Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 8
॥
Devanāgarī
तदुहोवाच हैरण्यो गोपवेशमभ्राभं तरुणं कल्पद्रुमाश्रितं
Transliteration (IAST)
taduhovāca hairaṇyo gopaveśamabhrābhaṁ taruṇaṁ kalpadrumāśritaṁ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत् उ ह उवाच हैरण्यःtat u ha uvāca hairaṇyaḥand the Golden-born said; Hiraṇyagarbha answered
गोपवेशम्gopaveśamin cowherd dress; clothed as a herdsman
अभ्राभम्abhrābhamof the colour of a cloud; dark as a thunderhead
तरुणम्taruṇamyouthful; young
कल्पद्रुमाश्रितम्kalpadrumāśritamleaning on the wish-fulfilling tree; standing by the kalpa-druma
Translation
And the Golden-born answered: He is in cowherd dress, of the colour of a cloud, youthful, leaning on the wish-fulfilling tree.
Version
ccc655902be2 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
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The answer to the question about the form is given in four words, and each of them has become a support for the tradition.
"In cowherd dress", gopa-veśa: the supreme Deity is described neither in royal regalia nor in four-armed majesty but in a herdsman's clothes. This alone overturns the usual hierarchy of images.
"Of the colour of a cloud", abhrābha: the dark blue of a thunderhead — the colour that promises rain after the heat. In the same connection there will later be spoken of "lightning-yellow garments".
"Youthful", taruṇa: not an aged creator and not a formidable sovereign, but a youth. Eternity is expressed here not by antiquity but by unageing youth.
"Leaning on the wish-fulfilling tree", kalpa-druma-āśrita: He who fulfils everyone's wishes stands leaning on a tree that fulfils wishes. In this image there is both repose and a light mockery of our notion of divine grandeur.
It is precisely this mantra that Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa cites in the Govinda-bhāṣya as testimony that the supreme Deity has a form, and that form a cowherd of Vṛndāvana. Note who is speaking: hairaṇya, "the Golden-born", that is Hiraṇyagarbha, the firstborn creator — he is not describing at second hand.