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Upanishads · Sarasvatīrahasya 3.7
॥
Devanāgarī
यः कवित्वं निरातङ्कं भुक्तिमुक्ती च वाञ्छति । सोऽभैर्च्यैनां दशश्लोक्या नित्यं स्तौति सरस्वतीम्
Transliteration (IAST)
yaḥ kavitvaṃ nirātaṅkaṃ bhuktimuktī ca vāñchati | so'bhaircyaināṃ daśaślokyā nityaṃ stauti sarasvatīm
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यः कवित्वं निरातङ्कंyaḥ kavitvaṃ nirātaṅkaṃwho desires unfearing poetic power
भुक्ति-मुक्ती च वाञ्छतिbhukti-muktī ca vāñchatiand desires enjoyment and liberation
सः अभ्यर्च्य एनां दश-श्लोक्याsaḥ abhyarcya enāṃ daśa-ślokyāhe, having honored her with the ten-verse hymn
नित्यं स्तौति सरस्वतीम्nityaṃ stauti sarasvatīmlet him always praise Sarasvatī
Translation
Who desires unfearing poetic power, and desires enjoyment and liberation as well — let him, having honored her, always praise Sarasvatī with the ten-verse hymn.
Version
e9fa985efce1 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
It is worth noting what is asked for: kavitvaṃ nirātaṅkam, "unfearing poetic power." Ātaṅka means "fear, anxiety"; and the gift is called "unfearing" — that is, one at which the speaker is not timid. This detail, to my mind, is vivid and precise: what is asked for is not inspiration in general, but not being afraid to speak.
Anyone who has had to perform or write will recognize that this is indeed the chief need. Let us add what stands beside it: bhukti-mukti, "enjoyment and liberation." We examined this pair when reading the Saubhāgyalakṣmī (1.11), where it stood among the goddess's names; and there Rūpa Gosvāmī's statement calling both a single ghoul was cited.
Let us repeat it briefly, for it is relevant here: by Vaiṣṇava reckoning, the thirst for liberation is as much a hindrance as the thirst for enjoyment, for both are desires for oneself. Let us add, however, what softens the present passage. It does not say that one ought to ask for these things; it says who usually comes: one desiring a gift, prosperity, and freedom.
That is, before us is not a prescription but a description of petitioners; and a book that honestly names why people come to it is better than one that pretends people come to it only for the highest.