DAY 174

I Know the Words, but Not Myself

Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.1.3

기원전 8~4세기

ORIGINAL

so 'haṁ bhagavo mantravid evāsmi nātmavit; śrutaṁ hy eva me tarati śokam ātmavid iti; so 'haṁ bhagavaḥ śocāmi, taṁ mā bhagavāñ chokasya pāraṁ tārayatv iti

📜 THE VERSE

Narada said: I know all the texts, yet I do not know myself. I have heard that one who knows the Self crosses grief — but I still grieve. Master, carry me to the far shore of sorrow.

❓ TODAY'S QUESTION

Do I know so much yet not myself, and so grieve still?

📝Reflection

Narada, master of every learning, confesses before his teacher: 'I know it all, yet not myself. And so I still grieve.' This honest line mirrors us who live in an age of knowledge. We know all the world's affairs with a single search, yet live without knowing our own hearts. However vast the outer knowledge, the inner grief is not crossed. Narada's greatness lies in honestly admitting that gap. 'Knowing much' and 'knowing myself' are different. The moment we admit the difference, a different kind of learning begins.

— ONGO · Curator

🌱Apply It Today

Before you search for information today, first look once at 'what state is my heart in now?'

📖 Source: Chāndogya Upaniṣad 7.1.3. Sanskrit original with public-domain translations consulted; rendered independently by ONGO.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.