LinuxTurn pages
Upanishads · Saubhāgyalakṣmī 1.3
॥
Devanāgarī
हिरण्यवर्णामिति बीजम् । कांसोऽस्मीति शक्तिः । हिरण्मया चन्द्रा रजतस्रजा हिरण्या हिरण्यवर्णेति प्रणवादिनमोन्तैश्चतुर्थ्यन्तैरङ्गन्यासः
Transliteration (IAST)
hiraṇyavarṇāmiti bījam | kāṃso'smīti śaktiḥ | hiraṇmayā candrā rajatasrajā hiraṇyā hiraṇyavarṇeti praṇavādinamontaiścaturthyantairaṅganyāsaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
हिरण्य-वर्णाम् इति बीजम्hiraṇya-varṇām iti bījam"golden-hued" — the seed
कांसः अस्मि इति शक्तिःkāṃsaḥ asmi iti śaktiḥ"kāṃso'smi" — the power
हिरण्मया चन्द्रा रजत-स्रजाhiraṇmayā candrā rajata-srajā"golden," "lunar," "in a silver wreath"
हिरण्या हिरण्य-वर्णा इतिhiraṇyā hiraṇya-varṇā iti"golden," "golden-hued" —
प्रणव-आदि-नमः-अन्तैःpraṇava-ādi-namaḥ-antaiḥbeginning with the praṇava, ending with "homage"
चतुर्थी-अन्तैः अङ्ग-न्यासःcaturthī-antaiḥ aṅga-nyāsaḥending in the dative — the imposition on the limbs
Translation
"'Golden-hued' is the seed; 'kāṃso'smi' is the power. By the words 'golden,' 'lunar,' 'in a silver wreath,' 'golden,' 'golden-hued' — beginning with the praṇava, ending with 'homage,' and standing in the dative — the imposition on the limbs is performed."
Version
5917c95157a6 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
It is worth noting the construction of the names: praṇava-ādi-namo-antaiḥ caturthyantaiḥ, "beginning with oṃ, ending with 'homage,' and standing in the dative case." That is, every name is uttered in the form "oṃ, to the golden one — homage." We examined this construction when reading the Dattātreya (1.5 and 1.11), where the power of the mantra was called the word namaḥ, and the dative case was called its nail.
Let us repeat the conclusion briefly, for here it is confirmed a third time: a mantra rests not on understanding but on address; and grammatically this is expressed by the dative, the case of giving-to. Let us add what is worth saying about the names themselves. They are all about gold and silver: golden, golden-hued, in a silver wreath.
Only one thing else is added — candrā, "lunar." That is, Lakṣmī is described through radiance; and this is natural in the most ancient usage, for wealth was gold itself. The Vaiṣṇava side accepts such descriptions and does not cancel its own; but it is worth noting that its own description of Lakṣmī is different and speaks almost nothing of gold.
For it, she is the one who is at His side: she sits at His feet, massages His feet, and her chief name is padmā, "lotus," not gold. This distinction, to my mind, is the distinction of two attitudes: one asks of her what she gives, the other looks at her in relation to the one she serves.