Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 59
॥
Devanāgarī
युगानुवर्तिनो लोका यजन्तीह सुमेधसः ।
गोपालं सानुजं रामरुक्मिण्या सह तत्परं
Transliteration (IAST)
yugānuvartino lokā yajantīha sumedhasaḥ |
gopālaṁ sānujaṁ rāmarukmiṇyā saha tatparaṁ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
युगानुवर्तिनः लोकाःyugānuvartinaḥ lokāḥpeople who follow their age; laypeople who go along with their era
यजन्ति इह सुमेधसःyajanti iha sumedhasaḥworship here, the wise; render honour here, those endowed with understanding
गोपालम् सानुजम्gopālam sānujamGopāla with His younger brother; the Cowherd together with His brother
रामरुक्मिण्या सहrāmarukmiṇyā sahatogether with Rāma and Rukmiṇī; together with Balarāma and Rukmiṇī
तत्परम्tatparamHim, the highest; that supreme one
Translation
"The wise, who follow their own age, worship here Gopāla — together with His younger brother, with Rāma and with Rukmiṇī — Him, the highest."
Version
831cafda0d6c · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:30:24 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The mantra speaks of how worship is done in different ages, and introduces the notion of yuga-anuvartin — "one who follows the age": one who holds to the means fitting his own era.
This thought is constant in the śāstras: in different ages different chief means are prescribed — contemplation, sacrifice, image worship, the singing of the name. The "wise", sumedhas, do not dispute this but follow it.
The object of worship too is named: Gopāla is not alone but with His younger brother, with Balarāma and with Rukmiṇī. This is now the third time the book stresses that He is honoured surrounded: on the diagram in the Pūrva-tāpanī, in Mathurā with the quaternity, and here.
Note too the word tatparam, "Him, the highest": for all the surrounding company, the one worshipped is He.
The next mantra will give the most compressed formula of this worship, and the Lord Himself will pronounce it.