Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 26
॥
Devanāgarī
यदेतस्य स्वरूपार्थं वाचावेदयेति ते पप्रच्छुः
Transliteration (IAST)
yadetasya svarūpārthaṁ vācāvedayeti te papracchuḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यत् एतस्यyat etasyawhat of this; what is it that this has
स्वरूपार्थम्svarūpārthamis its nature and meaning; its essence and its sense
वाचा वेदयvācā vedayadeclare in speech; explain in words
इतिitithus; so
ते पप्रच्छुःte papracchuḥthey asked; the sages enquired
Translation
"Declare to us in words the nature and meaning of this mantra" — so they asked.
Version
a7827e4ae200 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A short question, but it turns the book. Until now Brahmā has spoken of what to do: how to contemplate, how to repeat, how to worship. Now he is asked to explain the mantra itself — its nature and its meaning.
The word svarūpa means "own form, own nature": they ask not for a translation of the words but for what the mantra is in essence. And with it stands artha — "meaning, object": what it signifies and what it points to.
The answer that follows will be unexpected: instead of an analysis of meanings Brahmā will tell his own story — how he contemplated, how the Lord appeared to him in cowherd form, how He handed over the mantra, and how the world was unfolded from its syllables.
In this there is a lesson about the very way knowledge is transmitted. To the question "what does this mean?" the answer is a story of how it was received. In the Upaniṣads the meaning of a sacred word is inseparable from the history of its handing over — and therefore what follows is narrative, not definition.