Library·Chāndogya Upaniṣad·6·6.7
षोडशकलः सोम्य पुरुषः । पञ्चदशाहानि माशीः । कामम् अपः पिब । आपोमयः प्राणो न पिबतो विच्छेत्स्यत इति
ṣoḍaśakalaḥ somya puruṣaḥ | pañcadaśāhāni māśīḥ | kāmam apaḥ piba | āpomayaḥ prāṇo na pibato vicchetsyata iti
'Man (purusha), my son, consists of sixteen parts. Abstain from food for fifteen days, but drink as much water as you like, for breath comes from water, and will not be cut off, if you drink water.'
Translated by F. Max Müller
स ह पञ्चदशाहानि नाश । अथ हैनम् उपससाद किं ब्रवीमि भो इति । ऋचः सोम्य यजूंषि सामानीति । स होवाच न वै मा प्रतिभान्ति भो इति
sa ha pañcadaśāhāni nāśa | atha hainam upasasāda kiṃ bravīmi bho iti | ṛcaḥ somya yajūṃṣi sāmānīti | sa hovāca na vai mā pratibhānti bho iti
Svetaketu abstained from food for fifteen days. Then he came to his father and said: 'What shall I say?' The father said: 'Repeat the Rik, Yagus, and Sâman verses.' He replied: 'They do not occur to me, Sir.'
Translated by F. Max Müller
तं होवाच यथा सोम्य महतो ऽभ्याहितस्यैको ऽङ्गारः खद्योतमात्रः परिशिष्टः स्यात् । तेन ततो ऽपि न बहु दहेत् । एवं सोम्य ते षोडशानां कलानाम् एका कला अतिशिष्टा स्यात् । तयैतर्हि वेदान् नानुभवसि । अशान । अथ मे विज्ञास्यसीति
taṃ hovāca yathā somya mahato 'bhyāhitasyaiko 'ṅgāraḥ khadyotamātraḥ pariśiṣṭaḥ syāt | tena tato 'pi na bahu dahet | evaṃ somya te ṣoḍaśānāṃ kalānām ekā kalā atiśiṣṭā syāt | tayaitarhi vedān nānubhavasi | aśāna | atha me vijñāsyasīti
The father said to him: 'As of a great lighted fire one coal only of the size of a firefly may be left, which would not burn much more than this (i.e. very little), thus, my dear son, one part only of the sixteen parts (of you) is left, and therefore with that one part you do not remember the Vedas. Go and eat!
Translated by F. Max Müller
स हाश । अथ हैनम् उपससाद । तं ह यत् किं च पप्रच्छ सर्वं ह प्रतिपेदे
sa hāśa | atha hainam upasasāda | taṃ ha yat kiṃ ca papraccha sarvaṃ ha pratipede
'Then wilt thou understand me.' Then Svetaketu ate, and afterwards approached his father. And whatever his father asked him, he knew it all by heart. Then his father said to him:
Translated by F. Max Müller
तं होवाच । यथा सोम्य महतो ऽभ्याहितस्यैकम् अङ्गारं खद्योतमात्रं परिशिष्टं तं तृनैर् उपसमाधाय प्राज्वलयेत् तेन ततो ऽपि बहु दहेत्
taṃ hovāca | yathā somya mahato 'bhyāhitasyaikam aṅgāraṃ khadyotamātraṃ pariśiṣṭaṃ taṃ tṛnair upasamādhāya prājvalayet tena tato 'pi bahu dahet
'As of a great lighted fire one coal of the size of a firefly, if left, may be made to blaze up again by putting grass upon it, and will thus burn more than this,
Translated by F. Max Müller
एवं सोम्य ते षोडशानां कलानाम् एका कलातिशिष्टाभूत् । सान्नेनोपसमाहिता प्राज्वाली । तयैतर्हि वेदान् अनुभवसि । अन्नमयं हि सोम्य मनः । आपोमयः प्राणः । तेजोमयी वाग् इति । तद् धास्य विजज्ञाव् इति विजज्ञाव् इति
evaṃ somya te ṣoḍaśānāṃ kalānām ekā kalātiśiṣṭābhūt | sānnenopasamāhitā prājvālī | tayaitarhi vedān anubhavasi | annamayaṃ hi somya manaḥ | āpomayaḥ prāṇaḥ | tejomayī vāg iti | tad dhāsya vijajñāv iti vijajñāv iti
'Thus, my dear son, there was one part of the sixteen parts left to you, and that, lighted up with food, burnt up, and by it you remember now the Vedas.' After that, he understood what his father meant when he said: 'Mind, my son, comes from food, breath from water, speech from fire.' He understood what he said, yea, he understood it.
Translated by F. Max Müller