SanskritIASTMeaning
हरिः ॐhariḥ oṃHari, oṁ (glory to Hari; an auspicious opening); in the name of Hari, oṁ; praise to Hari, oṁ
द्वापरान्तेdvāparānteat the close of the Dvāpara age; at the end of Dvāpara-yuga; as the Dvāpara age was drawing to its end
नारदःnāradaḥNārada; the sage Nārada; the ṛṣi Nārada
ब्रह्माणम्brahmāṇaṃto Brahmā; to Brahmā the creator; to Brahmā [with a question]
जगामjagāmawent; came; made his way
कथम्kathaṃhow; in what manner; by what path
भगवन्bhagavanO lord; O master; O venerable one
गां पर्यटन्gāṃ paryaṭanwandering over the earth; roaming the earth; travelling through the world
कलिम्kaliṃKali[-yuga]; the age of strife; the epoch of Kali
सन्तरेयमितिsantareyamitimight I cross over? — [thus he asked]; how am I to ferry myself across it?; how to pass beyond [this age]? — so he inquired
स होवाच ब्रह्माsa hovāca brahmāhe, Brahmā, replied; so said Brahmā; Brahmā answered him
साधु पृष्टो ऽस्मिsādhu pṛṣṭo 'smiwell have you asked; your question is a good one; rightly do you inquire
सर्वश्रुतिरहस्यम्sarvaśrutirahasyaṃthe secret of all the śrutis [scriptures]; the mystery of all the Vedas; the hidden knowledge of all revelation
गोप्यम्gopyaṃsecret; confidential, entrusted to few; that which is to be guarded
तच्छृणुtacchṛṇuhear it, then; listen now; hear
येनyenaby which; whereby; with whose help
कलिसंसारम्kalisaṃsāraṃthe worldly stream of Kali; the round of birth and death in the Kali age; the ocean of births and deaths of this epoch
तरिष्यसिtariṣyasiyou will cross; you will ferry yourself over; you will overcome
भगवत आदिपुरुषस्यbhagavata ādipuruṣasyaof the primeval Lord; of the original Puruṣa; of the original Personality of Godhead
नारायणस्यnārāyaṇasyaof Nārāyaṇa; of [the name of] Nārāyaṇa; of Lord Nārāyaṇa
नामोच्चारणमात्रेणnāmoccāraṇamātreṇaby the mere utterance of [His] name; by the simple sounding of the name; by the very pronouncing of the holy name
निर्धूतकलिर्भवतीतिnirdhūtakalirbhavatītione becomes freed from [the taint of] Kali — thus [said Brahmā]; he shakes Kali off himself; he is delivered from the influence of this age
The chief theme of the Upaniṣad is announced at once: salvation in the age of Kali comes not through austerity, ritual or abstract knowledge, but through the simple utterance of the holy name. It is telling that the question is asked by Nārada — the eternal wanderer between the worlds, a guide of devotion rather than a theoretician — and that the answer is given by Brahmā himself, the creator of the universe, for whom the pronouncing of Nārāyaṇa's name is no human contrivance but a law of being itself. The word gopyam ("secret") points not to secrecy in the everyday sense but to the fact that this truth is opened by the trust of the heart, not by erudition.