Upanishads · Śvetāśvatara 4.22
॥
Devanāgarī
मा नस् तोके तनये मा न आयुषि मा नो गोषु मा नो अश्वेषु रीरिषः ।
वीरान् मा नो रुद्र भामितो वधीर् हविष्मन्तः सदम् इत् त्वा हवामहे
Transliteration (IAST)
mā nas toke tanaye mā na āyuṣi mā no goṣu mā no aśveṣu rīriṣaḥ /
vīrān mā no rudra bhāmito vadhīr haviṣmantaḥ sadam it tvā havāmahe
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
मा नःmā naḥnot us; let it not be to us
तोकेtokein our children; in our offspring
तनयेtanayein our grandchildren; in our sons' sons
मा नः आयुषिmā naḥ āyuṣinor in our lifespan; nor in our years
मा नः गोषुmā naḥ goṣunor in our cows; nor in our cattle
मा नः अश्वेषुmā naḥ aśveṣunor in our horses; nor in our steeds
रीरिषःrīriṣaḥdo not injure; do not do harm
वीरान्vīrānour men; our warriors, our strong ones
मा नःmā naḥnot ours; do not ours
रुद्रrudraO Rudra; Rudra
भामितःbhāmitaḥin anger; kindled with wrath
वधीःvadhīḥdo not slay; do not strike down
हविष्मन्तःhaviṣmantaḥbearing oblations; bringing sacrificial gifts
सदम् इत्sadam italways; constantly
त्वा हवामहेtvā havāmahewe call upon Thee; we invoke Thee
Translation
Injure us not in our children, nor in our grandchildren, nor in our span of life, nor in our cows, nor in our horses; slay not our men in anger, O Rudra: bearing oblations we call upon Thee always.
Version
9b4313510fbc · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:13:46 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
An adhyāya full of talk about māyā and the utmost peace ends with the most earthly of prayers. They ask for children and grandchildren, for long life, for cattle and horses, that the strong men of the clan may not perish. Not a word about mokṣa.
And this is no lowering. The Upaniṣad shows that the same God who is "finer than the fine" and "encompasses the universe" is the One from whom health for one's children is asked. There is no division here into "high" and "low" requests: there is one Addressee.
The order of the list is moving: first children and grandchildren, then one's own span, then the livestock. The petitioner remembers himself third.
The last line explains what this boldness rests on: "bearing oblations we call upon Thee always". Only one who does not come to God solely in trouble can ask like this. The constancy of the relation gives the right to a direct request.
Later Vedānta will say this with full definiteness: whatever you may want, ask it of the Same, do not run about to other counters; and any self-interest brought to Him burns away in time into love. Here the same thought is not yet stated as a rule, but it is already lived as a custom.