Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 8
॥
Devanāgarī
श्रुत्वा तद् वाचं हि वै स्मृत्वा रौद्रं तद्वाक्येन तीर्त्वा तत् सौर्यां हि वै गत्वाश्रमं पुण्यतमं हि नत्वा मुनिं श्रेष्ठतमं हि वै रौद्रञ्चेति दत्त्वास्मै ब्राह्मणाय क्षीरमयं घृतमयं मिष्टतमं ह वै
Transliteration (IAST)
śrutvā tad vācaṁ hi vai smṛtvā raudraṁ tadvākyena tīrtvā tat sauryāṁ hi vai gatvāśramaṁ puṇyatamaṁ hi natvā muniṁ śreṣṭhatamaṁ hi vai raudrañceti dattvāsmai brāhmaṇāya kṣīramayaṁ ghṛtamayaṁ miṣṭatamaṁ ha vai
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
श्रुत्वा तत् वाचम्śrutvā tat vācamhaving heard that word; having attended to His speech
हि वै स्मृत्वाhi vai smṛtvāand having remembered; calling to mind
रौद्रम्raudramthe formidable one; the sage of Rudra's temper
तद्वाक्येन तीर्त्वाtadvākyena tīrtvāhaving crossed by that word; having passed over by means of that speech
तत् सौर्याम्tat sauryāmthat daughter of the Sun; the river, child of the Sun
हि वै गत्वाhi vai gatvāhaving come; having reached
आश्रमम् पुण्यतमम्āśramam puṇyatamamto the most holy hermitage; to the holiest āśrama
नत्वा मुनिम्natvā munimhaving bowed to the sage; having made obeisance to the muni
श्रेष्ठतमम्śreṣṭhatamamthe greatest; the most excellent
दत्त्वा अस्मै ब्राह्मणायdattvā asmai brāhmaṇāyahaving given to that brāhmaṇa; having presented to this brāhmaṇa
क्षीरमयम् घृतमयम्kṣīramayam ghṛtamayammade of milk, made of ghee; of milk and clarified butter
मिष्टतमम्miṣṭatamamthe sweetest; the most delicious
Translation
Having heard this word and remembering the formidable sage, they crossed by that word the daughter of the Sun, came to the most holy hermitage, bowed to the greatest of sages and presented that brāhmaṇa with the sweetest fare, made of milk and of ghee.
Version
1515ec25afb2 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:30:24 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
What was promised comes to pass, and it is told in one long breath: they heard, remembered, crossed, came, bowed, presented.
The Yamunā is called here sauryā — "solar, daughter of the Sun": by tradition she is the child of Vivasvān and the sister of Yama. The name is not chosen for ornament: the river that became a ford is the same daughter of the Sun that flows down from the hills.
Note by what they crossed: tad-vākyena, "by that word". Not by wading, not by boat — by a word. So the book shows without any insistence what it holds to be power.
Durvāsā is named twice: raudra, "formidable", and śreṣṭhatama, "the greatest". Both estimates are true, and the narrator does not choose between them.
The offering is described with village precision: milky, made with ghee, the sweetest. The cowherd women brought what they had and the best they had. In a book where yantra and mantra were just being discussed, worship looks exactly like this — a guest fed.