Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 15
॥
Devanāgarī
कृष्णं तं विप्रा बहुधा यजन्ति
गोविन्दं सन्तं बहुधाराधयन्ति
गोपीजनवल्लभो भुवनानि दध्रे
स्वाहाश्रितो जगदेजयत् सुरेताः
Transliteration (IAST)
kṛṣṇaṁ taṁ viprā bahudhā yajanti
govindaṁ santaṁ bahudhārādhayanti
gopījanavallabho bhuvanāni dadhre
svāhāśrito jagadejayat suretāḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कृष्णम् तम्kṛṣṇam tamthat Kṛṣṇa; Him, Kṛṣṇa
विप्राःviprāḥthe inspired ones; the brāhmaṇa seers
बहुधा यजन्तिbahudhā yajantiworship with sacrifice in many ways; honour in manifold fashion
गोविन्दम् सन्तम्govindam santamGovinda who is; Govinda, who exists
बहुधा आराधयन्तिbahudhā ārādhayantithey venerate in many ways; they serve in various ways
गोपीजनवल्लभःgopījanavallabhaḥthe Beloved of the cowherd women; gopī-jana-vallabha
भुवनानि दध्रेbhuvanāni dadhreupheld the worlds; sustained the universes
स्वाहाश्रितःsvāhāśritaḥresting on svāhā; established in svāhā
जगत् एजयत्jagat ejayatset the world in motion; made the universe move
सुरेताःsuretāḥwhose seed is good; possessed of goodly seed
Translation
That Kṛṣṇa the inspired ones worship with sacrifice in many ways; Govinda, who is, they venerate in various ways; the Beloved of the cowherd women upheld the worlds and, resting on svāhā, set the universe in motion — He whose seed is good.
Version
3cf444824c56 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
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The verse goes through all the words of the mantra and shows that each of them means not a separate deity but one and the same Person in different works.
"They worship Kṛṣṇa with sacrifice", "they venerate Govinda" — two verbs of ritual language: yajanti and ārādhayanti. Note the adverb repeated twice: bahudhā, "in many ways". The modes of worship differ, the One worshipped is one. So the dispute over whose rites are the right ones is dissolved.
Then two works: "the Beloved of the cowherd women upheld the worlds" and "resting on svāhā, set the universe in motion". The first is maintenance, the second creation and movement. He who is dear to the cowherd women turns out to be the upholder of the worlds; and such a neighbourhood is usual for this book — it constantly sets village simplicity beside cosmic scale.
The word suretāḥ, "whose seed is good", is used in the Veda of one from whom good offspring is born. Here it applies to the world: everything that proceeds from Him is good in its origin.
And note that svāhā is called a support: He "rested" on His own energy to move the world. It is not He who acts directly but His power — the very thought the Śvetāśvatara will put in the words "māyā is prakṛti, and the Wielder of māyā is Maheśvara".