Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 14
॥
Devanāgarī
तां हि मुख्यां विधाय पूर्वमनु कृत्वा तूष्णीमासुः
Transliteration (IAST)
tāṁ hi mukhyāṁ vidhāya pūrvamanu kṛtvā tūṣṇīmāsuḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ताम् हि मुख्याम् विधायtām hi mukhyām vidhāyahaving set her in front; having made her the chief
पूर्वम् अनु कृत्वाpūrvam anu kṛtvāhaving done as was said before; having acted according to what was said earlier
तूष्णीम् आसुःtūṣṇīm āsuḥthey fell silent; they remained without speech
Translation
Having set her in front and done as had been said, they fell silent.
Version
359e85b6eb9c · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:30:24 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The cowherd women set Gāndharvī before them and fall silent. The silence is not confusion but the posture of a listener: the question has been asked, now it is for the speaker.
The word tūṣṇīm, "silently", marks in the Upaniṣads a turning point in a conversation. So Naciketas falls silent before the third boon; so the assembly falls silent when Yājñavalkya has finished. Silence is the sign that enough has been said and an answer is awaited.
"Having set her in front" is a detail of ritual character: before an elder one person speaks for all. So here: the many ask through the mouth of the best.
The phrase pūrvam anu kṛtvā, "having done as was said before", the commentators refer to both words — about Kṛṣṇa and about Durvāsā: they did as they were bidden, and crossed over.
Here the tale of the crossing ends. Next Durvāsā's answer will begin — and from this point the book passes from narrative to teaching, returning to narrative only at the close, with the description of Mathurā and the abode.