Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 32
॥
Devanāgarī
तद्विष्णोः परमं पदं सदा पश्यन्ति सूरयः दिवीव चक्षुराततम्
Transliteration (IAST)
tadviṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ divīva cakṣurātatam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत् विष्णोः परमम् पदम्tat viṣṇoḥ paramam padamthat supreme abode of Viṣṇu; that highest place of Viṣṇu
सदा पश्यन्ति सूरयःsadā paśyanti sūrayaḥthe wise ever behold; the sūris see continually
दिवि इवdivi ivaas in the sky; as though in heaven
चक्षुः आततम्cakṣuḥ ātataman eye outstretched; a gaze spread wide
Translation
That supreme abode of Viṣṇu the wise ever behold — like an eye outstretched in the sky.
Version
da331a92cb9a · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
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The line is taken from the Ṛgveda and is among the most honoured in the Veda. It is cited here as testimony to what Candradhvaja attained.
"The supreme abode of Viṣṇu", paramaṁ padam, means His realm. The word pada means both "foot" and "place, footprint": the abode is the place where He set His foot.
The comparison is rendered two ways, and both readings are old. "Like an eye outstretched in the sky" — that is, like the sun, all-seeing and seen by all. And "like a gaze directed to the sky" — that is, the wise look there constantly, as one looks upward.
More important is the adverb: sadā, "ever". The sūris, "the wise", do not visit that abode from time to time — they see it without interruption. From this the later tradition draws the distinction between those who attain and those who abide: with the eternal associates the vision is not broken off.
The citing of a Ṛgvedic verse here is no ornament: a book that speaks of Kṛṣṇa and His mantra shows that it speaks of the same One the most ancient hymn speaks of.