पप्रच्छ सर्वँह प्रतिपेदे ॥ ४ ॥
6.7.5 तँ होवाच यथा सोम्य महतोऽभ्याहितस्यैकमङ्गारं खद्योतमात्रं परिशिष्टं तं तृणैरुपसमाधाय प्राज्वलयेत्तेन ततोऽपि बहु दहेत् ॥ ५ ॥
6.7.6 एवँ सोम्य ते षोडशानां कलानामेका कलातिशिष्टाभूत्सान्नेनोपसमाहिता प्राज्वालीतयैतर्हि वेदाननुभवस्यन्नमयँहि सोम्य मन आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति तद्धास्य विजज्ञाविति विजज्ञाविति ॥ ६ ॥
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the Sanskrit, independently of the Plain English edition. All eight books and the closing invocation are retained.
6.7.1 "A person, my dear, has sixteen parts. Eat nothing for fifteen days, but drink as much water as you wish. Since the life-breath is made of water, it will not be cut off while you drink."
6.7.2 For fifteen days he did not eat. Then he approached his father and said, "Sir, what shall I recite?" "The Rig verses, my dear, the Yajus formulas, the Saman chants." He replied, "Sir, they do not come to me."
6.7.3 His father said, "My dear, suppose that from a great blazing fire a single ember remained, no larger than a firefly. It could not burn much beyond itself. Just so, my dear, only one of your sixteen parts remains. With that you cannot now recall the Vedas. Eat, and then you will understand me."
6.7.4 He ate. Then he approached his father, and whatever his father asked, he answered it all.
6.7.5 His father said, "My dear, suppose that from a great blazing fire a single ember remained, no larger than a firefly. If one fed it with grass and made it blaze, it could burn much beyond itself.
6.7.6 "Just so, my dear, only one of your sixteen parts remained. Fed with food, it blazed up, and with it you now recall the Vedas. For mind, my dear, is made of food; the life-breath is made of water; speech is made of heat." Then he understood him—he understood him.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the Sanskrit, not from the Musean edition. All eight books and the closing invocation are retained.
6.7.1 "My dear, a person has sixteen parts. Do not eat for fifteen days. Drink as much water as you want. The life-breath is made of water, so it will not be cut off as long as you drink."
6.7.2 He did not eat for fifteen days. Then he went to his father. "Sir, what should I recite?" "Rig verses, my dear, Yajus formulas, and Saman chants." He said, "Sir, they do not come to mind."
6.7.3 His father told him, "My dear, suppose that only one coal, the size of a firefly, remained from a large, well-fed fire. It could not burn much more than that. In the same way, my dear, only one of your sixteen parts may be left. With it, you cannot now recall the Vedas. Eat. Then you will understand what I mean."
6.7.4 He ate. Then he went to his father. Whatever his father asked him, he answered it all.
6.7.5 His father told him, "My dear, suppose that only one coal, the size of a firefly, remained from a large, well-fed fire. If someone added grass to it and made it blaze, it could burn much more than that.
6.7.6 "In the same way, my dear, only one of your sixteen parts was left. Fed with food, it blazed up. With it, you can now recall the Vedas. For the mind, my dear, is made of food. The life-breath is made of water. Speech is made of heat." He understood this from his father. He understood it.
About this section
Section 6.7 is part of Chandogya Upanishad by Unknown. This page sets the Sanskrit original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 104 of 154 in the work, which is kept in the Hindu tradition.
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