Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 35
॥
Devanāgarī
तदत्र गाथाः—
यस्य पूर्वपदाद् भूमिर्द्वितीयात् सलिलोद्भवः ।
तृतीयात्तेज उद्भूतं चतुर्थाद् गन्धवाहनः ॥
पञ्चमादम्बरोत्पत्तिस्तमेवैकं समभ्यसेत्
Transliteration (IAST)
tadatra gāthāḥ—
yasya pūrvapadād bhūmirdvitīyāt salilodbhavaḥ |
tṛtīyātteja udbhūtaṁ caturthād gandhavāhanaḥ ||
pañcamādambarotpattistamevaikaṁ samabhyaset
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत् अत्र गाथाःtat atra gāthāḥon this there are verses here; on this there are gāthās
यस्य पूर्वपदात् भूमिःyasya pūrvapadāt bhūmiḥfrom whose first word, the earth; from whose opening word, earth
द्वितीयात् सलिलोद्भवःdvitīyāt salilodbhavaḥfrom the second, the arising of the waters; from the second, the coming of moisture
तृतीयात् तेजः उद्भूतम्tṛtīyāt tejaḥ udbhūtamfrom the third, fire arose; from the third, heat appeared
चतुर्थात् गन्धवाहनःcaturthāt gandhavāhanaḥfrom the fourth, the bearer of scents; from the fourth, the wind
पञ्चमात् अम्बरोत्पत्तिःpañcamāt ambarotpattiḥfrom the fifth, the birth of the sky; from the fifth, the arising of ether
तम् एव एकम् समभ्यसेत्tam eva ekam samabhyasetHim alone let one contemplate; let him repeat that one alone
Translation
On this there are verses here: from its first word the earth, from the second the arising of the waters, from the third fire arose, from the fourth the bearer of scents, from the fifth the birth of the sky; Him alone let a man contemplate.
Version
74480dd10e27 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:22:17 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The gāthās repeat in verse what was said in prose — so the Veda fixes what matters. The difference is only in the words: the wind is called "the bearer of scents", gandha-vāhana, and space ambara, "the sky".
But the main thing is in the last line, and for its sake the verse was composed: tam eva ekam samabhyaset — "Him alone let one contemplate". The whole enumeration of elements was a preparation for that "alone".
The sense is this. The world is broken down into five principles, the principles are traced to five words, the words to one name; and therefore what is to be contemplated is neither the five nor the cosmos but He whose name it is. In the Upaniṣads the analysis of the cosmos always ends in a reduction to the One.
Note too the word samabhyaset: the same root as abhyāsa, "practice", in mantra 33. Contemplation here is not an impulse but work repeated day after day.
The next mantra will name the one who did just that — returning to the king already spoken of.