Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 12
॥
Devanāgarī
पञ्चपदीं जपन् पञ्चाङ्गं द्यावाभूमी सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ साग्नी तद्रूपतया ब्रह्म संपद्यते ब्रह्म सम्पद्यत इति
Transliteration (IAST)
pañcapadīṁ japan pañcāṅgaṁ dyāvābhūmī sūryācandramasau sāgnī tadrūpatayā brahma saṁpadyate brahma sampadyata iti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पञ्चपदीम् जपन्pañcapadīm japanmurmuring the five-worded; repeating the mantra of five words
पञ्चाङ्गम्pañcāṅgamfivefold; consisting of five members
द्यावाभूमीdyāvābhūmīheaven and earth; the two — sky and earth
सूर्याचन्द्रमसौsūryācandramasausun and moon; the two luminaries
साग्नीsāgnītogether with fire; along with the fire
तद्रूपतयाtadrūpatayāby becoming of its form; in its likeness
ब्रह्म सम्पद्यतेbrahma sampadyateone attains Brahman; he reaches Brahman
ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते इतिbrahma sampadyate itione attains Brahman, thus; he reaches Brahman — so it is said
Translation
One who murmurs the five-worded mantra — fivefold as heaven and earth, sun and moon, and fire — becoming of its form, attains Brahman, attains Brahman.
Version
a2b11b36cf63 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The mantra of five words is set beside the five of the cosmos: heaven and earth, sun and moon, fire. The device is constant in the Veda: the small is bound to the great, to show that what is uttered is not a particular but coincides with the structure of the universe.
The key phrase is tad-rūpatayā, "by becoming of its form". Not "receiving a reward for the uttering", but being made of the same form: the repeater takes on the nature of what he repeats. Hence the later rule that the name and the Named are not different, and that therefore the name transforms the one who utters it.
The promise is stated twice: "attains Brahman, attains Brahman". As in the sixth mantra, the doubling is a sign of completion and of special firmness.
Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa cites this passage in the Govinda-bhāṣya when examining how, among the several means — the murmuring of a mantra, contemplation, obeisance — each by itself carries one to the goal; here it is japa that is called sufficient.
Note that the word japan means a quiet, almost soundless repetition — for oneself, not for hearers. The tasting of which the last mantra spoke is done alone.